Tag: Chief Minister

Rush to register name at employment exchange

Source: dailypioneer.com

After Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed Chief Secretary DK Tiwari to activate all employment exchanges across the State and start registration of youths above 16 years of age, employment exchange in State Capital witnessed rush of people going for registration.

 Many people especially youngsters were seen standing in queue for registration of their name and address in hope that when State Government goes for mass recruitment drive they get preference.

Large number of youths standing in queue was also due to ruling party (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) poll promise which had promised to provide unemployment allowance to youth in the tune of  Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000 depending on their educational qualification.

The Chief Minister has said that soon after registration, necessary action will be taken to provide unemployment allowance to the unemployed youth and the proposed incentive amount to be given by the government and to provide them with available employment opportunities.

Abdul Rehman, a post graduate student and resident from Bokaro who was spotted at Employment Exchange for registration said, “I have come here for registration of my name with employment exchange. The registration will help the Government in keeping a record about number of unemployed youths in the State.”

Rehman said that large numbers of youths have come for registration as in last five years the Government has failed to create any employment opportunities. Echoing the views of Rehman, another youth Abhijeet Kumar a post graduate from Raksha Shakti University said, “I have completed my post graduate in criminology from Raksha Shakti University. But it nearly a year that I have passed from institute still I am jobless as there was no placement in institute.”

The student also claimed that in Jharkhand unemployment is biggest issue as earlier governments had failed to provide any employment opportunities.  He said, “The Raghubar Das government to fill up vacant posts in various government departments had carried out examination though Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC 2014), Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) 2016 and recruitment for Panchayat Secretary, but the Government had failed to declare results of any of these examinations.” While JSSC examination is cancelled, the JPSC results are still awaited while Panchayat Secretary mains examination is yet to be held.

Meanwhile, Employment Officer Manu Kumar said, “Large number of youths has come for registration of their name and address at exchange after reading news in the newspaper where Hemant Soren has directed Chief Secretary DK Tiwari to activate all employment exchanges across the State.”

Manu Kumar also said that apart from registration state labour department is going to hold a Rozgar Mela on February 7 at Hehal ground. In the job fair 16 companies are going to participate which includes local as well as national level companies.

Develop park where mining is over: Jharkhand CM

Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday said that the coal companies should follow the norms and develop parks where mining has been completed.

In a meeting with Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi in Ranchi, the Chief Minister said: “People have no option but to live in dust in mining areas. We should make efforts to get them rid from dust”.

“As per the norms park or public utility places should be developed in the areas where mining has been completed. But such norms are being ignored. The dust is causing hazardous diseases among people,” said the Chief Minister.

Das also demanded that the people who were displaced due to mining should be given jobs.

The Union minister agreed to give jobs to the displaced people.

“One person in each family whose lands were acquired for mining in the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) areas would be given job as per the qualification,” Joshi said.

The Coal Minister also agreed that Coal India subsidiaries will do Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities as per the priorities of the state government.

After Prolonged Patna Water-logging, Bihar Govt Shifts Senior Officials from Currents Posts

Source: news18.com

Patna: The Bihar government has removed Principal Secretary of Urban Development department Chaitanya Prasad and Patna Divisional Commissioner Anand Kishor from their positions apparently in the wake of prolonged water-logging here triggered by incessant rain in September end.

Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO) Managing Director Amarendra Prasad Singh has also been shifted to another post, according to a General Administration Department notification issued Tuesday evening.

Axe has fallen on the senior officials after the government had cracked whip on several middle level officials of the Patna Municipal Corporation and BUIDCO, responsible for upholding civic facilities in the capital city.

They were punished for lapses in discharge of their duties in dealing with the accumulation of water in several localities after heavy downpours for three days starting September 27 in Patna.

Water-logging continued for over a week in promiment localities like Rajendranagar, Kankarbagh and Patliputra colony, when boats of NDRF and SDRF were seen rescuing citizens from their inundated houses, had drawn national outrage.

The visual of Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi being rescued from his flooded house in Rajendranagar with other family members was seen with awe across the country. The issue had also resulted in some hot exchange of words between the ruling NDA partners- JD(U) and the BJP.

Chaitanya Prasad has been shifted to Science and Technology department as its principal secretary. Prasad, a 1989 batch IAS officer, will continue to hold additional charge of the Parliamentary Affairs department, the notification said.

Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor has been made Secretary in the urban development department. He will also hold additional charge of Managing Director of the Patna Metro

Rail Corporation.

According to the notification, 2002 batch IAS officer Sanjay Agarwal, currently Transport Secretary, has been given additional charge of Patna divisional commissioner till further order.

He had earlier served as Patna District Magistrate. BUIDCO MD Amarendra Prasad Singh has been transferred and made Administrator, Bihar State Road Transport Corporation, Patna while Chandrashekhar Singh, presently working as Additional Secretary in the CM Secretariat, will replace him in BUIDCO.

Choked drainage system after heavy rain in September end had caused massive water logging in many areas of the state capital.

The government had on Monday placed officials under suspension, withheld payment of their salaries and issued show-cause notices for lapses in discharge of their duties when the state capital was reeling under worst-ever water logging in three decades.

Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar had said the action followed a review meeting of the top government officials. The new transfer order also saw change in position of some other IAS officers.

Dr Dipak Prasad, currently Advisor, Bihar State Planning Board, has been made principal secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat department.

Science and Technology department’s principal secretary Harjot Kaur Bamhara will be principal secretary-cum commissioner in the Mines and Geology department.

Pradeep Kumar Jha has been made Director, Information and Public Relations department till further order. Jha will continue to hold additional charge as Special Secretary of Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED), it added.

Farmers burning stubble in fields will be deprived of government facilities: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Source: newindianexpress.com

PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday expressed concern over the rising trend of farmers in Bihar setting agricultural residue on fire and warned the cultivators burning stubble in fields will be deprived of the facilities provided by the state government.

Underscoring the adverse impact of stubble burning on the environment, he instructed agriculture department officials to launch a campaign to end the practise.

“Farmers burning stubble (crop residue) in their fields will be deprived of facilities being given by the state government,” Kumar said while inuagurating a two-day international conference on “Crop Residue Management” here.

The event was organised jointly by the state’s agriculture department and Bihar Agriculture University, Sabour (Bhagalpur).

The state government is providing every possible help to the farmers in the state, he said adding power is supplied to them at a rate of 75 paise per unit.

In addition, the state is giving Rs 60 as subsidy on every litre of diesel.

Earlier, the practice of stubble burning was prevalent in Delhi and Punjab causing bad impact on Delhi’s environment, he said while adding that the custom has now gained prevalence in some parts of the state.

“Farmers need to be convinced that stubble burning not only has its adverse impact on productivity but also has its effect on environment. Farmers need to be convinced that the proper use of stubble will increase their income too,” the CM said.

Kisan Salahkars (agriculture advisors) and representatives from agricultural institutions should convince the farmers about the ill-effects of burning stubble/crop residue and create awareness among them against it, he said.

Kumar cited the rainfall figures to highlight the impact of the climate change Bihar has witnessed in past few years.

Earlier, the state used to witness an average rainfall between 1200-1500 mm which has came down to 750 mm last year, he said.

The average rainfall of the past 30 years, barring this year, is 1027 mm out of which 900 mm was recorded in the past 13 years.

He asked officials to show “short film” to the farmers incorporating valuable suggestions given by the agriculture scientists and experts at the conference.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, state Agriculture minister Prem Kumar, farm scientist Dr Mangla Rai, Dr Eric Hutner of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACAIR) and Bihar agriculture department secretary N Sarvan Kumar also addressed the conference.

Prominent among those who participated in the event included- Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, Pusa (Samastipur) Vice Chancellor Dr R C Srivastava, his counterpart in Bihar Agriculture University, Sabour (Bhagalpur) Ajay Kumar Singh, CM’s Principal Secretary Chanchal Kumar and Bihar State Pollution Control Board Chairman Dr Ashok Ghosh.

Chakardharpur to become new district by February: Jharkhand CM

Source: avenuemail.in

Jamshedpur, Oct. 13: During his whirlwind tour to different parts of Kolhan, Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Sunday promised to make Chakardharpur a different district by February, 2020. Addressing the Kolhan leg of Johar Jan Ashirwad Yatra at Chakardharpur, Das said that if voted to power the State Government will carve Charkardharpur as the new district.

Taking a dig at the regional parties, Das said that Jharkhand could not become a separate state in 1993 because of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It was the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who kept the promise made to Jharkhand and gave a separate statehood status. “Keeping this in mind, I promise that voted to power Chakardharpur will be made a separate district by February 2020.

Targeting the Soren family, Das said that guruji and his son has served as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister but they worked to sell Kolhan’s mineral wealth to other states and countries. They did nothing for the development of the State.

Addressing a public meeting at Goilkera, Raghubar Das said that JMM has forgotten the martyrs. BJP has worked to honour the sons of the soil.

Das announced that on the demand of youths Goilkera-Gudri road will be constructed. For 14 years, development was disrupted in the State due to political instability. But after 2014 there has been a stable and strong government.

Das said that his Government has brought the State on the path of development during his five tenure of Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He went on to add that the people of Jharkhand will vote on the basis of his performance and he is confident to win in the elections.

The Chief Minister noted that the party’s vision is making Jharkhand a developed state. “We are promoting agriculture and industry together. We want to build basic infrastructure in the state apart from improved health-care facilities,” said Das.

The Chief Minister said that the state was making steady progress in making it one of the vibrant states in the field of industrial development. “Jharkhand government has framed policies to provide technical education and skill development. We have to just ensure that these policies are implemented. The need is to bridge the skill gap between the industry and the skill provider,” he said.

“We will ensure that mineral-abundant Jharkhand develops as number one state of the country,” he said. Das said the government is working efficiently in bringing speedy development, providing basic amenities and improving policing. He also said that ensuring corruption free governance has been his foremost priority.

Das for Double Engine Govt in Jharkhand again

Source: dailypioneer.com

Chief Minister Raghubar Das today held seven back to back public meetings at various locations in Santhal Pargana on day one of Johar Jan Ashirwad Yatra. The CM gave message of development to people appealing them to tread the road of development by supporting the BJP in upcoming polls. “Political parties using the name of Jharkhand consider the naive public of Santhal only as vote bank. Our government has worked for the all round development of Santhal Pargana. You have the right to know from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress why till 2014 only 38 lakh families out of 68 lakh families had access to electricity.

Why children in schools were forced to sit on jute sacks? Why the mother and sisters of the State could not get freedom from the life of smoke? Why could the poor not get their own houses? Why they did not build toilets in honour of women? Why there was no health insurance for the poor? Why did they not become the carrier of economic prosperity of farmers? Why did they not remove the stigma of corruption from Jharkhand? They do not have the answers to these questions because they do politics of rumor and propaganda. But, now it will not work. The days of false and deceitful promises are gone,” said the CM. Das said that now the people of Santhal want a working government, Bharatiya Janata Party government. “For 14 years JMM, RJD, Congress continued to do politics of manipulation. Their purpose was only to gain power. By filling their pockets, they have deceived the people of the State. This time you have to take them out,” he said while addressing various public meetings in Santhalpargana on Thursday.

The CM said that in the last five years, there has been an effort to bring a ray of development to the people of Jharkhand, who are waiting for development since independence. “We do not say that we have changed things completely, but have started development work. We still have a long way to go. I have come to you for giving account of the last five years of development work. I hope you get your blessings for the next five years and Jharkhand will get a strong government,” he said. “Our Government is committed to the development of the entire Santhalpargana including Mihizam. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ruled in Santhal Pargana for years but Santhal went backward. The Soren family stalled the development of Santhal.

 This time Santhal Pargana has to be made Congress and JMM free. Our government gave the right of sand to the gram panchayats, but the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha government gave the contract of sand to a contractor in Mumbai. The first right on the resources of the State belongs to the people of Jharkhand and not to anyone outside,” he added.

At Khaira of Nala Assembly seat, the CM held discussion with locals over tea. “Our government has given top priority to dialogue with the people since the beginning.

Jharkhand’s development talking point in country: CM

Source: dailypioneer.com

Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday said that the development works in Jharkhand have become a matter of discussion across the country. Speaking at a conclave organised by a media house here on Tuesday the CM said that today Jharkhand is known for development works unlike earlier when scams and irregularities were discussed about the State.

“Work has been done in every sector in Jharkhand. Till now people keep giving slogans and promises. However, the Government does not follow slogans and promises.  Government operates with policy and intent. Our government started formulating policies as soon as it came to power. Started working on it by making policy. The result of this is that today there is talk of development of Jharkhand in the whole country,” he said.

“It is a State full of possibilities. There is potential, power and resource. Despite this, the State has not been able to develop due to political instability for 14 years.

The aspirations of the people of the State were not being fulfilled. In 2014, on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the people of Jharkhand formed an absolute majority Government here.  In the last four and a half years, the stable Government of the State has tried to fulfill the aspirations of the people,” he added.

The CM said that there is great potential for farming in Jharkhand. But due to the previous Governments at the Center, farmers continued to remain indebted. “The Modi government worried about the farmers.

He started the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi. In this, farmers are getting an annual assistance of Rs 6,000. Similarly, the State Government has launched the Chief Minister Krishi Aashirwad Yojana.

Under this, farmers of the State are getting Rs 5,000 to 25,000 annually. Due to this, farmers are not forced to become indebted to anyone for minor tasks. Das said that the State government is promoting medium, small and small scale industries. “It employs more and more people. Similarly, a lot of work has been done in the textile sector in Jharkhand. Many big companies are setting up production units in Jharkhand. This has given employment to our girls in large numbers.

Earlier these girls used to migrate to other states for 5-7 thousand rupees, now they are getting employment at home. The State Government is also focused on food processing. The Government is also providing employment and self-employment opportunities through skill development.

In Jharkhand, Limca Book has awarded the Government for employing the maximum number of people in a single day.

All the public interest policies of the Central Government have been fully implemented in Jharkhand,” said the CM. The CM said that after the coming of Modi ji’s Government at the Center, politics of casteism and communalism has ended in the country. People are with the politics of development.

The poor and middle families in the country have the opportunity to live with dignity. In response to a question on the CNT-SPT case, he said that those who misled the tribals and grabbed their land are violating the CNT-SPT the most.

Former Jharkhand CMs Babulal Marandi, Hemant Soren meet ahead of assembly polls

Source: indiatoday.in

s Jharkhand is bracing up for the assembly polls towards the end of the year, political parties have already intensified their campaign. It is going to be NDA, led by BJP, versus others in the state.

However the picture is still grey as to whether the allies of opposition will manage to come on a common platform.

The Congress is yet to take a call in the matter.

It is not known whether the party is interested in a pre-poll alliance with all the allies who are against the BJP.

There has been a change of guard and five working presidents were nominated to bring back the party on track which is loosing it’s base in the state.

However party spokesperson Lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo has accepted that talks are on with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

In the prevailing political condition, other allies of opposition have started dialogue among themselves to reportedly forge a formidable alliance to take on the BJP which is riding high on the Modi wave. The saffron party is brimming with confidence after an emphatic win on 12 out of 14 seats in the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

In what is being seen as an effort to break ice two stalwarts of Jharkhand, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) supremo and the first chief minister of the state Babulal Marandi and former chief minister Hemant Soren met at Dhanbad circuit house for more than 25 minutes in a closed door meeting.

Both of them were visibly thrilled post the meeting. Babulal Marandi said that there was nothing to hide. He admitted that he was not against an alliance of like-minded parties.

Hemant Soren reiterated the same. There was no discussion over seat-sharing, Soren said, but when the time comes, everything will be sorted and disclosed to the media.

All is well, Soren said, while dropping a hint that RJD, JMM and JVM could explore the possibilities of contesting the elections under an umbrella.

In 2014, Congress had thrown it’s hat with RJD and JDU in the electoral fray but JMM and JVM had contested on their own.

The major issue which emerges in alliances is seat-sharing. This was the core reason why JMM and the Congress had contested 2009 and 2014 assembly polls without an alliance.

Now, the allies are daring to take on the BJP and whether they will see eye to eye with their partners remains to be seen.

Highly placed sources said that even RJD wants 12 seats and the other allies are opposed to it, citing reasons that they don’t deserve the number of seats they are asking.

Congress wants more seats in Santhal where JMM candidate had won. The allies are headed for a fight over seat-sharing before going to polls. It would be interesting to see who wins the race.Al

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar hints at pay hike for agitating Bihar teachers but only on a condition

Source: hindustantimes.com

In the face of an agitation by teachers seeking salary hike on the Teachers’ Day, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar gave them a stern message as well as hope of a salary hike in the near future.

Kumar asked the teachers to shoulder their main responsibility of teaching with sincerity first, as it was only his government that would do something for them, like in the past. “Don’t worry, we will do whatever is to be done, not others, who are these days joining your dharna. If you deserve, we will be happy to do it for you,” Nitish said, while taking a subtle dig at the opposition parties supporting the agitation.

Reminding them of a reversal at the hands of the Supreme Court earlier this year after a long legal battle and teachers’ condition prior to 2005, when Shiksha Mitras were appointed for a meagre Rs 1500, Kumar said he was not worried about demands raised by the teachers or his criticism, as it was their democratic right, but hoped that they never lose sight of their main role.

He also indirectly hit out at the opposition for allegedly fanning the stir after having called them “incompetent” earlier and also having blamed them for “destroying education”. “I always said that the teachers are competent. I have always stood by the teachers. I respect the teachers. And all I can assure you on the Teachers’ day is that in the future also, only we will do something, not those giving lip service,” Nitish said.

Ahead of the 2015 assembly polls, Bihar government had announced a new pay-scale for the school teachers following their long agitation.

On the occasion, he also launched the “Unnayan Bihar” programme, modelled on the lines of highly successful ‘Unnayan Banka’ project, for class 9-12 in all secondary and higher secondary schools run by the State. The programme involves use of information technology as supplement to classroom teaching to make learning more interesting and receptive.

Kumar said that from April 2020, all the panchayats in the State would have a secondary school starting with Class 9 and equipped to run the ‘Unnayan Bihar’ programme. “In the field of education, Bihar has done a lot with over 99% enrollment, major drop in the gender gap and a slew of other initiatives including huge infrastructure development, but the quality of education remained a concern. It is a global concern and that is why teachers’ role becomes important,” he added.

Kumar said that an intervention by the government will come at an “appropriate” time if the teachers did their job with “sincerity”. “All I expect from you is that you should shoulder your responsibility sincerely, as my commitment is to people. You raise your demands, but at the same time you also teach. Only demand will not do, certainly not if it is at the cost of teaching,” he added.

He also asked chief secretary Deepak Kumar to see what could be done for the teachers, hinting that another pay hike for teachers was under government’s consideration.

“When my government came to power, we had to make large-scale recruitment. We did so with a fixed pay of Rs 4000-7000, but later increased it and in 2015 put teachers on a pay-scale. In 2017, we also announced 7th pay commission benefits. Still, if I have to face criticism, I humbly take it in my stride. But be sure, only we will do it again,” he said.

The CM also honoured 20 teachers from across the state on the occasion. Despite protests by the teachers, all of the awardees turned up to receive the honour.

The awardees welcomed the CM’s speech, especially the hint to increase their salaries, some of the teachers, however, lamented the absence of any acclaimed teacher or eminent academician on the dais on the Teacher’s Day.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar bats for the girl child

Source: indiatoday.in

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has a clear message to those who get happy only when a son is born in the family. “Beti Paida hone par bhi khush hoyiye (Be happy also when a daughter is born in the family). The government is here to take care,” he said.

Indeed, Nitish Kumar is willing to walk the talk. “The government will provide a grant of Rs 2,000 at the birth a girl child in the family. Another Rs 1,000 would be provided once the girl’s Aadhaar registration is done. It will be followed by another incentive of Rs 2,000 after completion of all immunisation procedures of the girl. This is in accordance with Mukhya Mantri Kanya Utthan Yojana (Chief minister’s scheme for development of girls),” said the Chief Minister.

The scheme, a brainchild of Nitish Kumar, is applicable to all irrespective of caste, family income or religion. In addition to this, the girls clearing intermediate examination (+2) and who are not married would get a one-time incentive of Rs 10,000 from the government.

Another Rs 10,000 will be provided as incentive to a girl if she acquires a graduation degree. Nitish Kumar’s total package announced for a girl child in Bihar is Rs 25,000. This is in addition to the raise in the government’s allotments for uniforms, cycles and sanitary napkins.

Though Nitish Kumar’s government has already approved the proposals in an earlier Cabinet decision, the Chief Minister once again drove the message across recently on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations.

Although the Chief Minister did not mention the falling sex ratio of Bihar, it is surely a cause of concern for the state. The jarring irony is that while Bihar has highest birth rate (26.4 for state against India’s average of 16.8 in urban regions to 21.8 in rural regions), the state has a declining sex ratio. Bihar’s sex ratio has gone down from 910 per 1000 males in 2011, to 900 now.

It is even worse in urban Bihar where only 865 girls are per 1,000 males. Proportionately speaking, Bihar has fewer girls than what it had a decade ago. It leads to another shocking observation: more girls are allowed to born in villages, and not in cities of Bihar, where ironically, the educated and elites stay.