Page 33 - Jharkhand

NHRC notice to railways, police chief over electrocution of 6 workers

The NHRC has issued a notice to the railways and the police chief of Jharkhand over electrocution of six contract labourers while they were installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power lines in Dhanbad rail division, officials said on Thursday. Apparently, the incident, which took place on May 29, amounts to "contributory negligence" of the public servant who "failed to supervise the work of the contractor effectively", and therefore, it is a matter of concern for the Commission, the rights panel said in a statement. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that six contract labourers were electrocuted while installing a truss pole to support the overhead railway power line near Nichitpur railway crossing, on the Dhanbad-Gaya section in Dhanbad rail division. Reportedly, the contractor had not taken steps to get the power supply blocked before starting the work, it said. The Commission has observed that the

J'Khand credit-deposit ratio at 45%, plan to increase it to 50% soon: SLBC

Concerned about Jharkhand's low credit-deposit ratio at 45 per cent, the state-level bankers' committee on Wednesday decided to take it to 50 per cent by the quarter ending September 2023 of the current fiscal. The SLBC was headed by Bank of India Managing Director and CEO Rajneesh Karnatak. "All banks are committed to the economic growth of Jharkhand...There is a plan for improving the CD ratio. This year, it has improved by 6 per cent on a year-on-year basis. There are individual credit plans for all the banks, including 12 per cent for the Bank of India (BoI)," Karnatak said. The credit-deposit ratio in the state was recorded at 45.07 per cent on March 31, 2023, as against 42.37 per cent by the end of the previous fiscal, registering an increase of 6.37 per cent. According to the RBI guidelines, the CD ratio can be much higher and can reach 77-78 per cent but the reason for the state's low credit to deposit proportion is "primarily due to absence of manufacturing here though ...

Protests in J'khand for 'no invite' to Prez at new Parliament building

The Jharkhand unit of Congress, CPI and some tribal organisations on Sunday staged demonstrations here to protest against the Centre for "not inviting" President Droupadi Murmu to the inauguration of the new Parliament building. State Congress president Rajesh Thakur said that "no invite" to the President for the inauguration was "disrespect to the Constitution". Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building in New Delhi and expressed hope that it would become a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality. Congress workers assembled near the statue of Birsa Munda in Ranchi's Birsa Chowk, holding placards with slogans such as Rashtrapati Ke Samman Mein, Congress Hai Maidan Mein' (In honour of the President, Congress is on roads) written on these. "The new parliament building was inaugurated today, which is indeed a matter of pride for the country. But, the President was not invited to the event. We believe that 'n

17,000 extra SIM cards of subscribers beyond 9 connections deactivated

Altogether 17,000 of the 21,800 SIM cards found to be issued in excess of the permissible limit of nine mobile connections for one subscriber were deactivated in Bihar and Jharkhand in April and May so far, an official said on Sunday. Such a move was taken by the Department of Telecommunication through an analysis using artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition technology, he said. "The artificial intelligence and facial recognition-powered solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification (ASTR) analysis by the DoT in April and May revealed that at least 21,800 mobile connections were issued violating the permissible limit of nine numbers for one subscriber in Bihar and Jharkhand. "Around 17,000 such numbers have been disconnected. Further analysis is going on to identify such numbers," a senior official of the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licensed Service Areas-LSA-Bihar) Office told PTI. Jharkhand also comes under the jurisdiction of LSA (Bihar). According

Digital Skills University to be opened in Jharkhand soon: CM Hemant

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday announced that a Digital Skills University will be opened in the state where job-oriented education will be provided to the less educated youth. Addressing the students at the 2nd Convocation of Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Ranchi, Soren said that the university would come up at cost of about Rs 300- 400 crore. "We have been conducting skill development programmes. Recently, government has decided to open a digital skills university in a bid to provide technical education to the less educated youth so that they could be provided jobs," Soren said. The CM said, "This is the age of technology. There has been expansion in the field of education in which institutes like IIT-ISM, BIT Mesra, IIM, XLRI and NIT were opened. In the same way, IIIT was also opened in Ranchi. He said that youth from Jharkhand have created their own niche in the field of education in the country and abroad.

Prez urges tribal women to come forward to reap benefits of govt scheme

President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Jharkhand, on Thursday urged tribal women to come forward and reap the benefits of government schemes. She also said there is a need to preserve the cultural identity of Scheduled Tribe community. "Come forward and take the benefits of government schemes which are run for your welfare. Tribal women of Jharkhand are ahead of those in other states when it comes to women empowerment," Murmu said at an event in Khunti. Jharkhand tribal women have shown "exemplary performance in sports", she said, adding that women in the state are also contributing to the economic growth of the country. The President interacted with women members of Self Help Groups in Khunti, the birthplace of tribal icon Birsa Munda. The programme - Mahila SHGs Sammelan - was organised by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India and the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation. Around 25,000 tribal women participat

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates new Jharkhand High Court building

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday inaugurated the new building of the Jharkhand High Court in Ranchi, built at a cost of about Rs 550 crore. The 165-acre compound of the new high court is one of the largest in the country in terms of area. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra, Chief Minister Hemant Soren and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. The new High Court building has 25 air-conditioned courtrooms and two halls for lawyers with a sitting capacity of 1,200 people each, along with 540 chambers, an official said.

Prez Murmu pays obeisance at Ranchi temple, garlands Birsa Munda statue

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Baba Baidyanath temple in Jharkhand's Deoghar district. She performed special prayers at the temple, which is one of the 12 'jyotirlingas'. A team of priests assisted the president in performing the prayers amid tight security in the temple complex. Baidyanath Temple officials said Murmu performed a special puja in the temple amid the chanting of Vedic mantras by the priests. "President Draupadi Murmu arrived at Deoghar, the city of Gods. After this, the President reached the Baba Mandir and offered prayers and prayed to Baba Baidyanath for the happiness and prosperity of the country. The worship of Baba Baidyanath was done by the President through 'Shodshopachar' method," an official said, adding that Murmu was felicitated by the Temple Shrine Board. Earlier the president was received by Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Deoghar airport besides Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, MP Nishikant Dubey

Seven dead as vehicle carrying power project workers rolls down in Kishtwar

Seven persons including two from Jharkhand were killed and three others critically injured after a vehicle ferrying workers of a power project rolled down a hill in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and leaders from almost all political parties expressed their grief over the accident which occurred near Dangduru power project site in remote Dacchan area around 8.35 am. Since the accident, the officials said, hundreds of workers have been staging a protest at the work site demanding the company to compensate the families of the victims and pay for the treatment of the injured. Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Devansh Yadav said the accident took place amid heavy rains in the area. "Seven persons are confirmed dead and three others critically injured in the accident," Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, Khalil Ahmad Poswal told PTI. He said the injured were rushed to a hospital by the rescue

Withdrawal of Rs 2,000 note political decision like demonetisation: Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday alleged that the withdrawal of the Rs 2,000 currency note from circulation was a "political decision" similar to demonetisation. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes, stating that the existing notes in circulation can either be deposited in bank accounts or exchanged by September 30. "This (withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes) was a purely political decision like the 2016 demonetisation to protect their (BJP's) political identity but they stand exposed before the masses. Unfortunately, the life span of the Rs 2,000 currency note was just six to seven years," he said at an event here. Soren claimed that over 2 lakh small and medium industries were shut down due to demonetisation. "Every commodity has a life including cameras and mobile phones but unfortunately the life of the Rs 2,000 currency note lasted for only 6-7 years," he said. The Rs 2,000 denomination banknote was ...

Recruitment drives to continue in Jharkhand despite CBI, ED raids: CM

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday handed over appointment letters to nearly 3,500 secondary-level teachers here and gave an assurance that recruitment drives would continue in the state despite challenges like CBI and ED raids. The 3,469 teachers will be posted in all 24 districts of the state. Terming the day as historic, the chief minister said that the government was committed to continuing with its development programmes and appointments though the country, including the eastern state, was facing another pandemic CBI and ED raids. Listing action by the central agencies in the state at the behest of the Centre" as one of the challenges, Soren said, "Jharkhand's economy was battered by the COVID-19 pandemic but we faced it and provided relief to our people. As soon as we overcame the pandemic, we were faced with another epidemic. The entire country is facing CBI, ED raids and our state is not untouched by it. They can continue with their searches and we will conti

Rahul defamation case: J'khand HC asks both sides to submit synopsis today

Following the submission of the synopsis of arguments by both parties, the court will decide when to pronounce the order on a petition filed by Rahul's side to quash the defamation case against him

Jharkhand BJP to campaign from May 30 to showcase Centre's achievements

The BJP in Jharkhand on Tuesday decided to organise a month-long mega public outreach campaign from May 30 on the occasion of completion of nine years of the NDA's rule at the Centre. The decision to launch 'Mahasampark Abhiyan' was taken at a working committee meeting of the state BJP here in Ranchi. The BJP-led central government, in the last nine years, transformed the country into a self-reliant one and helped flourish its economy, the party's state president and MP Deepak Prakash said. BJP workers will undertake the campaign to reach out to the people to make them aware of the achievements of the Centre ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said. They are gearing up to ensure that BJP candidates win all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Prakash said. People of Jharkhand want to "get rid of corruption and appeasement policies of the state government", he said. BJP's Jharkhand in-charge and MP Laxmikant Vajpayee urged workers to go to the doorstep of every house and con

Telecom Dept deactivates 225,000 mobile numbers in Bihar and Jharkhand

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has deactivated more than 2.25 lakh mobile phone numbers in Bihar and Jharkhand in the month of April as majority of the SIM cards were allegedly procured through forged documents. The Telecom Service Providers have also blacklisted 517 Point of Sales (PoS) who have been prima facie found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards. According to a statement issued by the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licensed Service Areas-LSA-Bihar) here, "In the month of April 2023 itself, more than 2.25 lakh mobile numbers have been deactivated in both states. The majority of the SIM cards were procured through illegal/unethical means. "Besides, 517 PoS have been blacklisted as they were found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards. The Telecom Service Providers are further initiating legal proceedings against the fraudulent PoS as well as subscribers". Jharkhand also comes under

Jharkhand Govt to support KISS-like institute for tribals: Hemant Soren

KISS is a higher education institute established in 1992-93 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Jharkhand CM launches state's first air ambulance service from Ranchi

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday launched the state's first air ambulance service from Ranchi to other parts of the country. Soren flagged-off the service for which an aircraft of the Redbird Airways has been taken on lease, an official of the state civil aviation department said. The service will be provided at rates between Rs 3-8 lakh for places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Tirupati. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said, "The service is an effort to provide timely better treatment to seriously ill people. The state government is also contemplating to extend the service to those who are unable to afford the fares." The state civil aviation department has set up a cell for the air ambulance service which can be availed through phone calls and emails. "The cell has received more than 250 calls enquiring about the service," he said. Soren said his administration intends to establish helipads along major roads

Jharkhand Congress observes fast to protest against inflation, unemployment

The Jharkhand unit of Congress observed fast as part of its Jai Bharat Satyagraha' programme here on Wednesday to protest against inflation and unemployment in the country. State ministers Rameshwar Oraon, Badal Patralekh and Banna Gupta and many other Congress leaders assembled at Bapu Vatika at Morabadi ground in Ranchi, holding placards with Daro Mat' (Don't be afraid) written on these. Speaking on the occasion, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur said their party leader Rahul Gandhi led a 4,000 kilometre-long yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to "protest against inflation, unemployment and hate spread by the BJP" across the country During the yatra, people told him about their sufferings. When our leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions over inflation, unemployment and the relationship between Adani group and the BJP government in view of Hindenburg Research allegations, his membership of Lok Sabha was cancelled, Thakur said. Gandhi, representing Wayanad parliamentary ...

Jharkhand's 50,000 woman masons complete toilet construction work

Success stories these rani mistris have also reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he has encouraged them by talking to some of them through video conferencing

Jharkhand bandh demanding 100% reservation in jobs evokes mixed response

Public transport was affected and schools remained closed as the 12-hour shutdown by several students' organisations demanding 100 per cent reservation for locals in state government jobs evoked a mixed response in Jharkhand on Wednesday. Members of different organisations under the banner of the Jharkhand State Students' Union (JSSU) took to the streets to enforce a state-wide shutdown, which began at 6pm. Several student leaders were detained across the state for blocking roads by burning tyres and creating a ruckus, police said. Long-route buses were mostly off the roads and schools remained closed in many districts. However, shops, offices and business establishments were open in most of the districts, and auto-rickshaws operated as usual. "Over 30 bandh supporters were detained in Ranchi for trying to create disturbance in traffic movement," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kishor Kaushal said. He said the district administration made an elaborate arrangement in view of

Jharkhand students seek 100% job quota for locals, take out procession

Agitators belonging to various student bodies on Tuesday took out a torchlight procession in Ranchi demanding 100 per cent reservation for local people in Jharkhand government jobs. The procession was taken out as part of the students' 72-hour agitation over the issue. The protesters had on Monday attempted to gherao Chief Minister Hemanta Soren's residence but the police stopped them ahead of the spot, prompting them to take other routes to assemble near Sidhu-Kanhu Park close to the CM's house. On Tuesday, they gathered near Jaipal Singh Stadium and took out the torchlight procession to Albert Ekka Chowk. Tight security arrangements were put in place for the programme. The agitators have called for a bandh on Wednesday over the demand. Student leader Devendra Mahto said the agitators will not rest till their demands are fulfilled. Protesters urged all to support their bandh by not opening shops and running buses. Many schools will remain closed on Wednesday, while the Jharkhan