Month: February 2020

AIPH University Annual National Workshop on Public Health to be inaugurated by Principal Secretary Nikunja Bihari Dhal

Source: indiaeducationdiary.in

Bhubaneswar: In light of the current global health emergency due to the Novel Corona virus, Odisha’s first Public Health University is organizing a one-day National Workshop on Role of Public Health in state’s development. In the workshop being held at its city campus in Pahala, eminent public health & development experts will come together to deliberate on different aspects of public health education, research and policy and its implications for health and development. Principal secretary Health Nikunja Bihari Dhal will inaugurate the workshop and eminent environmentalist Prof Radhamohan will be felicitated. Prof Radhamohan has been awarded with Padmashri by Government of India for his contribution to state’s development.

In the technical session, presentations will be made by Dr Narendra Kumar Jena, Head of Emergency Medicine, Minakshi Mission Hospital Madurai on Coronavirus crisis & its management, Healthcare Management expert Mr Keerti Pradhan will discuss role of academia in preparing public health professionals and former world bank senior finance officer Mr Binod Nayak will discuss on role of microfinance in public health delivery. The session will be chaired by Mr Vivekananda Patnaik, IAS who is a member of board of governors of AIPH University.

In the post-lunch session, a panel discussion would comprise of eminent panelists such as Dr Omkar Mohanty, former vice chancellor of BPUT, Prof Lalu Mansinha, emeritus professor of University of Western Ontario, Prof Luna Samant, Dean of School of Biological Sciences of Ravenshaw University, Dr Priyadarshan Patra, Dean of Research, Xavier University and Dr Srijit Mishra, Director Nabakrushna Choudhury Center for Development Studies.

The workshop will also be addressed by Prof Pinaki Panigrahi, founder-president of AIPH University and eminent researcher at Georgetown University in USA. The deliberations of the workshop with key recommendations will be submitted to the state government.

Bihar Board 12th Exam 2020 to begin today, BSEB implements strict measures to counter cheating, mal-practices

Source: jagranjosh.com

Bihar Board 12th Exam 2020 Begins: Bihar Inter Board Exam 2020 will officially begin today across the state, as per the official exam datesheet released earlier. Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has put in place strict measures for the BSEB Intermediate Exam 2020 which is commencing today for the 12th Class students. According to the official statistics shared by the Bihar Board, nearly 12.5 lakh students from across Bihar will appear for Intermediate Board Exam 2020 today. In line with this, to ensure fair exams to avoid any incident of cheating or mal-practices; the Bihar Board has put in place strict security measures and supervision at examination centres.

Strict Security Measures to Counter Cheating

In the past, Bihar Board has had to face several embarrassing situations wherein instances of mass cheating, malpractices and such other irregularities during BSEB Inter Exam have been reports. Taking cognizance of this and to ensure that no such incident takes place during this year’s exam; BSEB has put in place strict security measures and supervision at the exam centres across the state. Students appearing for the Bihar 12th Board Exam 2020 will have to go through frisking and detailed checking by examiners before being allowed into the examination hall. On similar lines, Bihar Board has also deployed CCTV vigilance and videography of students at various places including the exam classrooms where they would be appearing for the exam.

Exam Day Instructions for Students

Students appearing for the Bihar 12th Board Exam 2020 must note that the in line with the strict security checks, they are required to report to their assigned examination centre in advance. At the entrance point, they will be checked thoroughly including frisking by examiners, so taking any electronic devices or books is completely prohibited to the examination hall. Students are also advised to carry the BSEB 12th Admit Cards 2020 to the exam hall and make sure that the details provided on it are correct. Bihar Inter Board Exam 2020 will be held in two shifts i.e. morning session from 9:30 AM to 12:45 PM and the afternoon session starting from 1:45 PM to 5 PM. Students for morning batch are required to report before 9:15 and afternoon batch latest by 1:30. Entry after this would not be allowed.

Rs 15 lakh promise: PM Modi, Amit Shah face charges of cheating, dishonesty in Ranchi court

Source: indiatoday.in

The complainant HK Singh, an advocate, has filed a case against PM Modi and Amit Shah, accusing them of cheating people by promising to credit Rs 15 lakh in every person’s bank account if they come to power.

district court in Ranchi has started proceedings in a case where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been accused of cheating and dishonesty. The third accused in this case is Union minister Ramdas Atawle.

The complainant HK Singh, an advocate at the state high court, has filed a case against PM Modi and Amit Shah, accusing them of cheating people by promising to credit Rs 15 lakh in every person’s bank account if they come to power.

The complaint was lodged under sections 415 (cheating) and 420 (dishonesty) of the Indian penal Code, alongwith section 123(b) of the Representation of the People Act.

The court proceedings in the case started today.

HK Singh said in 2019 Home Minister Amit Shah said the government introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) because it was one of the main promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

“Why was the promise on CAA delivered but the promise on crediting Rs 15 lakh in each person’s account, a promise made in BJP manifesto, not honoured?” HK Singh asked.

He argued that the Representation of the People Act says false promise cannot be made to seek votes. “It amounts to fraud with the people,” HK Singh said.

The case will come up for hearing next on March 2.

However, HK Singh’s claim that the Rs 15 lakh promise was part of BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election is contrary to facts. The manifesto does not promise this.

Meanwhile, last Saturday, the court had asked HK Singh how this matter falls under Ranchi jurisdiction and why did he not file a case earlier considering that the alleged promise was made in 2013-14.

Speaking to India Today TV, HK Singh said, “Even I feel duped and so do many others by the cunning deceit of BJP leaders. They cannot have double standards. If they can deliver their promise on CAA, then they should also deliver on the Rs 15 lakh promise.”

Reacting to the developments, the Congress said people are fed-up with the lies told by the BJP. Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey said, “People are fed-up with the lies told by BJP leaders, including PM Modi. Now, people have started reacting and are expressing their anger against the fraud and baseless assurances given by the BJP.”

On the other hand, the BJP rubbished the allegations as a “publicity stunt”. BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said filing a case after six years is nothing but a “cheap publicity stunt”.

“What BJP leaders, including PM Modi and Amit Shah said, is in the public domain. They never promised that all account holders will get Rs 15 lakh. They (Opposition and the petitioner) will understand the meaning of BJP leaders’ words if they try to read between the lines,” Shahdeo said.

Jharkhand vibes in Gujarat

Source: telegraphindia.com

Jharkhand’s colours and culture served as a confluence for the east and west traditions of India at one platform in Ahmedabad recently.

Organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Kalamandir, in Jamshedpur and Virasat Trust in Hazaribagh, the Jharkhand Festival with a tagline “Chalo Fariye Jharkhand Amdavadma” was a three-day affair from January 31 to February 2 at Natarani Amphitheatre in Ahmedabad’s Darpana Dance Academy.

This was the first Jharkhand Fest organised in Gujarat.

A team of more than 60 artists, social activists and experts from Jharkhand were a part of the festival.

From Jharkhandi food — jil peetha and dhuska — to painting demonstration and workshops on sohrai and pyatkar, the fest was a new experience for the Gujarati community.

“The idea was to know other states. Jharkhand is unexplored. We in Ahmedabad know about Maharashtra and even the Northeast but if you ask someone in Ahmedabad about Jharkhand, I wonder if you will get a reply despite the fact that the state is so rich in culture and has had its share of struggles to get its own identity. We not only did a lot of publicity for masses to walk in and experience the state culture but we also enjoyed researching about it,” said Priyakshi Agarwal, from the marketing and logistics department of Natarani Amphitheatre.

“The response was positive. For many it was a first-time experience. Even the participating artists were happy to have performed and participated in this unique three-day fest,” said Amitava Ghosh, co-convenor, Intach, Jharkhand.

Keerthi Ranasinghe-ex-Nalandian cricketer cum basketball player

Source: dailynews.lk

His father was the first cricket captain of Christian College Kotte(now known as Sri Jayawardenepura Maha Vidyalaya) in 1919. He and his elder brother were boarded at this famous old school, which had the best hostel in that era and the Principal was E.D. Thambimuttu and a few other distinguished educationists. The proper etiquette was instilled into young Keerthi Ranasinghe from his early days.

He was a versatile sportsman, a basketball player of no mean repute who represented both Sri Jayawardenepura and Nalanda College and a handy opening bat who played for Nalanda and Colombo North in the zonal tournaments.

I met Keerthi at a function to felicitate the famous coaching guru Nelson Mendis, and his mannerisms stood apart from the rest of us, I wondered whether it was his early upbringing at Christian College Kotte , which laid the foundation to this gentle character. He left our shores early and worked in the middle east for forty long ears as a Telecom Engineer.

Ranasinghe was a good basketball player even at the age of 12 yrs. His hand eye coordination was such that, he took to the game of cricket with ease. He played for the first eleven and got two centuries, against Piliyandala Central and Dharmasoka Ambalangoda. Late Gerry Gooneratne was coaching Christian College and Nalanda College. Meanwhile his shooting capacity was spotted by Late Gunapala Wickremaratne the principal at Ananda Sastralaya then,as a result Keerthi was recommended to Nalanda College and was drafted into the Nalanda College first eleven in 1966. As a fresher that year he got a 50 against St Thomas’s out of a total of 140,Keerthi had to encounter a star studded bowling line up together with the sideways breeze which was a nuisance.

The Big Match that year is etched in my memory due to two significant things, one was that I captained Ananda and the other was that I trapped their king pin at that time Late Anura De Silva into popping a catch to the covers, he was 99. Keerthi was involved in a fifty run partnership with Doolwela, Keerthi’s contribution was a brisk 22, in the second innings he was unfortunately yorked by a brilliant yorker from Late P. Dayapriya.

In the inter zonal tournament in 1966, Keerthi opened with Felix Dias and his contribution was 21, where as Dias hammered 134. In the same year Colombo North against Central Zone Ranasinghe’s useful contribution was 37.

After his school career he joined Post and Telecommunications Department and in a game against Department of Heavy Equipment and Machinery, Ranasinghe whacked 192 runs enabling Telecom to win by an innings and 124 runs, this was in 1978 January.

Sports writer ‘SEA ROM’ wrote to the ‘Daily Mirror’ under the caption ‘go man go’ in 1966, He stated that Gratian Amerasinghe a former coach of Sri Jayawardenepura ,mentioned that he had high hopes on young Ranasinghe to prop up the underdogs Nalanda in the Public Schools Senior Basketball Tournament.

Keerthi made some interesting comparisons of Two Anura’s, De Silva and Ranasinghe.Keerthi stated that Late Anura De Silva was a class apart as an All Rounder and it was rather unfortunate that he had to curtail his career. According to Keerthi ,Anura Ranasinghe was the more disciplined of the two and his talent as an all -rounder was not far behind De Silva.

Fast forwarding to the current affairs in Cricket, Keerthi agreed that there was no dearth in talent but hiccups occur at the best of times. He was away from Nalanda cricket activities for about 30 years due to his work s a Telecom Engineer, on his return to the island he is back in action being a member of several cricket committees at Nalanda.

Keerthi mentioned that he was invited recently when Nalanda recruited a new coach, and the others in that committee were Jayantha Seneviratne, Roshan Mahanama,Asanka Gurusinghe and Bandula Warnapura.

He was also the cricket secretary of The Old Nalandians Sports Club.

Ranasinghe lives with his wife at Kelaniya and has two daughters and one son, who went to St Josephs. It was a pleasure interviewing Keerthi Ranasinghe a man of gentle demeanor.

Unexplored tourism spots of Kozhikode to be mapped soon

Source: thehindu.com

District panchayat to take appropriate measures for their development

In an attempt to develop small tourism destinations and promote such spots under various responsible tourism projects, the Kozhikode District Panchayat is planning to map and video-document details of unexplored locations in all the 70 grama panchayats in the district.

To begin with, a meeting of all grama panchayat representatives will be held at Nalanda Auditorium here on February 5. Officials of the Tourism Department also will attend the meeting.

Five members from each of the 70 grama panchayats will present details of attractive and less explored tourism spots in their respective areas. The present condition of such spots as well as feasible development projects for such regions will also be presented to Department, besides including them in the proposed video-documentation project.

As of now, there is no such comprehensive video record or destination map available featuring the unexplored or hidden tourism destinations in the district. The plan of the district panchayat is to fast-track the mapping and video-documentation work and present it before the authorities concerned. If the grama panchayats themselves are able to do it, the district panchayat will extend all possible financial and technical support.

According to District Panchayat President Babu Parassery, there are several such hidden locations in the district which can emerge as popular destinations with plenty of self-employment opportunities for local residents. “Oloppara was one such location earlier identified by local bodies and was later promoted to the status of a quickly growing destination for eco-tourism lovers. The change is visible right in front of our eyes now,” he pointed out.

“For the growth of local tourism destinations, we are also ready to explore public-private partnership in possible areas. The district panchayat authorities will visit the locations to study the scope of development and adopt appropriate measures for their development,” said Mr. Parassery. According to him, the possible village tourism destinations can be even linked in the future to offer attractive sightseeing packages to tourists.

The district panchayat has a list of the yet-to-be explored eco-tourism spots, which will be covered first by the video-documentation and mapping project. The list includes locations suitable for introducing boating facility, handicrafts demonstration, and farm stay. Conducting tourism festivals in such locations to attract sightseers is also part of the new initiative to be implemented under the Responsible Tourism concept.

Violence in Bihar’s Patna, Kaimur and Muzaffarpur during Saraswati idol immersion

Source: hindustantimes.com

More than 12 people, including four policemen, were injured in brick batting and four vehicles were set on fire in the state capital Patna, according to officials.

Violence broke out in three separate districts of Patna, Kaimur and Muzaffarpur in Bihar during processions to immerse the idol of Goddess Saraswati late on Friday, officials said.

More than 12 people, including four policemen, were injured in brick batting and four vehicles were set on fire in the state capital Patna, according to officials.

Police said the clash started between students of the Patna University and locals in the Lalbagh area as residents allegedly chased them from the spot and they pelted stones at each other during the procession.

Another group of students later started firing and hurled bombs, which led to chaos in the surrounding areas. Bricks and stones were seen scattered on the Ashok Rajpath near Lalbagh after the violence.

Eyewitnesses said students ransacked several tea stalls, coaching institutes and a private eye-hospital during the violence.

The students, on their part, alleged they were attacked by the people of Lalbagh when they had gone to immerse the idol.

They said when students of Minto, Nutan and Jackson hostels reached Lalbagh area, residents started hurling stones and bombs at them. They then retaliated to the attack.

The brawl, which went on for more than two hours, left a sub-inspector, three constables, student Chandra Sekhar and a passersby injured. The injured policemen were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and others were referred to Nalanda Medical College & Hospital (NMCH).

Inspector general of police (Central Zone) Sanjay Singh, Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Upendra Sharma rushed to the spot with reinforcement and pacified the crowd. Police also used mild lathicharge to disperse the mob.

IG Sanjay Singh said Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been deployed to keep the situation in control. Sharma said preliminary investigation revealed that students of Minto and Saidpur hostels were involved in the firing and hurling bombs.

Reports from Kaimur said there was tension in a village after a group allegedly pelted stones at an idol, which was said to be damaged. After this, people from two communities indulged in brick batting and firing leading to the injury of a half dozen people.

Sub-divisional officer J Shukla said the situation is under control and additional police force deployed as a precautionary measure.

In Muzaffarpur, tension gripped BRA University after two groups clashed during idol immersion procession when students fired and pelted stones each and other. Many students were injured in the clash.

Muzaffarpur’s SSP Jayant Kant said the incident was a fallout of rivalry between two groups of students.

“Efforts are on to ascertain the identity of the attackers, who managed to escape after the incident,” Kant said.

Jharkhand: Constable kills wife, 2 children with hammer in Ranchi

Source: indiatoday.in

The accused, constable Brajesh Tiwari, killed his wife, teenage daughter and son with a hammer and a knife and later tried to commit suicide by consuming poison.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The deceased have been identified as wife, daughter and son of a police constable named Brijesh Tiwari
  • Brajesh Tiwari killed his wife, teenage daughter and son with a hammer and a knife
  • The accused was reportedly in an inebriated condition at the time of committing the crime

In what is being suspected as a case of honour killing, a police constable murdered three members of his family, including two children, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, police said on Saturday.

The deceased have been identified as wife, daughter and son of a police constable named Brijesh Tiwari.

The accused, constable Brijesh Tiwari, was reportedly in an inebriated condition at the time of committing the crime.

Brajesh Tiwari killed his wife, teenage daughter and son with a hammer and a knife and later tried to commit suicide by consuming poison. The accused constable is undergoing treatment at a hospital and said to be in a critical condition.

According to locals, the accused constable’s daughter was having an affair with a guy from another community, and this might have been the reason behind the crime.

According to preliminary investigation, the accused, after killing his wife and two children, called his sister who lives in Pandara in Ranchi and said “I have killed the three”.

Following this, Brijesh’s sister reached the scene with her family immediately. The murderer’s sister then woke up his landlord, Baldev Sahu, and told him about the killing.

The landlord said that he had never seen the couple fighting. He added that there was a bottle of liquor, rat medicine and other medicines at the crime scene.

Landlord Baldev Sahu also said that Brajesh’s family had been living in that house for the last two years but never witnessed a quarrel within the family.

Sahu suspected that the accused may have fed his wife and children some medicines which made them unconscious and then carried out murder.

Budget 2020: Tourism industry to get INR 2500 crore budget boost

Source: indiatimes.com

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget speech on Saturday, announced a number of steps to renovate and set up museums to boost tourism in the country.

The Finance Minister announced the development of on-site museums at five archaeological sites in the states of Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Assam, Gujarat, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. In her second Union Budget, she further stated that the on-site museums would be developed at Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu, Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Sivasagar in Assam, Dholavira in Gujarat, and Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh. She also mentioned setting up of a tribal museum in Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand.

The Minister also announced the proposal of setting up an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation under the Ministry of Culture. While presenting the Budget for 2020-21, she announced that INR 2500 crore will be allocated to the Ministry of Tourism and that INR 3150 crore will be allocated to the Ministry of Culture.

Last month, the Prime Minister announced renovation of the Indian Museum in Kolkata, which is the oldest in the country. Referring to this, the Finance Minister stated that in the historic Old Mint building in Kolkata, a museum on Numismatics and Trade will also be located. While announcing government’s support for setting up a tribal museum in Ranchi, she added four more museums from across the country will be taken up for re-curation and renovation so that a world-class experience can be offered to visitors.

Tata Steel Jharkhand Literary Meet ends on high note

Source: dailypioneer.com

The Tata Steel Jharkhand Literary Meet (TSJLM) was marked with mesmerising performances and enriching dialogue on the concluding day on Sunday.

The two-day cultural extravaganza drew to a close with a singularly unique and enrapturing performance by veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor. In a dramatic reading of his debut novel Dopehri, the thespian held the packed audience enthralled with his act, produced in the inimitable styling of Supriya Pathak.

Literary icon and arguable the most adored author of contemporary English literature in India, Ruskin Bond returned to the stage for the second time during this year’s TSJLM for a captivating session on the evolution of his murder mysteries. With a full house in attendance, Bond spoke about how he drew inspiration from day-to-day subjects and his immediate environment to develop his characters and narrative.

In his first visit to the city, journalist and renowned activist of the LGBTQ plus community Nemat Sadat spoke about the importance of acceptance and tolerance in his session. This was preceded by an informative dialogue between respected writers Gourahari Das and Mahadeo Toppo who spoke about the importance of literature in helping us transcend boundaries. The third edition of TSJLM also tipped its hat to poetry with a special session Hussain Haidry, Vandana Tete and Raga D’Silva.

The queen of pop who has entertained millions with her evergreen songs, Usha Uthup was also present at TSJLM to talk about her biography Ullas Ki Naav. Apart from endearing nuggets from her rich and prolific career, Uthup had the audience clapping along as she entertained those gathered with renditions of some of her popular songs.

“With this third edition of Tata Steel Jharkhand Literary Meet coming to an end on Sunday, I am happy to acknowledge the growing popularity of this event year on year. Tata Steel has always taken pride in associating itself with events that not only bring communities together but also give them a platform to engage and interact,” said Chief, Corporate Communications – India and SEA, Tata Steel, Kulvin Suri.

Suri said, “Like every year, this meet offered a plethora of sessions to cater to diverse literary and cultural preferences. The success of this edition of TSJLM gives us the confidence that this is an ideal platform for relevant discussions and conversations and reaffirms our commitment to support such events in the future.”