Month: July 2019

Jharkhand to bear education expenses of children if family head killed in elephant attack

Source: indiatoday.in

The Jharkhand government will provide free education to the children of a family, which has lost its only earning member to an elephant attack, an official statement said here on Thursday.

All district deputy commissioners have been apprised of the government’s decision, it said.

“If a family head dies following attack by elephants, children of that family will get free education in government schools,” said the statement issued by the office of Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

The direction came following a meeting of the Jharkhand State Wildlife Council, chaired by the chief minister, on Wednesday.

Among others who attended the meeting were Additional Chief Secretary (forest department) Indushekhar Chaturvedi, Principle Secretary to the Chief Minister Sunil Kumar Barnwal and the forest department chief Sanjay Kumar.

Special efforts are being made to reduce man-animal conflict in Jharkhand, with focus on plantation of bamboo trees in the forests – one of the major sources of food for elephants, the statement said.

An “underpass will be constructed between Ranchi and Jamshedpur for the safe passage of elephants” along the forested areas, it said.

According to government records, 87 people were killed in elephant attacks in the state in the 2018-19 fiscal.

Between January and June this year, at least six persons died in elephant attacks in the Ranchi forest division.

Defence pension adalat a big hit in Ranchi

Source: telegraphindia.com

Over 700 people, comprising retired defence personnel or their dependants, sought redressal of their grievances at the 168th defence pension adalat, a two-day affair, that began at Kerketta Auditorium of the Dipatoli Cantonment in Ranchi on Thursday.

A range of problems were highlighted and most were resolved, said sources.

For instance, Surya Prasad Singh, an ex-serviceman from Ranchi who retired from the army more than 15 years ago, is yet to get the commutation value of his pension restored.

Sujit Shukla, an ex-serviceman from Garhwa who was with the army for 13 years and four months, said he had been denied pension.

“I had commuted a part of my pension at the time of my retirement. But, this yet to be restored though I ought to get it back now,” said Surya Prasad Singh.

“I’ve come here to seek reconsideration of my case,” said Sujit Shukla. “I had to retire… but was with the army for 13 years and 4 months, which is less than the 15 years of active service that is required to qualify for pension,” he explained, adding that he wanted to appeal to the authorities so that his case could be reconsidered and pension sanctioned to him.

The adalat, held for the third time in Jharkhand, is being organised by the principal controller of defence accounts (PCDA, pension)- Allahabad under the aegis of the controller general of defence accounts (CGDA)-New Delhi.

It was inaugurated on Thursday by Governor Draupadi Murmu.

“Since such a pension adalat has been organised in Ranchi, retired defence personnel should utilise it to their fullest benefit,” she said, going on to praise ex-servicemen for their contribution to the nation. She also thanked the armed forces and defence authorities for organising the adalat.

PCDA Vishwajit Sahay, in his address, spoke of the steps being taken to provide better services to defence pensioners by introducing a pensioners portal and issuing electronic pension payment orders (e-PPOs).

“More lines have been added to our call centre with toll-free number1800-180-5325 so that defence pensioners can seek clarification on any doubt or register their grievances,” he said.

CGDA Sanjiv Mittal said a comprehensive pension package was in the offing. “The entire process of pension sanction would be computerised,” he said. The adalat received an overwhelming response with 680 people registering grievances till 2.20pm on Thursday. More people were expected to turn up, opined a local defence accounts official, adding that most of the problems were likely to be resolved on the spot.

Nitish Kumar reaches Bihar assembly by electric car

Source: indiatoday.in

Seeking to send out a message of environment preservation, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday arrived at the state assembly in an electric car.

As his vehicle arrived at the porch of the historic building that houses the bicameral legislature, he was presented with a bouquet by Transport Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Agarwal.

While climbing the flight of stairs that lead into the assembly premises, Kumar was heard saying, “It is a pleasure travelling in this car. It is almost soundless and its design feels very comfortable while sitting inside”.

Talking to reporters on the occasion, Agarwal said the car, which has been manufactured by Tata Motors, can cover a distance of 150 km upon being charged for four hours.

“Factoring in the cost of electricity it can be said that the car, which is priced at Rs 11 lakh, costs 80 paise per kilometer. Besides economic viability, it also causes zero pollution.

“We are in the process of installing charging points at 1, Anney Marg (the CM’s residence which is about a kilometer and a half away) and here at the Vidhan Sabha,” Agrawal added.

All such vehicles would have number plates in green to highlight their eco-friendly nature, the principal secretary said.

Replying to queries from journalists who thrust their microphones inside the car as soon as the chief minister alighted, driver Ganesh said, “It is very easy to drive. There is no need to change gears frequently.”

In the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this month, an additional tax benefit of Rs 1.5 lakh was announced on payment of interest towards loans taken for purchase of electric cars.

It was seen as a measure taken by the Narendra Modi government to promote the use of eco-friendly cars.

Rain subsides in Kerala; Relief & Rehabilitation intensifies in Assam and Bihar

Source: ddnews.gov.in

In Kerala, red alert for rain has been withdrawn from all the districts in the state. After a week of heavy downpour, intensity of rain has now reduced.

According to the met department, extremely heavy rainfall is not predicted anywhere in the state for the coming days, however isolated heavy rainfall is still predicted in some areas. 

Heavy rain is expected in Kannur and Kasargod. 

Four people have died so far in the state.

In Bihar too, significant improvement has been registered in flood situation. As rains stopped, rivers are also on receding trend. In Darbhanga, large areas are still submerged and which is hampering normal life. 

With fields and villages inundated, people are still using boats to move around. Administration has also put greater focus on relief and rehabilitation measures. People who had moved to safer places and highlands, have also started returning to their homes.

In Motihari and Madhubani, floods have left behind a long trail destruction. Large areas are still inundated while heavy losses to property have been reported. Those who had shifted to safer places are have a long road to restart. Administration is putting a greater focus on relief and rehabilitation.

In Muzaffarpur, camps are being set up to provide necessary assistance to flood affected. Those in need of medical care are also visiting the camps and are getting the required help.

In Assam, relief and rehabilitation measures are being intensified following the improvement in flood situation. t hough rivers are receding, flood water in parts of the state continues to affect normal life. In Bongaigaon, heavy rains in the past few days have severely affected roads which causing hardships to locals. In some areas, people are still using boats to move around. The assessment of damage caused to houses is currently on.

A free medical camp was organized by Joypur Army Camp, Dao Division, under Operation Sadbhavana, 2019 in Neul Goan and its adjoining villages. A large number of flood affected people and sick persons were treated and free medicines were distributed at the health camp. The health camp was conducted by three doctors, one from army and two from Jorhat Medical College & Hospital. Few villagers have return to their respective village after the condition has returned to near normalcy.

How one phone call busted a Naxal operation in Bihar

Source: livemint.com

NEW DELHI: As floods knifed through Bihar and forces scrambled to aid rescue operations in the state, a telephone call on the afternoon of 22 July in the state’s Bodh Gaya district changed the order of the day: Naxals had infiltrated into the area and had orders to carry out a big operation against security forces.

It was that phone call which ultimately led to one of the biggest anti-Naxal operations in the area in recent years, on Thursday afternoon, leading to the Naxal camp being wiped out by security forces.

From that day on — even as the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) intelligence wing began to scramble for inputs, which came in abundance – even though it was business as usual, forces were sworn to complete secrecy over the upcoming operation.

“Intelligence Inputs by sources developed by CPRF had been pouring in since 22 July about presence of a Maoist squad in this area and therefore an operation was planned after corroboration of inputs with the assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Operation in Gaya and Aurangabad, along with a combined team of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and the CRPF,” said a senior CRPF official, seeking anonymity.

With the Naxals’ new commander Basavraj already having lost one of his key men Madkam Hidma to an encounter earlier this week, the armed cadre of the Naxals had come prepped to inflict maximum damage, from neighbouring Chattisgarh.

“All these teams were inducted from different routes with utmost deception avoiding all possibilities that could have alerted the vigilant Maoists of our plan. Their activities in the area have been persistently tracked and monitored through recent operations,” the official quoted above added.

While tactical action teams of Indian security forces had been inducted in complete secrecy, amid incessant rains, they were stationed at the respective locations at the break of dawn on Thursday.

“The CoBRA Strike came in direct confrontation with the Maoist sentry stationed few meters away from a temporary makeshift camp. Although the Maoist sentry emptied his rifle magazine, trying to push back the advancing Commandos, they (commandos) tactfully managed to dodge his bullets, quickly flanking and encircling this temporary camp meanwhile engaging in retaliatory fire,” said another senior security force official, requesting anonymity.

By the afternoon of Thursday, a full gun battle had been raging between the security forces and Naxals in the area of Sathnadia Nallah of Chakkarbandha forest in Bodh Gaya.

“An Exchange of Fire erupted between the CoBRA Commandos and CPI Maoist cadres at approximately 12:30pm on Thursday afternoon near Chakkarbandha forest. After half hour of gun battle, Cobra commandos managed to overrun the camp of the Maoists without any harm or loss on their (CoBRA) side. Five IEDs (improvised explosive devices) were planted in the vicinity of this camp, which were safely diffused by troops,” said the CRPF official.

14 die in rain-related incidents in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh

Source: indiatoday.in

Fourteen people, including a minor, were killed in rain-related incidents in Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, while the Assam floods claimed one more life on Thursday.

The northern parts of the country received light to heavy rains, with the MeT Department saying rainfall activity has increased over central India, Northern Plains and Western Himalayan region since Wednesday.

Uttar Pradesh received traces of rainfall and state capital Lucknow recorded a high of 31.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday. However, nine people died in rain-related incidents across the state in the past three days. Meerut received 100.6 mm of rainfall, followed by Bareilly, which recorded 50.0 mm of rainfall.

Due to heavy rains recorded in parts of Rajasthan, three people, including a 15-year-old boy, were swept away in water in Shekhawati region. Parts of the state received rainfall from 7 cm to 15 cm. Didwana of Nagaur recorded 15 cm rainfall, followed by 13 cm each in Sadulpur, Bassi, Sikar, 11 cm each in Bhuhana and Phagi, 10 cm each Chirawa, Neem Ka Thana.

Three more deaths due to lightning strikes were reported in Jharkhand, taking the

death toll in the state to 15. On Wednesday, 12 people were killed by lightning in four districts of the state – six in Jamtara and two each in Dumka, Pakur and Ramgarh.

With the death of one more person, the toll in Assam floods reached 75 on Thursday as more than 34 lakh people remain affected by the deluge in 18 districts of the state, officials said.

Due to the release of excess water from the Kuricchu Hydropower reservoirs in Kuricchu River in Bhutan, western Assam districts of Barpeta, Nalbari, Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri and South Salmara are facing rise in flood water level. However, water level receded in some other districts of the state on Thursday.

In Bihar, no fresh deaths were reported as flood water entered state’s West Champaran, taking the total number of flood-hit districts in the state to 13. The death toll remained unchanged at 123. The state Disaster Management Department said relief and rehabilitation work was in full swing as 82.12 lakh people are affected by the deluge in 13 districts.

Light to heavy rains lashed most parts of Himachal Pradesh, dropping the maximum temperatures by several notches below normal limits on Thursday, the Meteorological (MeT) Department said.

In Punjab and Haryana, light to moderate rains lashed most places, plummeting the maximum temperatures between two to seven notches below normal in the region.

Narnaul received 54 mm of rainfall, followed by 16 mm in Amritsar, 14 mm in Ludhiana, 12.4 mm in Chandigarh, four mm in Ambala, two mm in Patiala and 0.5 mm in Hisar, it said here.

There was some respite for people from hot and humid weather in Kashmir as

heavy rainfall in lashed most parts of the Valley, even as the downpour affected normal life in Srinagar leading to waterlogging in many city roads.

The Mughal Road and the Doda-Kishtwar highway were closed for traffic due to landslides triggered by heavy rains in Jammu region.

However, in Delhi, vast stretches of the city remained dry, in a departure from the weather department’s forecast of ‘very heavy’ rains in the national capital. On Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert warning for Delhi.

IMD officials said the weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar recorded traces of rainfall. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for the city, recorded nil precipitation.

Several parts of Odisha were lashed by rains due to a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal, giving much needed relief to the farmers hit by deficit rainfall.

Producer of incendiary song, “Jo na bole jai shree Ram,” claims its writer is a “patriot”

Source: caravanmagazine.in

These are the opening lyrics to a new song uploaded on YouTube on 23 July, on a channel called “Varun Bahar official.” The three-minute-long song, titled, “Those who will not chant victory to lord Ram, send them to the graveyard,” is by a Bhojpuri singer, Varun Bahar Upadhyay. The video features Bahar dressed in an all-saffron outfit, sporting rudraksh beads—seeds that are used as prayer beads, usually by followers of the Hindu god Shiva—against a fixed backdrop splashed with images of the Hindu god Ram. The video switches between Bahar singing, images of young men carrying swords and threatening bystanders, and groups of saffron-clad boys and girls dancing. An unidentified graveyard—the cemetery is dotted with Christian crosses—makes an appearance every time Bahar sings the chorus, accompanied by some fist-pumping for added effect. The hashtags accompanying the song are equally unimaginative: “#saffron#terrorist#varun.” The description has a single line in Hindi which translates as “after singing this song, the media has declared Varun Bahar as a saffron terrorist.” A casual search on Google did not reveal any such media reports.

The song has, however, been shared widely on social media, drawing sharp reactions, and scathing criticism for inciting lynching and mob violence against minorities. The unequivocal exhortations in the song’s lyrics are undeniable. Bahar’s YouTube channel, which had 549 subscribers as of 6 pm on 24 July, has been online since 2013, but the oldest video is from just a year ago. The channel is an absurd mix of devotional songs, Bhojpuri love songs, videos proclaiming and seeking support for the prime minister Narendra Modi and content that can only politely be termed titillating.

Bahar’s mobile phone has been switched off since the morning of 24 July, following the furore on social media, and I could not get in touch with Santosh Singh Yadu, the writer of the song and a co-curator of the channel. Rajesh Verma, who runs a YouTube channel called Janta Musical And Pictures, produced and directed the video. Verma told me that the video was originally uploaded on his channel “two or three days ago, but we removed it from Janta music because it became controversial.” He said that some “Pakistani channels and local channels” contacted him and told him that “it’s wrong to say ‘send them to the grave,’ and so we took it down.”

Verma denied that the lyrics were inflammatory and said that “the singer did not take names” of any religion. He argued that “both Hindus and Muslims use graves.” When I pointed out that Hindus are cremated and so the song targets minority communities who bury their dead, Verma claimed that “only married Hindus are cremated, unmarried and single Hindus are buried.” He appeared to have forgotten that the Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch, Atal Bihari Vajpayee—an avowed bachelor—was cremated with full state honours. “I am not anti-Muslim,” Verma told me, when I pushed him to explain the anti-minority lyrics of the video. “I visit dargahs every Thursday and do pranam whenever I go past a mosque.”

Verma’s Janta Musical channel has released 598 videos as of 24 June. One song is titled, “’If you don’t like saffron, get out of India” and boasts of 5.5 million views. Another is called “Every Hindu’s call: Temple first, government only after that,” and has 252,000 views. All the songs feature violent imagery of men dressed in saffron, carrying swords and other similar tropes of majoritarian assertion. The channel also contains several videos supporting Modi and the BJP.

“Bahar and Yadu came to me with the idea of the song,” Verma said. He added that Bahar hails from a village called Mankapur, “near Ayodhya.” He noted that he had heard the song before uploading it but justified the offensive lyrics and its call to violence. “Some people are saying we won’t let the Ram temple be built,” Verma told me. “We are devotees of Ram, so we have made a song in praise of Ram.”

Verma was puzzled by the objection to providing a platform to the song: “If it was a matter of hurting anyone, why would we upload it?” When I asked him who the video was addressed to, he blithely responded, “The writer of the song is a deshpremi”—a patriot—“and he may have had the stone-pelters in Kashmir in mind while writing the song.” Verma also denied any connection to a political party or group and said he was an “independent music producer.” Janta Musical has a Twitter account, which tweeted on 23 July, “We apologise for the rumours spread due to the song of one singer. It was not the intention of Janta Music to hurt the religious feelings of any group.”

While Verma claimed that he removed the video soon after uploading it, the song was available on the “Varun Bahar official” channel till around 6 pm on 24 July. It has now been removed but is still being shared widely on other social-media platforms. The singer and writer, though unavailable, seem to have no regrets about the song or its content. Just hours before the video was removed, at around 3 pm on 24 July, Bahar and Yadu posted this statement, from their official account, in the comments section:

BPSC 65th Combined Prelims 2019 Application Form Date Extended; Apply Till August 11

Source: news.careers360.com

NEW DELHI, JULY 25: Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has extended the last date to fill the BPSC 65th Combined Prelims exam 2019 application form. Candidates can now fill the application form of BPSC till August 11, 2019. Earlier, the last date to fill the form was August 6. All those candidates who could not register for the application form filling by the prior last date of registration can now register till July 29. Candidates could earlier register till July 24 only. Along with the date of application and registration, the authority has also extended the last date to pay the application fee. Now, candidates can pay the application fee till August 5, 2019 which could be earlier paid till July 30.

To fill the application form of BPSC, candidates must visit the official website of the examination authority – bpsc.bih.nic.in and click on the application form link. Candidate must fill all the details in the application form correctly. Along with filling the application form, candidates must also pay the requisite application fee as per their category. Candidates belonging to General, OBC categories and other state candidates must pay Rs. 600 as the application fee, while SC/ST candidates and females (of all categories) need to pay Rs. 150 in online mode.

Before filling the application form of BPSC 2019 exam, candidates must keep certain particulars – scanned photograph , signature, mobile number, valid email ID, any one photo – identity proof issued by State or Central Government like PAN card/Aadhaar card/Voter Id card/Passport/ Driving License and details of Visa/Debit/Credit card and Net Banking to pay the application fee ready with them.

BPSC conducts BPSC Civil Services Exam for the recruitment of candidates to various posts like Revenue Officer, Block Panchayat Officer, Assistant Registrars in Cooperative Societies, Bihar Police Service etc.

Bihar woman claims she was abducted, confined and gang-raped for seven days

Source: timesnownews.com

Patna: A woman from Bihar has claimed that she was kidnapped, held hostage and gang-raped by a group of men in the state’s Nalanda district. In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was abducted by an acquaintance who managed to get her out of her husband’s home on the pretext of taking her to her parents’ home by deceiving her into believing that her father was unwell.

The woman, who got married about two months ago, claimed that she was abducted on July 16. A man known to her arrived at her husband’s home and told the complainant that her father was unwell. The accused then offered to drop her off at her parental home. After she took up the offer, she was taken to a residence where she was held hostage for a total of seven days and gang-raped by four men.

In her complainant, the woman further claimed that the accused also stole her jewellery and cash. On July 23, she managed to flee her captors and reached her husband’s home. She then narrated her ordeal before the police in Rahui who registered an FIR on the basis of her complaint. An investigation into the matter is underway by personnel attached with the Ghoswari police station. The survivor has identified one of the accused by name. More details are awaited as this is a developing story and the matter is under active investigation.

A similar incident has come to light from Samastipur where a woman has alleged that she was abducted and gang-raped by six men. The complainant also told police that the accused recorded illicit videos of her and the same are doing rounds on social media. The woman’s husband works in New Delhi and rushed back to his home in Bihar after the matter was brought to his attention.

Officials with the Hasanpur police station in Samastipur district arrested three people in connection with the alleged gang-rape of the 35-year-old woman. A preliminary investigation by police had revealed that she was going to meet her sister-in-law when she was abducted and taken to an isolated farm where she was gang-raped by six men. They even gagged her with a cloth to ensure that the sound of her screams does not alert locals. The accused were reportedly booked under sections 376 and 362 of the Indian Penal Code along with section 66E of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

94 pc women in Bihar know about contraceptives but only 1 in 5 use them

Source: yourstory.com

According to government data from 2015-16, Bihar is India’s fifth poorest and third most populous state, with the country’s highest total fertility rate at 3.4 children per woman.

A survey conducted in Bihar by IndiaSpend found that 94 percent of sexually active women aged between 15-49 knew of at least one of the eight contraceptive methods available, but only 20.1 percent (one in five) were currently using them. It also found that a higher number of unmarried, sexually active women used contraceptives (42 percent) than married ones (27 percent).

So if there is widespread knowledge about contraceptives in Bihar, why is there such less usage?

The survey suggested that the fear of side-effects was the biggest cause. This was followed by the desire the conceive, a general disinclination to use contraceptives, and opposition from partners. Other reasons included lack of access and knowledge, and religious objections.

According to the survey, the most preferred method of contraception in the district of Gaya, was Copper T – an intrauterine device made of copper. This was followed by withdrawal from the man, tubal ligation, and condoms.

The survey also found that the burden of contraception is almost entirely borne by the women. Supporting this finding, data from the Health Management Information System showed that among all the sterilisation procedures conducted in Bihar in 2017, 98.9 percent were on women.

A report by the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) assessed the role of the government in the delivery of contraceptive information and services to women.

It said that India committed to distribute contraceptives at the community level through 8.6 lakh community health workers, known as ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) by 2020, at the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning. However, modern contraceptive prevalence rates in India are growing at an unsatisfactory rate, suggesting that the country is unlikely to meet its goal.

ASHAs are the key administrators of family planning services at the community level, and work primarily towards encouraging female sterilisation procedures.

Although the ASHA programme is a crucial part of the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), the number of ASHA workers engaged across the country, as of 2014, shows a shortfall of around 3.4 lakh.

Among the suggestions on the way forward for better contraceptive use and knowledge in rural India, the report said that there needs to be more extensive training for ASHA workers, emphasising on counselling techniques so that they are equipped to ‘break down communication and socio-cultural barriers relating to contraceptive use at the community level.’

It also said that ASHA workers should be paid a fixed-rate salary in order to ensure they provide unbiased and comprehensive contraceptive information and services, without a disproportionate focus on female sterilisation.