Month: November 2019

Wearing Masks, RJD Legislators Protest Against Air Pollution in Patna.

Source – newsclick.in

Patna: The unbearable air pollution in Bihar’s capital city, Patna, resonated outside the Assembly premises, with Opposition RJD legislators staging a protest by wearing masks to express their anger over the “failure” of the Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance government.

On Thursday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) members stood outside the main gate and shouted slogans against the government’s inaction on rising pollution.

The air quality in Patna has been in the “severe category” since the past three days — Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday, the air quality was in “very poor category”. The air quality index (AQI) was 390 on Thursday, according to the Bihar State Pollution Control Board’s website.

The AQI touched 430 at 12 p.m on Wednesday, the highest in recent months. The AQI was 404 on Monday and 419 on Tuesday.

The Opposition protest came ahead of a discussion on the state government’s much hyped programme “Jal Jeevan Aur Haryali” in the Assembly on Thursday, the last day of the five-day winter session.

Protesting Opposition members demanded an explanation from the government as to how Patna had become one of the highest polluted cities in the country. They also questioned Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Sushil Kumar Modi, for doing nothing in the past decade. Modi is in charge of the state’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change department .

“Modi is only interested in publicity and has been issuing useless and baseless statements. He has not done anything to tackle the rising air pollution in Patna and across the state,” RJD legislator Ramchander Purve told NewsClick after the protest.

Purve said the pollution situation had turned from bad to worse under Modi’s charge. “Only recently the government has woken up by launching the Jal Jeevan Aur Haryali programme”.

The “severe” air quality is set to affect thousands of people, including workers, rickshaw-pullers, autorickshaw drivers and the economically weaker sections, who spend most of their time outdoors to earn their livelihood.

On November 2 and 5, the AQI of Patna was recorded as 428 and 423, respectively, which is classified as “severe” as per the World Health Organisation.

According to experts, AQI level of severe category can be harmful as inhalation of toxic air containing pollutants like PM 2.5, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide is dangerous, and can pose serious problems for people suffering from lung, heart and other diseases.

Two months ago, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) India, in partnership with the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) shared the findings from Air Quality Life Index (AQLI). According to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago’s AQLI, residents of Patna could live about 7.7 years longer if the WHO’s PM 2.5 guidelines were met.

As per the findings, based on data from the real-time air quality monitoring station in Patna, in December 2018, witnessed the worst air pollution when 51% days saw air quality in the “severe” category. Out of the cities where AQI bulletin is issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, Patna remained the most polluted city of India in December last.

Gang-rape ‘by invitation’ on Ring Road near capital.

Source – telegraphindia.com

A 25-year-old student, who was out walking with her male friend on Ring Road on the capital’s outskirts on Tuesday around 5.30pm, was dragged to a deserted spot by two youths and raped by the duo and 10 more of their friends, all young men between the ages of 18 and 30.

All the 12 accused have been arrested from Sangrampur under Kanke police station area, close to the site of the assault on the city outskirts, in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The men have confessed to their crime, Ranchi rural superintendent of police (SP) Rishav Kumar Jha said on Thursday.

Faces covered, the accused — Sunil Munda, Kuldeep Oraon, Sunil Oraon, Sandip Tirkey, Ajay Munda, Rajan Oraon, Naveen Oraon, Aman Oraon, Basant Kachap, Ravi Oroan, Rohit Oraon and Rishi Oraon — were produced before the media on Thursday.

The police also recovered a car and bike they allegedly used in the crime, one 7.62mm pistol with two rounds of ammunition, a country-made firearm of .315mm bore with one round of ammunition, and eight mobile phones from the men.

The woman, in her statement to the police on Wednesday, a day after the assault, said she had been talking to her friend on Ring Road when two youths first accosted them and started heckling her.

Then, they overpowered the woman’s friend and dragged her to a deserted brick kiln. At the same time, they called up their friends, inviting them to rape her.

Ten youths soon reached there and all the 12 raped her in turns, rural SP Jha quoted the woman as saying.

The senior policeman said the woman’s medical test had been done on Thursday and the result confirmed rape.

The survivor was stable, he added. “Let us not sensationalise the case,” Jha said.

The police parried questions on the sequence of events after the gang-rape, including how the woman and her friend were later freed from the clutches of the rapists.

Ranchi rural SP Jha said that none of the 12 accused had any prior criminal record. “They are all engaged in menial jobs.”

On how such a crime occurred near the state capital at a time police patrolling had increased in the wake of Assembly elections, rural SP Jha said: “It was only a coincidence that the police were not present where this assault took place.”

Expressing her shock at the incident, chairperson of the state commission for women Kalyani Sharan told The Telegraph: “More effort is needed to change the attitudes of men towards women.”

A teacher of Ranchi’s Sarla Birla School, Sujata Prakash, said it was unfortunate that women did not feel safe on roads even in and near the state capital.

“I am a teacher and work regular hours, commute by school bus. But I can sympathise with the women who work late and have to travel alone in and around Ranchi,” Prakash said.

UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam 2019, Check here for Exam Pattern, Syllabus and Important Dates.

Source – pagalguy.com

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is a statutory body operating under the Central Government of India. It is responsible for selecting suitable candidates for various vacant profiles available with different ministries, PSUs, and departments. Every year, UPSC conducts different recruitment drives to select the most eligible candidates for these profiles. Presently, UPSC is conducting the selection process for 90 suitable candidates to be recruited under the Indian Forest Services through Indian Civil Service Exam 2019.

The registration window for the UPSC, civil services exam, was open from 19th February 2019 to 18th March 2019.  The selection for candidates for UPSC IFS 2019 will be conducted in two stages, i.e. preliminary exam and mains exam. The preliminary exam was held on 2nd June 2019 while the mains exam will be conducted on 1st December 2019.

UPSC IFS 2019 Important Dates

Candidates must note the below mentioned important dates to avoid any confusion regarding the selection process later on: –

S. No.EventDate
1UPSC IFS Exam 2019:  Release of official notification19th February 2019
2UPSC IFS Exam 2019: Last date for application18th March 2019
3UPSC IFS Exam 2019: Preliminary Exam2nd June 2019
4UPSC IFS Exam 2019: Mains Exam1st December 2019 to 8th December 2019 Morning shift9.00 AM to 12.00 PM Afternoon Shift2.00 PM to 5.00 PM

UPSC IFS 2019 Exam Details

Candidates who have qualified the preliminary examination held on 2nd June 2019 and have completed the application process for the mains exam, should note the below mentioned important information for UPSC IFS 2019 exam details: –

  • Name of the Examination – Indian Forest Services Exam (IFS)
  • Exam Frequency – Once a year
  • Stages of Examinations – Three
  • Preliminary
  • Mains
  • Interview
  • Language of Examination – English and Hindi
  • Type of Examination – Written Examination
  • Age Limit – Between the age of 21 years to 32 years

     Age relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST candidates

  • Number of vacancies – 90

UPSC IFS 2019 Main Exam pattern and syllabus

Candidates must note the below mentioned important information related to UPSC IFS 2019 Main Exam pattern and syllabus: –

  • Type of questions – Descriptive
  • Number of papers – 7
  • Language – English
  • Total Marks – 1750
S. No.PaperSubjectsMarksDuration
1Paper -1Essay2503 hours
2Paper – 2General Studies -1Society, Indian culture and heritage, History and Geography of the world2503 hours
3Paper – 3General Studies -2Social Justice, International, Governance, Polity, constitution2503 hours
4Paper – 4General Studies -3Biodiversity, Technology, Environment, Economic Development2503 hours
5Paper – 5General Studies – 4Integrity and Ethics2503 hours
6Paper – 6Optional Paper 12503 hours
7Paper – 7Optional Paper 22503 hours

WBPSC recruitment 2019: Apply for Assistant Professor posts.

Source – indianexpress.com

WBPSC recruitment 2019: West Bengal Public Service Commission has released a notification inviting applications for the recruitment of assistant professor posts. The registration process will start on November 29, 2019 and the candidates can apply till December 19, 2019 on the website-www.pscwbonline.gov.in

Candidates should note that the ability to read, write and speak in Bengali is an essential requirement but it is not mandatory for candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali.

WBPSC recruitment 2019: Eligibility

Age limit: Candidates should not be more than 40 years of age. However, reserved category candidates will get age relaxation according to government norms.

Academic qualification: Candidates should have secured a minimum of 55 per cent marks or an equivalent grade at the Master’s level. They should also have qualified in the National Eligibility Test (NET). However, the candidates who have been awarded a PhD degree from the University Grants Commission shall be exempted NET/ SLET/SET. For detailed information about academic qualification, the candidates should check the official notification.

WBPSC recruitment 2019: Application fee

General/OBC category candidates will have to pay Rs 210 as application fee. However, SC/ST candidates of West Bengal and Persons with disabilities do not have to pay any fee.

WBPSC recruitment 2019: Selection procedure

The selection of the candidates will be done on the basis of a preliminary screening test and interview. The qualifying marks in an interview for the general category is 40 per cent, for OBC is 38 per cent, for SC is 35 per cent and for ST candidates is 30 per cent.

WBPSC recruitment 2019: How to apply

Interested candidates must apply for the above posts on the official website, pscwbonline.gov.in from November 29, 2019 to December 19, 2019.

WBPSC recruitment 2019: Salary

Selected candidates will be paid in the group of Rs.15, 600- to Rs 39,100 plus grade pay of Rs 6,000.

Getting precise Hindi translation for technical papers proving difficult for UPSC: Govt

Source – dailyexcelsior.com

NEW DELHI: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is facing constraints in getting precise Hindi translation of question papers, especially in technical papers like engineering and medical sciences, the government said on Wednesday, citing a report.

In fact, the Commission had constituted a high level standing committee to examine the modalities of implementing the Parliamentary resolution on official languages dated January 18, 1968, it said.

“The Committee had, in its report submitted in the year 2012, which was accepted by UPSC, underlined certain constraints such as practical/operational difficulties in getting the precise Hindi translation of question papers; especially in technical papers (engineering, medical science etc.); growth of Hindi and other languages in the higher educational system, which are existing as of today,” Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The government was asked whether the competitive examinations held for the Indian Forest Service, Indian Economic Service, Indian Statistical Service, Geological and Engineering Service cannot be written in Hindi medium due to their technical nature and if so, whether the government has ever selected Hindi as a medium for such technical education related competitive examinations.

“UPSC and the respective cadre controlling authorities of these services are seized of the matter,” the minister said.

The Commission conducts the Indian Forest Service examination, the Indian Economic Service/Indian Statistical Service examination (a clubbed examination), the combined geo-scientist and the geologist examination and the engineering services examination as per the rules of the examinations framed and notified by the nodal departments/ministries of the Government of India. (PTI)

UPSC Combined Defence Services 2019 result declared: Check details here.

Source – indiatoday.in

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the final results of the Combined Defence Services examination on the official website, upsc.gov.in. Candidates who appeared for the SSB interview can now check their results directly through the official website.

As per the official notification, “The Commission had recommended 2726, 1609 and 643 as qualified in the written test for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy respectively.”

Here’s what the official notification says:

“The following are the lists, in order of merit of 129 (82+44+03) candidates who have qualified on the basis of the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2019 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in February, 2019 and SSB interviews held by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence for admission to the 148th Course of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun; Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala and Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course i.e. No. 207 F (P) Course.”

UPSC Combined Defence Services 2019 result: Steps to check

Step 1: Visit the official website, upsc.gov.in

Step 2: On the home page, click on the link that reads, ‘Final results: Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2019,’ appearing under ‘What’s new’ section

Step 3: On the webpage, click on the link available to check the results

Step 4: UPSC CDS final result in the pdf format will appear on the display screen

Step 5: Check your result

Note: Download the result and take its print out for future reference.

About UPSC:

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is an organisation that works under the central government to recruit staff for various posts in the various ministries and departments, and in subordinate offices. The commission also conducts examinations for the recruitment in various departments of the state.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Releases Poll Manifesto, Promises Reservation.

Source – ndtv.com

RANCHI: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has promised 67 per cent reservation to STs, OBCs and SCs, and government jobs to local people if it forms the government in the state after Assembly elections.

The JMM, the main opposition party in Jharkhand, which has formed an alliance with the Congress and the RJD, said it would provide 28 per cent reservation to Scheduled Tribes, 27 per cent to Other Backward Classes and 12 per cent to Scheduled Castes.

Releasing the party’s manifesto for the polls on Tuesday, JMM president Shibu Soren and his son Hemant said that if the party came to power, 75 per cent of jobs in the private sector would be reserved for locals.

“Within two years of formation of the government, all vacancies in different government departments will be filled up with the youths of Jharkhand under the Local Policy,” the manifesto promised.

Unemployed graduates and post-graduates would be given an allowance of Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000 respectively every month, it said.

Of the 81 seats in the state, the JMM is contesting in 43 while the Congress and the RJD are fighting in 31 and seven seats respectively.

The manifesto said, tenders of up to Rs. 25 crore would be reserved for the natives of Jharkhand only and “Bhoomi Adhikar Kanoon” (Right to Land Act) would be introduced to give land to landless people.

Land lying vacant for five years would be taken back and returned to the original owners, the manifesto said. “Within three months of government formation, the government will recommend to the Centre to incorporate Ho (a tribal language) in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” it said.

Banks for women would be set up in the state to provide loan up to Rs. 50,000 without any guarantor, the manifesto said.

An amount of Rs. 2,000 would be given to women from poor families towards kitchen expenses. For farmers, Kisan Bank would be set up, minimum support price (MSP) for agriculture produce and fruits would be earmarked, it said adding that the MSP for paddy would be between Rs. 2,300 and Rs. 2,700.

If the JMM formed a government, the manifesto said, it would not acquire agriculture land for private companies. The man-days under MG-NREGA would be increased to 150 days in a year, the manifesto said.

The Sachar Committee recommendations would be implemented for the benefit of the minorities, it said, adding Madarsa Boards and Urdu Academy would be set up.

Criticising the poll promises, Jharkhand unit’s BJP president Laxman Gilua said: “The JMM, Congress and the RJD are in alliance, yet they have different manifestos. Why did not they have a common manifesto?”

The five-phase elections in the state will be held between November 30 and December 20 and counting will take place on December 23.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Tamil Nadu thrash Jharkhand by 8 wickets.

Source – indiatoday.in

Washington Sundar and M Siddharth spun a web around Jharkhand, as Tamil Nadu registered an eight-wicket win in their last Super League match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament here on Wednesday.

Left-arm spinner Siddharth (4-18) and off-spinner Sundar (3-10) ran through the Jharkhand batting lineup, as they bundled out the opposition for a paltry 85, which Tamil Nadu later chased down in 13.5 overs.

Jharkhand skipper Saurabh Tiwary’s decision to bat first was proven wrong by Sundar and Siddharth’s magic with the ball.

Tiwari (24 off 27 balls) and wicket-keeper Sumit Kumar (19 off 25 balls) were the only ones to show some fight, as the rest of the Jharkhand batsmen faltered in the crucial game.

Jharkhand were reeling at 29-3 and their innings never quite gathered steam, as Tamil Nadu picked up wickets at regular intervals.

Spinners have been delivering for their captain Dinesh Karthik and Wednesday was no different at the C B Patel ground.

Kumar Deobrat (1), Virat Singh (2), Supriyo Chakraborty (8) and Utkash Singh (5) fell cheaply, as Jharkhand’s wickets collapsed like a pack of cards.

Spinners R Sai Kishore (1-15) and Murugan Ashwin (1- 13) also played their parts to perfection.

For Tamil Nadu, the chase began on a horrendous note, as they lost their in-form opener C Hari Nishaanth (7) early.

They were also struggling at 35-2, as Jharkhand grabbed the wicket of Shahrukh Khan (24 off 28 balls).

However, Sundar (38 not out off 22 balls), promoted up the order, took the game away from Jharkhand with his whirlwind knock.

He smashed three towering sixes and stitched a match- winning unbroken 51-run stand with skipper Karthik (13 not out) to steer the side to victory.

The semi-final lineup will only be clear after the conclusion of the Punjab-Mumbai game, which will begin at 6.30 pm.

Brief Scores: Jharkhand 85 all out (Saurabh Tiwary 24, Sumit Kumar 19; M Siddharth 4-18) lost to Tamil Nadu 86/2 (Washington Sundar 38 not out, Shahrukh Khan 24; Utkarsh Singh 1-21) by eight wickets.

Congress rally in Patna stopped midway, cops use tear gas to disperse workers.

Source – hindustantimes.com

A protest by the Bihar Congress unit against the policies of Central government turned violent on Sunday as the protesters tried to breach the barricading in place to head towards the chief minister’s residence and Raj Bhavan and the police had to use water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse them.

The “Janvedna March”, led by party’s Bihar incharge Shaktisinh Gohil, started from state Congress headquarters at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna, Bihar, and as it reached Hartali Chowk, the Congress leaders tried to breach the barricading in place and head towards the restricted zone housing the chief minister and other the state assembly. The police tried to stop the protesting leaders from entering the restricted zone, which agitated the leaders and a tussle ensued. The police had to lob tear gas shells and fire water cannons to disperse the agitated workers, some of which were detained for a few hours.

According to Congress spokesperson Premchand Mishra, as soon as the party leaders and workers reached the Hartali More, the police started raining batons. “The police also used tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse the party workers.”

City Superintendent of Police, central, Vinay Tiwary said the police had to resort to mild lathicharge and use water cannons on Congress workers when they turned violent after being stopped at Hartali roundabout. “There was no administrative permission given for the rally,” he said, adding that the area where the rally was stopped fell in the high security region.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi later tweeted: “As there is a zero tolerance government on corruption at the centre and in Bihar, Congress is desperate and making all sorts of accusations against the central government policies. But people have rejected them,” he said.

5 lakh including MBA, Engineers, post graduates apply to become gardener and watchman in Bihar.

Source – indiatoday.in

all it unemployment or the craze to get a “sarkari naukri”, more than 5 lakh candidates have applied for Group D jobs in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha.

Interviews for the same are currently underway to fill vacancies for 166 posts which include watchman, gardener, peon and cleaners. What is shocking, however, is the fact that most of the applicants for the job are B-Tech, MBA, post graduates and graduates degree holders.

Technocrats and professional degree holders applying for the Group-D jobs in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha raises questions whether this is because of unemployment or fad to get a government job. Interestingly, the minimum qualification required for the 166 posts are 10th class pass but most of the applicants are over qualified for the job.

“I am working for a private company but my salary is not enough for a family of four. I want to get a government job to take care of my family,” says Ajay Kumar, who is a graduate and recently appeared for the interviews along with his wife Monika Kumari who too has applied for the same job.

“We can do anything to get a government job,” said Monika Kumari.

More than 4.5 lakh applicants have appeared for the interviews till now which started in September 2019. On an average, 1500-1600 applicants are appearing for interview everyday at the Vidhan Sabha. This has also triggered a controversy with opposition hitting out at Nitish Kumar government for rising unemployment in the state.

“Engineers and MBA degree holders are applying for post of gardener and peon. This is a big issue. Does Nitish Kumar want qualified people to become peons in his government?,”questioned RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav.
Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra has demanded an inquiry on how 1500-1600 interviews are being conducted everyday meaning 10 seconds to interview each candidate.

“This is a matter for investigations on how so many applicants are appearing for interviews on daily basis. There is job crisis and unemployment in the state and therefore engineers and professional degree holders are applying for Group-D jobs,” said Prem Chand Mishra.

BJP, on the other hand, has termed large numbers of professionals and technocrats applying for Group-D jobs as a craze to get a sarkari naukri.