Category: Jharkhand

Assembly Elections 2019: All you need to know about the Jharkhand state polls.

Source – moneycontrol.com

The Election Commission of India, on November 1, announced the polling schedule for Assembly elections in Jharkhand.

With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect in the state.

Tenure of the current Jharkhand Legislative Assembly will end on January 5, 2020.

The election for all 81 Assembly seats will happen in five phases spanning over 20 days.

Important dates to watch out for in Jharkhand, by phases:

Phase 1> Issue of notification: November 6
> Last date of nomination: November 13
> Scrutiny of nominations: November 14

> Last date of withdrawal of candidature: November 16

> Voting: November 30

Phase 2> Issue of notification: November 11
> Last date of nomination: November 18
> Scrutiny of nominations: November 19

> Last date of withdrawal of candidature: November 21

> Voting: December 7

Phase 3> Issue of notification: November 16
> Last date of nomination: November 25
> Scrutiny of nominations: November 26

> Last date of withdrawal of candidature: November 28

> Voting: December 12

Phase 4> Issue of notification: November 22
> Last date of nomination: November 29
> Scrutiny of nominations: November 30

> Last date of withdrawal of candidature: December 2

> Voting: December 16

Phase 5> Issue of notification: November 26
> Last date of nomination: December 3
> Scrutiny of nominations: December 4

> Last date of withdrawal of candidature: December 6

> Voting: December 20

Counting of votes for all phases will happen together on December 23.

Reserved seats

While, 28 seats have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), nine have been reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs)

Voters and polling

According to data released by EC, Jharkhand has a total of 2.26 crore eligible voters. Out of these, 41,336 are service voters.

The number of polling stations that will be used by voters across the state is 29,464. This number is 19 percent higher than in 2014.

To encourage greater constructive participation of women in the electoral process, EC has directed that at least one polling station will be managed exclusively by women in every Assembly constituency. In such stations, all election staff, including security personnel, will be women.

EC has confirmed that Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) will be used in this election.

Lowdown on the political situation

Chief Minister Raghubar Das-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to retain power in the state. BJP is widely expected to contest the election in an alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).

The BJP-AJSU alliance is being challenged by Opposition parties such as former chief ministers Shibu Soren and Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Indian National Congress and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM-P). The three parties had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election in an alliance and are expected to fight in this formation again, with the possibility of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) joining hands.

BJP’s ally in Bihar, the Janata Dal (United), has said that it will contest all 81 seats alone.No alliance has declared their seat-sharing formula so far.

After witnessing below-expectation Assembly election results in Haryana and Maharashtra in October, the BJP is recalibrating its strategy. Many factors that came into play in Haryana and Maharashtra could may play a key role in Jharkhand too.

Doorstep voting facility for senior citizens, disabled this election in Jharkhand.

Source – hindustantimes.com

Nearly 498,000 senior citizens and disabled people in Jharkhand will be able to exercise their franchise from their homes through postal ballot for the first time during this assembly elections, beginning from November 30, officials said.

Jharkhand’s chief electoral officer (CEO), Vinay Kumar Choubey, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made provision for voting through postal ballot for senior citizens above the age of 80 years and persons with disability (PWD).

“The voters of these categories who want to cast their votes through the postal ballot will have to fill form-12 D. Once they filled the form, they will not be able to participate in the normal process of voting at polling stations,” Choubey said.

There are nearly 218,000 senior citizen voters above 80 years of age and the number for PWD is around 280,000.

Booth level officers (BLOs) will visit houses of such persons and get these voters to fill the required form. The forms should reach the returning officer within five days following the date of notification of election, officials said.

“Polling teams will be constituted in this regard soon. The number of teams will depend on the number of voters wanting to cast their votes through postal ballot,” Choubey said.

“The team will visit house to house for the election process. Each team will be provided with adequate security and vehicles. Video-recording of the voting will also be done,” he said.

He said these voters would also be informed in advance about the date when the polling team would reach to them.

“The process of postal voting will be completed three days before the polling. For example, Jharkhand will go to the first phase polls on November 30. So, the process of the postal ballot will be completed by November 27,” he said.

Due to old-age complications or disability, many people face trouble to make it to polling stations to cast their votes during elections. The ECI felt their problems and made changes accordingly, officials said.

“After the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission felt that an amendment in the election rules was needed so that persons with disability can also exercise their rights through postal ballot or e-voting,” chief election commissioner (CEC), Sunil Arora, said this while announcing the election dates for Jharkhand on November 1 in New Delhi.

“So, commission made a recommendation to the union government (ministry of law and justice), which was accepted by the Centre. The new initiative is being introduced for the first time in Jharkhand elections,” he had said.

The poll body has also directed state official to arrange proper access to the disabled, who want to exercise their franchise at polling stations.

Poll Graphics

Total voters: 2.27 crore

Male voters: 11.18 crore

Female voters: 1.09 crore

Third gender voters: 248

Young voters (Age 18-19): 4.21 lakh

Persons with disability: 2.8 lakh

Senior citizens above 80 years: 2.18 lakh

JD (U) banking on Jharkhand, Delhi assembly polls for national party status.

Source – hindustantimes.com

The Janata Dal (United) led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has set its eyes on the upcoming Jharkhand and Delhi assembly polls which could be critical to its efforts of being declared a national party.

The elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will be held in five phases beginning November 30; Delhi will go to polls early next year.

After assuming charge for the second consecutive term as the party’s national president in Delhi, Kumar, on Wednesday made a strong pitch towards realizing the target at the earliest.

“My priority as the party president is to expand its base in other states including Jharkhand, Delhi and the north-east to get national party status for the JD-U,” he said.

According to the criteria set by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a national party needs to get at least 6% of the votes across a minimum of four states, or 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from at least three states, or it should be recognised as a state party in at least four states.

At present, there are six recognized national parties in India — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

JD(U)’s ambition to expand its national footprints received a boost after it won 8 out of 60 assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh , next only to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party which won 41 seats and secured a majority, in elections in May this year.

However, it performed badly in assembly polls in Chhattisgarh (2018), Rajasthan (2018), Karnataka (2018), and Gujarat (2017). In Nagaland, the party won one seat. In Assam, JD (U) contested four seats in collaboration with AlI India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by Badruddin Ajmal, but could not win a single seat.

In Kerala, JD (U) contested seven seats under the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), but failed to open its account.

“The JD (U) has the requisite share from two states, Bihar (70 seats) and Arunachal Pradesh, and we narrowly missed the target in Nagaland,” said the party’s principal general secretary, K C Tyagi.

In Delhi, the party is eyeing Poorvanchalis, the migrant population from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh who dominate certain pockets of the city. In 2015, over a dozen members of the 70-member Delhi assembly were from Purvanchal.

The JD (U) has contested Delhi assembly elections in the past too. In 2013, it contested 27 seats and won 1. In 2015, the party contested 12 seats but failed win any.

“In Delhi, we might be contesting close to 35 seats where the voters from Purvanchal have a say in deciding the fate of the candidate,” said a senior JD (U) leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In Jharkhand, some party leaders say that the JD(U), which is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, will go solo and contest all the 81 seats in the November-December polls. In 2005-06 ,JD (U) had seven legislators in Jharkhand.

However, the party lost its sheen after the 2009 polls and has failed to win a single seat in any election thereafter.

“Our strategy for Jharkhand and Delhi is clear. We want to contest independently and with full strength. The number of seats to be contested will be decided later,” said Afaque Ahmed Khan, the party’s national general secretary.

DM Diwakar, professor, AN Sinha Institute for Social Studies, Patna, said that vying for national status is the ambition of every party.

“Nitish Kumar’s party wants to send a message that it is expanding its base, thereby projecting him as a national leader. On the other hand, wherever the JD (U) contests, it indirectly helps the BJP as it erodes the votes of the party opposed to the BJP.”

Raghubar Das: ‘Mob lynchings not just in Jharkhand should not be made political agenda’.

source – indianexpress.com

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das speaks to Abhishek Angad on incidents of lynching and the upcoming state polls. Excerpts:

During our reportage, we found out that the most vulnerable sections of the society are not getting the benefit of central schemes.

All such schemes have been implemented as per the 2011 Census. I am aware of what you have mentioned. I frequently speak to people and it will be addressed. By 2022, nobody will be left homeless, but this will not happen quickly. It will take time.

You have said the government has focused on roads, electricity and water. At Maspera, Sundarpahari, in Godda, ill people are being carried to hospitals on cots because there is no road. Water scarcity has been the biggest problem of the state capital during summer. You once said you will provide 24×7 electricity, that has not happened.

A government needs at least 10 years to complete its work. I am not saying Ram Rajya has come. At Sundarpahari, the local MLA is from JMM. What did they do? On electricity, I was misquoted. I had said electricity will reach every village….it has reached 30 lakh more houses in the last five years — compared to 39 lakh in the last 14 years…It will take time. Regarding water, we have started conservation. There is no scarcity of water, but it has to be managed well…

The government put thrust on Momentum Jharkhand. What is the total investment that came in?

Work worth Rs 72,000 crore is going on in sectors like power, food processing and textiles. In the coming years, Jharkhand will become a textile hub. Garments are being exported to European countries over the past two years. Now footwear will be manufactured in Jharkhand.

But how much is the business it is generating worth?

You think only if it is big business. My focus is on MSMEs because I have to end poverty and MSMEs are the spine of the economy.

Recently, Jharkhand Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries put up several hoardings in parts of Ranchi targeted at the state government’s “insensitivity” towards the businesses. They complained they were facing issues in starting businesses and much- touted single window clearance was not implemented.

I have not been monitoring it since last six months, but in every district a nodal officer has been appointed for this purpose. There may be one or two stray incidents and I am not rejecting the claim entirely.

You have created land banks where the government acquired uncultivated and common land to attract investment. Many have criticised this and said the tribals or villagers were not spoken to.

These are people who are anti-development and do not want growth of the poor. When I conduct choupals, I ask people did the government take the land? The answer is in negative. It is the government’s land. So, land mafia and anti-development people are having a stomach ache. People who took away land are now talking about land rights now. Look at the violation of Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act by the Soren family.

You have initiated an inquiry against them…

Soren family are residents of Gola. How come they have properties in Dumka, Pakur which are clear violation of SPT Act? They also have properties in Ranchi.

So what is happening in the case…

A showcause notice has been issued to them after we received complaint.

Mob violence has become a nuisance in Jharkhand. Recently, a Christian tribal in Khunti and Tabrez Ansari in Saraikela, who was made to chant Jai Shri Ram, died. In the last three years, 21 deaths happened due to child-lifting rumours and on the suspicion of cow slaughter or beef possession. Also, more than 90 people have died after being suspected of witch-hunting. Why is this happening?

Mob lynchings are not just happening in Jharkhand. Is it not happening in Delhi, Bihar or Congress-ruled states? First of all, this is wrong . Nobody has the right to take law in their hands. As for the 20-21 deaths, the dead were deranged people who were lynched on the suspicion that they were thieves. If you leave one or two incidents, maximum people who died were deranged. I am keeping a tab and have directed police and the administration to handle it effectively, but it should not be made a political agenda.

What about incidents where mob violence is driven by religious polarisation, such as the Tabrez Ansari case.

This should not happen and this is wrong. People should not see Hindus and Muslims in cases of lynching. This is being done by parties indulging in vote bank politics. If a Muslim dies, it becomes an issue…AAP came from Delhi to Saraikela to give Rs 5 lakh (in the Ansari case), how many other lynching victims’ families have they reached out to? They are not pained by the lynching, they have to play vote bank politics. This is wrong.

What directions have been given?

Police are meeting a lot of people in the villages to make them aware. But social media is a problem. Something happens somewhere and people want to spoil the environment

But the witchcraft killings…

This is mostly specific to Gumla, Khunti and Lohardaga areas. People need to be more aware. We have made a law, but the tribals in the villages are still uneducated and uninformed. The society needs to sort this issue and take responsibility. The government makes announcements in various villages against the practices. The civil society should also come forward.

Regarding implementation of MGNREGA, some people told us that getting money for work done takes time. Some people don’t opt for it. Recently, in Chanho block, a person allegedly committed suicide because he incurred debts after he got a well constructed under NREGA and did not receive money. The state’s liability under NREGA’s components is high.

There is corruption at the lower levels and we are trying to make it more transparent. There is corruption at the block level and in times to come we will it make it corruption-free. There has been a lot of improvement. Yes, liability it there, and I have asked to create a special fund for the payments under NREGA because the fund comes from the Centre. So that we don’t have to wait for the central fund and we clear the payments and later adjust it. Why should a poor person wait?

But the PESA Act has not been implemented in the state?

Any development work conducted in the state is done after talking to the Gram Sabha. How can one say it is not being implemented?

During the Pathalgadi agitation, a lot of people were arrested and sedition cases were invoked. The same was done against a few activists who supported Pathalgadi on social media? Recently, Arjun Munda said in an interview that the state government should review this?

Whatever has happened is under the law and I dont want to comment. But yes, no innocent should be implicated. There are different views, but I don’t interfere.

In Jamshedpur and Saraikela, a lot of labourers were laid off during a recent slowdown in automobile sector. What is the status now and has the state government done anything?

Measures were taken by the Central government and things will normalise soon.

Migration has been an issue in Jharkhand?

It is no longer the case. The situation is reversing after we set up various companies. People are getting jobs here.

The Aadhaar-based biometric authentication in PDS led to exclusion of many beneficiaries.

Now everyone has Aadhaar. We have also given directions that ration be given even if there is no biometric authentication.

What is your stand on NRC?

People who are Bangladeshis have to go. We will implement NRC.

What is your understanding of the political climate in Jharkhand after the results in Maharashtra and Haryana where the BJP could not achieve its target?

One cannot compare one state with the other. These states do not have 26 per cent tribals. We will aim high. We will definitely win 65 plus seats in the Assembly polls.

A strong opposition is important for democracy. What would you say about the opposition in Jharkhand?

A critic is very important so that gaps in governance is known. But I am sad that here the opposition is very weak. There is infighting in the Congress. Within JMM, brothers were fighting. In RJD, there was a split. The opposition should work hard, but it is sad that the opposition does not want any Raajhit. They want Swahit. The people have started understanding that and they will be shown the doors.

India: Jharkhand On Shaky Ground – Analysis.

Source – eurasiareview.com

On October 19, 2019, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres shot dead a couple in Khunti District. According to the Police, the rebels shot dead Sheetal Munda (50) and his wife Made Munda (45) at Aada village under the Saiko Police Station of the District, branding them ‘police informers’. Sheetal Munda was the deputy Sarpanch (head of the Panchayat, village level local self-Government institution).

On August 4, 2019, two youths were shot dead by CPI-Maoist cadres in Badani village under Arki Police Station limits in Khunti District. The Maoists alleged through pamphlets that they were ‘police informers.’

These were the four civilian fatalities recorded in the District in the current year so far (data till October 27, 2019). According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), since September 12, 2007, when the Khunti District was carved out of Ranchi, the former has accounted for at least 73 civilian fatalities as a result of Naxalite [Left Wing Extremist, LWE]-linked violence. However, when Khunti was a part of Ranchi District, it had recorded at least four civilian fatalities in LWE-linked violence, since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data.

Khunti is one among 26 districts of 56 affected, spread across eight states, that has witnessed more fatalities in civilian categories than in the Security Force, SF, or Maoists categories. According to SATP, since September 12, 2007, Khunti has recorded a total of 152 fatalities [73 civilians, 17 SF personnel and 62 Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists)]. Significantly, out of the eight States, Jharkhand with (545 civilian fatalities) is also among the four that have registered more fatalities in the civilian categories than in the SF or Maoists categories. The other three are Bihar (209 civilian), Odisha (284), and West Bengal (483).

LWE-related Fatalities in Khunti District: 2007* -2019**

YearsIncident of FatalitiesCiviliansSFsLWEsTotal
20073 (21)3 (35)0 (1)2 (14)5 (50)
20084 (61)4 (61)6 (38)1 (61)11 (160)
20097 (101)5 (68)7 (71)4 (61)16 (200)
20107 (89)6 (73)0 (25)3 (45)9 (143)
201112 (79)11 (79)0 (29)9 (50)20 (158)
201210 (68)16 (49)2 (25)1 (29)19 (103)
20137 (55)4 (47)0 (26)10 (57)14 (130)
20148 (56)7 (49)1 (14)4 (39)12 (102)
20155 (33)1 (15)1 (5)5 (37)7 (57)
20167 (49)6 (34)0 (8)7 (40)13 (82)
201713 (82)5 (29)0 (4)4 (25)9 (58)
20182 (30)1 (17)0 (10)2 (26)3 (53)
20196 (29)4 (14)0 (9)10 (29)14 (52)
Total83 (706)73 (570)17 (265)62 (513)152 (1348)

However, the data suggests, civilian fatalities, which peaked at 16 in 2012, have recorded cyclical trends thereafter, but never reached double digits again, suggesting improvements in the security situation in the District, primarily as a result of increasing SF dominance on the ground.

Considering the overall fatalities in both the Maoist and SF categories since September 12, 2007, we find that the SFs have achieved an overall positive kill ratio of 1:3.64. More importantly, the SFs last lost a trooper on August 18, 2015, when a Policeman, identified as Dhumul Siwaiya, was killed in an encounter under Murhu Police Station limits in Khunti District. A CPI-Maoist ‘area commander’, Chandan aka Kalika Munda, was also killed in that encounter. Police recovered an AK-47 rifle and six loaded magazines from the encounter site.

Khunti is one of most backward regions of the State. Indeed, the NITI Aayog on March 28, 2018, launched the baseline ranking for ‘Aspirational Districts’ constructed on published data of 49 indicators (81 data points) across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure. Khunti is among the 115 identified backwards Districts, where the Government is committed to raising living standards, using a composite index of key data sets that included deprivation as enumerated under the Socio-Economic Caste Census, key health and education sector performance, and the state of basic infrastructure.

According to a September 19, 2019, report, Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Nilkanth Singh Munda claimed that Khunti has never seen development work as has been witnessed during the last five years. To give development a boost, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda noted that Khunti was one of the ‘aspirational’ districts of the country, and that “Development is taking place here rapidly. The government is working with the goal of making Khunti a developed district. ”

Khunti has an area of 2,535 square kilometers and shares its borders with Ranchi in the north and east; Saraikela-Kharsawan in the south-east, West Singhbhum in the south, and Simdega and Gumla in the West. All these Districts, with the exception of Saraikela-Kharsawan, are among the ‘30 worst Maoist-affected’ Districts, across seven States in the country, according to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA). Moreover, all these Districts are among the 90 districts in 11 States that are considered LWE affected, according to a Government release of February 5, 2019.

Several concerns persist in the District. Like in rest of Jharkhand, not only the CPI-Maoist, but several of its splinter groups operate in Khunti District. There are more than 12 such small breakaway groups, including the Peoples’ Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT), and Jharkhand Sangharsh Morcha (JSM). These groups survive by extortion, arson, creating disturbances and even executing contract killings. According to Police, “These organisations collect illegal levy from coal traders, contractors and companies involved in coal mining, and indulge in arson and disturb coal transportation and other development works when not paid.”

An October 11, 2019, report, revealed that a squad of 20 rebels, including women, from Jhinkpani, Kuchai and Kharsawan were camping in the forest areas of Kuchai along the border with Khunti. Three suspected Maoists, identified as Maheswar Mahali, Ranjit Mahali and Shahani, had prepared the plan and were leading the squad. Intelligence reports suggested that there was a CPI-Maoist conspiracy to detonate explosives on a railway track and target the Howrah-Mumbai Gitanjali superfast train.

To fight the LWE menace, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP), and a special task force, the Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ), have been deployed in all the LWE-affected District of Jharkhand. A September 30, 2018, report, suggested that more than 2,000 paramilitary forces were deployed in Khunti.

According to the latest data provided by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Jharkhand had a police-population ratio (policemen per hundred thousand population), as on January 1, 2017, of 174.96, significantly lower than the sanctioned strength of 229.19, though much higher than the national average of 150.75. The ratio was 167.92 per 100,000 on January 1, 2016. On January 1, 2005, the police-population ratio of the State was 160.5, again, much higher than the then national average of 140.4.

The LWE insurgency in Jharkhand in general, and in the Khunti District in particular, has been substantially degraded and criminalized, with extortion operating as the primary driver for the many splinter formations. Sustained SF pressure, combined with aggressive development, particularly of infrastructure and communications, is necessary to facilitate processes that would bring these residual problems to an end.

Wanted: Saviour for felled trees in Jharkhand.

Source – telegraphindia.com

Remember the outrage recently when the Supreme Court stepped in after thousands of trees were cut in Arey, a suburb of Mumbai, for the Metro rail project? Now sample this: The Jharkhand forest department has still not been able to implement a high court direction from three years ago on transplanting trees cut for infrastructure projects.

The department has been struggling to complete the tender process to find an agency to undertake the task.

Concerned over mindless felling of trees in the name of development, Jharkhand High Court while hearing a public interest litigation in June 2015 had imposed a total ban on cutting of trees for widening highways.

The court had constituted a high-powered panel of lawyers and experts to study the present conditions and the need to cut trees for projects. The committee comprised the regional chief conservator of forest (RCCF) of Ranchi as its chairman and also the road construction department chief engineer, former IFS officer Narendra Mishra, environmentalist Bulu Imam, and the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) CEO.

The committee had in its report suggested empanelment of a tree transplanting agency.

“We had started the tender process for empanelment of tree transplanting agency three times in the last three years but the process could not be completed as only one firm took part in the bidding process,” a highly placed forest department source said. “We have again started the process again and have also initiated talks with some local agencies to show interest in the tender bid so that we can complete the process.”

The high court had in August 2016 had criticised the state government for delay in arranging a tree transplanting agency.

A senior forest official associated with the project of finalising the tree transplanting agency confirmed that Hyderabad based Volvo Trucks is interested in executing the work across state.

“Volvo Trucks has tree transplanting machines and has taken part during all the tender processes. However, no other agency took interest as the truck-mounted transplanting machine costs in excess of Rs 4 crore. We are in talks with some local agencies so that they take part in the tender agencies, even if they do not meet the eligibility criteria, to complete the tender process through multiple bidders. This is because we cannot complete the bidding process with a single bidder. We hope to complete the exercise by the end of October,” said the official.

According to the norms, whoever applies for the job should have at least three years’ experience in this field in the country. The company should also have a qualified team of at least one tree biologist and/or silviculturist (tree specialists, especially for forests) and a minimum of 10 tree transplanting machines, besides adequate number of complementary machines and other requisite resources to successfully carry out the task in time.

Jharkhand principal chief conservator of forest Sanjay Kumar said the department wanted to comply with the high court direction.

“The department is trying its best to select a tree transplanting agency for empanelment across state as per the advise of the high power committee constituted by the high court,” Kumar said. “Hopefully, it will be completed soon. As of now, agencies carrying out development work requiring tree felling are either carrying out tree plantation or transplantation on their own. It is mandatory to compensate for each felled tree by planting trees.”

The PIL was initiated suo motu by the high court on the basis of a news report that the road construction department had cut thousands of trees but had not planted saplings as it was supposed to do so.

Geologist and environmentalist Nitish Priyadarshi, lecturer in the department of environment and water at Ranchi University, said that in recent years hundreds of trees have been felled for road widening projects.

“In the last one or two years, hundreds of old trees have been cut in Taimara under Bundu police station area along NH-33 for its widening. There are proposals to cut hundreds of trees for widening of the Ranchi-Khunti and Ranchi-Silli road. Tree transplanting is the best method as merely planting saplings are no replacement for cutting old trees; the saplings would take years to grow, which would harm the ecology,” said Priyadarshi.

There are reports that nearly 3.44 lakh trees would be felled for the North Koel reservoir (known as Mandal dam) in the Palamau Tiger Reserve. “Tree transplantation should be done for projects both in city and rural areas as loss of tree cover will harm the environment,” Priyadarshi said.

After success in Maharashtra polls and Bihar bypoll, AIMIM sets sight on Bihar, Jharkhand.

Source – livemint.com

HYDERABAD : After winning two new seats in the just concluded Maharashtra assembly elections and the Kishanganj assembly segment in the Bihar by-elections, the Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has now set its sight on the upcoming Bihar and Jharkhand state polls which will be held next year.

AIMIM, led by member of parliament from the Hyderabad seat Asaduddin Owaisi, is all set to contest a chunk of the seats in both states, which might change the political landscape, especially for the Congress (which relies on minority or Muslim votes). In Maharashtra, the AIMIM contested 44 assembly seats and managed to win the Malegaon and Dhule City seats, getting about 7.4 lakh votes. It was an increase from the 5 lakh votes in the 2014 pols, where it contested 24 seats.

In the Kishanganj bypoll in Bihar, the AIMIM’s Qamrul Hoda won the seat with a margin of over 10,000 votes the BJP’s Sweety Singh. More interestingly, the Congress lost its deposit, getting just 25,825 votes, indicating a shift among Muslims voters. The seat falls under the Seemanchal region, which is one of the most backward areas In Bihar.

“Right now we are focussed on building our organizational strength. We had 1.5 lakh members and that may not go up to five lakh, and our aim is to have 15 lakh members across Bihar till December. The voters in Seemanchal and other areas now have faith in Barrister (Owaisi), who has raised various issues of ours in the parliament. Minority areas in Bihar are the most deprived from decades,” said Adil Hassan, leader of AIMIM’s youth wing in Bihar.

Hassan did not say how many seats the AIMIM plans to contest in the Bihar state polls next year. Another AIMIM leader, who did not want to be quoted, said that in the 2015 elections, the party had contested in just six seats of the 24 in the Seemanchal region, and that a decision will be taken on the final tally later for both Bihar and Jharkhand. “We will be contesting in Bihar for the first time, and will also put up tribal candidates,” he added.

While the AIMIM lost both the Byculla and Aurangabad Central assembly seats (which it won in 2014), the party would have won a few more had its alliance with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (an alliance of Ambedkar’s Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and other caste/community organizations) gone through. The VBA, which managed to get significant deposits in some the 250-plus seats it contested (like Aurangabad Central), however, did not win any seats.

“The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress would have won some more seats had the VBA and AIMIM not been in the fray. This very much goes much in line with what Owaisi said during the results of the 2019 general elections, that the myth of the Muslim vote bank has been broken. He said that if there is any vote bank, it is the Hindu vote bank (with the BJP),” said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

Reddy added that the results of the Maharashtra state polls and the Bihar bye-poll will only help Owaisi and the AIMIM in expanding across the country. “He will go ahead with his plans, and it is to be seen how the opposition and Congress will deal with that situation,” he opined.

Regional parties eye political pie in State polls.

Source – dailypioneer.com

Despite the NaMo wave in the country and the State, where the BJP repeated its 2014 feat of victory on 12 out of 14 Lok Sabh seats in 2019 General Elections, several regional and smaller political parties are enthusiastically eyeing to make their political ground in Jharkhand. So much so that a number of parties have already announced the number of seats, on which they will field their candidates.

While the Nitish Kumar led Janta Dal United has decided to go alone in State Assembly polls, terming its alliance with the National Democratic Alliance just for Lok Sabha polls, it has also made announcement of tentative candidates for about 14 seats in the State.

 The party that had two legislators in the third Assembly of the State, is eyeing its traditional voters alongwith the Kurmi voters, who play a significant role in Jharkhand politics.

The AAP Jharkhand unit has also got a shot in the arm after former Jharkhand cadre IPS officer and ex State in-charge of Congress Dr Ajoy Kumar joined the party recently. The party is also ready to contest elections on more than 40 seats and organising workers conferences across various Assembly segments.

“Our assessment of applications on 40-42 seats across the State is going on. It’s a process through which we finalise whether to contest elections on a particular seat or not. It mainly depends on the number of active workers in the area and also the background of applicants is checked before a name is finalised.

We have been organising workers conferences in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and other prominent places of the State to boost the morale of workers,” said Rajesh Kumar, Spokesperson AAP, Jharkhand.Similarly, The Nationalist Congress Party, State unit has announced to contest elections on 30 seats in Jharkhand. Former Minister and State president of NCP Kamlesh Kumar Singh said that they were in constant touch with other opposition parties to get into an alliance.

 If there is an alliance, the NCM will contest on 10 seats. However, if the NCP is not in any alliance it will contest polls on 30 seats, he added.

The All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has won two Assembly seats in Maharashtra and one seat in Bihar in the recent elections, is also gearing up to field its candidates in the coming elections. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who had recently organised a rally in the Capital city has been getting scores of letters and calls for candidature in the polls.

The AIMIM has recently announced that it will contest the State elections on 50 seats if there is no alliance with likeminded parties. The party has claimed that it will win at least 12 seats this time.

YUWA MOMENTS: COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE IN RURAL JHARKHAND.

Source – aif.org

It’s the second half and the score is tied. In a desperate final attempt to take the match, my teammates run an offensive play, and I’m left behind with the goalie to guard the net. A pass is intercepted, and suddenly, a tiny 13-year-old girl is racing towards me, football in her stride, my teammates trailing behind her. I have 10 seconds to act, and make a move to block her dribble. But Monika—a girl who is half my weight and more than foot shorter than me—easily evades my weak defensive maneuver and scores. Frustrated, I apologize to my teammates for letting them down. “Don’t be sorry,” Shanti, my teammate, quickly responds. “When we fail, we fail together.”

Wise words for a 12-year-old, and certainly unexpected after her new teammate cost the match. It’s moments like these that have defined my first month serving as an AIF Clinton Fellow with Yuwa India, an NGO based in Ormanjhi, Jharkhand. Yuwa uses team sports and education to build character, confidence, and courage in girls from impoverished villages in the area.

From my first day here, it was easy to see that these girls are special. A group of fifteen fifth graders quiz me daily to make sure I still remember their names. Young coaches, who use their wages to pay for their studies, arrange pick-up football matches after school. In my science class, girls are so eager to participate they’ll often call out “Excuse me Jane? May I?” while wildly waving their hands. They even ask me for extra homework. My teammates teach me to say “Get away from me, or I’ll fight you!” in Hindi. Girls applying to college approach me to read their personal statements and ask about majors. While leading a workshop, a girl told me my game was boring, and suggested we try something else. In all of these moments, I’ve seen a confidence that’s contagious, inspiring me to match their energy and enthusiasm. And in a society where they are seldom told they are valuable, these moments are all the more incredible.

In Ormanjhi, being a girl is generally not easy. Five out of every ten girls here are married before age 18, and many girls tell tales of averting child marriage, fighting their parents to maintain their freedom or their right to an education. Some face discrimination at home, who prioritize their brothers’ education over their own; young men are 1.5 times more likely to be literate relative to their female peers. Others talk of harassment from young men for their involvement in Yuwa’s football program, or face challenges at home too terrible to write about. Despite these obstacles, Yuwa girls continue to break gender norms and societal expectations through sheer determination and hard work.

…

I’ve also witnessed countless ‘Yuwa moments’ with Neha Baxla, my project supervisor, who has worked with Yuwa since 2013. Neha’s role in the organization has hugely contributed to its ability to gain acceptance within the community to conduct its football programs and English medium school. As Child Development Officer, Neha’s primary job is to build relationships. She knows every Yuwa girl – all 400+ of them – and can tell you the names of each girl’s parents and siblings, as well as their occupations, assets, and history. She’s the Yuwa School counselor, and girls regularly approach her for various needs, from finding pads to seeking safety from family violence. She also manages Yuwa’s life skills workshop program, training nearly 40 Yuwa coaches, many of them upper class students at Yuwa School, to lead workshops on topics ranging from personal hygiene to financial literacy.

Every social organization needs a Neha. A Jharkhand native who grew up working in rural communities, Neha can connect to beneficiary communities in ways that outsiders cannot. Her full-time job it is to earn their trust, which has been vital to Yuwa’s ability to conduct effective programming. As a part of my AIF Fellowship Project, I interviewed Neha to learn more about her experiences with Yuwa and to better understand the principles that guide Yuwa’s work. Together, we came up with four key areas that other social impact organizations should consider:

Opportunities for leadership—Build a culture where stakeholders have the chance to lead. At Yuwa, the kids make fundamental decisions about how programs are run, such as when to hold practice, when school starts, and save money each week to purchase football equipment. Older students have the opportunity to work as coaches, leading workshop and practices daily for their teams.

Build community – There’s no ‘I’ in team, or in football either. Creating a team setting gives girls the opportunity to learn from each other and grow together.

Provide strong mentors –It’s important for children to have someone to talk to about the questions in their lives, especially when there’s stress at home. Girls regularly reach out to their coaches, teachers, and mentors to ask for help, which is vital to building resilience.

Create value – Provide opportunities for earning. Girls who coach earn enough to support their entire families, and often pay their own school fees. Parents learn to value their daughters.

This is only the beginning of my journey with Yuwa, and I can’t wait to see how this list grows during my remaining eight months here!

Jharkhand CM celebrates Diwali in Jamshedpur, performs rituals on Gobardhan Puja.

Source – avenuemail.in

Jamshedpur: Chief Minister Raghubar Das celebrated ‘festival of lights’ Diwali with spouse Rukmini Devi, son Lalit Das and daughter-in-law and family members at Agrico area on Sunday. He met well-wishers and extended warm wishes to the people. The Chief Minister prayed for the welfare of the State.

On Monday, Das performed rituals to mark Govardhan Puja. After the rituals, he inspected several areas under his Legislative Assembly Area Jamshedpur East. Das, who was in city to celebrate Diwali, went to various areas in Burmamines and personally interacted with residents and took stock of development schemes. According to information, he asked authorities to focus on cleanliness of the areas.

He went to Raghubarnagar and met with locals. Talking to local citizens he said that the Government is dedicated towards development of State with special focus on cleanliness and infrastructure. He said that the people are reaping the benefits of the several welfare schemes is his Government’s priority.

 Das further added that the government would work efficiently in bringing speedy development, providing basic amenities and improving policing. He also said that ensuring corruption free governance will be his foremost priority. He also emphasised that his government would be accountable and ensure rapid development by utilising the abundance of natural resources.

Chief Minister’s legislative assembly area representative, Pawan Agarwal said that the Chief Minister has sought a report on two acre vacant land at Raghubarnagar. He asked local authorities to prepare a report so that the land can be used to develop G+ 8 residential areas for the needy families.  

Meanwhile the Chief Minister also visited several Kali Puja Pandals and sought blessings. The festival of lights, Diwali, also marks the beginning for worship  of deity, Goddess Kali. Festivities and enthusiasm for Kali Puja in city is same as seen for Diwali. Performing the Puja with faith devotees seek

protection against drought and war and blessings of general happiness, health and prosperity.

In Jamshedpur a number of Kali Puja pandals were constructed for the occasion. On Sunday the pandals were inaugurated amidst enthusiasm.

“Kali puja is also an important occasion for us and every year we look forward to celebrate in traditionally. A massive pandal have been constructed for the occasion. The festival is usually celebrated

during the Diwali,” Tapas Sen, senior functionary of Five Star Kali Puja Committee in Pursudih.

He said that though the pomp and show during Durga Puja is much higher but the devotion and festivities for Kali Puja are none the less. Meanwhile a number of Kali puja pandals have been constructed at Sonari, Burmamines and Pursudih.