Hemant Soren

Jharkhand CM urges Centre to clear state's Rs 1.36 trillion coal dues

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren urged Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy to clear the state's coal dues "worth Rs 1.36 lakh crore". Reddy assured Soren that the central government would take necessary steps to ensure payment of the outstanding dues, an official release said. A meeting was held among senior officials of the state government, the coal ministry and Coal India Ltd in the presence of Soren and Reddy on Thursday. The Jharkhand government presented a detailed assessment of the outstanding mineral royalty payments to the Union minister in the meeting, the release said. "...The Union coal minister directed that central government officials collaborate with the state government to verify the authenticity of these claims," it stated. Soren said the central and state governments need to move forward together to better manage coal mining, production, transportation, land acquisition and compensation. The CM also said the lands on which mining operations ha

11 of 47 workers stuck in Cameroon brought back to Jharkhand, says Govt

The Jharkhand government on Sunday said 11 of the 47 workers stranded in Cameroon in central Africa were brought to the state and efforts were underway for the safe return of the remaining labourers. The development comes after the state government filed FIRs against a Mumbai-based firm and some middlemen for alleged non-payment of wages to 47 workers from the state, who were stuck in the African country. "Eleven out of 47 migrant workers from Jharkhand, stranded in Cameroon, were brought to the state as per instructions from Chief Minister Hemant Soren. All the workers were sent to their homes by the Labour Department. The return of the remaining 36 workers is also being ensured," a statement from the chief minister's secretariat said. Earlier this month, the labour commissioner had filed the FIRs at Hazaribag, Bokaro and Giridih police stations against middlemen and employers following a direction from Soren who had received complaints that these workers did not receive their wage

Jharkhand 2024: A year of political thrills, twists, and stunning comebacks

The year 2024 in Jharkhand unfolded like a gripping political drama, a narrative filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and electrifying comebacks. The year began like a Bollywood thriller with Chief Minister Hemant Soren's mysterious disappearance from Delhi sparking widespread speculations. As the entire nation was watching the drama, Hemant, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, appeared in his official residence in Ranchi on January 30, having made a 1,250 km road journey, leaving everyone astounded by his sudden return. This was only the beginning of the year's political spectacle. Hemant was arrested shortly after resigning as chief minister on January 31 at Raj Bhavan. This prompted JMM to elect Champai Soren, a loyal aide of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, who earned the sobriquet 'Jharkhand's Tiger' for his contribution to the long fight for the creation of a separate state in the 1990s, as par

Jharkhand hikes employees' dearness allowance by 3%: Check benefits

Central government and West Bengal announced similar steps before

From Maharashtra to Andhra, 2024 was the year of political comebacks

From the Lok Sabha elections to state assembly polls, various leaders staged striking returns in 2024, capturing the attention of both the public and political analysts

J'khand initiates process for legal action to realise coal dues from Centre

The Jharkhand government initiated the process for legal action to realise "Rs 1.36 lakh crore coal dues" from the Centre. The government issued a notification on Tuesday authorising Secretary, Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms to commence the legal procedure to realise the dues. The development came shortly after the state government announced in its first cabinet meeting last month that it would take legal action to get its dues. "Secretary, Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms is nominated as nodal officer to initiate immediate legal action to realise Rs 1.36 lakh crore dues from the Centre. "In case of obstacles in payments by subsidiaries of Coal India in lieu of washed coal royalty dues, common cause dues etc, steps should be taken to resolve this in consultation with the Advocate General," the notification said. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, too, had said after being sworn in last month that legal action would be initiated to realise the dues. Earlier, he had request

Politics in 2024: Lotus blooms in North; South witnesses a 'son' rise

The year 2024 not just reshaped the Indian politics, but also forced the political thinkers to come up with new explanations to describe the electoral behaviour

Will take Jharkhand forward by strengthening all sections of society: CM

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday said his government would take the state forward by strengthening all sections of the society. Soren said his government made all efforts to empower women in the state. Jharkhand became the first state in the country, which has increased the monthly financial assistance to women to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,000 under 'Maiyan Samman Yojana', the CM claimed. Soren was speaking at a government function at Bhognadih in Sahibganj, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 331 projects worth around Rs 350 crore for Sahibganj and Pakur districts. He also distributed assets worth around Rs 187 crore among beneficiaries of various government schemes in the two districts. The CM said that the people of Jharkhand have again elected Abua Sarkar (our government)' and voted for the state's dignity, development of tribals, farmers, workers, women and protection of 'jal, jungle and jamin' (water, forest and land). The state's mineral resou

Jharkhand CM Soren, ministers take oath as members of Legislative Assembly

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday took oath as a member of the Jharkhand Assembly on the first day of the four-day session of the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore, Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Deepak Birua and Labour Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav were among the ministers in the Hemant Soren cabinet who also took oath as members of the assembly. The CM and the ministers were among 80 elected representatives who were administered the oath as MLAs by the assembly's pro-tem Speaker Stephen Marandi soon after the proceedings of the House began at 11 am. The House was adjourned till 11 am on Tuesday after the oath-taking ceremony. "All MLAs and ministers took oath today. We will move for next proceedings tomorrow," the CM later told reporters. The Speaker's election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, an assembly official said. Kishore said Nala MLA Rabindra Nath Mahato is likely to be elected as Speaker of the House unopposed as all members,

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, ministers take oath as Assembly members

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday took oath as a member of the Jharkhand Assembly on the first day of the four-day session of the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore, Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Deepak Birua and Labour Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav were among the ministers in the Hemant Soren cabinet who also took oath as members of the assembly. The CM and the ministers were administered the oath as MLAs by the assembly's pro-tem Speaker Stephen Marandi soon after the proceedings of the House began at 11 am. All 81 members of the House are scheduled to take oath as MLAs of the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday. Election of the Speaker, governor's address, presentation of the second supplementary budget and debate on the governor's speech are also scheduled during the session, an assembly official said. Hemant Soren took oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony here on November 28, while 11 MLAs took oath as state ministe

CM Soren distributes portfolios to ministers, keeps Home to himself

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday distributed portfolios among the new ministers, keeping Home (including prison), Cabinet Secretariat and several other departments to himself, according to a government notification. Radhakrishna Kishore, a Congress MLA, got finance while JMM's Chamra Linda was allotted the department of Schedule Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Minorities. RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav was given the Department of Labour, Employment and Training, while Irfan Ansari of the Congress got Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department. The chief minister also kept to himself the departments of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Official Language, Road Construction, Building Construction, and those yet to be distributed to anyone. A total of 11 MLAs took oath as ministers in the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand on Thursday. Soren himself was sworn in as the CM on November 28.

Jharkhand Cabinet expansion: 11 MLAs from JMM, Cong, RJD become ministers

Eleven MLAs, including six from JMM, were sworn in as ministers in the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand on Thursday. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath to the ministers at Ashok Udyan of the Raj Bhavan here. The six JMM legislators, who took oath as ministers, are Sudivya Kumar, Deepak Birua, Ramdas Soren, Chamra Linda, Yogendra Prasad and Hafijul Hasan. Congress MLAs Deepika Pandey Singh, Shilpi Neha Tirkey, Irfan Ansari and Radhakrishna Kishore were sworn in as ministers, while RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav also found a berth. JMM leader Hemant Soren took oath as the chief minister on November 28. Six new faces have been inducted into the Hemant Soren government, while Deepika Pandey Singh, Irfan Ansari, Deepak Birua and Ramdas Soren have got ministerial positions for the second time and Hafizul Hasan for the third. The swearing-in ceremony began with Stephen Marandi taking oath as the pro-tem speaker of the assembly. Marandi, a senior JMM MLA, was appointed

J'khand CM takes note of 'stopping' potato-laden vehicles on Bengal borders

Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday took cognizance on "stopping" of potato-laden vehicles to Jharkhand on Bengal borders, allegedly restricting the supply to the state, an official statement said. The CM directed chief secretary Alka Tiwari to deal with the matter with immediate effect, it said. The West Bengal government has allegedly put restriction on interstate supply of the tuber since Thursday in a bid to maintain the stock and keep the price of potato under control in its state, according to a potato traders' association in West Bengal. On the CM's direction, Tiwari spoke to West Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant over phone for disposal of the matter, according to the official statement. "Pant has assured that a committee will be formed soon to sort out the issue of potato supply," it said. The price of potato has shot up by Rs 5 a kg in Jharkhand's retail market in the past two days after neighbouring West Bengal reportedly restricted the supply of the tuber, according

Assam will send teams to Jharkhand to study 'two-three things': CM Himanta

In a tit-for-tat response, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he would send two delegations to study a few things in Jharkhand, days after his counterpart Hemant Soren took a cabinet decision to despatch an all-party team to study the plight of tea tribes in the northeastern state. Sarma, however, did not specify the areas of concern for the Assam government for deciding to send inspection teams to Jharkhand. "In our cabinet on December 5, we will make some decisions regarding visiting some Jharkhand areas. We will also go and see two-three things there," he told reporters after a BJP meeting here on Saturday night when asked about the Jharkhand government's decision to send a team to Assam. Hours after JMM leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand on November 28, his government approved the formation of an all-party panel to study the plight of the "marginalised" tea tribes in Assam. "We will be happy if somebody looks after us because we

Potato price shoots up in Jharkhand as West Bengal 'restricts' supply

The price of potato has shot up by Rs 5 a kg in Jharkhand's retail market in the past two days after neighbouring West Bengal reportedly restricted the supply of the tuber, an official said on Saturday. In a bid to maintain the stock and keep the price of potato under control, the West Bengal government has allegedly put a restriction on interstate supply of the tuber, according to a potato traders' association in West Bengal. West Bengal meets 60 per cent of Jharkhand's potato demand round the year, while the rest of the demand is met by Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and local production. "Around 50-55 trucks, each containing 20-22 tonnne of potato, arrive in Jharkhand from West Bengal. We were informed that the trucks were stopped at Bengal check posts from Thursday, which fuelled the prices of potato in wholesale as well as retail markets from Friday in the state," Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Jamshedpur, secretary Abhishek Anand told PTI. He said

Cong to back Hemant Soren's cabinet expansion decision: Rajesh Thakur

While speaking to reporters, the Jharkhand CM assured Agniveers in the state that the JMM-led government would support the families of those who had lost their lives

Birsa Munda's great-grandson, injured in road accident, dies in Ranchi

Tribal icon Birsa Munda's great-grandson Mangal Munda, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital here after being injured in a road accident, died of "cardiovascular failure" on Friday, an official of the health facility said. He was 45. Mangal Munda breathed his last at 12.30 am at the state's apex health facility - Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences. Munda sustained severe head injuries after he fell from the roof of a passenger vehicle in Jharkhand's Khunti district on November 25. "Birsa Munda's kin Mangal Munda died of cardiovascular failure around 12.30 am. He was on a ventilator after being critically injured. We tried our best to save him but failed," RIMS Medical Superintendent Dr Hiren Birua told PTI. Mangal Munda was referred to RIMS on Tuesday from Khunti's Sadar Hospital. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Gangwar condoled the demise of Mangal Munda. "I am deeply saddened by the news of the demise of Shri Mangal Munda Ji, a descendant of

Anurag Gupta reinstated as Jharkhand DGP by Hemant Soren govt

IPS officer Anurag Gupta, who was removed from the post of Jharkhand DGP by the Election Commission ahead of the assembly polls, has been reinstated by the Hemant Soren government, an official said on Friday. Gupta's reinstatement comes hours after Soren took oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand on Thursday. Gupta was removed from the DGP post due to his "history of election-related misconduct" in previous polls, and the commission had appointed 1989-batch Jharkhand cadre senior most IPS officer Ajay Kumar Singh as DGP on October 21. "Anurag Gupta, Director General, Crime Investigation Department, has been given charge of Director General, Police....DGP Ajay Kumar Singh has been given charge of Chairman cum Managing Director of Jharkhand Police Housing Corporation Ltd," said a notification from the Department of Home, Prisons and Disaster Management. The state went to polls in two phases on November 13 and 20 and the JMM-led alliance registered a stunning victory, securing

Jharkhand gov to take legal action for Rs 1.36 trillion coal dues: CM Soren

Soon after taking oath as the chief minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren announced that his government would take legal action to realise its Rs 1.36 lakh-crore coal dues from the Centre. Soren took oath as the chief minister on Thursday. "Legal action will be initiated to realise Rs 1.36 lakh crore of the state pending with the Centre," Soren told the media while briefing the decisions of the maiden cabinet meeting of his present government. The announcement came barely 25 days after he requested the Centre "with folded hands" to clear the coal dues to the state. Though the CM said the decision was taken at the 'Cabinet meeting', no minister took oath during the day. Soren's first official meeting after his re-election was with PM Modi in Delhi on Tuesday, where they discussed state matters and Soren invited PM to his swearing-in ceremony. On November 2, he had posted on X: "The PM and the home minister are coming to Jharkhand. I once again request them with folded hands to clear

Will take legal action to realise Rs 1.36 trn coal dues from Centre: Soren

Barely 25 days after requesting the Centre "with folded hands" to clear Rs 1.36 lakh-crore coal dues to the state, Hemant Soren who was sworn in as Jharkhand chief minister on Thursday announced that the state will take legal action to realise its dues. "Legal action will be initiated to realise Rs 1.36 lakh crore of the state pending with the Centre," Soren told the media while briefing the decisions of the maiden cabinet meeting of his present government. Though the CM said the decision was taken at the 'Cabinet meeting', no minister took oath during the day. Soren's first official meeting after his re-election was with PM Modi in Delhi on Tuesday, where they discussed state matters and Soren invited PM to his swearing-in ceremony. On November 2, he had posted on X: "The PM and the home minister are coming to Jharkhand. I once again request them with folded hands to clear the outstanding (coal dues) of Rs 1.36 lakh crore to Jharkhandis. This amount is crucial for Jharkhand." "I