Help pours in for Bihar girl battling for life following kidney failure

Source: thestatesman.com

Help has started pouring in for 16-year-old Kanchan Kumari who is battling for life at a government hospital in Bihar’s Sheikhpura district following kidney failure. Kanchan’s parents’ had refused to donate their kidneys to save her life saying that she “is a girl”. Doctors say that both the kidneys of the girl have failed and she requires an immediate kidney transplant to survive.

Soon after The Statesman reported this story on 27 July along with the photograph of the talented, hapless girl lying on the hospital bed, many Samaritans from across the globe contacted this correspondent through Facebook and offered monetary help to the girl.

One of them was Charley Nordin, a man from Oakland, California, United States. He messaged, “Hi, I read your article about the girl who needs a kidney transplant. I would like to donate, please help me get in contact with the family and start this process to save her life.” Nordin sent this message to this scribe through Facebook messenger.

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Likewise, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur has approached The Statesman looking for the contact details of the girl so that immediate help could be provided to the girl. Many benevolent persons from Kolkata also contacted The Statesman office on Monday and sought for girl’s contact details to provide help for the same.

Apart from them, a local youth, identified as Gautam Kumar, has come forward for help and offered to donate one kidney to the girl, a resident of Avgil village under Sadar block in Sheikhpura district, some 113 km east of Patna.

Kanchan, whose kidneys have failed, is eagerly awaiting donors so that she can survive. What is distressing is that her parents have refused to donate their kidneys on the ground that she is a girl. “Who ones will donate his/her kidneys? She is a girl,” her father Ramashray Yadav has said on the record.

When asked why he nurses such feelings towards someone who ironically is their daughter, the girl’s uncle cited different reason behind it. “My cousin (Ramashraya Yadav) is the sole bread earner of his family of seven. If something went wrong with him after donating one of his kidneys who will take care of his family?” asks girl’s uncle Upendra Kumar Yadav. The girl is the eldest of the five children.

Kanchan had appeared for the matriculation examination from a local government girl’s high school this year. Her joy knew no bounds when she passed the examination in the first division.

Life took a sharp turn soon thereafter. Hardly had the celebration ended when she fell seriously sick. Subsequently, her parents took her to the local hospitals in the town and then at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna for treatment. Subsequent tests conducted on her confirmed that both her kidneys had failed.

With no money to pay for her kidney transplant, the parents rushed Kanchan back home in Sheikhpura and admitted her to the local Sadar hospital, the main government hospital in the district. According to the parents, the doctor told them that apart from the kidneys, the whole surgery would cost Rs 5 lakh. They say that they are too poor to arrange for the required amount of money.

Amit Khare: Doordarshan to be used for promotion of Jharkhand tourism

Source: ddinews.gov.in

The Central Government has hastened the process to make Jharkhand a national tourist place. In this regard, Ministry of Information & broadcasting, Secretary, Amit Khare met officials in Chatra, Jharkhand and also reviewed the plans.

Religious tourist destinations of Chatra will be connected to Sanatan, Jain and Buddhist circuits to make people in and around the country aware about it.

Temple of Bhadrakali in Chatra is the centre of faith for people across the country. Central government is trying to bring Bhadrakali temple in the forefront of tourism.

Ministry of Information Secretary Amit Khare inspected the process of renovation at the temple which will cost 500 crore rupees.

Amit Khare said that government will use the medium of Doordarshan to create awareness and also promote the religious tourist destinations of Jharkhand.

The steps taken by central govt in this respect, will not only boost tourism but also generate employment opportunities in the state.

On his one day visit to Chatra, Ministry of Information & broadcasting, Secretary Amit Khare also offered prayers at the Bhadrakali temple with District Deputy Commissioner and other officers.

Is Nitish Kumar looking for another home?

Source: nationalheraldindia.com

Unlike the first eight years of his government, the second anniversary of the homecoming of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on July 27 to the National Democratic Alliance was a virtual non-event.

There was no celebration, no release of Report Card to the mediapersons to highlight the achievements of the state government and no grand party organised on this occasion and no doling out of million of rupees as advertisements to newspapers and other media houses.

Instead, the chief minister chaired a six-hour long review meeting on natural disaster as 13 districts are reeling under flood and 20 in the grip of drought. Nitish’s second innings with the Bharatiya Janata Party is very much different from the previous one––that is between November 24, 2005 and June 16, 2013.

He is seldom heard boasting of big achievements of his government. Even during the campaigning for the Lok Sabha election earlier this year, the Bihar chief minister would be heard highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.

This is a significant departure from the past. Nitish would then use anniversaries of coming to power, frequent ‘yatras’ and occasion like Bihar Diwas on March 22 to market his government’s achievements.

No such exercise is undertaken now. There is no talk of Bihari sub-nationalism or ‘asmita’ (pride). Even the demand of special category status to Bihar is seldom raised.

Nitish tried to flex some muscle recently after the demand of more than one berth to the Janata Dal United in the Union cabinet was not accepted by the Prime Minister.

As if that was not enough, some hardliners within the BJP led by Union minister Giriraj Singh started demanding the snapping of ties with the Janata Dal United. They are hopeful that the BJP can win the next year’s Assembly election alone.

There is no dearth of people in political circles who are of the view that Nitish is looking for another ‘home’ after his famous ‘’ghar wapsi’ exactly two years back.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal has opened its door for him, albeit partially.

While other constituents of Grand Alliance like Congress and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha may have no problem in aligning with Nitish once again. But that may not be the case with the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, whose leader Upendra Kushwaha, never sees eye to eye with Nitish.

Incidentally the RLSP is the only party which has taken to streets on several occasions after the May 23 debacle to highlight the failure of the Nitish Kumar government, be it over the deaths of hundreds of children due to acute encephalitis syndrome, heat wave, floods, plight of farmers or deplorable condition of education in the state. In the first week of July the party even undertook a march from Muzaffarpur to Patna.

Thus two months after the Lok Sabha election and two years after Nitish’s ‘homecoming’, the politics in Bihar continues to remain fluid. Nitish is still wondering as to whether he would go to poll next year on his own agenda or that of Narendra Modi.

However, a day after the second anniversary, Nitish managed to get a prize catch in the form of former Union minister Ali Ashraf Fatmi who on July 28 crossed over from RJD to Janata Dal United. Another good thing for the Bihar CM is that the main opposition party, the RJD is in dormant state and the leader of opposition in the state Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav stayed away from the entire Monsoon Session of the House.

Petition filed in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur court against 49 intellectuals who wrote to PM Modi on hate crimes

Source: indiatoday.in

A petition was filed in a Bihar court on Saturday against 49 eminent citizens, who had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on lynching of minorities and hate crimes, seeking slapping of sedition and other charges.

The petition was filed by an advocate before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, relating to sedition, imputations and assertions prejudicial to national-integration and hurting religious feelings.

Petitioner Sudhir Kumar Ojha has also named actress Kangana Ranaut and directors Madhur Bhandarkar and Vivek Agnihotri, who were among 61 high-profile personalities to counter the letter, as “witnesses”.

Ojha alleged that the 49 signatories to the letter had, by their act, “tarnished the image of the country and undermining the impressive performance of the Prime Minister” and also charged them with “supporting secessionist tendencies”.

The matter is likely to come up for hearing on August 3.

On Tuesday, 49 personalities, including filmmakers Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap, Shyam Benegal and Aparna Sen as well as vocalist Shubha Mudgal and historian Ramchandra Guha, had expressed concern at the number of “religious identity-based hate crimes”.

They also noted that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ has become a provocative war cry with many lynching incidents taking place in its name.

Sixty-one intellectuals, including lyricist Prasoon Joshi and singer Malini Awasthi, responded with a counter statement on Friday against “selective outrage and false narratives”.

“It (the July 23 letter) is aimed at tarnishing India’s international standing and to negatively portray the prime minister’s untiring efforts to effectuate governance on the foundations of positive nationalism and humanism which is the core of Indianness,” the statement read.

Manjhi in touch with NDA partner for Jharkhand polls

Source: deccanherald.com

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday disclosed that his Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), a constituent of the opposition Mahagathbandhan in the state, would be contesting the upcoming Assembly polls in Jharkhand in collaboration with an NDA partner.

“Our talks with Ajsu is in the final stages. Seat sharing arrangements will be decided soon. We hope it will be mutually beneficial and there will be a seamless transfer of votes during elections”, Manjhi told PTI in Gaya, his native district.

Asked why he would not be contesting as part of the Mahagathbandhan in the neighbouring state, Manjhi said “HAM was never a part of the Mahagathbandhan in Jharkhand. We joined the coalition comprising Congress, RJD and others only for Bihar. Beyond the boundaries of the state, the alliance does not exist. So our move should not be seen as a betrayal”.

He also declined to comment as to whether he was in talks with leaders of the BJP, the senior NDA partner in Jharkhand, and added: “our alliance with Ajsu will be taking place mainly because of the personal friendship I have with its president Sudesh Mahto”.

He also denied that the development was a signal of his plans to return to the NDA in Bihar.

Manjhi had floated his own party after walking out of JD(U) in 2015 after he was asked to step down as chief minister to make way for the return of his political mentor Nitish Kumar.

The Mahadalit leader went on to contest the Assembly polls held later that year as an NDA constituent, but his party fared poorly as only Manjhi managed to win one of the two seats he had contested.

About six months after Kumar returned to the NDA in July 2017, Manjhi changed track and joined the Mahagathbandhan, which then comprised only the Congress and the RJD.

The RJD, which at present has the highest number of MLAs in Bihar, helped his son Santosh Manjhi get a berth in the legislative council.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Mahagathbandhan came to include Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP and Mukesh Sahni’s VIP and Manjhi initially threw a fit stating that his party should be given a share of seats that was greater than those of all alliance partners except the RJD.

He, however, relented and settled for only three – far less than the nine given to Congress and five to RLSP. At the hustings, his party lost all the seats including Gaya where he was pitted against a relative newcomer Vijay Manjhi.

Earlier, Manjhi toured the adjoining Nawada district where he came out in defence of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan saying he must not resign though he should accept the demand for an apology over his remark about Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Rama Devi.

“When brothers and sisters, mothers and sons meet and plant a kiss by way of affection, the gesture is not seen as having sexual overtones. Azam Khan’s words are not being taken in the right spirit. I, therefore, hold the opinion that he need not resign but since all parties have objections he should tender an apology and be done with the matter.

Face recognition cameras to boost policing in Ranchi

Source: indiatoday.in

For long, Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi has been known as a safe hideout for criminals and Maoists on the run.

A rapidly growing city with a big population, coupled with understaffed police force and a poor surveillance mechanism, Ranchi has often seen in the past as a city where a criminal on the run would desire to be in.

Ranchi Police, however, has just made it difficult for the career criminals.

The police in Ranchi have just obtained advanced face recognition cameras (FRCs) to pick the known criminals and habitual offenders from city streets.

The police have uploaded the available photographs of the criminals in the database of the police control room and linked to the FRCs. With the cameras linked to the police database, it is expected to scan the faces in their respective fields of visions and send out an alert if and when a match is found on city roads.

The police are hopeful that these cameras will help them in both prevention and solving of criminal cases, besides augmenting its existing surveillance mechanism.

All FRCs have been attached to separate network video recorders, a digital device fitted on the internet CCTV network. The recorder will digitally record live image/video streams to a hard disk.

If an offender would cross through locations where the FRCs have been put up, an alert will be generated at police control room along with the location of the offender concerned. A police response team will be immediately tasked to trace the offender

Top police sources told India Today that while 16 FRCs have been installed at strategic locations in the city, more can be procured in times to come. Though the locations of these cameras, installed at a lower height to help the devices effectively recognise faces, have been kept a secret, it is understood that the locations are those from where criminals usually try to escape.

The FRCs’ locations have been kept a secret, as criminals would avoid a route if they come to know about precise installation sites. Each of the FRCs cost over Rs 40,000, but these have good lenses to have clear image quality. While the available photographs of criminals have already been uploaded, expansion of the database would be a “continuous process”.

The FRCs are in addition to the Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras (APNRs) detection cameras, already installed in Ranchi.

These APNRs help cops prosecute traffic rule violaters. These APNR cameras can read number plates of violating vehicles, which technicians at the police control room can scan for the system to automatically generate challans to pay fines and sent them to the addresses of violators. Now with FRCs installed in Ranchi, the police believe its existing surveillance system, which largely depended on 500 CCTV cameras on important roads, will become more effective.

The Ranchi Police said that the FRC system, part of a system to boost real-time policing, will be integrated to the existing video surveillance systems and match faces in real-time against a watch list of individuals to trigger an alert.

Saigon pagoda decorated with thousands of plates

Source: e.vnexpress.ne

Belonging to the Linji school, a branch of Zen Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Giac Lam Pagoda in Lac Long Quan Street, Tan Binh District, is also known as Cam Son or Cam Dem Pagoda.

The pagoda has a total area of nearly 29,000 square meters and is located on a high mound. Its architecture is distinctly southern. There was no gate for the pagoda until a three-part entrance was built in 1955.

The pagoda consists of three interconnected horizontal blocks: the main hall, the lecture hall and the dining hall. After three major restorations, the pagoda has some additional features including the tower, stupa and lecture hall.

The pagoda’s old tiled roof is different from most pagodas in southern Vietnam. It consists of four flanges in which the tiles are lined up neatly. This style is different from the blade tile structure in the northern region.

On top of the roof is the familiar dragon, a mythical creature of great importance in Vietnamese traditions and beliefs.

The main hall still retains its ancient style and ambience with two wings and four pillars. It is deep and spacious. There are 56 large wooden columns, each elaborately engraved with parallel sentences and painted in gold.

In the center of the main hall are the statues of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas on the Three Jewels altar. Most of the statues are made of wood, and are hundreds of years old.

Surrounding the pagoda are 113 ancient statues, all wooden, except for seven cast in bronze. The statues are of Buddha Amitabha, Shakyamuni Buddha, Guan Yin Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha and other bodhisattvas sculpted by artisans in Binh Duong Province in early 19th century.

The most distinctive feature of the pagoda is that its ceiling is paved with more than 6,000 decorative plates.

Next to the main hall, the Hong Hung Tower also has more than 1,000 decorative plates. Other towers around the pagoda mark the graves of its abbots.

The decorative plates are made of ceramic in the kiln at Lai Thieu Ward of Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province. Some are from China and Japan. The decorative plates were added to the wall of the pagoda in the first half of the 20th century.

With more than 7,000 decorative plates, Giac Lam Pagoda holds the record of being the pagoda with the biggest number of decorative plates in Vietnam.

In front of the pagoda is the 7-story hexagon Stupa. The tower’s construction was begun in the 1970s, but was suspended until 1993.

The pagoda’s garden is filled with many trees, shrines and Buddha statues. Most prominent is the ancient bodhi tree brought from Sri Lanka in 1953.

Giac Lam Pagoda is one of the oldest pagodas in Saigon. It was recognized a national historical-cultural relic in 1988 and is a major tourist attraction now.

Jharkhand: Farmer ‘kills self’, family blames govt dues

Source: indianexpress.com

A 40-year-old farmer from Jharkhand has allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well he got constructed under the Mahatma National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) after government authorities did not clear dues for building materials.

The incident took place in Patratu village of Chanho block in Ranchi. Family members of Lakhan Mahato said he got a dug well constructed in 2018 on his farmland at a cost of Rs 3.54 lakh. Lakhan, they said, received around Rs 2 lakh from the government and paid the rest of the amount from his own pocket. Despite several trips to the block office, he had failed to get the dues cleared and was in stress, said his family members.

Ranchi SP (Rural) Ashutosh Shekhar said, “It appears to be a case of suicide. We are waiting for the post-mortem report for more details. There does not seem to be any foul play.” Block Development Officer Santosh Kumar said, “The death seems like an accident as he was an alcoholic. Why would he commit suicide? He also had money in his account and enough means to sustain himself. The post-mortem report may help in knowing the cause of death.”

Kumar added, “Lakhan got his work done recently and the voucher was submitted only on July 25. So there is no question of not paying him money.”

The NREGA website shows as pending the material cost of cement and bricks to the tune of Rs 1.22 lakh which Lakhan paid.

Lakhan’s family members said the well was constructed last year and only the parapet was raised recently. His wife, Bimla Devi, 35, said Lakhan had taken loans ranging from Rs 30,000-50,000 from relatives for the construction of the well and remained worried about the repayment.

“On Friday morning, he woke up and left for his field. When he did not return till evening, we started looking for him. I was worried because he had been tense about the debt.”

On Saturday morning, she said, somebody found Lakhan’s belongings floating in the well and raised an alarm. “His body was found and pulled out. He died in the same well which he got constructed for irrigation. Authorities are terming his death an accident, which is completely false. I don’t know what was going on in his mind that he took such an extreme step,” she said. Bimla Devi said her husband did not have enmity with anyone in the village.

Lakhan’s 80-year-old mother said, “Who will take care of our family now…I don’t even receive my widow pension despite my son going to the block office several times to get the issue resolved…”

Lakhan’s 17-year-old son Suraj said that since the past one month, his father had made “at least 15 trips” to the block office. Birbal Mahato, a relative from whom Lakhan had borrowed money, said, “He had taken Rs 30,000 from me. I never pressured him to repay, but he remained tense over the repayment.”

Three other villagers, Bhim Yadav, Raju Mahato and Subham Mahato are among those who got their dug wells constructed. They said that they had taken loans from friends, under the Kisan Credit Card and sold their buffaloes to arrange for the money. “We haven’t been paid Rs 1.5 lakh each since the past one year,” they said.

BDO Kumar said that there has been a backlog of payment in the district as well as the state. “Ideally, a person should not pay from his own pocket, but due to lack of funds, payment for materials were delayed to the vendors. So, many people used money from their own pocket.”

Flood catastrophe marooned 1.7 crore people in Assam & Bihar catastrophe

Source: reliefweb.int

The death toll in Bihar and Assam floods has mounted to 198. More than 1.17 crore people were displaced in the devastating floods.

Around 8,246 villages are reported to have been affected in both the states. Rivers like Brahmaputra and Ganges submerged 30 districts in Assam and 12 districts in Bihar.

A Rapid Need Assessment (RNA) was conducted by Caritas India, Christian Aid, Adra with the support of Inter-Agency Group (IAG) members and district officials from Government of Assam and Bihar to access the situation. The assessment was done in 6 districts of Assam (Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Chirang, Kamrup, Barpeta & Dhemaji) and 4 districts of Bihar (Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Purnea & Araria).

The assessment revealed that 90% families in Assam and 50% families in Bihar have no access to safe drinking water. All the drinking water sources i.e. open wells and handpumps (apart from the few raised ones) are already contaminated. The need for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene is essential to circumvent the offset of any major public health challenges.

The assessment of damaged houses discovered that 31% families in Assam and 11% families in Bihar completely lost their houses. In view of the monsoon season, 44% families in Assam and 10% families in Bihar are in need of immediate shelter support and Non-Food Items such as tarpaulin, bed sheets, blankets, mosquito nets, ropes, and ground mats.

Bimala Brahma, 65-year-old survivor from Dwimugori village of Chirang is traumatized of her loss. “I had a small piece of land where I had cultivated paddy which is gone underwater”, narrates Bimala when asked about her source of livelihood. After her husband’s death she used to stay alone in her small house which was also taken away by this flood. The need for psychosocial support is felt as people still could not recover from their loss.

The team has also recommended for burgeoning (post disaster) market system, cash-based programming to ensure that the choice of building back better remains firmly in the hands of the affected communities

In Assam alone, 1.79 lakh hectare of crop area was destroyed leading to the heavy loss of livelihood and source of income. The damage data of Bihar is still unavailable due to inaccessibility of the government in the target districts because of the severity of the floods. Most vulnerable communities like dalits, mahadalits and adivasis have lost their kharif crop which has created a deficit in the food security and a potential negative impact on their survival.

Educational institutions also suffered partial or entire damage. Most of the schools are being used as shelter homes by the affected/displaced population. Children reported that they have lost their certificates and other academic documents in the floods. There is a need for safe child centres spaces (CCS) that would benefit the affected children from physical and mental abuse, trafficking and for immediate future.

Caritas India Executive Director, Fr. Paul Moonjely appeals to all the people of goodwill to come out openly and support the cause of the victims who are affected by this massive flood, both in Assam and Bihar. Based on the report findings Caritas have started its response in Morigaon, Kamrup, Chirang & Lakhimpur districts of Assam and Sitamarhi of Bihar supporting 7500 families with WaSH support and hygiene promotion. Caritas India also planning to provide 3000 shelter kits in Bihar. Fr. Paul shared that Caritas India will come out with more support in the days to come to reach out to more families with livelihood and shelter support.

Caritas India is reviewing the situation every minute to access the damage and plan further intervention. Fr. Jolly, Assistant Director, and Fr. Sushil Modi, Administrator of Caritas India has made an emergency visit to Assam and Bihar respectively to express the solidarity and plan for humanitarian interventions.

Government nod for 30 bed ESIC hospital in Bokaro

Source: dailypioneer.com

Bokaro will soon get an Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital which will offer medicine at subsidised rates and provide out-patient and in-patient facilities at a nominal cost.

Establishment of an ESIC Hospital at Bokaro was a much awaited demand of the locals. Jharkhand Government has finally given its nod to erect the 30-bed hospital, the tender for which will be floated soon, informed an official.

“Over 70,000 workers and their families are associated with ESIC at Bokaro and they are not being able to avail the health benefits under the scheme as ESIC does not have its own hospital at Bokaro,” said SK Verma President of BMS.

“The move may help decongest private and government hospitals in the district. It will also reduce healthcare cost for millions by easing dependence on private-run medical facilities,” he said.

The Government has taken this decision on the initiative of Bermo MLA Yogeshwar Mahato Batul, who raised the issue in state assembly, claimed Ranjan Mahato an MLA supporter and party worker.

Meanwhile, run by labour ministry ESIC has over 150 hospitals and 1,500 dispensaries across the country which are catering to the healthcare need of industrial workers (who are subscribers of the corporation), said an official requesting anonymity.

The hospital will provide the out-patient facility to common people at just Rs 10 per visit, for in-patient treatment, it will charge one-fourth of what CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) hospitals charges, he informed.

The ESI Act applies to organisations where 10 or more persons are employed and all employees drawing salary up to Rs 21,000.

Under the Act eligible employees contribute 1.75 percent of their salary (basic+ allowances) and employers contribute 4.75 percent to the ESI corpus every month. Now the Government had recently sought an amendment of the Draft Rules concerning ESI contribution. The Gazette Notification dated February, 15, 2019 proposes a reduction in both the employees’ and employers’ ESI contribution towards the scheme which would be 4 percent–for the employers and 1 percent–for employees.

“Recently ESIC has taken a decision to set up one super speciality hospital in each State,” said the official.