Category: Jharkhand

5-day Jharkhand Monsoon Session to begin from July 22

Source: Source: dailypioneer.com

The State Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod for 13th (Monsoon) Session of fourth Jharkhand Assembly starting on July 22. The Session, which will commence on July 22 will run till July 26. The first day of five-day session will be devoted to oath of new members (if any), placing of bills, tabling of first supplementary budget in the Assembly.

State Cabinet Coordination department secretary (in-charge), Ajay Kumar Singh said, “From second day to conclusion of monsoon session will be devoted to question hour and discussion on State bill and government works.”

Sources said that the monsoon session is likely to be last Assembly session of present government as formation of new government is to take place till January 6. The monsoon session also assumes importance as the State will go on election mode after the session.

Sources said that as this is the last Assembly session of present government, the Opposition will try to corner State Government on several issues. The lynching of Tabrez Ansari at Saraikela is one of the issue on which Opposition will try to attack Das’s Government.

However, the State Government, confident with Lok Sabha election results, is ready to face Opposition charges. Senior BJP leader and party MLA from Chhatarpur Radha Kishan Kishore said, “After the Lok Sabha election there is no Opposition. The issue such as land acquisition and religious conversion bill on which Opposition tried to disturb last Assembly sessions for five years has been rejected by people. The people in Lok Sabha election have rejected Opposition and their anti-Government, anti-State policies.”

In today’s Cabinet, the State Government also gave its nod for appointment of professors and assistant professors on contractual basis at medical colleges in Dumka, Palamu and Hazaribag. The Cabinet, after relaxing the provisions of Jharkhand Medical Education Service (appointment, promotion, and service rule) 2018, gave its nod for appointment of 76 posts of professors and 93 post of assistant professors on contractual basis at these three medical colleges.

As per the Cabinet provision, the professors will be appointed on the pay scale of Rs 1.62 lakh, while the assistant professors will be appointed in the pay scale of Rs 1.04 lakh monthly salary.

The State Cabinet also gave its nod for creation of 42 temporary police outpost and traffic outpost in Deoghar in wake of Shravani Mela. The 15 police outposts and 27 traffic outposts will be set up for period of July 15 to September 15.

In today’s Cabinet meet, nod for relaxation in road tax of Jharkhand Government run mortuary van, 108 emergency medical ambulance service van and vehicles of mobile medical unit. The Cabinet also gave its nod for amendment of Jharkhand Procurement Policy 2014. As per the amendments, Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) can take part in Government tendering policy. As per amended Procurement Policy 2014, cap on work experiences and minimum turnover bracket has been removed.

In today’s Cabinet meeting, 14 agendas were given nod, which includes amendments in GST, construction of roads in Koderma, Deoghar districts among others.

Jharkhand to hire university students for study on ‘dwindling’ mammals, endemic plants

Source: hindustantimes.com

Jharkhand biodiversity board is all set to carry out studies on dwindling mammal species from Jharkhand forests in a bid to chalk out strategy for their conservation.

For this, the board has decided to rope in eligible students from different universities of the state studying in subjects linked to biodiversity such as botany and zoology, officials said.

“The draft of the study plan is ready which will be finalised this month. If everything goes on dotted plan, first round of the study would be started in a month or two,” said LR Singh, state biodiversity board chairman.

Singh said university students take up dissertation to present their findings on a particular topic, which is an essential part of their education.

“We have decided to give topics to universities and invite their students. We will give a nominal remuneration. The exercise will enhance their knowledge on a particular subject and interest towards research,” Singh said.

Singh said, “The study will comprise information gathering of past 30 years. It will help us understand the status of mammals 30 years back and now.”

The board has prepared an initial format for the research under which the state would be divided in different grids. “People of different age groups in each grid would be interviewed. They would be shown photographs of respective animals to local people. They would also be asked about status of mammals two-three decades back and now. Their information would be documented for chalking out conservation plan,” Singh said.

Blame it deterioration of forest ecosystem or lack of government initiative, population of hordes of animals such as tiger, leopard, bison, wild dog, sambar, four-horn antelopes, mouse deer and crocodiles have “dwindled” over their period in the state, observed the board.

The board also plans to conduct a study on endemic plants. Singh said, “We do not have documental of endemic plants in Jharkhand. The objective of the study to identify endemic plants of specific locations of Jharkhand, conserve them and document their importance.”

Jharkhand: Massive scams come to fore; Deputy Registrar suspended

Source: indiancooperative.com

Cooperative Department of Jharkhand has suspended three officials including Deputy Registrar Jaydev Prasad Singh accused of indulging in illegal appointments and financial irregularities in Jharkhand State Cooperative Bank.

Deputy Registrar Jaydev Prasad Singh, General Manager in the State Cooperative Bank has been accused of having indulged in financial irregularities.

During the investigation, it has been found that bank has distributed fake loans and it made no efforts in recovering the loaning amounts. The officers are also supposed to have tampered with books. The scam is of about Rs 54 crore.

After the investigation, Ramkumar Prasad, MD of Jamtara Central Cooperative Bank, Deoghar has also been suspended. Prasad has been accused of disbursing fake loans during his posting in Deoghar.

On the basis of investigation, as suggested by the inquiry committee, the department has also suspended the district cooperative officer of Chaibasa Lal Manoj Shahadev posted in the regional office of the bank at Chaibasa.

As per the inquiry report, the department has ordered to register FIR against Alok and seven other employees. The employees have been suspended.

Indian Cooperative’s effort to contact the Bank Chairman Abhay Kant Prasad drew a blank as his phone was switched off. The octogenarian cooperator Abhay Kant Prasad is held in high esteem due to his no-nonsense approach. People in know of things say that it is a matter of surprise that scamsters have succeeded in their plan below his nose.

The Department has also ordered FIRs against the then Chief Executive Officer Brajeshwar Nath, Project Manager Parishesh Pathak, Ramvriksh Prasad from Chaibasa based Gumla Simdega Cooperative Bank and Branch Manager Manoj Gupta, Sunil Kumar Satpathy, then Branch Manager of Saraikala, and Madan Lal Prajapati.

The committee constituted for investigation has prepared a 250 page report. According to media reports, the preparation for the transfer of state registrar Suchitra Sinha, who has acted tough in the matter with the help of new GM Sushil Kumar, is in the process.

Readers would recall that after taking over the charge of General Manager of the bank, Sushil Kumar had listed out several frauds. He drew massive irregularities to the attention of State Registrar of Cooperative Societies and urged investigation into the matter.

It is at his urging that the Government had constituted an inquiry committee headed by the Registrar that revealed various irregularities including disbursing loans through fake accounts.

After detailed investigation, the CBI investigation on this case was also recommended.

Re 1 stamp duty scheme misused, Jharkhand loses Rs 1.07 crore

Source: newindianexpress.com

RANCHI: The Jharkhand government has suffered a loss of Rs 1.07 crore due to widespread misuse of a scheme that allows registration of property worth Rs 50 lakh by women at only Re 1 stamp duty.

Launched by the state’s Raghubar Das government in June 2017, the scheme made registration of immovable property worth Rs 50 lakh in the name of women free of stamp duty save for a token amount of Re 1. For property above Rs 50 lakh, women had to pay Rs 50 lakh as registry charges.

The stamp fee was waived only if the property was registered in the name of women.

“So far, 1,52,521 women have benefitted from the Re 1 registry scheme,” Jharkhand Land and Revenue Minister Amar Bawari told reporters on Tuesday.

“But the scheme, which aimed to empower the women in the state, has also been misused. Till now 238 cases have come to our notice where women have benefitted from the scheme more than once. The state government has suffered a loss of Rs 1.07 crore. We have recovered Rs 27.90 lakh from the violators and process is on to recover more,” Bawari added.

BJP MP from Jharkhand demands railway zone in Ranchi

Source: business-standard.com

A BJP MP from Jharkhand has demanded a railway zone in state capital Ranchi, close on the heels of the railways approving a separate zone, South Coast Railway, despite an internal committee advising against the move.

Sanjay Seth the MP from Ranchi met Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav on Tuesday and listed 31 demands of the state relating to railways.

A letter submitted to Yadav demanded, “Immediate creation of a new zonal office at Ranchi in pattern of South Coast Railways, which is the newest zone of of Indian railways created just before general elections.”

“Jharkhand gives more than Rs 20,000 crore per year of only freight revenue, which makes the state more than deserving to have a zonal headquarter in state capital of Ranchi,” it stated.

The letter said that the zonal headquarters can be created by either shifting the present headquarter of South Eastern Railway from Kolkata to Ranchi or by merging certain portions of East Central Railway like Dhanbad division with Ranchi.

“If a zonal office is not created immediately, Jharkhand will never be able to harvest the benefit of its mineral resources and will always be remotely controlled by Bihar and West Bengal,” it said, adding, “Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on a similar logic and now it is high time to separate its railways from the two states.”

The South Coast Railway, the new railway zone in Andhra Pradesh with headquarters in Visakhapatnam and covering the jurisdictional area of Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal divisions, was carved out by the railways with the former Waltair division being merged with Vijayawada division.
Seth has also demanded a Rail Neer plant at Aragada, connectivity to smart city, running the Ranchi Rajdhani on all seven days of a week, licensing of coolies, ambulance services, LHB rakes for trains among other amenities.

Protests over Jharkhand lynching leads to tension, stone pelting in Agra

Source: indiatoday.in

major confrontation was averted between the Hindus and Muslims in Agra on Monday when a large group of Muslims, who had taken out a protest march against the mob lynching of Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, decided to shutdown a market. The protests and shutdown was opposed by the shopkeepers belonging to the Hindu community.

Violence broke out and both the communities resorted to stone pelting. Local police managed to bring the situation under control. However, situation remains tense and a large contingent of police has been deployed in the violence-struck area.

According to sources, a huge group of Muslims had gathered at the royal Jama Masjid in Agra on Monday to lead a protest march against the killing of Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand.

Despite prohibition orders under Section 144 of CrPC, the group continued to move towards the collectorate.

Police tried to stop them and used light force to push back the crowd. In the midst of this, rumours spread that a Muslim woman and her child had been abducted by the Hindus.

Enraged by the rumour, a group of Muslim youngsters splintered from the main group and tried to force shut a market in Sadar Bhatti area of the city. Soon, it led to stone pelting.

Police officials present at the spot managed to bring the situation under control.

Hindustani Biradari activists who were present at the scene quickly intervened and prevented the situation from growing worse. A large police contingent led by the SSP Joginder Kumar arrived and took control of the situation.

However, following the stone pelting, Sadar Bhatti, Nai Ki Mandi, Subhash Bazar, Mantola, Fawwara, Kinari Bazar areas remained closed. SSP Joginder Kumar assured that all rioters will be identified from the videos of the incident and will be arrested.

Surprisingly, the Local Intelligence Unit of the police failed to assess the situation despite there being clear indications about possible tension on Monday.

All you want to know about malnutrition in India

Source: thehindu.com

Moderate Acute malnutrition (MAM): Children aged between six months and 59 months who are between the -2 and -3 standard deviation for weight for height (wasting) score.

Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM): Children aged between six months and 59 months and have a weight for height (wasting) score 3 standard deviations below the median, have a mid-upper-arm circumference less than 115 mm, or the presence of bilateral edema.

Severe Chronic Malnutrition (SCM): Calculated with the Z-score defined as a height-for-age index less than –3 standard deviations from the mean weight of a reference population of children of the same height and/or having edema.

Stunting: Calculation is based on height-for-age. It is is associated with an underdeveloped brain, poor learning capacity, and increased nutrition-related diseases.

Wasting: Calculated by weight-for-height. It is associated with decreased fat mass. Also known as wasting syndrome, it causes muscle and fat tissue to waste away.

Underweight: Calculated by the weight-for-age formula. It is a body weight considered to be too low to be healthy. It can reflect both stunting and wasting.

Key highlights of the report

The highest levels of stunting and underweight are found in Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

At the national level, among social groups, the prevalence of stunting is highest amongst children from the Scheduled Tribes (43.6 percent), followed by Scheduled Castes (42.5 percent) and Other Backwards Castes (38.6 percent).

The prevalence of stunting in children from ST in Rajasthan, Odisha and Meghalaya is high while stunting in children from both ST and SC is high in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.

Prevalence of wasting is highest in Jharkhand (29.0%) and above the national average in eight more States (Haryana, Goa, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat) and three UTs (Puducherry, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli).

Prevalence of underweight is also highest in Jharkhand (47.8%) and is above the National average in seven more States (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar) and one UT (Dadra and Nagar Haveli).

Food and malnutrition in the country

Over the last 20 years, total food grain production in India increased from 198 million tonnes to 269 million tonnes. Despite increase in food production, the rate of malnutrition in India remains very high.

In the food basket, it turns out that in both urban and rural areas, the share of expenditure on cereal and cereal substitutes has declined between 1972-73 and 2011-12, from 57% to 25% in rural areas and from 36% to 19% in urban areas.

The energy and protein intake from cereals has decreased in both rural and urban India, largely because of increased consumption of other food items such as milk and dairy products, oils and fat and relatively unhealthy food such as fast food, processed food, and sugary beverages.

The consumption of unhealthy energy and protein sources is much higher in urban areas.

Double burden of malnutrition

For several decades India was dealing with only one form of malnutrition– undernutrition. In the last decade, the double burden which includes both over- and undernutrition, is becoming more prominent and poses a new challenge for India.

From 2005 to 2016, prevalence of low (< 18.5 kg/m2) body mass index (BMI) in Indian women decreased from 36% to 23% and from 34% to 20% among Indian men.

During the same period, the prevalence of overweight/obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) increased from 13% to 21% among women and from 9% to 19% in men.

Children born to women with low BMI are more likely to be stunted, wasted, and underweight compared to children born to women with normal or high BMI.

Jharkhand CM to launch water conservation campaign from July 7

Source: business-standard.com

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Sunday said a campaign to conserve and manage water will be launched on July 7 across the state.

Das said he will go for “shram daan” (voluntary work) during the campaign in which ministers and senior government officers of the state will join him.

He said water conservation work has already begun in Hazaribagh and other districts of the state after letters were sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to village heads across the country to work in this regard.

Das said that farmers had benefited from the digging of ponds under water management during the past four years, triggering agriculture growth from minus four per cent to 14 per cent.

Das paid rich tributes to tribal icons Birsa Munda, Siddo, Kano, Chand and Bhairav and Phulo Jhano, who sacrificed their lives for freedom as the state observed “Hul Divas” on Sunday.

Jharkhand man stabs girlfriend to death for refusing to fetch water

Source: newindianexpress.com

JAMSHEDPUR: A 21-year-old college student was stabbed to death allegedly by a man, stated to be her boyfriend, after she refused to fetch water for him in West Singhbhum district, a police officer said on Sunday.

While the woman died on the spot, her roommate suffered serious injuries in the incident at Mahisabeda village under Sonua police station on Saturday, Superintendent of Police Indrajeet Mahatha said.

The accused used to frequent the rented house of the woman and the two had gone out for shopping on Saturday evening.

After returning, the accused asked her to fetch a bucket of water from a nearby tube well as he wanted to take bath.

When she asked him to get it, an altercation broke out, following which the accused took out a knife, attacked her and her roommate before escaping, the SP said.

The injured roommate (22) was rushed to a hospital in Chakradharpur, around 20 km from Sonua. The police recovered the woman’s body and sent it for post-mortem examination on Sunday morning. The police questioned the man’s father to find out his whereabouts, the SP said.

22 killed in rain-related incidents in Maha, Jharkhand; dry spell continues in North India

Source: business-standard.com

Twenty-two people were killed and seven injured in Maharashtra and Jharkhand in rain-related incidents, even as the dry spell continued in most parts of north India which was reeling under sweltering heat.

At least 15 people, including four children, were killed and two injured in Pune when a portion of the 22-ft high compound wall of a housing society collapsed on adjoining shanties following incessant rains, trapping the sleeping families under the debris, officials said.

The incident took place between 1:30 am and 1:45 am at Kondhwa and the victims were labourers and their family members, a majority of them from Bihar, who were living in makeshift shelters at the under-construction residential project where deep excavation work was underway.

Heavy monsoon rains continued to lash Mumbai and its neighbouring areas for the second consecutive day on Saturday and at least five persons were injured in rain-related incidents, officials said.

The suburban local trains, called the lifeline of Mumbai, remained largely unaffected and were running as per their schedule. However, in view of IMD’s heavy rainfall forecast, the Central Railway (CR) cancelled some express or passenger trains, especially those between Mumbai and Pune.

According to the officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 39 incidents of short circuit, 104 incidents of uprooting of trees or falling of tree branches were reported from various parts of the city.

In Maharashtra’s Thane district, two people died of electrocution in separate incidents caused by incessant rains on late Friday night. While the first incident occurred in Thane city, the other one occurred in Ambarnath.

Two people died on Saturday after being struck by lightning in separate incidents in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, police said.

While Shrikrishna Dhabal (69) was struck by a lightning bolt while working in his field in Sangrampur taluka, farm labourer Yuvraj Gavande (35) died in a similar manner in Jastgaon villege, they said.

Three people, including two teenagers, died in lightning strikes in Jharkhan’s Gumla district during heavy rains on Friday evening.

In the national capital, mercury settled five notches above normal on Sunday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 42.3 degree, five notches above normal.

Parts of south Gujarat received extremely heavy rainfall Saturday, with the IMD stating that districts in the south and central parts of the state were likely to receive heavy rainfall over the next two days with upper cyclonic circulation formed over the region.

The IMD warned of heavy rains in Valsad, Navsari, Dangs, Surat, Narmada, Chhota Udepur and Vadodara districts over the next two days, adding that upper cyclonic circulation had formed over the south Gujarat region.

Valsad received 130 millimetres rainfall in a 24-hour period till Saturday morning, while Bhavnagar and Vadodara got 52.8 and 34 mm rainfall respectively, IMD data showed.

Heatwave continued to sweep the Jammu region as mercury touched 43.1 degrees Celsius, four degrees above average. Summer capital Srinagar, on the other hand, continued to experience pleasant weather with a high of 29.6 degrees Celsius, up by over two notches but below the season’s average.

In Punjab and Haryana, rains remained elusive even as the maximum temperatures were recorded to be between two to five notches above normal. Bhiwani and Narnaul were the hottest place in the twin states with mercury settling at a high of 42.8 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.

While Amritsar braved a high of 42.4 degrees celsius, five notches above normal, the maximum temperature at Ambala was 41.8 degrees Celsius, also five notches above normal.

Moderate rain and thunderstorm were witnessed at isolated places in Eastern Uttar Pradesh even Banda was recorded as the hottest place in the state, recording a temperature of 44.8 degrees Celsius, which is eight degrees above normal.

Heatwave also swept some parts of the state and Allahabad sizzled at 44 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, rain and thundershowers were observed at many places over Assam, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, North Interior Karnataka and at most places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa.

Extremely heavy rainfall was observed at a few places over Konkan and Goa and Gujarat region, it said.

The Meteorological Department has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for thunderstorm in Himachal Pradesh for July 3. It has forecast thunderstorms accompanied with hailstorm and gusty winds in several parts of middle hills of the state on July 3.

The weather office issues colour-coded warnings to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather that has the potential to cause “damage, widespread disruption or danger to life”. Yellow is the least dangerous of all the weather warnings. It indicates the possibility of severe weather over the next few days.

The Odisha government Saturday put all 30 districts in the state on alert in view of the IMD forecasting enhanced heavy rainfall over the next three days. The step was taken after the IMD indicated formation of a low pressure area in north Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, which is likely to intensify into a depression during the subsequent 48 hours.

“Under its influence, enhanced rainfall activity is very likely over the districts of Odisha,” said H R Biswas, the director of the IMD, Bhubaneswar.