Ranchi diary.

Source – newindianexpress.com

133 Maoist incidents in 2019
A total of 133 Maoist-related incidents took place in 15 of the total 24 districts in Jharkhand last year. Six Maoist groups were found involved in these incidents. CPI (Maoists) toppled the list with 67 cases, followed by Tritiya Prastuti Committee and People’s Liberation Front of India with 24 and 22 incidents. With 30 cases, Chatra saw the maximum of these conflicts. Chaibasa came second with 23 incidents. Similarly, security forces were engaged in 36 encounters with the Maoist outfits in which 36 Red cadres were killed in gunfight. The Maoist cadres also killed 22 civilians last year.

Hockey veterans’ village to be a model village
As a mark of respect to tribal statesman Jaipal Singh Munda of Khunti, his native village Dakra will be developed as a model village. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda announced that his Ministry was working on developing the village of hockey veteran and politician Jaipal Singh Munda into a model village. The announcement was made a day before Jaipal Singh Munda’s birth anniversary, which was celebrated by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on January 3. Dakra will soon boast of all the basic amenities that a model village should have, the minister said. Freedom fighter and tribal legend Birsa Munda was born in the same district, and Dakra’s development will also be a tribute to him, Munda said.

NCC cycle expedition
To develop the spirit of adventure and sportsmanship among NCC cadets, a 4,700 km relay cycle expedition was organised by NCC Bihar-Jharkhand Directorate. Cadets from Ranchi and Hazaribagh Group participated in the expedition which started on November 24, from Ranchi. The event concluded on December 31.   Group Commander Brigadier SK Prasad said that the expedition was also aimed at reaching out to the local people of all districts in the state and spread awareness regarding cleanliness. According to the Brigadier, the cadets successfully completed the expedition, regardless of challenging weather and paths.

Over 1,100 child deaths in RIMS last year
Jharkhand’s premier health institution Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi reported deaths of 1,150 children in last one year. The results come at a time when infant deaths at Kota are making it to the headlines. Authorities attributed poor medical facilities, a lack of doctors and nursing staff, and late arrival of ailing children for this situation. According to the data made available by the RIMS administration, September and October were the most disastrous as the fatalities touched 124 and 117, respectively.