Page 4 - Jharkhand

J'khand CM Soren demands 5 more years of extension for GST compensation

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday sought a five-year extension for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to the state beyond June 2022, claiming that the state was facing a revenue shortfall to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore per annum. He also hit out at the Centre for allegedly not clearing outstanding dues of Rs 1.36 lakh crore to the state from Coal India Limited. Soren who became the head of a JMM-led dispensation in 2019 told a press conference here that if he remains the chief minister for 10 years, Jharkhand will no longer be called a backward state. "We have been facing a severe financial crunch. Our challenges have increased. The state faces a loss of Rs 5,000 crore per annum. We have demanded that the GST compensation period be extended for five years," Soren said. When a nationwide GST subsumed 17 central and state levies from July 1, 2017, it was decided that states will be compensated for any loss of revenue from the new tax for five years. That ..

Sand mafia in Jharkhand's Gulma tries to mow down SDPO, team by dumper

A sub divisional police officer (SDPO) and some of his team members sustained injuries after a sand mafia allegedly tried to run over the SDPO's car by a dumper truck in Jharkhand's Gumla district

Narcotic drugs worth Rs 60 lakh seized in Jharkhand's Hazaribag: Police

Around 2kg of opium and 650 grams of brown sugar were seized in two separate raids in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, police said on Monday. The worth of the contraband is Rs 60 lakh and eight peddlers have been arrested, the police said. The police seized the opium on Sunday, while the brown sugar was recovered on Monday under Pelawal police station area of the district, around 100-km from capital Ranchi, Hazaribag superintendent of police (SP) Manoj Ratan Chothe said. Addressing reporters, the SP said that five people have been arrested in connection with the brown sugar seizure. The police had a tip-off that they were coming to Hazaribag to sell brown sugar to a person, who was yet to be identified, he said. On Sunday, three inter-state opium peddlers were arrested from a Delhi bound bus from the Hazaribag bus stand. During interrogation, they confessed that they were proceeding to Delhi for selling the products to a smuggler's gang, he said. Police also seized four mobile pho

Over 12 school students of Bihar injured as bus overturns in Jharkhand

More than 12 students of a school in Bihar were injured on Sunday after their bus overturned in Jharkhand's Ranchi district, police said. The accident occurred in the afternoon in the Sikadari area, around 50 km from the Jharkhand capital Ranchi, when the driver lost control over the bus and the vehicle overturned, a senior officer said. The bus with 64 students and teachers onboard was on its way to Ranchi's Hundru Falls, Sikidari police station in-charge Satya Prakash Ravi told PTI. The students and teachers are of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Barachatti, in Bihar's Gaya district, "Steering of the bus somehow got locked near Doctor More in Sikadari and the driver lost control over the passenger vehicle. It overturned leaving over a dozen students injured, the police officer said. The students and teachers earlier visited the Bhadrakali temple in Chatra district. Those who suffered minor injuries were treated at a primary health centre, while one was sent to Ranchi's Rajendra Institu

Jamtara strives to shed cyber crime image through education-based campaign

Jharkhand's Jamtara district, infamous as India's cyber crime hub, is making efforts to tide over the dubious distinction through a unique campaign Police ki Pathshala' (Police's School), which aims at imparting quality education and creating awareness about phishing activities. The drive, a joint initiative of the police and district administration, is being carried out across libraries in 118 panchayats, officials said. Special focus has been given to 35 libraries of two cyber crime-hit blocks -- Karmatand and Narayanpur. The objective is to make the youths aware about phishing and make them a participant in developmental activities, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Cyber) Majrul Hoda told PTI. The campaign also strives to prepare the youths for competitive examinations through expert guidance, he said. The initiative was started a year back, but it got going in a big way three-four months ago. We are witnessing a gradual drop (in cyber crime cases). Earlier, almost every day, ..

Jharkhand Assembly passes Rs 8,534 crore supplementary budget by current FY

The Jharkhand Assembly on Wednesday passed a Rs 8,533.79-crore supplementary budget for the current fiscal by voice vote. This is the second estimates with the House on August 1 passing a Rs 3,436.56-crore supplementary budget for the 2022-23 fiscal. Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon, who had tabled the supplementary budget on Tuesday, said the government has spent 49 per cent of the main estimates till date, and a supplementary budget was required for ensuring a proper supply of power and scholarships to students etc. The discussion on the budget took place, amid protests by opposition leaders against a recruitment policy. The supplementary budget included Rs 2,733 crore for energy, Rs 1,158 crore for women and child development, Rs 1,050 for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, other backward classes and minorities, Rs 595 crore for agriculture. JMM legislator Sudivya Kumar alleged that petitioners, who challenged the recruitment policy in the High Court, hailed from Bihar and Utt

UTs top performer in Social Progress Index; Bihar, Jharkhand at bottom

Puducherry has the highest SPI score of 65.99 in the country, attributable to its remarkable performance across components like Personal Freedom and Choice, Shelter, and Water and Sanitation

New forest rules: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren protests but is he serious?

Bhupesh Baghel, chief minister of another tribal-dominated state Chhattisgarh, has also written to the PM about the same

4 workers injured in fire incident at Vedanta ESL Steel plant in Jharkhand

Four workers associated with ESL Steel Ltd, a Vedanta Group firm, were injured due to a fire incident at its plant in Jharkhand's Bokaro district, an official said on Thursday. All the injured persons, who are residents of neighbouring West Bengal, were admitted to the Bokaro General Hospital, he said. The condition of one of the four is stated to be critical as he suffered an 80 per cent burn injury, said Chas Circle Officer Dilip Kumar who visited the plant. The facility is situated under the Chandankyari block of the district. "Four workers were injured in the incident. The administration would initiate a probe into it," Kumar said. "There was a fire incident around 10:30 am in MRSS Substation caused by flashover. Four workers of LB Engineering team suffered burn injuries. They were taken to BGH for treatment," a company official said. The injured workers were doing maintenance work when the incident occurred, he said. In September last year, three employees of ThyssenKrupp .

Over 20 trucks carrying illegally mined minerals seized in East Singhbhum

The East Singhbhum district administration seized over 20 trucks carrying illegally mined minerals, an official said on Tuesday. Led by Deputy commissioner Vijaya Jadav, the mining task force team comprising Sub-Divisional Officer (Ghatsila) Satyavir Rajak, District Transport Officer (DTO) Dinesh Ranjan and other officials impounded 22 trucks laden with illegally mined sand, stone chips, iron ore on Monday night, the officer said. The district administration collected Rs 8 lakh from the seized mineral laden trucks. Earlier, the officials had conducted such operations in Ghatsila and Dhalbhum sub-divisions and confiscated 94 trucks loaded with illegally mined minerals and being transported without valid documents in last two months and collected Rs 28 lakh fine from them.

Jharkhand tourism to get boost with logo, brand promotion: Official

In a bid to provide a fillip to the tourism sector in the state, the Jharkhand government is working on a slew of plans, including promotion of sites and a study on the inflow of travellers, an official said on Saturday. The government has selected a brand partner for publicising places of tourists' interest and preparing a logo, state tourism secretary Manoj Kumar said. Jharkhand has many places of tourists' interest but branding has been an issue. There is no proper promotional programme on television or other platforms. There should be a message about why visitors must come and explore Jharkhand. So, we have hired a Goa-based branding partner for publicising spots of tourists' interest, Kumar told PTI. He said that the partner will prepare a logo and souvenir for Jharkhand tourism. The agency has prepared a logo for Jharkhand tourism. It is being fine-tuned and the final approval has not been given yet, he said. The department has also given a work order to study the tourists'

Cong rejigs Jharkhand unit, appoints 11 V-Ps, 35 gen secys and 82 secys

In a major revamp of its Jharkhand unit, the Congress on Saturday appointed a political affairs committee, 11 vice presidents, 35 general secretaries, 82 secretaries and a new working committee in the state. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appointed the 26-member political affairs committee with AICC in-charge Avinash Pande, state unit chief Rajesh Thakur, Congress Legislature Party leader Alamgir Alam, former chief minister Madhu Koda, Rameshwar Oraon and Ajoy Kumar among those named in the panel. The Congress also appointed 11 vice presidents, 35 general secretaries, 82 secretaries and a new working committee in the state. Alam, Oraon, Kumar, coordinator attached with Congress president's office Pranav Jha and Gourav Vallabh were among those appointed in the working committee. The Congress is part of the alliance government headed by Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Over 20,000 people visit mega health camp at Kasi Sahu College in Jharkhand

Over 20,000 people on Sunday visited the free mega health camp at the Kasi Sahu College campus in Jharkhand's Seraikela Kharswan district. The mega health camp was organized by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Tata Steel Foundation and the Seraikela Kharswan district administration. Addressing the programme, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said his ministry shouldered the responsibility of organizing the mega health camp here as the objective of the camp was to ensure better healthcare facilities for the poor people and move forward to build a healthy and strong India. He said the country is performing well in the health sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The minister suggested to the Members of Parliament to organize such health camps in their respective areas to develop a healthy society. Along with good healthcare, Munda said providing quality education in the remote region was among the list of priorities of his ministry. Jharkhand ..

69% of Jharkhand's forest areas unfit for plant growth, says report

About 69 per cent of the soil in Jharkhand's forest areas has turned unfit for plant growth due to acute deficiency of nitrogen, as per a latest report. The findings were revealed in the Forest Soil Health Card (FSHC) report prepared by the Ranchi-based Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP) upon the direction of the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment, a senior official said. There is a major deficiency of nitrogen, which is vital for plant growth, in the forest soil of the state. The presence of nitrogen in non-degraded forest should be around 258 kg per hectare, but we find it at an average of 140 kg per hectare in Jharkhand's forest soil, IFP Chief Technical Officer Shambhu Nath Mishra told PTI. Most of the forest divisions are having presence of nitrogen between 160 kg and 180 kg per hectare. In quite a few ares, the figure is near 100 kg per hectare, Mishra, who is also the principal investigator of the project, said. Jharkhand on Friday became the first state in the ...

'New Forest Conservation Rules will uproot rights of indigenous people'

Soren requested him to re-evaluate and re-examine the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022

J'khand offers Rs 10 per quintal bonus on MSP to drought-hit paddy farmers

The Jharkhand government on Thursday decided to give drought-hit farmers an additional amount of Rs 10 per quintal of paddy over the minimum support price (MSP) for the crop in 2022-23. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The Centre has fixed MSP at Rs 2,040 per quintal for general variety paddy, and Rs 2,060 for A-grade to be purchased at government centres for the 2022-23 financial year. "With the state's decision to provide an additional amount of Rs 10, a drought-hit farmer will get Rs 2,050 for selling a quintal of paddy of general variety, while Rs 2,070 per quintal for A-grade, Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel said. She said the state government has set a target to purchase eight-lakh metric tonne of paddy from farmers this season. A farmer can sell a maximum of 200 quintal of paddy, the official said. Criticising the JMM-led government, BJP state president Deepak Prakash told PTI: "This is one of the lowest bonus amounts til

Jharkhand CM announces drought relief of Rs 3,500 each for affected farmers

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday announced an initial drought relief of Rs 3,500 each for 30 lakh affected farmers in the state. The state government on October 29 declared 226 of the 260 blocks in the state as drought affected. "This will be an initial relief. They will be getting more as our government has demanded a drought relief package from the Centre," he said, while addressing a public meeting in Lukaiyatand area in Ramgarh district. "Soon, camps will be organised at the village and panchayat levels to distribute the initial relief amount to the affected farmers," he said. The CM visited his native Nemra village on Sunday to pay homage to his grandfather Sobaran Manjhi on his 65th death anniversary. Recalling his childhood in Nemra, Soren said the village was backward and its residents very poor. "There was no pucca road. All of us including me had to walk to our homes. But now the scenario of not only the village but also of the entire state has changed. A

J'khand govt demands Rs 9,682-cr package for drought-hit blocks from Centre

The Jharkhand government demanded a financial package of Rs 9,682 crore from the Centre for drought-hit blocks in the state, a minister said on Saturday. The JMM-led government had on October 29 declared 226 of the 260 blocks of the state as drought-affected and decided to provide a cash relief of Rs 3,500 to each affected farmer family under the chief minister's drought relief scheme. The state government has submitted the memorandum of finance to the Centre for assistance. We have demanded a package of Rs 9,682 crore, state Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh said during a review meeting with deputy commissioners and his department's officers of all districts through a video conference. The Centre will review the state's proposal and send a team to Jharkhand to assess the situation, an official said. The minister also stated that the compulsory requirement of a land possession certificate to avail of benefits of the drought relief scheme will be removed. "Every farmer whose nam

BJP holds mega rallies, protests against JMM-led govt in Jharkhand

The BJP held mega rallies in Dumka and East Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand on Friday, appealing to the people to oust the JMM-led government in the state. The 'Aakrosh Rallies' were part of the party's five-day state-wide protest against the government, which concluded on Friday. Senior BJP leaders, including former chief minister Raghubar Das, former Union minister Jayant Sinha and Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato took part in the demonstration outside the East Singhbhum district collectorate. Das, the BJP's national vice-president, claimed that the state government did not fulfil the "tall promises" that were made before the election. He alleged that corruption was widespread in the state. Hazaribag MP Jayant Sinha said the implementation of central welfare schemes was visible in the state but the state government lagged in development works. Another rally was held in Dumka and it was led by BJP leader Babulal Marandi. He was accompanied by Dumka MP Sunil Soren and former Du

The people of Jharkhand have made a mark for themselves: CM Hemant Soren

CM Soren added that the state is all set to welcome people from across the nation and one must visit Jharkhand to explore its natural resources, beauty and charm