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May 01-07, 07

Jharkhand teacher tells kids about benefits of hooch

Ranchi, May 7 They learn the three Rs of course, but students in a Jharkhand school are also being taught the benefits of drinking 'hadia', the local intoxicant made of rice and the mahua fruit.

According to media reports, children at the Torpa middle school, 70 km from here, were asked Friday by a teacher in the morning assembly what the best beverage was.

When they replied water and milk, Sheela Kumari Horo retorted: 'You do not know anything. The best beverage is hadia.'

The other teachers were stunned and one of them protested. To which Horo reportedly said: 'You do not know anything as you come from Bihar.'

To justify her statement, she told the students that hadia had 'scores of benefits. It keeps the stomach cool and clear and protects during the summer season.'

'We will investigate if such incident has taken place in the school. I cannot comment as I was on leave,' school principal Gurudayal Singh Munda was quoted as saying.

Hadia is offered to the tribal gods during festivals.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/60036.html

Electrosteel to make steel, plans to invest in Rs 4,900-crore Jharkhand plant

KOLKATA: Electrosteel Castings (ECL), the country's largest manufacturer and exporter of ductile iron pipes, is venturing into steel-making. The company has just floated a special purpose vehicle (SPV) —Electrosteel Integrated — to set up a 1.3 million tonne integrated steel plant in Jharkhand. The total outlay on the proposed venture is estimated at Rs 4,900 crore.

Of the total project cost, Electrosteel Castings intends to infuse about Rs 500 crore as equity into the SPV. The investment will be taken up in a phased manner over a period of 30 months. "An SPV has been floated to undertake the new steel project in Jharkhand. The total cost involved in it would be around Rs 4,900 crore," Umang Kejriwal, managing director, ECL, told ET.

The plant will produce long products like structurals, bars and rods. This backward integration initiative is expected to reduce ECL's operating costs. A senior company source said that Electrosteel Castings will have a "significant" stake in the SPV. "The balance equity will, in all likelihood be taken up by a consortium of banks," the source added.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Indl_Goods__Svs/Steel
/Electrosteel_to_make_steel_plans_to_invest_in_Rs_4900-crore_Jharkhand_
plant/articleshow/2015878.cms

Sinosteel plan spurs Chiria debate

KOLKATA: Chinese steel maker Sinosteel's plans for an Indian footprint with a 5 million tonne (MT) steel project in Jharkhand will intensify the race for a piece of the prized Chiria iron ore mines.

The Madhu Koda-led Jharkhand government will once again be pitched in the midst of rival steel companies, all gunning for Chiria.

Of course, Sinosteel has made all the right noises about setting up the Rs 16,000 crore steel plant, linked to iron ore sourced from the open market. Jharkhand government officials said that the Chinese steel major has already sounded out the state government for a captive mine of its own.

Arcelor Mittal, which has also committed an investment of Rs 20,000 crore for a 10 MT plant, is also eyeing Chiria to source iron ore, and the Jharkhand government's failure so far to offer any commitment has prompted Mittal to issue veiled threats of according priority to its Orissa project.

At the same time, the public sector Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), India's largest steel producer, has further queered the pitch for the race for Chiria by staking claim for the entire 2 billion tonnes of estimated and proven ore reserves. SAIL has communicated to the steel ministry that the entire reserves of Chiria mines would be required to feed the expanded capacities of its brownfield and greenfield projects under the company's Corporate Plan 2010 that will augment its steel capacity to 27 MT.

The Jharkhand government and SAIL have locked horns over the former's plans to develop Chiria mines. The original mining lease for Chiria was vested with the erstwhile Indian Iron and Steel Company Ltd (IISCO) and SAIL inherited the lease following the merger of IISCO with SAIL.

"Chiria has some of the best ore deposits in the world. It is natural for every steel company proposing investments in this state to look at it as source of raw materials. But it is virtually impossible for the state government to allow all steel projects — Arcelor Mittal, SAIL, Tata Steel or Sinosteel — to mine Chiria deposits," Jharkhand officials said.

"There are other reserves in Jharkhand. But each investor demands large contiguous deposits, which is difficult for the state government to meet," the officials said.

In a communication to the Centre and Jharkhand, SAIL informed that its total requirement of iron ore over the next 50 years would exceed its previous estimate of 2 billion tonnes, and this, in effect, meant that the public sector company wanted the entire 2 billion reserves of Chiria for itself.

Indicating fresh round of squabbles between Jharkhand and SAIL, government officials said the state government was agreeable to the plan to source ore only for its expansion plans of the Bokaro plant, to ramp up production to 7 million tonnes and IISCO to 3 million tonnes, and not for the expansion of other SAIL plants.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1095390&pageid=2

107-year-old Jharkhand man loves to lie in his own grave

Hundreds of people are flocking to a remote village in Jharkhand to catch a glimpse of an old man who has built his own grave alongside that of his wife, and tending to it for the last six years.

Basanta Rai Guruji claims that he is 107-years-old and spends his day clearing weeds from the grave and derives comfort from lying in it.

A Hindu by faith, he belongs to a caste that buries its dead, Rai's wife died in 2001 of cancer. Soon after burying her, he started digging his own grave, and now unfailingly goes there to pay obeisance to his wife. A photograph of his wife is placed near the grave, and Basanta prays for her soul's welbeing with the help of burning incense sticks.

"I have made this grave for myself and my handicapped daughter, so that we could be interred here alongside my wife. I have done this because my wife was a very nice human being who would always go out of her way to help people at any hour of the day.

She was a do-gooder and would always be mobbed wherever she went, people knew her in twenty or so adjacent villages. She once accosted the local doctor in the dead of night and exhorted him to look after a patient who was in need of care," Guruji said.

Guruji could give today's younger generation a lesson or two on how to nuture and maintain matrimonial ties. His dictum has always been committment to one's spouse. His advice is to do something that will leave a mark in the times to come like his wife did.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/139036.php/107-year-old-Jharkhand-man-loves-to-
lie-in-his-own-grave

PMO, Plan panel want power policy fine-tuned

The revised accelerated power development reforms programme (APDRP), aimed at checking high technical and commercial losses of state utilities, is likely to be delayed by a few months.

The reason: The Planning Commission and the Prime Minister's Office have sought changes in the policy to make it more result-oriented.

The revised programme, which was to be implemented from April 1, 2007, is now likely to come into effect in July-August.

At present, the national average of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses is 34 per cent, with some states, like Jharkhand and Bihar, reporting losses of over 50 per cent. The revised APDRP is aimed at bringing down these to less than 15 per cent.

A senior government official said the power ministry was preparing a Cabinet note by including the revised guidelines.

The original APDRP -- under which Rs 6,500 crore has already been released -- did not succeed in cutting down the losses significantly. Experts blamed "too many pre-conditions" for the failure of the programme, under which states were supposed to unbundle their utilities, set up state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs) and ensure 100 per cent metering.

The revised programme, on the other hand, lays stress on only one parameter -- that states have to improve their collection efficiency, irrespective of whether they have unbundled their boards or have set up a regulator or not.

Earlier, 25 per cent of the loan component of states was converted into grants if the target was achieved. In the revised programme, if a state exceeds certain percentage (yet to be decided) of collection efficiency, the entire loan amount would be converted into a grant, said a senior government official associated with the programme.

But power ministry officials said funding was a big problem and hence only 50 per cent of the loan amount of states would be converted into grants.

Though no funds have been earmarked for the revised APDRP yet, last year (2006-07) the states got around Rs 1,000 crore.

About 160 towns have achieved AT&C losses of less than 15 per cent. These include Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

In comparison, losses in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh range between 25 per cent and 70 per cent. For Bihar and Jharkhand, the figure is over 50 per cent. Uttar Pradesh has been reporting losses of 43-44 per cent.

During 2007-08, 50 more towns are expected to achieve AT&C losses of less than 20 per cent.

http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=3&subLeft=1&chklo
gin=N&autono=283791&tab=r

Adivasi girls falling prey to touts

GUWAHATI, May 6 – A well-oiled network of touts and agents has lately taken a sizeable section of the State's Adivasi community for a ride by enticing young girls and engaging them as domestic help in several parts of the country. Not surprisingly, these agents, who bring the girls to the so-called placement agencies and subsequently supply them as per demand, reap handsome 'profits' while the gullible girls often fall victim to lecherous masters.

Informing The Assam Tribune about the alarming rise in such cases, Stephen Ekka, director, Promotion and Advancement of Justice, Harmony and Rights of Adivasis (PAJRA), said that the number of dubious placement agents in the State is rising in multiple proportions, especially in the Adivasi-dominated areas, as every year more than a thousand young girls are being taken away from the State to engage them as domestic help in Delhi and other metros of the country.

"The most affected areas of the State are places like Tongla, Sonitpur and Dekhiajuli, where almost every second house has one of their wards working in metro cities," Ekka said.

"The agents are mostly educated ones, who after realising the market potential of domestic helpers in certain metro cities, start acting like a broker in their native places," he said.

"According to a survey conducted by Domestic Workers' Forum till 2005, in New Delhi itself, more than 50,000 girls from Assam, predominantly from Adivasi community, were engaged as domestic help," he informed.

The figure has shot up considerably since then and currently it is roughly estimated to be somewhere around the 65,000 mark.

PAJRA is a Tezpur-based NGO, which works for the welfare of the Adivasi community in the State.

"Every year thousands of Adivasi girls from Assam are being engaged as domestic help in metros, which has become a cause of concern for the community as after a particular point of time they are subjected to various forms of atrocities," Ekka said.

"Using them as domestic help is just the beginning and more often than not they end up finding themselves in brothels or are trafficked to different places," he pointed out.

Wary of the menace, PAJRA is now conducting a survey to find out the exact number of Adivasi population, who are presently engaged in various parts of the country, especially in metros.

"The Adivasis, for their innocence and honesty, enjoy huge demand in the domestic-help market, for which the placement agencies are consistently on look out for young girls from Assam and also Jharkhand, which is a Adivasi dominated State," he said.

It may be mentioned that present population of Adivasi population in the State is estimated to be around 60 lakh.

There are more than 500 such agencies spread all over New Delhi today and there are tribal girls from Assam and Jharkhand in almost every middle and upper-middle class home in Delhi.

Ekka added that PAJRA, in its efforts to check the exodus of Adivasi girls has already started awareness programmes (street plays) and is also trying to penetrate income-generating skills among the people.

"Certainly, income is an issue and we are trying to find out some alternative earning opportunities and also spread education to create a certain level of awareness," Ekka added.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=may0707/at02

Jharkhand has twenty-year-old handwritten newspaper

Dumka (Jharkhand), May 1: Sexagenarian Gowrishankar Rajak of Jharkhand's Dumka town has been bringing out a handwritten newspaper for last 20 years.

Despite being a matriculate, Rajak has chosen to serve society through paper and pen. His personal mission is to raise the public's daily problems and search for solutions in his newspaper

Everyday, Rajak "publishes" at least 50 copies of his Hindi newspaper named "Deen Dalit".

He doesn't require any type-setting machine or printing press facilities like most newspaper organisations. He writes each word by hand.

These copies are pasted at vantage points across the town for people to read. It addresses issues and events related to the day-to-day life of the common man.

Rajak's newspaper is also registered with the Registrar for Newspapers in India (RNI No.1274/1987).

Rajak, who actually earns his livelihood as a washerman, is passionate about bringing people's problems to the fore and serve society.

"I am not into journalism for money or personal gains. It's my service for the society and the country at large. It gives me gratification to serve the country in this form. I feel the need to discuss people's problems with the intellectuals and reach a solution", said Gowrishankar Rajak, the Editor and Publisher of "Deen Dalit".

Gowrishankar Rajak has taken it upon himself to publish a newspaper and bring people's woes into the limelight.

His efforts for a social cause have won him several admirers and supporters in his town.

Rajak says that he believes in remaining close to his grassroots.

"Deen Dalit newspaper is connected to the common man. There may be things that major papers miss out, but Rajak does not. For, his goal is to highlight and solve people's problems.

He is connected to the people. We wish that his newspaper touches new heights and his mission be accomplished," said Saurabh Kumar Singh, a Deen Dalit's reader.

Although Rajak has received many honours and certificates, he regrets that the Government has not been of much help to him.

"I try to save money and then get fifty copies published which takes away quite a major part of my earnings. I encourage others to indulge in such acts which would benefit society," Rajak candidly admits.

His family--a wife and four children-takes pride in Rajak's crusade through paper and pen but they do point out the hard times that they have been through in the cause of society.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/138050.php/Jharkhand-has-twenty-year-old-handw
ritten-newspaper

Free power trip hits a roadblock

NEW DELHI : Orissa, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh will have to give up their dreams for free power. These states have demanded that they receive a portion of the power generated in the state free of cost, much like the hydro-resource rich states do.

The ministry of power has categorically told these states that they can't come in the way of the nation's progress by asking for compensation. The issue was discussed at the recent secretaries conference organised by the ministry of power.

The chief ministers of these three states met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in December to discuss their strategy for capacity addition. They have argued that like the hydro-potential states, they should receive a portion of the power produced in their state free of cost to offset environmental costs on power projects. They argue that power produced by projects in their states is utilised by other states hence the need for compensation.

The ministry of power accepts that the issue of environmental impact is a legitimate concern, and is being addressed through environmental policy governing coal mines and power plants. There is a case for strengthening the regulations in this context.
However, the ministry feels that claim for free power on the grounds that hydro-rich states are given 12% free power is not appropriate. The reason being that the distress and dislocation in the case of hydro power projects is much more severe compared to thermal power projects.

More importantly, the hydro-rich states do not receive any royalty for fuel whereas coal-rich states benefit from royalty on coal. Besides, any initiative to give free power or power at variable cost from new thermal power plants would give rise to a similar demand from existing plants.

This would mean a claim that covers as much as 70,000 MW of generating capacities. Any allocation of free power will adversely impact the cost of bulk power. Raising cost of power is against the stated aims of the government. It will also affect the development of a competitive market in the long-run.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Energy/Power/Free_
power_trip_hits_a_roadblock/articleshow/2009310.cms

It's simply unstoppable

JSW Steel's prospects appear good. A good financial performance in FY07, planned capacity expansion and an optimistic outlook for the steel sector are the key positives for the company. The stock has been outperforming the market since January, but it still looks reasonably priced. At current valuation levels, there is scope for some more appreciation.

FINANCIALS:

The company posted a 39% increase in net sales to Rs 8,594 crore for FY07, which was generated by higher volumes and price realisations. Saleable steel volumes grew 26%, with most of the growth coming from sales of hot-rolled (HR) plates, which saw an increase of 103%.

Sales of galvanised plates and coil (GP/GC) were lower, but realisations were higher, which contributed positively to the bottomline. Operating margins touched 26% in FY07, compared to 20% in FY06. The company has curbed rising input costs by reducing power costs. This led to 51% growth in profit to Rs 1,292 crore in FY07.

For the quarter ended March '07, sales grew 58% to Rs 2,498 crore, while profit was 0.6% higher at Rs 413 crore, compared to the corresponding period last year. Operating margins touched 27%, compared to 20% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of FY06.

If the impact of other income is not taken into account, Q4 profits would have been 1.5 times higher than the corresponding period last year. The company is aiming at a volume growth of 30-35% in FY08. Given the positive outlook on steel prices, this can implies strong growth ahead.

FUTURE PLANS:

JSW Steel completed several capacity expansions during the year. The capacity of the pellet plant grew to 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) from 4.2 mtpa earlier. Hot strip mill capacity increased to 2.5 mtpa from 2 mtpa, while crude steel production capacity rose by 1.3 mtpa.

Recently, the company purchased UK-based Argent Independent Steel at an enterprise value of about $7.5 million (Rs 31 crore). The 0.15 mtpa processing plant caters to the automotive and construction sectors. The company has also taken over on an operating basis, the cold rolling facility of 230,000 tonnes from Jindal Steel and Alloys for Rs 63.3 crore. Most of the price paid is in terms of debt acquired. JSW Steel was allotted a coal block in Jharkhand, along with two other companies, that will help it to attain self-sufficiency in coking coal.

The company is in advance stages of setting up a cold rolling mill of 1 mtpa capacity. The mill is scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of FY08. Further expansion of the hot strip mill to 3.2 mtpa from the current 2.5 mtpa will be completed by the end of this financial year. The company is implementing a 2.8 mtpa expansion, which will take its total capacity to 6.8 mtpa.

In addition to this expansion, the company is targeting cost reduction by various means such as setting up a coal drying plant, increasing power generation by 40 mw from the second captive power plant to 130 mw and setting up an additional 30-mw captive power plant.

Further expansion plans to take the capacity to 10 mtpa by '10 are also likely to be taken up towards the end of the year. These plans will result in an outlay of about Rs 7,000 crore. The company proposes to raise around Rs 1,000 crore in the current year through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) and it has taken an enabling approval to raise another $500 via ADR/GDRs and foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs).

VALUATIONS:

JSW Steel's last one-year stock returns stand at 68%. The Sensex has appreciated by 15% over the same period. Nine-month growth is 144%, compared to 29% for the Sensex. Despite the rally in the company's price, we believe it is still trading at affordable levels.

At current price levels, the stock is trading at 7-8 times FY07 earnings. This is similar to Tata Steel's valuation of 8 times and Steel Authority of India (SAIL)'s valuation of 10 times for trailing 12-month earnings. Given the strong growth scenario, a further appreciation in the stock is possible in the short term.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Magazines/Big_Bucks_Inv_Guide/Its_simply_
unstoppable/articleshow/msid-2009087,curpg-2.cms

Elephants checkmate Jharkhand's tribal hunters

Ranchi, May 1 This year, Jharkhand elephants did what the forest officials could not do in the past - chase away tribals who came to hunt and kill wild animals in Dalma sanctuary.

To celebrate the ongoing 'Visu shikar' festival, 400 tribal people of the Dalma Buru Sendra Sammittee (DBSS) had gathered at the wildlife sanctuary for a spot of hunting and killing when a herd of elephants saw them and chased them away.

The hunters, however, claimed to have killed a few boars and deer to mark the festival, local reports said. 'We killed three boars and two deer for our festival,' said a tribal.

Despite laws against hunting in India and a media appeal on wildlife protection by Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto, who is also in charge of the forest and environment ministry, the tribals went ahead with their scheduled plan to celebrate the hunting festival this month.

The state government appeal had said: 'There is a tradition to hunt and kill wild animals on the occasion of Visu Shikar, but there is need to change the conservative method to celebrate the festival.

'Come, we should take an oath to protect wild animals and celebrate our festival by not killing them.'

During the hunting festival, celebrated for a week from Monday, tribals wake up early, bathe and worship their god, ancestors and weapons.

Anthropologists say the festival originated to check the number of wild animals so that they do not pose a threat.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/57743.html

Villagers bring laurels for cleanliness

Jamshedpur, May 7: People of East Singhbhum can hold their head high. Seven panchayats of the district have won the President's Nirmal Gram award, given to rural areas free of open defecation.

Apart from the East Singhbhum districts, three from Lohardaga and one each from Latehar and Dumka also won the annual award.

The East Singhbhum panchayats that were bestowed the honour are Lailam, Kasmar (Patamda), Dorkasai, Kala Pathar (Potka), Pipla (Jamshedpur), Kakrisole (Ghatshila) and Mauda (Bahragora). All these panchayats have more than 5,000 households. The other panchayats that won the award are Aludia (Latehar), Saraiya (Dumka), Torar, Arkosa, and Merle in Lohardaga.

The representatives of the East Singhbhum panchayats were today given a warm welcome in the district collectorate after they returned on Saturday from New Delhi, where they received the award from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on May 4.

The award was institutionalised by the Union rural development ministry in 2005. The award is given to the panchayats that have become completely free from open defecation, including households and schools. The performance of the panchayats in maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene is also taken into account while selecting them for the award, which was institutionalised by the Union rural development ministry in 2005.

"The cleanliness drive is undertaken by the district administration in collaboration with Unicef, which acts as a facilitator," said Unicef district coordinator Nirmal Singh. About 5,000 panchayats were chosen for the award. This is the first time Jharkhand panchayats were selected, he said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070508/asp/jamshedpur/story_7748158.asp

Upgrade plans on cards

Jamshedpur, May 4: The Tata Steel centenary project is set to be a Rs 100 crore development project in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa.

In this light Ratan Tata Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Steel on April 17, 2007, at Bombay House, Mumbai, for providing technical support to the Tata Steel Centenary Project (TSCP). Conceived as a part of their centenary celebrations, Tata Steel has decided to take up land and water management initiatives in backward tribal blocks of the three states.

"Through this project, the company aims to positively impact the livelihood of 40,000 poor tribal households. The project will cover a total of 400 villages through natural resources-based interventions," said a spokesperson.

Benefits provided to tribals would include creation of assured irrigation facilities, setting up of water user co-operatives, development of waste land, promotion of horticulture and agro-forestry and encouragement for improvement of agricultural output through technological upgrade.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070505/asp/jamshedpur/story_7735045.asp

Health camp on gender bias

Ranchi, May 4: As part of an age-old tradition, whenever a male child is born in the villages of Godda district the midwife is awarded with 50 kgs of wheat. But if it is a baby girl, the award value reduces by 50 per cent. Probably, this is the first sign of gender discrimination in the villages.

Sebastian, one of the 10 community organisers, drew attention to this problem at the Capacity Building Programme for Community Organisers held by the Human Potential Development Centre (HPDC) today.

Manoj Khalkho, project coordinator of Catholic Health Association of Bihar (Chabi), an NGO, said the community organisers work for the upliftment of a particular community and tries to educate them.

"We are an NGO working for the betterment of the overall health of the rural folklore in Jharkhand and Bihar. Our effort is to make these villagers aware of the boy and girl ratio," he said.

The two-day workshop witnessed community organisers presenting their reports on the various problems and issues, mostly related to the health.

Rather than going to a doctor the villagers still turn to a midwife for delivery of their babies, revealed Khalkho.

"Therefore, the community organisers try to spread awareness amongst these midwives for the safe delivery of babies. We try and solve health problems in the village there itself, taking assistance from the village elders and creating an awareness for them," he added.

Village health committees are formed of the village midwife, a vaidh, the village headman and a village head worker.

Other than the report presentation, the community organisers also attended lectures on implementations and strategies of government policies applicable in villages.

Another lecture on creation of self-employment at the village level by the Indian Lac Research Institute was also held.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070505/asp/jamshedpur/story_7736902.asp

Where tribals walk on fire for better life

As Khiru Munda closes his eyes and walks on fire, with many others who do it every year during a tribal fire festival in Jharkhand, he is sure that divine powers will grant him his wish.

It is to appease god and to get wishes fulfilled that tribal people walk on fire during the Manda festival, celebrated for a month beginning in the Hindu month of Chaitya.

'Every year scores of men and women walk on fire to appease Lord Shiva. There is a strong belief in the tribal society that Shiva fulfils the desires of worshippers,' said Khiru Munda.

Devotee Lakshman Oraon said: 'Many people pray for good crops, good health or money. Lord Shiva fulfils the desire of the people participating in the festival when they walk on fire.'

The festival, in existence for hundreds of years, is said to have originated over farming fears.

'After Holi, the harvesting takes place and then the sowing season begins. Farmers worship Shiva, who is known to bless worshippers,' said V.S. Uppadhaya, a retired anthropology professor of Ranchi University .

He added: 'With the passage of time, the forms of worship have changed and now people celebrate the festival for more than a good harvest.'

After participants have fasted, a fire is ignited by burning coal in preparation for the nightly walk ritual.

'There is this belief that those who are real followers of Lord Shiva do not sustain burns on their legs or feet despite walking on fire,' explained Sukhdeo Soren, a priest.

http://www.rxpgnews.com/india/Where-tribals-walk-on-fire-for-better-life_26415.shtml

On a ripe path?

A river of fruits is what the National Horticulture Mission promises, report Rudra Biswas and Amit Gupta. There is nothing to show on the ground though

Summer months in Ranchi were once marked by the generous availability of fruits at throw-away prices. The day would start with a glass of nourishing drink of bel juice mixed with milk and chilled water.

As the day progressed, one had a glass of a tangy drink made of local, unripe mangoes. Watermelons, litchies and succulent mangoes, most of them brought in from outside, were reserved for later in the afternoon.

The adventurous feasted on black berries, peaches and jackfruit. Those who have not had boiled jackfruit seeds, vegetable made of jackfruit or the drink made of ripe jackfruit, are clearly not aware of what they have missed.

But although Chianki in Palamau has had a citrus research station for the last five decades and the central horticulture institute itself at Namkom on the outskirts of Ranchi is not quite new, the region has traditionally imported both flowers and fruits from neighbouring states.

The Birsa Agriculture University (BAU), the Rose Society and the Netarhat school's orchard that grew pears held out hopes every year of a horticulture revolution that never came.

And now the central government aided Horticulture Mission once again aims to increase the area under fruits and flowers from the current 1.02 lakh hectares to over 4 lakh hectares by the end of 2010. Only time will tell if this campaign, too, will bely its promise and flatter to deceive.

Mission director, Shashi Shekhar Prasad Singh, is naturally optimistic though. The mission, he spells out, will not only buy three refrigerated vans but will also provide 50 per cent subsidy to the growers' cooperatives to buy these vans. Cold storages, he claims, are being set up and the Mission has already tied up with a Bangalore-based firm, which has offered to buy back all the exotic flowers that Jharkhand can grow.

Currently, he says, vegetable growers in the state lose out on 40 per cent of the vegetables they send out of the state because they get stale on the way. Cold storages and refrigerated vans will address the problem, he hopes.

Birsa Agriculture University, he informs, will be setting up as many as 10 mother nurseries in as many districts. Although the state continues to receive litchies from Muzaffarpur (Bihar) and mangoes from Malda (Bengal) and oranges from Nagpur, in five years, Jharkhand will give all of them a run for their money, Singh asserts confidently.

Others are not quite as hopeful. Forty lakh saplings will be required every year, claims an expert, to implement the National Horticulture Mission in the state. But the state continues to depend on neighbouring states and their nurseries, he points out. The progress so far is far from satisfactory, admits the agriculture department official.

The project got off to a bad start with 80 per cent of the cashew plantation, with saplings procured from orissa and Bengal , "dying" in Bahragora and Chakulia. The NGOs involved in the operation were show-caused, sparking off a blame-game.

With three more years to go, the state is yet to show a single cold-storage or a new food processing unit. Concerted effort by the government, NGOs and farmers will be required to reap the benefits of the centrally sponsored scheme, concedes a BAU scientist, P. Kumar.

Md Naushad, a commission agent at the Daily Market in Ranchi, says that not a single variety of fruit or flower is purchased by the traders from within the state. Vegetables, however, are bought in different parts of the state, for both local consumption and for sale outside. Horticulturists maintain that the state is ideally suited to produce carnations and gladiolus besides other flowers. Its soil is also ideal for orchards and vegetable cultivation.

Indeed, districts of Seraikela, East Singhbhum and Santhal Parganas, with moist and humid climate, have been earmarked for large scale cultivation of mangoes and guavas.

Gumla and Simdega districts have been asked to specialise in the production of litchies. Coconuts have been assigned to East Singhbhum whilst Ranchi, Lohardaga, East Singhbum, Seraikela and Hazaribagh districts have been designated as most suitable for large scale cultivation of spices like green chillies, ginger and turmeric.

The action plan further states that in the more dry districts of Palamau, Chatra and Latehar, which falls in the rain shadow area of the state, farmers would be encouraged to take up large production of amla and citrus fruits. Central assistance ranges from Rs 22,500 per hectare for cultivation of fruits whilst in case of spices, the grant is Rs 11,500 per hectare to be spread over the next three years.

For vegetables, the state horticulture mission is identifying local collection centres to be designated as "apni mandis" along with facilities of a cold chain that includes refrigeration vans to bring the produce from the collection centres, quick transportation facilities and a tie ups with wholesale buyers outside the state. A tie-up is also in place with a Bangalore-based firm, Florence and Flora for a complete buy back of all exotic flowers grown in Jharkhand.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070508/asp/jamshedpur/story_7748613.asp

Journey of a langur untold

He is a langur but he has miles to go. So he chose Indian Railways as the best mode of transport and, naturally, travelled ticketless.

On Wednesday, a langur - a large long-tailed monkey - created quite a flutter as he got down on platform No.1 of Ranchi railway station from a Bokaro-Allepe train, said an eyewitnesses.

After getting down from the train, he started playing soccer with a 10-year-old boy and even had a hearty meal of chocolates and chips provided by a station shop owner.

He also played with toys put on display in the shops. The passengers gathered to watch his activities. The langur stayed for around six hours on the platform.

Before leaving, the langur checked into a restaurant on the platform. There he was offered food and he sat on a table and finished the meal merrily.

He then boarded a Hatia-Patna train, where fellow passengers even offered him a berth.

'The langur stayed on the platform for six hours. He didn't hurt anyone and even played with children and entertained the commuters. The shopkeepers offered him chocolates, chips and other things, which he accepted happily,' said Mohan Kumar, a shop owner at the Ranchi platform.

'I've never seen a langur who travels by train and enjoys the ride without creating any trouble to passengers,' said Rakesh Mishra, a fellow passenger.

The animal's final destination was not known!

http://www.rxpgnews.com/india/Journey-of-a-langur-untold_26300.shtml

Web window to public records

Jamshedpur, May 7: From June, residents here will be able to collect certificates from a single website, thanks to a pilot project that is being undertaken by National Informatics Centre (NIC). The Common Service Centre, which is supposed to provide all government services at the village level, has developed a website which has the formatted software. "Through a trained operator, we will issue certificates of birth, death, caste, domicile and residence from the website jhr.nic.in/csc," said Sunil Verma, district information officer, NIC.

Even the application for certificates can be downloaded from the Internet.

A number will be provided to all applicants who seek the certificates. By logging on to the website and typing in the unique identity number, applicants can trace the progress of their certificate.

The project in Jamshedpur will be second of its kind in the state.

A similar project has just been started on experimental basis at Dhanbad.

"We are waiting for Internet connectivity as this is completely a web-based application. We should be able to start by the end of May," said Verma.

"We are merely making use of the computerised process and allowing people of the city to take advantage of it," he added.

As soon as Internet connectivity is made available to all blocks, the facility can be extended in block offices in East Singhbhum , said officials.

A printer will also be provided to make available the certificates from the block office. When the larger project of CSC is implemented through the public-private-partnership model, the controls will be handed over to them, said officials.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070508/asp/jamshedpur/story_7748172.asp

Lack of cyber laws nurture lovers' nest

Jamshedpur, May 4: Cybercafes in the city have turned out to be a safe haven for lovers as they provide a private space and cost less than restaurants.

In a random survey carried out by The Telegraph at five cyber cafes in Bistupur, Adityapur, Sakchi, Kadma and Sonari, about 25 youths said frequent police raids at Jubilee Park and Tata Steel Zoological Park have forced them to visit cafes with their partners.

"Earlier, we used to meet either at Jubilee Park or at the zoo. The way police started raiding these two places frequently forced us to meet at cybercafes as they have a decent crowd and no one is bothered about what is going on in the adjacent cabin," said a girl in an Adityapur cafe. Her boyfriend Vijay Prasad, a final-year student of Jamshedpur Co-operative College, said: "All the cafe owners in the city take special care of couples. Some even keep water bottles in the cabins so that we don't have to move out of the enclosure."

At a cost of Rs 15 per hour for browsing, another reason that has made the cafes a safe haven is that it is less expensive. "We meet at least five days a week. If we meet in a restaurant, minimum expenses per day would be not less than Rs 100," said Md Kasim, a student of KMPM Inter College.

A Plus Two student of Rajendra Vidyalaya said: "We use the time both for dating and also surfing through websites to collect information about career options and even work on social science projects for school. At times we even download photographs required for projects."

However, love birds have reason for concern. Following yesterday's incident, deputy superintendent of police Madhusudan Bari said he has instructed all police stations to conduct surprise checks at cafes so that these places do not encourage indecent acts.

In the past one year, many states in the country have implemented rules to help curb cyber crime, but no such rule exists here.

According to a national rule model recommendation, state governments are advised to make it mandatory for all customers to provide a photo identity proof. Cafe owners are expected to keep a log timing of customers and terminals used, to prevent cyber crimes such as pornography, money laundering through Internet or anti-national activities. But state authorities do not seem aware of such rules.

"The Centre can't impose the rule on states since cafes come under the shops and establishments strictly controlled by the state," said Rohas Nagpal, president of Asian School of Cyber Laws, Pune.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070505/asp/jamshedpur/story_7736841.asp

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