Party can wrest Bihar on its own: BJP’s Paswan.

Source – asianage.com

Patna: Amid the political turmoil over leadership in the NDA, Dalit leader and BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan Wednesday said that “the party has the capability to contest and win elections in Bihar on its own”.

Sources said that his statement is likely to create tension in the NDA as the BJP top brass has already announced that the party will contest the Assembly elections in alliance with the JD(U) and chief minister Nitish Kumar will be the face of the NDA.

In September 2019, Mr Paswan had raised the political pitch by stating that the CM should hand over the reins of the state government to the BJP and move to the Centre.

On Wednesday, Mr Paswan told reporters in Patna, “It’s the people of Bihar who want to see a BJP leader becoming the chief minister.” However, he also clarified that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi will take a final decision regarding the issue but the BJP is a strong party and has the capability to contest and win elections on its own in Bihar.”

Sources said that a section of the BJP led by senior leaders including Mr Paswan has been in favour of promoting firebrand leader Giriraj Singh as the chief ministerial candidate of the NDA in the state.

Mr Paswan’s statement is also crucial because the BJP is part of the state government in Bihar which is being led by the JD(U). Political analysts are of the opinion that in the current scenario where Lalu Yadav is serving a jail term in the fodder scam case, Nitish Kumar has emerged as a stronger leader in Bihar. Nitish Kumar has been the NDA’s face in Bihar since 2005.

The party’s state unit reacted strongly after Mr Paswan gave the statement. Talking to this newspaper, BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “Every decision related to the 2020 Bihar election will be taken collectively by the top leadership of NDA partners after proper consultation in due course. Party president Amit Shah has already said that Nitish Kumar will be the face of the NDA in Bihar. The statement being given by some leaders in their individual capacity is not the party’s stand.”

UPSC CDS I 2020 admit card released; how to download.

Source – indianexpress.com

UPSC CDS I 2020 admit card: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the admit card for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination. Candidates can download it through the website – upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard.

The recruitment examination is scheduled to be conducted on February 2, 2020 and candidates can download the hall ticket till this date.

Candidates selected through the recruitment process will be trained to serve the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Air Force Academy (AFA), Indian Military Academy (IMA), and Officer’s Training Academy (OTA) – as suitable for their profile.

 The hall ticket is available at the website upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard.

The written examination will be conducted in offline mode, in Hindi and English languages. The exam is of 300 marks, where 100 questions each are asked from English, GK and elementary mathematics. Each question is of one mark and for choosing an incorrect option, negative marking of 0.33 marks shall be done. Those who wish to appear for OTA need to appear in English and GK papers only.

UPSC CDS I 2020 admit card: How to download

Step 1: Visit the official website – upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard

Step 2: Click on the ‘download admit card’ link

Step 3: Enter registration number, roll number

Step 4: Admit card will appear on the screen

Step 5: Download it, and take a print out for further reference.

The selected candidates will be in the pay scale up to Rs 2.5 lakh. The recruitment examination will be conducted on February 2, 2020. The candidates can download the hall ticket through the website – upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard.

IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard Download Link Available @ibps.in, Check Direct Link Here

Source – jagranjosh.com

IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard: Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has released IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019-20 scorecard on its official website. Candidates appeared in the IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019-20 Exam can download their admit cards through the official website of IBPS.i.e.ibps.in.

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection had released IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Result on 1 January 2020. For which the exam was held on 7 and 8 December 2019. Candidates can download IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard through the official website on or before 19 January 2020. Candidates can directly access the link of IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard by following the instructions given below.

  • Candidates are required to visit the official website of Institute of Banking Personnel Selection.i.e.ibps.in.
  • Click on IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard flashing on the homepage.
  • Candidates are required to enter their essential credentials and click on the submit button. 
  • Then, IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard will be displayed on the screen.
  • Candidates can download the scorecard and save it for future reference.

All those candidates who have successfully qualified in IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 are eligible to appear in IBPS Clerk Mains 2020 and the admit card for the same has been uploaded on the official website. 

Candidates can download IBPS Clerk Mains 2019-20 Admit Card by entering their credentials on the official website. The IBPS Clerk Mains 2020 Exam is scheduled to be held on 19 January 2020. Candidates can download IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard by clicking on the above link.

IBPS Clerk Recruitment 2019-20 Highlights:

  • IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Exam Date: 7 & 8 December 2019
  • IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Result: 1 January 2020
  • IBPS Clerk Prelims 2019 Scorecard & Marks: 8 January 2020
  • IBPS Clerk Mains Exam Date 2020: 19 January 2020
  • Provisional Allotment: April 2020

Main accused in Patna gang-rape case surrenders.

Source – hindustantimes.com

The main accused in the gang-rape case in the state capital on Monday, Vinayak Singh, surrendered before the court on Wednesday. With this, three of the four accused have either been arrested or surrendered before the police.

On January 6, four men had abducted the girl, a BBA student, at gun point and gang-raped her at a vacant flat situated behind a prominent mall in Patna.

The woman was forced to get inside a vehicle at gun point by the accused when she came out of a restaurant at around 6.30 pm (on Monday) under SK Puri police station limits.

She alleged in her FIR that they took her to a vacant flat at an unknown place and repeatedly raped her.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Patna, Upendra Sharma, said the accused Vinayak Singh surrendered before the court due to mounting police pressure.

“The police raided different places to arrest the fourth accused, Sandip Mukhiya,” he added.

Police said they had earlier raided the house of Singh in Hajipur, but could not find him. The police also raided various places in Patna, he added.

Police said as Singh‘s uncle came to know about the incident, he assured the police that he would ensure surrender of his nephew. Singh, however, surrendered to the court, police added.

Police had first arrested Kush. On the basis of Kush’s statement, police arrested Vikas, the second accused.

The girl had lodged a case with the women police station against the four people.

Police officials had said on Tuesday that one of the accused was trying to force the woman into a relationship and was stalking her. The station house officer of the women’s police station, Arti Jaiswal, said preliminary investigation suggested the woman knew the accused.

A case was registered under Sections 376 D (gang-rape), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act, Jaiswal said.

A medical examination of the woman has been conducted and the report is awaited.

This is the second incident of gang-rape in the state capital within a month. On December 13, a Patna University student was allegedly gang-raped by four men.

Two of the accused, including a friend of the woman, surrendered in the court, while two others were arrested from separate places. Taking serious view of the Patna gang-rape in which a student was kidnapped from a mall in the state capital, HAM-S leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said law and order situation has deteriorated in Bihar.

The Congress also pulled up the state government for failure to control crime. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Madan Mohan Jha on Wednesday said Patna had turned into the crime capital of the country.

Superstition, sectarianism killed more people in Jharkhand than Naxalism.

Source –

Superstition and sectarianism killed more people in Jharkhand than Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in 2018, says the latest report on Crime in India by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), highlighting the deep-rooted superstition and caste distinction in the tribal State.

The report, released on Wednesday, said that the motive behind at least 18 murders in Jharkhand was witch-hunting in the year 2018, while honour killing was the reason behind nine murders in the same year. Interestingly, “Extremism/ Naxalism/ Insurgency” was reason for only two murders in the State in year 2018, the report added.

While figures with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) claim that at least 19 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are Left Wing Extremism-affected, the NCRB data may convince one to believe that superstition was far more dangerous and widespread here, say social activists. According to the NCRB report, the motive behind 62 murders across India in 2018 was witchcraft and 18 of them were reported in Jharkhand – the highest in the country.

“Witch-hunting is a social malady. We require joint efforts from different stakeholders to spread awareness against such age-old superstitious practices,” said Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) KN Choubey. He, however, refused to comment on the NCRB figures of murders executed by LWE groups, claiming that he was yet to personally go through the report. “The NCRB is a trustworthy and reputed agency,” he added.  

This is, however, not the first instance when Jharkhand has topped in terms of murders related to witchcraft in India. Superstitious practices in the interiors have remained a major concern for the Government here for several years. The tribal dominated state witnessed at least 590 cases of witch-hunting from 2001 to 2018, says combined figures of the State police and the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Besides, several incidents of occultists trying to resurrect dead people and women getting married off to snakes and dogs have been reported from far off villages in Jharkhand in the past – a proof of the deep-embedded superstition in the rural society here.

Jharkhand also tops in terms of honour killings. The State witnessed nine incidents of honour killings in 2018 – the highest in India. Police said that most of the honour killing incidents are triggered by sectarianism and caste distinctions. Inter-caste love affairs and marriages were still one of the most common reasons for honour killings in Jharkhand, they added. “Such flawed idea of honour and caste distinction has to be dealt with extensive social awareness campaigns. The police can investigate murder cases and nab the accused, but the change has to begin in the society,” said Choubey. 

While the NCRB report puts the figure of human sacrifice to zero in Jharkhand in 2018, some incidents of alleged human sacrifice too have been reported here in the past decade.

In a suspected case of human sacrifice, the police had to exhume half-buried, naked and decapitated bodies of two children from a village in Latehar, about 100 Kilometers northwest of capital Ranchi, in July last year.

In May 2017, the police arrested a 26-year-old Ranchi man on charges of attempting to sacrifice his mother to appease a goddess. And in 2015, a 60-year-old man was reportedly sacrificed in Gumla for better rainfall.

Congress MLA remark on Tabrez lynching stirs row in Jharkhand.

Source – indianexpress.com

Jharkhand Assembly’s maiden session Wednesday was rocked by Congress MLA Irfan Ansari’s allegation that the accused in the murder of Tabrez Ansari, the 24-year-old attacked by a lynch mob in June last year, were BJP workers.

Although Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato said the lines would be expunged and demanded an apology, Ansari refused to apologise.

Ansari later said he wasn’t naming the entire saffron party for the murder, but a few persons affiliated to it.

Tabrez Ansari was tied to a pole and beaten with rods in Saraikela-Kharsawan area for alleged theft. He was also forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Hanuman”. He died in jail four days later. Police had earlier dropped the murder charge in the case, but later added it while filing a supplementary chargesheet.

On Wednesday, trouble began when a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislator was addressing the session looking at the BJP MLAs, which the saffron party objected to. BJP Ranchi MLA C P Singh interrupted him. On Irfan Ansari’s turn to address the assembly, he said the present government will investigate the previous government’s work. This was again interrupted by C P Singh. In response, Irfan Ansari made the allegation.

Despite Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato expunging the “objectionable part” from the proceedings and adjourning the assembly for 15 minutes, all the BJP MLAs trooped into the well of the House, raised slogans and demanded an apology from Congress members.

A few months ago, C P Singh had compelled Irfan Ansari to say Jai Shri Ram outside the assembly building.

Later, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, while replying to the motion of thanks, said his government will pursue development that people will feel. He further said his government would end the model of “filling up coffers of politicians and officers”, taking a veiled dig at the previous government.

Damp to give way to dry chill.

Source – telegraphindia.com

Several parts of the state, including Ranchi and Jamshedpur, were rainy from Wednesday to Thursday, the untimely showers causing days to get colder and nights warmer .

However, weathermen have predicted a dry Friday with a mercury freefall.

However, Data revealed that light to moderate rain occurred at most places over Jharkhand in the past 24 hours (8.30am Wednesday to 8.30am Thursday).

Simdega recorded 32.8mm, the heaviest rain in the state. Ranchi and Torpa (in Ranchi district) recorded 18.5mm of rain. Hindgir (again Ranchi district), Ramgarh, Pakuria (Pakur district), Latehar, Hazaribagh, Tenughat (Bokaro district) were among places that saw rainfall of 10mm each.

Moderate to dense fog was observed at places including Ranchi, Jamshedpur and other parts of Kolhan. Dense fog reduced surface visibility soon after the sunrise around 6.30am. Shallow and moderate fog prevailed till afternoon at many places.

Director of Ranchi Meteorological Centre S.D. Kotal said a cyclonic circulation over central parts of south Uttar Pradesh persisted and extended up to 1.5km above mean sea level. A trough also existing 0.9km above mean sea level.

Kotal, however, predicted dry weather and a dip in mercury from Friday.

Ranchi Met Centre predicted fall of four to five notches in night readings in the next 72 hours. Shallow to moderate fog would also prevail in many pockets of Jharkhand during the next 48 hours.

Ranchi on Thursday recorded a minimum temperature of 13.1°C, three notches above normal. On Wednesday, Ranchi had recorded a minimum of 9.2°C. Jamshedpur clocked a minimum of 15.7°C, five notches above normal. On Wednesday, the steel city had recorded a minimum of 11.8°C Daltonganj on Thursday clocked a night reading of 14.5°C against Wednesday 10.1°C. Thursday’s night reading in Daltonganj was five notches above normal.Tags

Capital roads to bloom, & how.

Source – telegraphindia.com

Potted flowering plants will now line the key arteries and pathways to slums in the capital city as part of the civic body’s efforts to score some brownie points in upcoming pan-India cleanliness survey.

Ranchi deputy municipal commissioner Shankar Yadav on Thursday said the civic body had held initial talks with nursery owners and floriculturists in the city and work would begin next week.

“We had a meeting with nursery owners and floriculturists earlier this week. They have agreed to our proposal of putting up potted flowering plants on approach roads to urban slums, along key stretches and public places as part of the beautification of the city,” Yadav said.

Sources in Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) said the move was aimed at scoring additional points during field verification as part of Swachh Survekshan 2020.

“The flowering plants will not only add to the beauty of the city roads, parking lots and commercial areas but also enhance the beauty of approach points to urban slums, which are often littered with cow dung. This will not leave a good impression on the teams of external assessors who will be coming for field survey after January 15,” said a source in the RMC’s sanitation team.

Around 20 nursery owners and floriculturists have agreed to the RMC proposal and more are expected to come on board in the next few days.

“We will hold meeting with more nursery owners and floriculturists on Saturday. We will give planters the option to select the patch that they would like to adopt for putting up potted flowering plants. The planters will not only provide the plants in pots, but also take of their maintenance,” RMC city manager Rupesh Ranjan said.

Though the RMC had left the selection of flowers to the nursery owners, sources said civic body officials had suggested flowers that were vibrant in colour and required less maintenance.

“The nursery owners only need to look after the plants. We will arrange water to spray on the saplings. Some sites, which have been selected after consultation with nursery owners, include the stretch between Jail Mor to Lalpur and the approach roads to Bandhgadi and Gangu Toli,” Rupesh Ranjan.

Similar potted plants will be kept in selected patches across all the wards in Ranchi depending on the interest shown by the nursery owners, he added.