Page 5 - Jharkhand

8 Naxals killed in encounter with security forces in Jharkhand's Bokaro

Eight Naxals were killed in an encounter with CoBRA commandos of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police in Bokaro district of Jharkhand on Monday morning, officials said. The exchange of fire started around 5.30 am in Lugu Hills of Lalpania area of the district, they said. The troops of 209 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) conducted the operation in which eight Naxals were killed and an AK series rifle, three INSAS rifles, a self-loading rifle (SLR), eight country-made guns and a pistol were seized, the officials said. No injuries have been reported among the security personnel, they said. The CoBRA is the special jungle warfare unit of the CRPF.

Received Rs 5,990 cr grants under SC, ST sub-plans in 3 years: J'khand govt

Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore on Monday claimed that the state received Rs 5,990.6 crore in grants under sub-plans for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) over the past three years since 2021-22. He alleged that the central government had reduced funding under the SC and ST sub-plans over the past decade, and the grants allocated to the state were meagre in proportion to the population of tribal and Dalit communities in the state. "In Jharkhand, the SC population is 39 lakh and the ST population is 86 lakh. Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the state received Rs 3,515.11 crore under the ST sub-plan and Rs 2,475.49 crore under the SC sub-plan," Kishore said while addressing the media at the Congress headquarters here. He added, "A mere Rs 5,990.6 crore has been received over three years, whereas the state should have received at least Rs 10,000 crore for the special component plans, proportional to the SC and ST population in the state." Kishore further ...

2 drivers killed, 4 injured as two goods trains collide in Jharkhand

Two persons were killed and four others injured in a collision between two goods trains in Jharkhand's Sahebganj district in the early hours of Tuesday, police said. The collision between the two trains, operated by power major NTPC, happened around 3 am near Bhognadih in Barhait police station area, they said. The tracks on which the accident happened are also owned by NTPC and mainly used for transporting coal to its power plants. "The drivers of both the goods trains were killed in the head-on collision," Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Sahebganj Kishore Tirkey told PTI. Eastern Railway spokesperson Kausik Mitra said, "The goods trains and the track both belong to the NTPC. It has nothing to do with the Indian Railways." The line on which the accident happened connects NTPC's Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station in Bihar's Bhagalpur district to the Farakka Power Plant in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

BJP workers protest in Ranchi over leader's murder, 9-hour bandh begins

Supporters of the BJP, AJSU Party and other organisations took to the streets in Jharkhand's Ranchi on Thursday morning, as they called for a nine-hour bandh in the state capital over the killing of a saffron party leader. BJP's Ranchi Rural District general secretary Anil Mahto Tiger was shot dead in broad daylight in Ranchi on Wednesday. He was also a former zila parishad member. Holding party flags, the workers were seen staging demonstrations in various areas of Ranchi since morning, including Harmu, Dhurwa and Piska More. "We have called for a nine-hour bandh till 5 pm to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and the murder of Anil Mahto Tiger," party spokesperson Pradeep Sinha said. Jharkhand Krantikari Loktantrik Morcha, Kendriya Sarna Samiti and some other organisations have also extended support to the bandh. Most schools in the city remained shut on Thursday in view of the bandh. Vehicles plying on roads in the morning hours were fewer in

Maiyan Samman Yojana in J'khand extended for non-Aadhaar beneficiaries

Beneficiaries who have not linked their bank accounts to Aadhaar will continue to get Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiyan Samman Yojana (JMMSY) assistance till March 31, an official said. A meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, decided to extend the deadline till March from December 31, she said. "The cabinet has approved a partial amendment in the implementation of the Maiyan Samman Yojana. Following this amendment, women applicants whose single bank accounts are not linked to Aadhaar will receive monetary assistance until March. After March, the amount will only be provided to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts," Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel said. The state government provides Rs 2,500 per month to women between 18 and 50 years under the JMMSY. Many beneficiaries were deprived of the assistance since January for failing to link their accounts with Aadhaar. The cabinet cleared a total of 16 proposals during the meeting. Among them was the Jharkhand Micro, S

Caste-based survey to be conducted in next fiscal: Jharkhand minister

The proposed caste-based survey will be conducted in Jharkhand in the next financial year, a minister said in the state Assembly on Monday. He said the Personnel department has already been made a nodal agency to hold the task. "The government is serious about holding the caste-based survey in the state. A decision in this regard has already been taken in February last year. We will make all our efforts to conduct the survey during the next financial year," Transport, Revenue and Land Reforms department minister Deepak Birua said replying to a question raised by Congress MLA Pradip Yadav in the assembly. Yadav wanted to know about the deadline to conduct the survey. He also asked the government about the exercise done by the personnel department till now. Birua said that the department issued a notice on March 4 to hire an agency in a bid to ascertain the total number of people required, levels of work and financial aspect in the exercise. "I talked to a few agencies but it will t

Centre wants states to take responsibility, check illegal coal mining

The Centre on Wednesday said it is the responsibility of state governments to stop all kinds of illegal coal mining, including rat-hole, underlining that it is working in close coordination with states to lower the number of accidents in coal fields. Asked about the recent accident and loss of lives at a coal mine in Assam where allegedly rat-hole mining was being carried out, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy said in Lok Sabha that he has spoken to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the matter. "It is the responsibility of the state government to check rat-hole mining," he said. Reddy said the Assam chief minister has conveyed to him that around 250 rat-hole mining sites have been closed down in the state and 12 people were arrested in this connection. Replying to another supplementary question on alleged illegal mining in Jharkhand, he said the state police and government have to act against it as it is their responsibility. Reddy said the central government has a zero ...

Calling someone 'Miyan-Tiyan' or 'Pakistani' in poor taste, not a crime: SC

The accused, Hari Nandan Singh, had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Jharkhand High Court's refusal to quash the case against him

Govt to initiate action to realise Rs 1.36 trn pending dues: J'khand FM

The Jharkhand government will initiate legal action to realise its "Rs 1.36 lakh crore dues" pending with the Centre, Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore informed the assembly on Monday. Kishore made the assertion while presenting the state budget of Rs 1.45 lakh crore in the House. Earlier, during Question Hour, Excise Minister Yogendra Prasad, however, said that a joint committee has been formed comprising representatives of the Centre and the state to evaluate the exact outstanding amount. The state government has been claiming for several years that the Centre owes Rs 1.36 lakh crore to the state in lieu of coal mined by entities such as Coal India Ltd. "A joint committee of the Centre and the state has been formed on March 1 this year. The panel will assess the state's claim of Rs 1.36 lakh crore coal dues and verify the outstanding in every head. We will realise the amount as per the committee report," Prasad said in the assembly in reply to a query. The government's reply

Soren urges Reddy to ensure rescue of workers trapped in tunnel collapse

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren urged Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to ensure all possible assistance for the rescue of workers who are trapped in a tunnel after a section of it collapsed in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project. At least eight workers, including four from Jharkhand, were trapped in the tunnel that collapsed in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district on Saturday, officials said. "There are reports of some workers from other states including Jharkhand being trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal Tunnel accident in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana. I request the Chief Minister of Telangana, Mr @revanth _anumula ji, to provide all possible rescue help in the tunnel accident. I pray for the safety of all the workers trapped in the accident from Marang Buru," Soren posted on X on Saturday night. The Jharkhand government is coordinating with the Telangana administration, and is ready to provide all necessary help, he said. As per the preliminary information, th

Jharkhand man locks ailing mother to visit Maha Kumbh with wife, kids

A Jharkhand man locked his ailing mother at home while traveling to Maha Kumbh with his family. She survived on flattened rice until police rescued her days later

Jharkhand govt hikes DA of employees by 7%, effective from July 1, 2024

The Jharkhand government on Tuesday approved a 7-per cent hike in the dearness allowance (DA) of its employees, effective from July 1 last year, an official said. Under the sixth central pay commission, the employees would be receiving DA of 246 per cent (of the basic pay) from the existing 239 per cent, he said. The proposal was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The dearness relief to pensioners under the sixth pay commission was also increased by 7 percentage points to 246 per cent. The DA for the government employees under the fifth pay commission was also hiked to 455 per cent from the existing 443 per cent, effective from July 1, 2024, Joint Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Ranjan told reporters. A total of 12 proposals were cleared by the cabinet, including approval for the Jharkhand Micro, Small and Medium Units (MSME) Special Exemption Bill, 2025. The cabinet also approved the Factories (Jharkhand Amendment) Bill, 2024 in order to comply wit

J'khand's credit potential for FY26 priority sector lending at Rs 88,303 cr

The credit potential for the priority sector lending in Jharkhand has been projected at Rs 88,303 crore for the next fiscal, an increase of about 64 per cent from the current financial year, an official said on Saturday. It was fixed at Rs 54,008.31 crore for the year 2024-25. Priority sector lending (PSL) is a policy tool aimed at ensuring that key sectors crucial to the nation's development receive adequate financial support. Mandated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), PSL obligates banks to allocate a specified proportion of their loans to sectors such as agriculture, education, housing, and small industries. "The credit potential for the priority sector in the state has been projected at Rs 88303.77 crore for the year 2025-26, as against Rs 54,008.31 crore for the year 2024-25, showing an increase of 63.50 per cent," the official said. Earlier, Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore launched the state Focus paper 2025-26 emphasising the need for sustainable agricult

Jharkhand lone outlier as youth voter share declines, shows ECI data

Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Sikkim, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh witnessed some of the sharpest declines of young electors

JSW Group to invest Rs 2,600 cr in copper mines, plant in Jharkhand

JSW Group on Monday said it will invest Rs 2,600 crore to develop and operate two copper mines and set up a copper concentrator plant in Jharkhand. The development marks JSW Group's foray into the copper business as part of its commitment to diversification and growth. "With a planned investment of Rs 2,600 crore, this marks a significant milestone in strengthening India's position in critical resources," it said in a statement. JSW Group said it has made a significant expansion into the mining of non- ferrous metals by winning the mine operator and developer (MDO) contract of two blocks of copper mines in Jharkhand from state-owned Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL). "The project involves operationalising the two mines and setting up of a copper concentrator plant, with the total capital investment estimated to be Rs 2,600 crore," it said. On full-scale ramp up, the mines will have an ore capacity of three million tonne per annum (MTPA). The mines are likely to become part operational

SC dismisses J'khand's plea against quashing case against BJP leaders

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea of the Jharkhand government against the high court's decision quashing criminal cases against state BJP leaders and MP Nishikant Dubey over protests held in Ranchi in 2023, observing that prohibitory orders are misused whenever there is a protest. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said it is not inclined to interfere with the August 14, 2024 order of the high court and dismissed the appeal. At the outset, the counsel appearing for the Jharkhand government said despite prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC in place, the accused held a protest which turned violent and several people, including administrative officials, were injured. The high court erred in its finding and said they have the right to protest, the counsel said. The bench observed that nowadays there is tendency to impose prohibitory orders, whenever there is protest. "If we interfere, it will send the wrong signal. What is the requirement of issuin

J'khand chief secy urges expediting fund utilisation for capital investment

Jharkhand chief secretary Alka Tiwari on Friday instructed state departments to promptly submit utilisation certificates to the Centre for funds received under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme. She said submitting the certificates on time would strengthen the state's claim to remaining funds and demonstrate its commitment to financial discipline. Tiwari was reviewing the scheme with the secretaries of the departments concerned. Notably, the Centre provides interest-free loans to states for 50 years under SASCI. For the financial year 2023-24, the state was allocated Rs 5,255.14 crore by the Centre, with Rs 4,580.62 crore already received, according to an official communique. For 2024-25 fiscal, the state has proposed Rs 4,302 crore, with Rs 2,763 crore approved and Rs 1,233 crore received so far. Additionally, the state is eligible for an extra Rs 1,250 crore under the scheme, the statement added. "If work is done according to the guidelines o

State police has no role in lodging complaints for airport violations: SC

The Supreme Court has held the Aircraft Act was "a complete code" to deal with the safety and security of civil aviation and aerodrome whereas the state police could only forward probe material to the authorised officer to decide on lodging a complaint. The significant verdict, ruling out any significant role of a state police in dealing with the airport violations cases, came from a bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Manmohan on an appeal of the Jharkhand government. The state government challenged the Jharkhand High Court judgement which quashed the FIR against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Manoj Tiwari and others. They were accused of allegedly forcing the Deoghar air traffic control to allow their aircraft to take off after sunset in 2022. The judgement, authored by Justice Manmohan, and made available on Wednesday said, "The Aircraft Act, 1934 as well as the rules framed thereunderis a complete Code which deals with safety and security of civil aviation and aerodrome." It ad

Airport violation: SC rejects plea on HC order quashing FIR against BJP MPs

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of the Jharkhand government against the high court order quashing an FIR against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Manoj Tiwari, who are accused of forcing the air traffic control to allow their aircraft to take off from Deoghar airport after sunset in 2022. A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Manmohan, however, granted the state government the liberty to forward the material collected during the probe to the authorised officer under the Aircraft Act within four weeks. The competent authority of the DGCA shall take a decision in accordance with law as to whether a complaint needs to be filed under the Act, the bench said. The top court, in December 18, had reserved its verdict on the appeal of the state government against the Jharkhand High Court judgement. The case relates to an FIR lodged at Kunda police station in Deoghar district of Jharkhand against nine people, including Dubey and Tiwari. They had allegedly forced ATC personnel at

Jharkhand chief secy urges officials to resolve coal block issues

Jharkhand Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari on Wednesday directed officials concerned to resolve issues hindering the commencement of operations of 34 coal blocks allocated by the government. She said that as soon as these coal blocks become operational, the economic activities would lead to the creation of job opportunities and an increase in the state's revenue. Tiwari was chairing a review meeting on Wednesday to discuss the problems of the allocated coal blocks. During the meeting, it was found that most of the issues are related to land acquisition, rate calculations, compensation, forest clearances and land transfers, besides streams, rivers, and roads passing through the coal block areas. Some places were also facing law and order challenges, according to an official release. The chief secretary asked the deputy commissioners of the districts concerned to resolve the issues in a stipulated time. The officials confirmed that four coal blocks - Rajhara in Palamu, Tubed in Latehar,