Month: August 2019

Kashmiri Pandits hail amendment of Article 370

Source: thehindu.com

Kashmiri Pandits, displaced from the Valley in the 1990s, on Monday hailed the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution as a “historic event” and hoped it would pave the way for return to their homeland with honour and dignity.

Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD), a body representing the community across the world, said the decision cements territorial, political and cultural unity of the Indian Union.

“August 5, 2019 will go down in the history of the country as a day that has put the lasting seal on the sovereignty of Parliament over the entire Indian Union,” it said in a statement.

“The draft bill presented by Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament vindicates the ideals of our great leaders like Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and others who dedicated or sacrificed their lives for the integrity and sovereignty of India,” the GKPD said.

This is for the first time that the exiled community has heaved a sigh of relief that its identity, culture and symbols of heritage will find full protection and perpetuation under the Union territory dispensation, the statement said.

“With the abolition of Article 370, the Government of India will be able to bring Jammu and Kashmir nearer to the rest of the nation,” said Manoj Bhan, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Vichaar Manch.

The Kashmiri Pandit community hopes that the Modi government will chalk out a road map of their return to the Valley soon, he said.

“We want a separate settlement in the Valley where all Kashmiri Pandits, who borne the brunt of forced exodus, can live together,” Mr. Bhan said.

August 5 will go down as Kashmir Liberation Day. Liberation from dynastic rule, liberation from corruption, liberation from an unjust State. Liberation for every part of this diverse State. Liberation for all,” K.N. Pandita said.

Fear of Mob-Lynching Continues to Haunt Bihar

Source: newsclick.in

Patna: With incidents of mob violence rising during the last four days, the fear of mob-lynching has once again come to haunt Bihar. Over two dozen people, mostly the poorest of the poor, have been attacked and badly beaten up by mobs and at least two were lynched on suspicion of being child lifters in the state.

Mobs also attacked, thrashed and punished over half a dozen people in different places across the state on various charges, such as harassing girls and allegedly stealing mobile phones and other items.

The rise in such incidents is giving sleepless nights to top brass of the Bihar police. Taking serious note of the continuing mob violence, the police has so far arrested more than 40 accused and has appealed to people not to take law into their hands on the basis of mere suspicion or rumours.

Rumours have been spread about of child-lifters in Patna and other places and mostly the poor, such as beggars, vendors and physically challenged people have become the victims of mob violence.

At least two mentally-challenged middle-aged people were beaten to death and over a dozen injured in separate incidents of mob violence in Patna district alone in last two days. A man was lynched on Saturday night by a mob in Chulhaichak under Rupaspur police station and another man was beaten to death on Sunday by a mob at Kalichak village under Dhanarua police station. Both were lynched by a mob on suspicion of being child lifters.

Both the victims have not been identified by police so far.

Patna police officials admitted that more than one dozen incidents of mob violence have been reported in Patna in the past three days. “All the mob violence incidents are results of rumours about child lifters. Police have been trying to counter these baseless rumours to check and control mob violence” Patna senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

Malik told NewsClick that as most of the mob violence on the basis of rumours of child-lifters was being reported from rural areas near Patna, police have been asked to be on alert in  Danapur, Maner, Masaurih, Naubatpur and Punpun.

A senior police blamed social media for the spurt in rumours and resultant mob violence.

Since last Thursday, more than 20 cases of mob violence reported in Bihar. In some cases, mobs even attacked police teams that tried to rescue the victims.

On Saturday, two Sikh men from Haryana were badly beaten up by a mob on suspicion of being child lifters in Patna, before they were rescued by the police. Similarly, two youths were badly thrashed by a mob in Danapur near Patna on Saturday on similar suspicions.

Three beggars including two woman were thrashed on Sunday by a mob near Neema railway halt in Patna on suspicion of being child lifters. Timely arrival police saved them from being lynched by a mob of 200 villagers armed with traditional bamboo sticks.

An auto-rickshaw driver in heart of Patna was beaten by a mob on Sunday after some women raised alarm of suspected child lifter.

A youth was thrashed on Sunday evening by a mob in a village near Bodh Gaya in Gaya district for his alleged involvement in kidney racket. But police managed to rescue him. 

In another case, two minors were beaten up, their heads tonsured and faces blackened by a mob in a village in Saharsa district on last Thursday for alleged harassment of girls.

The rise in the number of mob violence incidents started after July 20 in Saran district, when three suspected cattle thieves were beaten to death in a village by a mob consisting of mostly youths.

The rise in mob lynching incidents have come as an embarrassment for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who claims to have brought ‘sushasan’ or good governance to Bihar. Especially, in rural Bihar, incidence of ‘mob justice’ have become common.

The failure on the part of the state government to punish people involved in street justice or mob rule is being seen as the main reason for encouraging people to deliver instant justice without fear.

PM Modi denied my plea to accord central status to Patna University: Nitish Kumar

Source: moneycontrol.com

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lamented that his fervent request for grant of central status to Patna University two years ago was dismissed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi denying the institution much needed help.

He said he is hopeful now that the university will get its due as Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu is present at the programme held to observe the centenary of the library of the varsity.

Later in his address, Naidu said he would talk to Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokriyal and find out if measures could be taken to accord central university status to it.

Had his request been accepted two years ago, the glory of the institute which was once considered “the greatest not just in the country, but the whole of Asia”, could have been restored, said Kumar, an alumnus of the university, referring to its centenary celebrations held in October, 2017.

At that programme two years ago, Kumar said, he had repeatedly requested Modi, who shared the dais with him, “with folded hands” to consider the demand for a central status to the university.

“But my plea was turned down,” Kumar said.

The prime minister, who had spoken afterwards, had dismissed the request stating that the idea of granting central status to universities had become obsolete and Patna University would do better to avail of the opportunities at hand given the government’s thrust on making institutes of higher learning world class.

The development had come barely a couple of months after Kumar returned to the NDA and it had led to opposition parties like Lalu Prasad’s RJD launching a barrage of ridicule on the chief minister.

“That was, however, a different occasion. Today we are here to celebrate the centenary of the library of Patna University,” Kumar said recollecting that the vice president was also present at that programme as the chief guest.

Turning towards Naidu, whom Kumar has known since the days they were cabinet colleagues in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Kumar said, “Now that you are among us, I hope something would be done to give this university its due. The state government is doing its bit. But had the Centre agreed to take it over, it would have made a world of difference.”

The chief minister said Bihar is the land of scholars like Aryabhatta and Chanakya ancient seats of learning like Nalanda.

“Patna University is not a run of the mill institution. It was established when there were very few modern universities in the country,” he pointed out.

Kuamr said the university would have centres devoted to ecological studies.He also urged students to take interest in social service and “do not lose sight of the role environment plays in our lives if you are interested in politics”.

Bihar Leaders Speak Out Against Scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir

Source: patnadaily.com

Patna: While the majority of Bihar, along with the nation, was celebrating the cancellation of Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu & Kashmir, non-NDA parties, and Janata Dal – U which is part of the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, slammed the Modi government for its unilateral policy and ‘murdering democracy’ in India.

Former MP Pappu Yadav, the leader of Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), at a press conference in Patna on Monday, slammed the Modi-Shah duo saying the decision to scrap both articles in Jammu & Kashmir was imprudent and was done in haste by the ‘two idiots’.

“This is a clear assault on our constitution, our culture, and our democracy. The decision to scrap Article 370 and Article 35A was taken by two people who have no idea what they are doing. These two men (Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah) are hell-bent on destroying the nation from within and it is not unreasonable to ask why they have taken the route to dictatorship,” Yadav said.

Communist Party of India-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya also, in a press release, slammed the Modi-Shah team for removing the two Articles and dividing the state into two without any consultation from other parties.

“Never before in the history of India such attempt has been made to trash the constitution. However, in this moment of crisis, the entire nation is with the people of Kashmir and nationwide protest will be organized to oppose this dangerous step taken by the NDA government,” the communist leader said while demanding the restoration of Article 370 and 35A without any delay and removal of all troops from the region.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also opposed the move in Kashmir saying the draconian decision was taken when the Modi government was ‘under influence of alcohol’.

“This is pure and simple dictatorship and cannot be described any other way. I urge Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to step forward and do the right thing in this regard,” he said.

Though Kumar, who has been a staunch opponent of removal of Article 370 and 35A in Jammu & Kashmir, is yet to make a formal statement in this regard, other members of his party including K C Tyagi and Shyam Rajak have already voiced their anger over BJP’s sudden move.

“We have never favored what the BJP has done today and we will continue to oppose it in the coming days,” said Tyagi.

Ranchi administration gets neighbourly for flood-hit Bihar

Source: telegraphindia.com

Ranchi’s district administration has teamed up with social outfits to help flood victims in neighbouring Bihar.

Around 10 social organisations have joined hands to collect relief materials and package them as family relief kits from Sunday. The first lot of relief packages will leave for Bihar on August 10, with Ranchi district administration arranging their transport, deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray said on Monday.

Ray said social outfits would bring relief materials to various collection points from where the district administration would arrange the transport of the items free of cost to Bihar.

“We did it last year for flood-hit Kerala. We welcome contributions from residents and organisations from other districts of Jharkhand as well. They can contact us or the social organisations,” said Ray.

Organisations involved in the initiative include Rotary Ranchi Central, Fallen Leaves, Gurdwara Guru Singh Sabha, Petroleum Dealers Association (South Chotanagpur), Jharkhand Civil Society, Mukti, Gurunanak Higher Secondary School, Jharkhand Sikh Youth Federation, Life Savers Ranchi and Jharkhand Thalassaemia Foundation.

Founder member of Jharkhand Thalassaemia Foundation and senior functionary of Life Savers Ranchi Atul Gera said collection points were conveniently located.

“The Gurdwara (on Main Road), Ladies Corner (on Main Road), Hotel Konark (on Station Road) and Jharkhand Thalassaemia Foundation (in Firayalal Compound, opposite Radisson Blu) are the collection points so far. One more may be added soon. People can either donate a few things or an entire kit depending on their budget ,” said Gera. “We welcome all contributions.”

People can donate rice, dal, cooking oil, coconut oil, sugar, salt, spices, tea and milk powder; sanitary items such as soap, detergent, toothpaste and toothbrush; medicines, clothes and slippers; bed sheets and blankets; mats, utensils, torches, candles and matchboxes and kerosene stoves.

Data released by Bihar disaster management department puts the number of flood-hit people at 88.4 lakh so far. These people are grappling with floods and their aftermath — homelessness, hunger and disease — across 1,301 panchayats of 111 blocks of 13 districts.

Jharkhand: Three Naxals accused in killing of policemen arrested

Source: timesnownews.com

Saraikela Kharsawan: S Kartik, Superintendent of Police (SP) Saraikela Kharsawan on Sunday said police have arrested three hardcore Naxals accused of killing policemen in an ambush in the state.

“We arrested Lakhan Sardar, resident of Chetanpur, and two supporters of Maharaj Pramanik, Tipura and Anam. They were involved in the killing of policemen in a landmine blast and ambush in the previous month. By cross-examining them, we also got to know the involvement of Lakhan in many incidents across the state, especially in the killing of policemen in June,” Kartik told reporters here.

Kartik added that the arrested Naxals are giving more information about the incidents and the modus operandi of their organisation. He added that many such operations by the police are ongoing in the state which will lead to more success in the future.

“Under the guidance of the Director-General of the Police (DGP), police have launched many operations against the Naxals to curb their influence. This success is a part of those operations which are ongoing in the state, more shall follow in the future,” Kartik said.

Odisha urges Centre not to shift CWC office to Patna

Source: asianage.com

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has urged the Centre to rescind its decision to shift the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) office to Patna, saying the move will jeopardise the state’s interests.

State Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain conveyed Odisha’s concerns in a letter to Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday.

“The recent decision to merge Bhubaneswar and Patna regions (of CWC) into a single entity and renaming it as Patna region with headquarters at Patna will seriously jeopardise the interest of the people of Odisha,” Swain said.

Noting that monitoring of scientific storage from Patna will be difficult, he said warehousing operations in Odisha will be hampered as a result of the proposed relocation. The minister also pointed out that members of the Odisha Assembly, cutting across party lines, have raised their concerns over the issue in the House.

“The regional office of CWC at Bhubaneswar has been playing a vital role in storage and warehousing of various commodities including foodgrains and notified commodities of the Food Corporation of India as well as the Odisha state Civil Supplies Corporation,” Swain said.

Established in 1990, the Bhubaneswar regional office now has an operational capacity of 3.48 lakh MT and caters to the storage needs of 15 districts of the state, he said. Swain said that the Bhubaneswar regional office has been making profit over the past five years.

 “In this backdrop, I would like to request your (Paswan’s) personal intervention for allowing the regional office at Bhubaneswar to continue as such in modification of the earlier decision of its merger with Patna region,” he said.

Flood situation improves in Bihar

Source: indiatoday.in

The flood situation in Bihar showed signs of improvement on Sunday as the water level in four rivers receded and no fresh casualty was reported from any of the 13 deluge-hit districts, officials said.

Death toll in the floods remained unchanged at 130 for the fifth consecutive day.

People started returning to their homes as flood waters receded in some areas, officials said.

According to Water Resources Department, three rivers – Baghmati, Burhi Gandak and Khiroi – are flowing above danger level at five places in Bihar.

Baghmati river is flowing above danger mark at Kataunjha (Sitamarhi) and Hayaghat (Darbhanga), it said.

Burhi Gandak is flowing above the danger mark at Samastipur rail pul and Rosera rail pul in Samastipur district, while Khiroi is flowing above danger mark at Ekmighat in Darbhanga district.

Altogether 13 districts have been hit by the calamity.

Sitamarhi, with 37 casualties, topped the list followed by Madhubani (30), Darbhanga (14), Araria (12), Sheohar (10) Purnea (nine), Kishanganj (seven), Muzaffarpur and Supaul (four each), East Champaran (two) and Saharsa (one).

Two of the flood-hit districts – Katihar and West Champaran – have reported no deaths so far this season, the department said.

The Disaster Management Department has put the total number of people hit by floods, so far, in the state at 88.4 lakh in 1,301 panchayats of 111 blocks of 13 districts.

Relief and rehabilitation measures are being carried out by the state government with assistance from the NDRF.

The Meteorological Department has forecast light to normal rainfall in the catchment areas of all the rivers of Bihar in next 24 hours.

Herbal pills of ‘happiness’ brood in Ranchi

Source: dailypioneer.com

At a time when mental health has become the elephant in the room and the use of psychotropic drugs is becoming as common as antacids, Ayurvedic experts and clinical scientists in Ranchi claim that herbal medicines coupled with proper counseling can be an effective substitute for popping in an antidepressant every time you feel low or anxious.

Ranchi has been long known for its psychiatry institutes and the treatments they offer to patients suffering from common and severe mental illnesses. However, the use of herbal medicines to ease mental stress –a major contributor to most of the mental illnesses—is an area that remains unexplored so far. “The use of herbal medicines for treating mental illnesses has great potential. A class of plants called Medhya Rasayana has been clinically proven to improve memory and enhance cognitive functions,” said Dr. Suresh Kumar Agarwalla, an MBBS who has worked closely with patients in the psychiatry ward of Kolkata’s NRS Hospital.

Dr. Agarwalla, who runs his own practice in Ranchi, is against the use of antidepressants for common mental illnesses caused by daily stress. “First of all, counseling is must for any patient suffering from stress induced disorders. The commonly prescribed antidepressants only mask the symptoms, but do not address the root cause of it. Besides, these medicines also have side effects,” he said.

According to Agarwalla, in many cases, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), which are commonly called antidepressants, further increase symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients. In some cases, they make patients lethargic, passive or too sleepy, he said. “Many doctors these days are in a hurry to treat patients in a short span of time, so they resort to prescribing psychotropic drugs even to patients who may get treated with counseling and lifestyle changes,” he said.

Another Ayurvedic practitioner based out of Ranchi, Dr. Akhawri Shankar, said that extracts of Ashoka tree is effectively used in treating diseases such as insomnia and dementia. Shankar also runs his own company of Ayurvedic medicines by the brand name KDS4 and sells medicines for treating mental illnesses. “There are nearly 900 types of mental diseases and around 300 of them are curable. Common disorders such as anxiety disorder and even severe ailments such as autism can be treated using Ayurvedic medicines,” he said.

Shankar added that thorough research in the field of Ayurvedic treatment for mental disorders can give major breakthroughs and help people lead better lives without the side effects of psychotropic drugs. Several scholars and even the American Psychological Association, one of the leading umbrella bodies that deals with psychiatric disorders and its treatments, has criticized the over-prescription of psychotropic drugs across the globe lately. Clinical psychologists and counselors have also voiced their reservations towards unabated use of psychotropic drugs, a practice becoming common in the younger generation in India.

“If you are in stress over a loss of job or a divorce, how can any pill make you feel better? You have to undergo counseling and address the core issue,” said Dr. Agarwalla, adding that the approach of “take a pill for every problem” was plaguing the society and making people vulnerable and fragile when it comes to dealing with challenges in life.

Psychiatrists, however, say that severe cases of mental illnesses do require the use of drugs. Dr. D Ram, Director of Central Institute of Psychiatry in Ranchi refused to comment on the effectiveness of Ayurvedic medicines claiming that it was not his area of expertise.

He, however, said that psychotropic drugs prove to be life saver in many cases of severe mental illnesses and they should not be stigmatized.  “Psychiatry institutes have a multi-disciplinary approach towards patients. Common mental disorders are often treated with counseling and other forms of therapy, while the serious disorders may even require hospitalization and heavy dosage of drugs,” he said.

Road projects to get pace ahead of Assembly poll

Source: dailypioneer.com

The Raghubar Das Government ahead of year-end Assembly election is to focus on infrastructure improvement, especially road connectivity. The State Road Construction Department has set a 120 day deadline with a target to construct 400 km roads and 15 bridges in this duration. As the construction of roads and bridges will require technical expertise, the Road Construction Department is to recruit 969 engineers on the rank of assistant engineers and junior engineers in the coming days.

Department secretary KK Soan said, “The department, to fill up the vacancies of engineers, has decided to make appointment of 969 engineers. 732 posts of assistant engineers and 237 posts of junior engineers will be filled. The appointment process will be completed within two-three months.”

He added, “While the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) will carry out the appointment process of assistant engineers, the junior engineers will be appointed by Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).”

The appointed engineers will be placed at various projects of road construction department.

Some of the major road projects which the department has a target to complete within 120 days includes—Hazaribag-Barkagoan-Tandwa-Khelari-Bijupara Road (115.65km), Chhattarpur-Japla road (115.65km), Patratu-Hendegir-Mcluskiganj (45km), Vikas-booth More-Kantatoli to Rampur road (25.35km), Ghaghra-Netarhat road (54 km), Chanho (on NG 75)-Dighia (on MDR-001)-Purnapani (on NH-23)-Lapung (on MDR-030 road) among others.

Apart from these roads, there are around 41 other roads in which construction will begin or will be completed within the stipulated time frame.

Sources said that the Road Construction department has been asked by Government to speed up the construction work ahead of year-end Assembly election.  Sources said that as improvement and strengthening of road infrastructure has been the top priority of Raghubar’s Government, the Road Construction department has been asked complete or start work on all major road projects.

According to Road Construction department sources, the department has earmarked Rs 4,700 crore budgetary provision in the financial year 2019-20. Out of this, the department expenditure till July 2019 is Rs 1,904.34 crore which is nearly 40.51 per cent of the total allocation in the financial year.

As per the total allocation of the budget, the physical target for construction of roads is 1350 km while bridges are 40. Against the physical target, around 290 km road has been constructed at the same six bridges has been constructed.

A senior road construction department official requesting anonymity said, “As per target set by department, the construction work on major road projects will gain momentum. We have been asked to complete the construction work on new projects or to complete the pending projects.”