Page 32 - Jharkhand

Govt aims to control surface fire at 19 coal mines in Jharia by 2025-end

The government is aiming to control surface fire at 27 locations of 19 coal mines in Jharia, Jharkhand, by 2025-end, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Some coal mines of Jharia in Jharkhand have been burning for many years due to unscientific mining prior to the nationalisation of coal mines, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. As per the Jharia Master Plan approved in 2009, it was estimated that about 37 MT of good quality prime coking coal has been destroyed due to fire, the minister noted. Coal India subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) is periodically conducting surveys through National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) Hyderabad for delineation of surface fire. As per the latest survey report done in the year 2020-21, the surface fire area has been reduced to 1.8 sq km spread over 27 locations, he said. "Out of these 27 locations, fire at 16 locations is being dealt with by operating fire dealing projects through excavation an

ED summons Jharkhand CM for interrogation in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for interrogation in a money laundering case, an official said here on Tuesday. He has been asked to depose on August 14 at the federal agency's office here and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the official said. He is expected to be questioned in an alleged defence land scam case. The 47-year-old Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader was interrogated for over nine hours by the ED in November last year in another money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state. Neither Soren nor his office has reacted to the fresh summons. BJP MP from the state Deepak Prakash Tuesday demanded Soren's resignation alleging that he was involved in the defence land scam in connivance with corrupt bureaucrats of the state. Claiming to have been the first to have exposed the defence land scam, he said "We had requested the ED to investigate the case. Today, the result is that aft

CM Soren inaugurates, lay foundation of projects worth Rs 292 cr in Bokaro

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday inaugurated and laid foundation of projects worth Rs 292.53 crore in Bokaro district. Addressing a public gathering at Taranari in Chandrapura block of Bokaro district he announced that a medical college would soon come up in Bokaro district in the name of former Education minister Jagarnath Mahto. The CM inaugurated 37 projects worth Rs 18.14 crore, laid foundation of 25 projects worth Rs 274.39 crore and distributed assets worth Rs 116.90 crore among 11,186 beneficiaries on the occasion. The upcoming medical college in Bokaro will be a tribute to the former minister, who died at a hospital in Chennai on April 6 this year, a JMM leader said. The CM also announced that a residential school would be started in Bokaro's Nawadih on line of Netarhat residential school and a degree college would also be built there. "The process in this regard has been initiated," he said. Attacking at BJP, Soren said that the opposition has been trying t

Jharkhand assembly passes bill to boost state's healthcare sector

The Bill aims to crack down on the use of unfair means and irregularities in examinations and plug incidents of question paper leaks

DVC plans capex of Rs 70,000 cr by 2030 to increase power generation

Multipurpose project Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has drawn up capital expenditure plans of around Rs 70,000 crore by 2030 to boost power generation capacity from 6,700 MW at present to 16,000 MW, its chairman R N Singh said on Friday. He said DVC will increase its coal-fired power generation capacity through brownfield expansion, while it also plans to invest in the renewable energy sector, Singh said. Speaking at the Bengal Power Conclave organised by IEEMA here, Singh said "DVC will make a capital expenditure of Rs 70,000 crore in augmenting power generation capacity by 2030. The present installed capacity of 6,700 MW will go up to 16,000 MW". Thermal capacity expansion will be through the brownfield route, he added. Singh said DVC will also make investments in the renewable energy sector by setting up floating and land-based solar power plants. He said the potential for harnessing solar energy will be about 2,000 MW under the DVC command area. "DVC has already floated a te

BJP legislators disrupt Jharkhand assembly over law and order situation

Jharkhand assembly on Tuesday witnessed uproarious scenes during the Question Hour after opposition BJP legislators raised the issue of deteriorating law and order in the state. Unruly scenes were also witnessed during Zero Hour. As soon as the House assembled for the day, saffron party members trooped into the well demanding a debate on the deteriorating law and order situation and raised slogans demanding resignation of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Amid the ruckus, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam said the state had sent its drought report to the Centre twice, but no money was received. The Jharkhand government had also placed a demand for a financial package of Rs 9,682 crore to the Centre for drought-hit blocks. However, the state has not yet received any drought package till date from the Centre, officials said. As the din continued, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato adjourned the House till 12.30 pm while BJP legislators including CP Singh demanded a discussion on law a

4 killed due to electrocution during Muharram preparation in Jharkhand

Four people were killed and 10 others injured on Saturday Morning after they came in contact with a high-tension wire while preparing for a Muharram procession in Jharkhand's Bokaro district, police said. The incident occurred at Khetko village under the Petarwar Police Station limits, around 80 km from the state capital Ranchi, when their religious flag, made of iron, came in contact with a live wire, Bokaro Superintendent of Police Priyadarshi Alok said. The incident occurred around 6 am on Saturday while they were preparing for a Muharram procession. They were carrying a religious flag and its pole was made of iron. It somehow came in contact with a high-tension electric wire of 11,000 volts," the SP told PTI. All the injured people were taken to a nearby hospital, he said. Eight of them were referred to the Bokaro General Hospital where four succumbed to their injuries and the condition of three were stated to be critical, the officer added.

J'khand monsoon session begins today, 3 important bills to be retabled

The monsoon session of the Jharkhand Assembly is set to commence on Friday, during which three important bills, which were earlier returned by the governor secretariat over "technical flaws", will be tabled again. On the other hand, the opposition BJP has decided to corner the government by raising the issues of "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state and unemployment. The ruling alliance and opposition BJP held separate legislature party meetings here on Thursday to chalk out strategies for the session, which will continue till August 4. The three bills that will be retabled are 'Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021', 'Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons and For Extending the Consequential, Social, Cultural and Other Benefits to Such Local Persons Bill, 2022', popularly known as the 1932 Khatiyan Bill, and 'OBC Reservation Bill'. These were returned by the then Governor Ramesh Bais, citing several technical issues. Congress, an ally of the JMM-led

Jharkhand inches towards drought-like situation due to scant rain: Official

Jharkhand is inching towards a drought-like situation due to 45 per cent rain deficit, leading to around 85 per cent of the arable land in the state remaining fallow in the peak monsoon season, officials said. Kharif crops were sown in only 4.15 lakh hectares against the target of 28.27 lakh hectares till July 21 or only in 14.71 per cent of the arable land. In 2022, around 20.40 per cent of the arable land was cultivated till the corresponding date, according to official data. Sowing of the main crop of the season, paddy, was even lesser at 11.20 per cent of the target of 18 lakh hectares. Last year, the figure was 11.76 per cent till July 21. According to agricultural experts, the ideal sowing period for paddy is from July 1 to July 20. With delayed or scant rainfall in the early months of monsoon in the last few years, many farmers nowadays sow crops till mid-August but that does not lead to a good harvest, they said. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has also expressed con

Jharkhand CM urges President Murmu to take steps on Manipur situation

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, expressing his anguish over the "unspeakable torture" of women in violence-hit Manipur and urged her to take steps to ensure peace in the northeastern state. The country cannot let tribals in Manipur be treated in a "barbaric way", he said in the letter days after a video of women being paraded naked in the northeastern state surfaced. "Silence in the face of cruelty is a terrible crime and so I am compelled today to write to you with a heavy heart and profound anguish over the ongoing spate of violence in the state of Manipur...I am deeply distressed and concerned about the spiralling situation in Manipur... unspeakable torture and sexual exploitation of women...." Manipur is "burning for two months, heart-wrenching videos are surfacing" and there is an "unparalleled breakdown of democratic governance" in the northeastern state, Soren said in the letter. He urged the President to ensure justice fo

Soren inaugurates, lays foundation stone for projects worth Rs 800 cr

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 188 projects worth a total of Rs 800 crore. He also distributed agricultural assets to beneficiaries of various government schemes. Addressing a public meeting at Dumri in Giridih district, Soren asserted that his government was committed to uplifting the poor and steps were taken to ensure that the benefits of various government schemes reach villagers at their doorsteps. Soren inaugurated 28 projects worth Rs 68.21 crore, and laid the foundation stone for 160 projects worth 725.59 crore. He announced that a school on the lines of the renowned Netarhat residential school will be opened in Dumri to provide quality education to children. Soren claimed that education provided at government schools in the state is now at par with private institutions, and cited the example of 80 government schools being declared as 'schools of excellence' to buttress his point. The CM said steps have been taken to pr

Jharkhand CM demands hike in coal royalty, foodgrains in NITI Aayog meeting

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren demanded a hike in royalty on coal at a meeting with a team from the NITI Aayog, officials said on Thursday. At the meeting, he also raised the issue of the release of compensation for land acquisition, which he said was pending with different coal companies. An eight-member team of NITI Aayog, led by its member Vinod Kumar Paul, is on a visit to the state to review its progress on various aspects. It held a meeting with the chief minister at the state secretariat on Wednesday. Soren said compensation of about Rs 80,000 crore is due with different coal companies against land acquisition, and only Rs 2,532 crore has been given. "Coal companies should pay compensation for the land they have acquired, even if mining work has not started on it," he said. It was agreed at the meeting that the coal companies will submit a report on how much land was acquired and how much compensation was paid, an official statement said. Soren also demanded that th

Tribal bodies stage protest near state BJP HQ against UCC in Jharkhand

Around a dozen tribal organisations under the banner of Adivasi Samanwai Samiti staged a demonstration near the Jharkhand BJP headquarters here on Saturday to protest the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The members of the tribal outfits assembled at Ranchi's Harmu Ground before marching towards the state BJP headquarters. They raised slogans such as "Adivasiyon ka soshan bandh karo (stop exploitation of tribals)" during the procession. The demonstrators were, however, stopped by the police before the BJP headquarters, where they staged a demonstration for about an hour. Adivasi Jan Parishad president Prem Sahi Munda said, "The government is proposing UCC, which is a threat to tribal existence. The UCC will dilute the tribal customary laws and rights that have been given to us by the Indian constitution." The UCC refers to a common set of laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance that would be applicable to all Indian citizens irrespective of religion, tribe or other local ...

BJP appoints new party presidents for Andhra, Telangana, Punjab, Jharkhand

The party made the announcement ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where the BJP-led NDA government is aiming to retain power for the third consecutive term

1 killed, 12 injured as bus with devotees from Bihar overturns in Jharkhand

One person was killed and 12 others were injured after a bus overturned and fell in a roadside ditch in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Sunday, police said. The bus was on the way to the Chhinnamasta temple in Rajrappa in Ramgarh district from Jehanabad in Bihar with devotees when the accident happened on National Highway 2 near Pipra village in Chouparan police station area, they said. Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said the driver of the bus lost control, following which it overturned and fell in a roadside ditch. One person was killed and 12 others were injured, he said. The deceased person was identified as Sikandar Kumar Yadav, he added. Among those injured, the conditions of two persons were critical and they were sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for treatment, Chothe said. The others were undergoing treatment at the Community Health Centre in Chouparan. The body of the deceased was sent to the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical Colle

Adani Power commences export to Bangladesh from Jharkhand's Godda plant

Adani Power has started exporting power to Bangladesh from its 1,600MW plant in Jharkhand's Godda. Adani Power Jharkhand Limited (APJL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Power Limited, has achieved commercial operations date (COD) of its second unit of 2x800 MW Godda ultra-supercritical thermal power plant, Adani Power said in a statement on Tuesday. The reliability run test, including commercial operation tests of the second unit of Godda power plant, was completed on June 25 in the presence of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Power Grid Corporation of Bangladesh (PGCB) officials. On April 6, the first unit of the power plant, with 800MW capacity, had achieved its COD. Power supply from the Godda plant to Bangladesh will further enhance energy security in the neighbouring country, it said. "APJL shall supply 1,496 MW net capacity power from 2x800 MW Godda USCTPP under the PPA with BPDB executed in November 2017 for a period of 25 years via 400 kV dedicated transmis

J'khand cabinet gives nod triple test to decide OBC quota in civic polls

The Jharkhand cabinet on Monday gave the nod to set up a dedicated commission to conduct a "triple test" to decide on OBC reservation in urban local body polls. The opposition parties, mainly AJSU Party, have been demanding a "triple test" before holding ULB polls. The civic polls are pending in many areas including Ranchi. The "triple test" includes setting up a dedicated commission to conduct an inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness in connection with local bodies. The second condition is to specify the proportion of reservation required to be provisioned in the local bodies as per the commission's recommendations. The third test is that the reservation should not exceed 50 per cent of the seats reserved in favour of SCs, STs, and OBCs taken together. "The cabinet gave its approval to set up a dedicated commission for the purpose of reviewing the eligibility for reservations to backward classes," Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel said. The commission is bei

Adani Power starts supplying power to Bangladesh from its Jharkhand plant

Adani Power Ltd (APL) has started exporting power to Bangladesh from its 1,600 MW ultra-supercritical power project in Jharkhand. In a regulator filing on Monday, the company said Unit 2 of 800 MW capacity of its 2x800 MW ultra-supercritical power project of its wholly-owned subsidiary Adani Power (Jharkhand) Ltd (APJL) has achieved commercial operations at 24:00 hrs Bangladesh standard time on June 25 following successful completion of reliability run tests. "Accordingly, APJL will export (w.e.f. 00.00 hrs Bangladesh time, of June 26, 2023), entire power generated from the 2x800 MW Godda plant on commercial basis, as per Power Purchase Agreement, directly to Bangladesh through the dedicated 400 kV transmission lines, with net capacity of 1,496 MW," it said. The plant is located in Godda district in Jharkhand. APJL has a 25-year contract with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).

Monsoon covers 23 Jharkhand districts, heavy rainfall alert for June 25-26

The southwest monsoon which set foot in Jharkhand on June 19 covered 23 out of 24 districts on Friday, after slow-rolling of the system for about three days, a weather official said. The weather department has also issued heavy rainfall alert for parts of the state on June 25 and June 26, which might cause damage to standing crops and water-logging in low-lying areas, the official said. The monsoon hit Jharkhand this year after a delay of nine days and covered four districts of Santhal Pargana. Thereafter, its progress partially slowed and covered 10 districts till Thursday. "The southwest monsoon's progress was partially sluggish between June 19 and June 22 in Jharkhand due to weak rainfall in neighbouring states like Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar. However, it got momentum and covered almost the entire state, excluding Garhwa district on Friday," in-charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre Abhishek Anand told PTI. Conditions are favourable for the advancement of monsoon in the ...

J'khand beneficiaries to get fruit tree to grow income, protect environment

The Jharkhand government has decided to provide at least two fruit bearing trees to PDS card holders and beneficiaries of different schemes in the state in a bid to augment villagers' income and push its environment protection initiative, officials said on Friday. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who reviewed the progress of various government schemes on Friday at a meeting, asked the deputy commissioners of all districts to ensure that all the card holders and beneficiaries of different schemes are provided with at least two fruit bearing trees. This will not only increase the income of the villagers, but will also be a step towards environmental protection, he said. Soren said that the government's Birsa Harit Gram Yojana too will be effective in making the villages green. The scheme, which is aimed at the financial uplift of the senior citizens and widows, is being implemented in 9,538 villages of the state, an official statement said. Expressing concern over the migration of worke