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| Jun 19 - 25, 07 |
Maoists blast rail track, seize train
Ranchi: Maoist guerrillas blew up a rail track, laid siege to a passenger train for three hours and burnt trucks as they launched a two-day 'economic blockade' in Jharkhand Tuesday.
The protest began at midnight Monday to protest against the arrest of Maoist leaders and 'police repression'.
According to the police, the railway track was blown up between Barkahana and Barwadih stations. The engine of a goods train was set on fire in Lathear district.
Maoists also stopped the Jodhpur-Howrah train near Parasnath railway station in Giridih district. They stopped it around 1 a.m . Tuesday by parking a truck on the railway track. They left after three hours.
In coal-rich Bokaro district, the rebels stopped a coal-laden goods train and unloaded the coal on the tracks.
In Pakur district, the guerrillas raided the Panam coal mine and burnt eight coal-ferrying dumper trucks. Some rebels abducted four officials posted there. While three officials escaped, one is missing.
The railway authorities have cancelled around a dozen trains, including the Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and Jharkhand Express, to avoid attacks by the rebels.
'No casualty has taken place in any of the incidents,' said Jharkhand Director General of Police J.B. Mahapatra.
Maoist rebels are active in 18 of 22 districts in the state. Around 740 people, including 290 security personnel, have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last six years in the state.
The 'economic blockade' is also taking place in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/news/article_1322552.php/Maoists_blast_rail_
track_seize_train
Mill to process natural uranium ore commissioned
CHENNAI: The natural uranium crunch that hit India's indigenously-built Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and brought down their capacity factor will ease with the commissioning on Monday, for trial run, a mill at Turamdih in Jharkhand for processing natural uranium ore. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, inaugurated the mill. He opened an open-cast mine at Banduhurang for production of natural uranium ore. Besides, he laid the foundation for constructing an underground mine at Mohuldih for excavating uranium ore. The mill and the mine have been built by the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a public sector undertaking of the Department of Atomic Energy.
According to Ramendra Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, UCIL, the mill at Turamdih could process 3,000 tonnes of natural uranium ore a day. The existing mill at Jaduguda, also in Jharkhand, processed 2,190 tonnes a day. Thus, the two mills could together process about 5,200 tonnes of uranium ore a day. It would take a month for the operations at the mill at Turamdih to stabilise. "We have a centralised control room and drum filters in place of belt filters at Turamdih. So recovery of uranium ore will be better," said Mr. Gupta from Jaduguda.
The process
It is a state-of-the-art, high-end capacity plant. Through a series of chemical processing methods in these two mills, uranium is obtained from the ore and then converted into yellow cake. At the Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, the yellow cake is fabricated into fuel rods which become the fuel for the 15 PHWRs operating in the country now. These 15 reactors need 540 tonnes of natural uranium a year but the production till a few weeks ago stood at 280 tonnes of natural uranium a year. This led to the capacity factor of the PHWRs dropping from about 90 per cent in 2002-03 to 65 per cent now. The situation will ease with the commissioning of the mill at Turamdih and the mine at Banduhurang.
The mine at Banduhurang will produce 2,250 tonnes of natural uranium ore a day and the mine was built in two years at a cost of Rs. 95 crores. The underground mining project at Mohuldih in Seraikela-Kharswan district in Jharkhand was part of the UCIL's expansion programme. This mine will produce 1,50,000 tonnes of ore a year. It will be built in 48 months at a cost of Rs. 90 crores. Construction of a mine at Bagjata in Jharkhand is under way and production of natural uranium ore there will begin in 2008.
Mr. Gupta said the UCIL started constructing an exploratory mine from June 18, 2007 at Gogi near Yadgir in Karnataka for excavating uranium ore. V.P. Raja, Additional Secretary, DAE and S.K. Malhotra, Head, Public Awareness Division, DAE, took part in the function.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/26/stories/2007062651661300.htm
Jharkhand In The 1857 War Of Independence
THREE currents of revolts and resistance against the East India Company, over lapping each other but not inter-related, were observed in the area of present day Jharkhand during 1857 war of independence.
After the battle of Palassy, giving diwani (revenue administration) of Bengal Bihar and Orissa to East India Company on August 12, 1765 by the Mughal emperor was a turning point in Indian history as EMS Namboodiripad pointed out in his seminal work, A History of Indian Freedom Struggle. Unlike Bengal, the feudatory chiefs in Jharkhand were almost independent, maintained army and administered justice in their own territories and paid tribute at their will to Mughal emperor. After they got Diwani, to force payment of revenue and to impose subordination, East India Company launched armed campaign against the feudal chiefs of Jharkhand in 1767. The British armed campaign and armed resistance by the feudatory chiefs continued, intermittently, almost for three quarters of a century. Feuding feudal chiefs helped Company army to defeat themselves.
The other current of armed revolt and resistance against the British armed forces was by the adivasis spanning over 128 years. No other place in India has seen such armed revolts, resistance and sacrifice of the masses against the might of the British government for such a long period. Chronicle of such revolts include Mal Paharia revolt (1772-80), Santhal revolt under the leadership of Tilka Manjhi (1780-85), Munda revolt in Tamar under the leadership of Bishnu Manki and Maiju Manki (1795-1800), Chuar revolt (1798), Bhumij revolt of Manbhoom (1798-99), Chero revolt under the leadership of Bhukhan Singh in Palamau-Surguja (1800-02), Munda revolt in Palamau under the leadership of Bhukhan Munda (1819-20), Ho uprising (1821), Oraon revolt under the leadership of Buddhu Bhagat (1830-32), Kol uprising (1831-32), Kherwar revolt under the leadership of Bhagirath, Dubai Gosai and Patel Singh (1832-33), Bhumij revolt under the leadership of Ganga Narain Singh (1832-33), Santhal Hul under the leadership of Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu (1856), Kherwar movement under the leadership of Bhagirath Manjhi (1874), Kherwar revolt (1881), Sardar movement of Munda tribes (1858-81, 1890-95), Munda Ulgulan under the leadership of Birsa Munda (1895-1900).
Adivasi armed revolts and resistance characteristically differed from other contemporary currents of struggle for independence. Adivasi revolts were mass uprisings of peasants. They used bows and arrows and other traditional arms against fire arms. Their struggle was for freedom, natural justice, identity and traditional rights on land, forest and water. They adopted the tactics of guerilla war fare. They fought against the British army and their sepoys, police, zamindars, money lenders and government administrators.
Permanent zamindari settlement of 1793 added to the woes of the adivasis. " Zamindars, the police, the revenue and court alas have exercised a combined system of extortion, oppressive extraction, forcible dispossession of property, abuse and personal violence and a variety of petty tyrannies upon the..Santhals." (Calcutta Review, 1856). Under Indian forest act, waste lands of adivasi villages were converted as protected forest depriving the adivasis of their traditional rights on forest produce. Obviously, adivasis in general did not have faith on the sepoys and feudal lords, who led 1857 war of independence.
Yet, 1857 war of independence in Jharkhand broke out at Hazaribagh on July 30 when Santhals rebelled against the Company government, broke the jail and freed the prisoners. Hazaribagh deputy commissioner fled to Barhi. Hazaribagh became free.
Credit of mobilising the Santhal adivasis against Company government goes to Shekh Bhikhari. Shekh Bhikhari was himself a zamindar of 12 villages and later became dewan of Khatanga state of Tikait Umrao Singh. Both of them were patriots and closely followed the war of independence which began in other parts of the country. They encouraged the sepoys of Ramgarh army battalion, which was within the territory of Khatanga state, to revolt. The sepoy leaders were also in touch with Mangal Pandey. On July 31 under the leadership of Madho Singh and Nadir Ali Khan sepoys of Ramgarh army camp revolted. The foreign officers and loyal sepoys were defeated in Chutupalu ghat. The combined forces of sepoys of Umrao Singh and zamindar Madho Singh led by Shekh Bhikhari marched towards Ranchi to join hands with Thakur Bishwanath Sahdeo and Pandey Ganpat Rai.
Thakur Bishwanath Sahdeo was the jagirdar of Barkagarh state under the Maharaja of Chotanagpur. In 1855 he revolted against British rule and defeated British army. Pandey Ganpat Rai was the dewan of Maharaja of Chotanagpur. Both of them joined hands to fight the British rule despite opposition by Maharaja of Chotanagpur, who sided with the British government. Bishwanath Sahdeo and Ganpat Rai proceeded to meet Veer Keur Singh of Jagdisgpur of present Bihar for alliance against the British. They were intercepted by British army. Ganpat Rai led the rebellion of sepoys in Doranda army camp of Ranchi. The combined forces of Umrao Singh, Shekh Bhikhari, Madho Singh, Bishwanath Sahdeo and Ganpat Rai and rebellious sepoys of Ramgarh battalion and of Doranda army camp broke jail and freed the prisoners, burnt record rooms and administrative offices at Ranchi. Ranchi commissioner Dalton, deputy commissioner Denis and judicial commissioner Oaks fled from Ranchi through Kanke-Pithoria road. Ranchi became free.
Two brothers Nilambar and Pitambar organised the Bhogtas and Kherwars of Palamau. They joined hands with jagirdar of Chero. They were influenced by Doranda sepoy rebellion. They freed Lesliganj and Shahpur, southern part of Daltonganj.
Thus, beginning on July 30, 1857 within few months large areas of Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Ranchi and Palamau of present day Jharkhand were liberated from British rule.
At local level due to disunity, absence of central command, lack of trained armed personnel and of ammunitions, the freedom fighters could not sustain.
By 1858, the war of independence in the area of present day Jharkhand was ruthlessly suppressed by the British army. Two hundred Santhal rebels in Hazaribagh and hundreds of sepoys were executed. Shekh Bhikhari was arrested on January 6, summarily tried on January 7 and was hanged on January 8, 1858. Thakur Bishwanath Sahdeo and Ganpat Rai were hanged side by side at the gate of Ranchi zila school to terrorise the people. Nilambar Pitambar retreated in Manika forest and continued their fight. Latter they were arrested and hanged to death.
In 1857 feudal India, the declared objective of the war of independence was to re-establish the Mughal emperor to the Delhi throne. At local level the freedom fighters wanted to establish native rule and maintain their feudal social system and cultural identity. The concept of parliamentary democratic system in India would come much later in twentieth century. 1857 war of independence was naturally led by the feudal lords. Second phase of freedom struggle under the leadership of national bourgeoisie would come by the end of nineteenth century with the growth of industrialisation and formation of national bourgeoisie. The role of the working class and their ideological and political struggle would again come much later with the contradiction growing in the changing material conditions.
By no means can supreme sacrifice of the patriots of the 1857 war of independence be under-estimated. The entire area in northern India, from Bengal to Delhi, was in ferment. The people rose in revolt against the foreign rule. The sepoys and leadership of the then feudal society joined hands but could not succeed. This is the 150th year of that great rebellion. Let us remember the martyrs who laid down their lives against imperialism.
http://pd.cpim.org/2007/0624/06242007_1857%20jharkhand.htm
Jharkhand banks to take on Naxals
RANCHI: Banks in Jharkhand are targeting Naxal-hit districts to improve their credit deposit ratio (CDR). As many as 17 banks in the state have lower CDR than the state average. These banks have been advised by the Jharkhand State-Level Bankers' Committee (JSLBC) to take steps to improve the situation. The overall CDR of the state stood at 40.83% in March this year.
Banks are facing closure in Naxal-hit areas of the state. For instance, Bank of India is reported to have closed its Masaria branch in Gumla district. A few other banks could soon follow suit.
JSLBC chief manager RN Singh told ET districts such as Lohardagga, Simdega and Latehar are the worst-hit. Steps are being taken to improve CDR of banks in these districts.
Banks in the state achieved 47.59% of their Annual Credit Plan (ACP) target for 2006-07 in Lohardagga district, which is the least among all. Total annual credit in Lohardagga amounted to a mere Rs 22 crore. Simdega registered an ACP of Rs 30.72 crore and Latehar Rs 34.10 crore, as in March 2007. About 80% of the 550 branches of various banks in rural areas of the state are located in Naxalism-affected areas.
"Banks in Naxal-hit areas are unable to tap the market because of security reasons. As many as 18 of the 22 districts in the state are affected by Naxalism. Banks in the state have taken it up as a challenge and are devising strategies to increase advances in Naxal-hit areas," Mr Singh said.
Banks have decided to enhance credit flow to weaker sections of the society living in Naxal-hit districts. The majority of private banks operating in the state do not extend credit facilities to such sections. "This needs attention as there is a vast scope to improve financing to the weaker sections," Mr Singh said.
JSLBC has also advised banks to revise the ACP target in general, and agriculture target in particular, to achieve 45% credit deposit ratio and 18% agriculture credit by the end of the current financial year.
"There's a need to explore the untapped growth potential in agriculture sector in Jharkhand. The state is endowed with fertile soil, abundant water, favourable climate and low-cost labour.
Yet, only 25% of the geographical area and 47% of the cultivable area is being cropped. Thus, 53% of the cultivable land still remains to be tapped," Mr Singh said.
He said JSLBC had decided to organise a three-day symposium in partnership with Nabard on farm credit for inclusive growth to achieve a higher sustainable growth rate in agriculture by exploring potential and untapped areas of the state.
Jharkhand_banks_to_take_on_Naxals/articleshow/2142901.cms
Protests in Jharkhand as Government returns ST bill
Ranchi, June 23 (IANS) The six Jharkhand communities fighting for scheduled tribe (ST) status have reacted sharply to the central government's decision to return the bill regarding their inclusion into the ST list back to the state.
The Social Justice and Empowerment and Tribal Welfare ministries of the central government returned the bill this month, Jharkhand government sources said.
The bill had recommended inclusion of the Kurmi, Biar, Teli, Mahto, Khatori and Ghatwar communities into the ST category.
The ministries reportedly asked the Jharkhand government to do further research on these communities with the help of the Tribal Research Institute (TRI) here, they said.
The previous Arjun Munda government had sent the bill regarding the inclusion of the communities into ST category in December 2004 after it was passed by the state assembly.
The decision of the central government sparked protests and criticism across the state. Kurmi and Mahto youths burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Thursday.
"The central government's motive is not clear. If they wanted to clear the bill then they could have passed the bill in the parliament instead of sending back for research work," said Jaleshwar Mahto, a Janata Dal-United legislator.
"The state government should expedite the research work and send the report to the central government so that these castes are included into the ST category. There is proof that the Kurmis and Mahtos were in ST list before 1950," former home minister and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) chief Sudesh Mahto said.
"The state government has sought suggestion from TRI. The Kurmi demand is long standing and the state government will look into the matter taking the sentiment of each community into consideration," Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto said supporting the views of the communities.
Criticising the Congress for the return of the bill, Shailendra Mahto, convenor of Jharkhand Kurmi Sanghrash Samittee said, "Congress is playing politics over the issue. The central government kept the bill pending for three years and now it has sent it back".
"We will soon convene a meeting of Kurmi leaders and decide on the future agitation and how to put pressure on both the state and central government to push the bill," he said.
These communities have been demanding their inclusion into the ST category for a long time and the demand got further momentum after Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar in 2000.
They also claim that they were included in the ST list in 1913 but their names were deleted from the ST list in 1950.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=46380
Jharkhand post offices to sell rail tickets
Ranchi, June 22 (IANS) Post offices in Jharkhand will soon start selling railway tickets and preparing PAN cards for income tax payers in a bid to generate extra revenue.
Postmen in Jharkhand have already been distributing, besides letters, condoms and contraceptive pills under a tie up with the Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT).
"Enthused by the response to that scheme, we have decided to step into other fields. From July, railway tickets will be sold through post offices and we will also prepare PAN (permanent account number) income tax cards," Anil Kumar, who heads the Jharkhand postal circle, told IANS.
"We have selected 50 post offices where the railway tickets will be sold. We have already set up computers with broadband Internet links. We have trained our staff for the new job.
"We have tied up with UTI Technology Services to prepare PAN cards for tax payers, also from July. The applicants will have to submit their documents and our postman will deliver the cards after getting them prepared."
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/jun/22/jharkhand_post_offices_sell_rail_tickets
.html
Maoists kill two policemen in Jharkhand
GUMLA (Jharkhand): Two policemen, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector, were killed and three others injured when Maoists ambushed their jeep near Milmili river in Gumla district, police said on Friday.
The police team, which had been to Chenpur to nab an accused man, was on its way back late Thursday night when the Maoists, laying in wait near the river under Raidih police station, opened fire, according to police Inspector Raindra Kumar.
The police personnel also retaliated but ASI Christopher Minz and constable Ram Uday Mahto died on the spot in the exchange of fire, Kumar said.
The injured policemen were identified as constables Prakash Khalkho and Prakash Minz and Havaldar Dwarka Prasad. All of them are out of danger, he added.
Massive raids have been launched to nab the extremists.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists_kill_two_policemen_in_Jharkhand/
articleshow/2140616.cms
Jharkhand villagers build dam to solve irrigation woes
Vishunpur (Jharkhand), June 21: Villagers of an undeveloped hamlet in Jharkhand have constructed a dam on their own to irrigate nearly 1000 hectares of parched farmland.
Unable to get the government to act on their longstanding demand, the natives of Kumbatoli, Chatti Serka, Rehe Toli and Bheetar Serka took the initiative of making a dam on Gatti Jahria Mountain in Vishunpur area of Jharkhand's Gumla District in 2000.
The villagers brought stones and sand for construction from a neighbouring hilly region and put together voluntary efforts to make their dream come true.
"When we started the work here, we face lot of difficulties. It is not easy to go up and down the 1300 feet high mountain every day. There were no stones here in the mountain. We had to bring the stones by breaking rocks of another mountain. There was no sand in the river here, so we had to bring it up from the village," said Champa Bhagat, a villager.
A voluntary organization came to the aid of the villagers to provide technical assistance to build the dam. The improvised dam is made of sand and stones without any modern construction material like steel or cement.
"This dam will help to irrigate the field in seven villages in the region. Every household will have water now," said Bhikhari Bhagat, a functionary of Vikas Bharti, a voluntary organization.
Once completed, the dam would be able to store the water of a seasonal river and solve the irrigation and drinking water problems of over 500 families in seven villages.
http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=41128
Tea tribes get more muscle - Adivasi back-up for ST
Guwahati, June 21: The tea labour community's campaign for the status of a Scheduled Tribe is about to go national.
Adivasi leaders from across the country will be in Guwahati next month to show solidarity with organisations that have been spearheading the movement for ST status. The tea tribes are of Adivasi stock, mainly Santhals, whose ancestors were brought to Assam by British planters.
Apart from adding muscle to the movement for ST status, the Guwahati conclave will give shape to the national forum that Adivasi leaders initiated in New Delhi. "We will formally announce the formation of our All India SC/ST demand Co-ordination Committee in Guwahati. We formed the ad hoc committee in New Delhi recently," the secretary of the committee, Edmond Andrew Sawra, said today.
The committee will lobby with parliamentarians to get the ST tag for the tea labour community of Assam. It will also take up similar demands by Adivasis residing in Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
"In both these places, Adivasis are known as Jharkhandis. Like the tea tribes of Assam, they are demanding ST status," Sawra said.
The Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association recently restricted the entry of Congress leaders into tea gardens for the party's failure to convince its central leadership to grant the community ST status.
Sawra will meet Adivasi parliamentarians and legislators in New Delhi next week to fix the date for the conclave. "In all likelihood, the conclave will be held in the first week of July," he said.
Koch Rajbongshis, Motoks, Morans, Chutias and several other indigenous communities are queuing up for ST status.
Leaders of the tea tribes insist that their demand should not be equated with those of others as the community has already been granted ST status in the states from where they migrated. "How can a Munda or a Sawra or a Murmu be ST in Jharkhand and not in Assam? This is discrimination," Sawra said.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070622/asp/northeast/story_7955784.asp
Rebels focus on recruitment, Centre plans intelligence rejig
June 24: Even when the Maoists are planning for a mega recruitment drive in several states, the Centre has decided to rejig the intelligence machinery of both Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to tackle the red menace.
The decision came after a senior team of the Intelligence Bureau visited the two states to study the intelligence network of local police.
After giving green signal to Chhattisgarh's plan to go for an intelligence revamp costing Rs 4.6cr, the Union home ministry has asked the Jharkhand government to submit a similar proposal. "Jharkhand had submitted a proposal earlier. After vetting it with the help of Intelligence Bureau, we have sent it back to the state government along with proposed changes. The state government is now expected to get back to us," said an official at the Naxal Wing of the Union home ministry.
The intelligence revamp plan not only entails changes in surveillance equipment, but also talks about IB officials working in close co-ordination with the state police's intelligence wing to make them proficient in the shadow art.
Zooming in on Chhattisgarh, the Centre has decided to send Vishwaranjan, a senior IB official, as the director-general of police there.
He will be the second IB official, expert in left wing extremism, to be posted to Chhattisgarh within a year's time, with the first being former IB director E.S.L. Narsimhan who was made the governor of Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, the rebels have taken a decision to step up their recruitment exercise in remote areas of all the states, including Jharkhand, where they have strong base along the corridor from Nepal to Andhra Pradesh.
Of late, every year, claimed a senior police officer quoting the Union home ministry officials, the rebels are losing over 1,500 cadres on an average from different states. The loss is mainly due to arrests or deaths due to police firing. There have also been cases where rebels have given up arms to join the mainstream.
According to police sources, the recruitment drive has taken off in remote parts of Giridih, Bokaro, West Singhbhum, Chatra, Palamau, Koderma, Seraikela-Kharsawan and even rural pockets of Ranchi.
According to additional director-general of police (special branch) Gauri Shanker Rath, recruiting rural youths rather than elders is now the top priority of the rebels. "The top brass of the Maoists are of the opinion that inducting youths, both male and female, are of great advantage. The rural youths are more dedicated and continue to serve the group for long, seldom involve themselves in funds embezzlement and would serve for a long time."
In Chhattisgarh, a separate battalion of Special Task Force (STF) would be raised to deal with the Naxalites. The jawans would be specially trained in jungle warfare to combat the rebels having its "territories" in the forest pockets. "Colonel Rajneesh Sharma, currently serving in the insurgency-hit Kashmir, has been asked to head the battalion," said a senior state home department official.
He added that Colonel Sharma would quit the army to join on a contract for five years. He would be designated as STF Commandant with a rank of deputy inspector-general of police.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070625/asp/frontpage/story_7965092.asp
GAIL pipeline to recharge Dabhol batteries
Calcutta, June 21: The Dabhol power project will pick up steam from August, thanks to a pipeline being built by GAIL (India ) Ltd.
The GAIL pipeline connecting Dahej and Dabhol will be ready by the month-end.
It will supply gas to two of the three units of the Dabhol plant, which is now Ratnagiri Gas and Power Project.
"We will supply 8 million standard cubic metres per day gas to Dabhol," GAIL chairman and managing director U. D. Choubey said.
The company will source the gas from Petronet LNG, which has secured liquefied natural gas (LNG), to feed two units of 740mw each.
At present, one of the three units is operating on naphtha, a costlier substitute of natural gas, to feed power-starved Maharashtra .
The 576km pipeline, built at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore, will supply gas from next month but the power production will stabilise only in August.
Choubey said efforts were on to run the third unit on gas by the year-end.
"We also expect to utilise a small part of the existing LNG terminal at Dabhol by the year-end," he said.
The National Thermal Power Corporation was asked to run the power plant and GAIL to look after the gas supply after US major Enron, the original developer of Dabhol, went bankrupt.
Revenue leap
Choubey expects to raise GAIL's revenues to Rs 45,000 crore by 2011.
By that time, GAIL will commission over 5,000km of pipelines in addition to its 6,400km network at an investment of Rs 18,000 crore.
This will contribute significantly to GAIL's revenue while money from the petrochemical business will also flow in.
The company has already entered into agreements with gas producers such as Reliance, ONGC and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd.
Bengal plan
Choubey said the Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline that would bring gas to Bengal was expected to be built by 2011.
It will pave the way for a state-wide gas distribution network for domestic and industrial customers.
According to GAIL officials, the Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline will have facilities for a bi-directional flow.
The pipeline will pass through Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The estimated investment is around Rs 2,000 crore and the proposed pipeline will have the capacity to carry 25 million standard cubic metres of gas per day.
GAIL is also expected to build a pipeline network in the city on the model of Mumbai and Delhi to supply compressed natural gas to automobiles and piped gas to other users.
However, if coal-bed methane is found in abundant quantity in the Asansol-Raniganj belt, the company will set up a pipe distribution network in that region first.
"We can also start CNG business in Calcutta on a pilot basis by converting CBM into CNG and bringing it to the city," Choubey said.
GAIL has formed a joint venture company with the Indian Oil Corporation for city gas distribution in Calcutta.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070622/asp/business/story_7957442.asp
Women make inroads into male bastions in Jharkhand
RANCHI — More and more women in Jharkhand are daring to look beyond traditions and have taken up professions generally perceived as male bastions — like petrol pump workers and auto mechanics. Many have also come up with innovative ideas to tide over crises like food shortage.
Sunita Thapa, along with seven other women, works at a petrol pump in Doranda area of Ranchi. None of them has any major complaint and they enthusiastically fill petrol and diesel in motorbikes and four-wheelers.
"I have never faced any problem. Duty is duty and we fulfil our duty without any hesitation and try to do it with perfection," Sunita told IANS.
In Ranchi, over two dozen women constables have been deployed to control traffic.
"I enjoy my job of controlling traffic. People have to abide by my signals and anyone who violates rules is punished," said Anita Devi, a constable.
The Jharkhand police have also raised a separate women's battalion, which is currently training in Bokaro district.
A group of eight women in Sirsi village in Hazaribagh district thought of a radically different career — they underwent training to repair motorbikes and set up their own auto workshop earlier this year.
Kalawati Devi and her friends, however, still face the disadvantage of being women mechanics. Not many people are ready to avail of their services to get their vehicles fixed.
"Not many come to us to get their bikes repaired. We even learnt how to drive mobikes but people still prefer to go to town to get them fixed," said Kalawati, 40, whose husband is a rickshaw puller.
But they have not given up hope and now want to serve customers in the town. "We are planning to open a workshop in Hazaribagh town also," she added.
Similarly, women of Seelam village in Gumla district took it upon themselves to become self-reliant. With the help of Mahila Mandal, a self-help group, the women started poultry farming in 2000. Now many men are also employed by the initiative, which villagers say has changed the quality of their lives.
"Poultry farming has changed our lives tremendously. We are in a position to send our children to school and give them good education. Our families lead good lives," said Sunita Devi, a member of Mahila Mandal.
In Jamshedpur, women of several villages came together and exhibited exemplary management skills by coming up with an innovative idea to avoid food shortage, especially during droughts.
With their sheer grit, joint efforts and aid from an NGO, they set up a common granary system to store additional food grains for future needs.
"We store the surplus food grains that are given to families in times of need," said Dhaniya Devi of Laydih village.
Added Sonari Devi of Huruumbil village: "Drought and food shortages are common here. During drought, the surplus grains are distributed among the needy families. But the grains have to be returned to the granary once the crisis is over so that some other family can use it in need."
Women are entirely in charge of the granary and maintain records too.
"Women of Jharkhand have proved their mettle in diverse fields. They have the potential and just need a little push from the government or NGOs," said Vasvi, a social worker here.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/June/subcontinent_June974.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
MEDIEVAL LITTLE INDIAS
- Benefits to the creamy layer are essential to the quota plan
Consanguinity and community of economic interests are the factors that most effectively bind a group together. Endogamy and a common occupation within each caste were the pillars of our caste system. They consolidated each caste into a rigid and exclusive brotherhood with its own rules and its own leadership, a fraternity that lasted countless generations and gave the caste system a durability that few other social structures have achieved in human history. They also ensured that each caste was so wrapped up in its own concerns and so hostile to others that no sense of Indianness emerged until centuries of racist colonial domination created a shared grievance against a common enemy.
The colonial masters have gone. Since their departure the divisive effects of the caste system have been steadily dissipating the sense of nationhood that their rule created despite the existence today of the countervailing forces of economic growth, urbanization and industrialization. The latter have induced occupational and regional mobility and fostered a degree of anonymity that weakens kinship and caste ties. In urban, industrial India, new economic alignments are emerging. Even inter-caste marriage, that ultimate solvent of the system, has made a timid beginning.
Two factors have however diluted the impact of growth and helped the preservation and reassertion of caste identities. First, there is the yet-localized and limited nature of economic growth: vast tracts of the Hindi heartland (including all Uttar Pradesh and Bihar), the tribal belts of Rajasthan, central and eastern India as well as the inaccessible North-east remain outside its pale, steeped in essentially agrarian economies with age-old traditions and power-structures. In this huge part of our world, traditional caste roles are still socially enforced and murder of couples who have the temerity to stray outside their castes is routine. This, of course, is a transient factor. As the mainstream of growth broadens and engulfs more of the country and its population, its eroding effect on caste is bound to intensify.
Far longer lasting however will be the consequences of deliberate mobilization of caste identities by politicians in search of a power base. All politicians are shrewd enough to realize that merely invoking caste loyalties cuts no ice with the electorate, particularly when the opposition could do likewise. Loaves and fishes, or at least expectations of loaves and fishes, howsoever seldom fulfilled, are needed as well — and caste quotas constitute the ideal instrument for the distribution of these goodies. 'Social justice' provides the perfect fig-leaf for this exercise in electoral bribery. And once a politician or a political party begins this game, as V.P. Singh did for the 'Mandal' castes in 1989, Pandora's box is well and truly open: the compulsions of electoral competition ensure that all others must willy-nilly follow suit.
For the ideologues of caste-based reservations, quotas are intended to rectify the inequalities implicit in the hierarchic structure of the caste system. The fact that at least 90 per cent of the educational and employment benefits from a caste quota are captured by the microscopic elite within the targeted caste is regarded by them as a deplorable but minor flaw (which can be easily corrected) in a grand egalitarian scheme.
Quota politicians know better. They know that benefits for the 'creamy layer' are not unintended and dispensable by-products of the scheme but essential to its very design. One must give credit where credit is due. Quotas were fashioned by politicians, not by ideologues, and their primary purpose was achievement, not of equality, but of caste consolidation. Sixty years of reservations have not improved the relative status of our scheduled castes, but they have produced a Mayavati at the helm of a militant SC movement. The Mandal movement has not reduced inequality anywhere, but it has transformed the politics of UP and Bihar into an open display of caste conflict with shifting patterns of coalitions and alliances among the warring castes. National parties are increasingly irrelevant on this battlefield because they have preoccupations other than caste. Even governance issues matter little in these states, as the long tenure of Lalu Prasad in Bihar demonstrated. As for corruption, the pervasive venality of the Indian politician has long devalued this as an electoral issue: where everyone will surely steal, why shouldn't I vote for the thief of my caste rather than the thief of yours?
Quotas, while failing conspicuously in their overt purpose of uplifting the least advantaged, have thus been supremely successful in their hidden agenda, the consolidation of caste identities and the caste vote. And effective caste consolidation requires a strong caste leadership with adequate resources; only such a leadership can direct the manoeuvrings of the caste vote bloc or formulate and enforce a coherent course of action for the whole caste. Exclusion of the creamy layer from quota benefits would not only totally contradict the personal interests of the leadership; it would also drive a palpable wedge between the interests of the leadership and the perceived interests of its flock that would undermine the credibility of the former. Little wonder therefore that, the laments of the quota ideologues notwithstanding, the creamy layer has kept its tight hold over quota benefits intact over the six decades spanned by reservation policy. Indeed, it is now supposed to be a standard argument for the retention of this hold (articulated, for instance, quite openly and unashamedly by Ram Vilas Paswan) that, if the creamy layer is excluded, 90 per cent of seats and jobs allotted to the quota castes would remain vacant. Clearly, the protagonists of reservation policy know who are its real beneficiaries and consciously wield it, not as an instrument of equality, but as a rallying cry to unite their castes behind them.
Unite for what purpose? At best for savage electoral bouts like those between those accomplished wrestlers, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayavati. But away from the limelight of these well-refereed electoral dangas, in obscure towns and villages, an undeclared caste war rages between the landed other backward classes and their Thakur allies, and the landless SCs — a war that ensures that UP and Bihar remain the most criminalized states in the country.
Not that the Hindi belt is unique as a caste battlefield. The clashes between the Vanniyars and the other OBCs in Tamil Nadu, the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas in Karnataka, the Kammas and the Reddys in Andhra Pradesh and between all of these castes and the Dalits in all these states have become endemic. The Naxalite insurgency that now engulfs all of tribal Andhra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar is primarily a war of scheduled tribes against essentially OBC landowners. The North-east is simmering with countless tribal mutinies, demanding autonomy, sometimes for groups that number only a handful. And northern India a mere fortnight ago watched pitched battles over reservations between armed mobs 50,000 strong who had to be separated by the army.
In their quest for personal political strongholds, the politicians have indeed fragmented the country into a thousand Little Indias, each in determined and militant pursuit of its narrow interests. And if only they can paralyse the growth process (as Arjun Singh in his determined assault on quality in education and industry threatens to do), they will have succeeded in returning the country to a medieval anarchy in which caste was the only reality. 'Social justice' would then have been well and truly served.
The author was professor of economics at the School of International Studies, JNU
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070626/asp/opinion/story_7936121.asp
Dalit Woman Beaten to Death in Bihar
Saran (Bihar), June 25, 2007: A Dalit woman named Phulmati Devi, 43, was beaten to death in village Ruparhimpur in Saran District of Bihar in India on 23rd of June.
She was murdered on Saturday by two upper caste men named Dharmendra Tiwari and Guddu Tiwari for resisting the forcible harvesting of her field. Her son Bablu was also roughed up and seriously injured.
Phulmati's husband Bhagwan Chandra Paswan said to the Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) News Service that her only crime was she dared to oppose the upper caste people.
"Dharmendra Tiwari and Guddu Tiwari were forcibly harvesting our crops from the field for years. But this time we decided to resist their move; but it cost the life of my wife," Chandra Paswan said.
"The accusers attacked me first for opposing them," Bablu, son of Phulmati and Paswan said. "When my mother intervened to save me and resist them, they turned to her and beat her to death," he added.
A police complaint has been filed against the Tiwaris but none of them have been arrested so far.
Police officials say the two are absconding. This is just one of the many incidents where Dalits have been victimised by upper caste people in Bihar.
Last month, a dalit woman Kari Devi of 45 years old was beaten to death by a former 'mukhiya' (panchayat head) and his kin in Gaya district of Bihar on the suspicion of having stolen a cow.
A tribal man, Jeevan Munda of 35 years old allegedly beaten to death in Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand State on June 15 by forest guards for an wooden cot that he had brought home.
A few months ago, an upper caste man in Bhagalpur district chopped off the fingers of a 10 year old Dalit girl because she had plucked spinach from his field.
Rev. Paul Ciniraj, national president of the Christian Ministers of the Churches of India (CMCI) and the Director of the Salem Voice Ministries condemned the attacks towards Dalits and minorities. He appealed the central and state governments to take an immediate action to stop persecution of Dalits, Christians and other minorities.
"Many murdered and seriously injured; but governments do not take serious actions. That is the reason persecutions are increasing," Paul Ciniraj continued.
http://salemvoice.org/news187.html
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British firm sponsors Jharkhand archer
Mangal Ho is one of two Indians who have been selected for full sponsorship by the British company, Group 4.
It's an initiative that seeks to make sporting heroes out of young kids from underprivileged backgrounds.
Mangal and Hyderabad based rifle shooter Manda Snigdha join 12 other kids in honing their skills for the 2012 London Olympics and that effort is being promoted by the legendary long distance runner, Haile Gebrsellasie.
When 14-year-old archer Mangal Ho took to bows and arrows three years ago, he wouldn't even have dreamt of being a part of the 2012 London Olympics.
Ho, who hails from a small village in Jharkhand called Patahatu, is one of the 14 young sportspersons who have been chosen as sporting ambassadors for the next Games.
A British firm called Group 4 Securicor, or G4S is going to provide Mangal financial assistance to the tune of Rs 27 lakh over the next six years, in a bid to give him the best possible chance of fulfilling his potential on one of the world's biggest sporting stages, the London Olympics.
"I performed well here, which prompted a London-based company to select me for its programme. They took me there, and made sure I dined in a different hotel. It was great fun," said Mangal Ho, G4S 4Teen Ambassador.
NDTV: Have you ever been to Delhi ?
Mangal: No, but I've been to London!
But to his family and peers, he's gone quite far already, at such a tender age. Mangal, who trains at the Seraikella-Kharsawan Archery Academy, was marked out as a budding superstar not long after he picked up his first quiver-full of arrows.
This institute has churned out 12 internationals and 25 national-level archers, but it is Mangal who has emerged as the biggest and most popular hero.
"Mangal has worked hard day and night, to achieve this," said Meere Munda, Chairman, Seraikella Archery Academy.
"Mangal and I were selected together, for the team here. When he was picked up by the London firm, I couldn't believe it at first. But I'm really happy now," said Asrita Kerketta, Mangal's friend.
Archery could well become one of India's best bets for a medal in the next few multi-discipline events, and if youngsters like Mangal get the sort of assistance that the G4S 4Teen programme provides, India's long wait for that elusive Olympic gold could well come to an end soon.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showsports.aspx?id=SPOEN20070015871
Visa Steel to set up plants in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand
KOLKATA: Visa Steel is setting up a 1.5 million special and stainless steel project in Orissa at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore and planned to put up another special steel project in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
The company's first priority was to implement the first phase of the fully integrated 0.5 mt special steel project involving Rs 1,800 crore at Kalinganagar in Orissa, Visa Steel Chairman V Saran said. The company posted a net profit of Rs 20.52 crore during 2006-07.
The first phase the project would include a rolling mill and a 75 MW power plant among other facilities and would be completed next year, he said.
It would take up the work of expanding its capacity to 1.5 mt, which would take another two and half years to complete.
Visa Steel, he said, was keen to take up the project at Chhattisgarh, for which a MoU was signed with the state government.
Visa Steel, he said, has also applied for setting up a 5 mt tonne mild steel plant in Jharkhand.
Turning to financial performance of the company, Saran said Visa Steel's net profit during 2006-07 recorded a growth of 64 per cent compared to previous year.
The company recorded a turnover of around Rs 538 crore in 2006-07 registering an increase of 39 per cent over the previous year.
On the Chhattisgarh project, Saran said Visa Steel was in possession of 160 acre and has applied for another 440 acre to the state government. "Earlier, we had planned to have a capacity of .35 m.t, but now we want to build it with bigger capacity."
He said in Chhattisgarh the company would follow the Orissa module and gradually increase the capacity to 1.5 m.t. The work was likely to begin in 2008-09.
The company has also applied to the to Chattishgarh government for iron ore mine and coal block, he said.
About the company's proposed project in Jharkhand, he said if it received approval from the state government, the new plant would produce construction steel.
On the proposed investment in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, he said it was too premature to announce.
To a question, Saran said Visa Steel was not averse to acquisition, but the company was not hunting for any.
To question on starting a joint venture with Bao Steel of China, he said Visa Steel was talking to a number of company across the globe, but no definitive agreement was signed with anyone.
He said the strategy of the company is to be a low cost producer through full integration, location and logistics advantages, raw material linkage and focus on value niche products.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1104145
Humiliations by 'casteist' teacher force Dalits in Jharkhand village to start their own school
Dumka (Jharkhand) June 18,: Dalit villagers in Thadi Village of Jharkhand's Dumka District have started a school on their own, after their children were humiliated by a 'casteist' teacher.
In April this year, Dalits belonging to Bhandoch caste started a Bhandoch Middle School, after upper caste teachers and students at a local state-run school allegedly subjected their children to caste bias.
The low-castes alleged that neither the District administration nor the police took any action against the erring teachers.
"The police station in-charge just spoke to the teacher and his friends and refused to register our complaint. The teacher Subhash was casteist and was biased towards our children. He would call them by derogatory names. When we realised that no action is being taken against him, then we decided to open a school for our children," said Surendra Maholi, who opened the Bhandoch Middle School.
It was the beating up of a young boy, Sarun Kumar, by a teacher named Subhash that infuriated the community.
"Once when I was drinking water here, Subhash sir came and started calling us by dirty names. He said we would not be allowed to drink water from there and started beating us. I went home crying and told this to my father. When my father came and spoke to sir, he said he would continue to beat us," said Kumar.
The education officials said they are investigating the matter and would take strict action if required.
"We are investigating the matter and if these charges are proved then we will take stern action against the teacher as per the Dalit Act," said Shiv Narayan Sah, District Education Superintendent.
Nearly 50 low-caste children are enrolled in the one-room Bhandoch Middle school. All the schoolteachers and members of the school management are from the low-caste community.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/150347.php/Humiliations-by-casteist-teacher-force-Dalits-in-Jharkhand-village-to-start-their-own-school
De Beers Gets Green Light for Jharkhand Survey
Four years ago De Beers requested permission to explore for diamonds in Jharkhand. Today the company has finally gotten the green light from the Jharkhand Mines Department to carry out an aerial survey along the Sankh River in Gumla and Jashpur.
The village of Heeradih, which is located near Gumla on the river bank, is pocked with ditches, indicating that mining was conducted there many years ago.
According to the Indian Express, Jharkhand's Director Bipin Behari Singh noted that De Beers had already conducted preliminary research and "now it will do the reconnaissance work by sophisticated aircraft."
http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/english/News.aspx?boneID=918&objID=2208
Man pays with life for wood
Hazaribagh, June 17: Jeevan Munda, 35-year-old villager of Katkamsandi block in Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand was allegedly beaten to death for a new chowki (wooden cot) that he had brought home.
Three forest officials, according to an FIR, punished him with death after dragging him inside the Hazaribagh wildlife sanctuary in the pretext of "enquiring as to how he arranged for the wood for this bed".
Today, hundreds of villagers led by CPI MP Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Mehta hit the streets and blocked Ranchi-Patna highway near District More for more than five hours, after they recovered Munda's body with injury marks all over.
Vehicles, including long-distance trucks, were seen stranded on both sides of the road for several kilometres. This made police officers, including sub-divisional officer Ravindra Kumar Singh and deputy superintendent of police Naushad Alam, to reach to the spot and pacify the agitators.
The blockade was lifted after the forest officials agreed to pay Rs 200 every month to the victim's family, besides foodgrain and immediate compensation of Rs 10,000.
Later an FIR was lodged against range officer Saket Bihari and two others.
According to sources, Munda had gone to his inlaw's house at Patiyatari of Ichaak on June 15, from where he went missing till his body was recovered from a field today.
Munda's wife Etwaria Devi told the police her husband had last been called by the forest department employees to enquire about how he got the wood for a new chowki. She charged the employees for "killing" Munda.
Driver of forest department jeep JH02G/1958 Loknath Mahto, who has been charged in the FIR, said Munda was taken to Rajderwa forest area under Hazaribagh wildlife sanctuary and beaten up by Durga Oraon and Devlal Mahto, which resulted in his death.
Divisional forest officer (wildlife) Manish Arvind said Munda had been suffering from dysentery. "My men had picked him up to provide treatment but he died," he said, adding that he was drunk when he was picked up.
Forest department officials claimed they had started an operation against villagers for killing wild animals and felling trees, and as a fallout it, "all possible effort has been made to trap us". They added that the jeep driver was under pressure to make such a statement.
The parliamentarian said that Jeevan was a daily wager and due to this they continued with their agitation till officials agreed for proper help.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070618/asp/frontpage/story_7936889.asp
SAIL stakes claim to all of Chiria
New Delhi, June 17: The Steel Authority of India Limited has said it will not part with its iron ore leases for the Chiria mines in Jharkhand. It is, however, open to other steel makers getting access to the adjacent reserves at Ankua.
SAIL chairman S.K. Roongta told The Telegraph that the PSU has firmed up its investment plans till 2020 that envisage use of the entire "ore production from Chiria".
Sparks are now likely to fly at the meeting on Chiria to be held at the Prime Minister's Office next month.
It needs to be seen whether an out-of-court settlement between SAIL and the Jharkhand government emerges from the meeting.
Jharkhand wants to give some of SAIL's mining leases for Chiria to other steel companies. Roongta said this was not possible because SAIL would utilise the ore for its expansion plans in the state and IISCO Steel Plant's Burnpur facility.
He said he had no objection to Jharkhand allotting the ore at Ankua to others.
Private steel companies such as ArcelorMittal, the Jindals and Essar Steel have been eyeing the Chiria reserves. The leases were with IISCO, but got transferred to SAIL after the PSU acquired the ailing company.
Both Chiria and Ankua fall within the Saranda forests; SAIL holds the mining rights for Ajitaburu, McLellan, Dhobil, Sukri and Tatiburu at Chiria. It also holds the rights for 67 acres at Ankua. In all it holds the rights to 2,350 hectares of leased mining area. Though the reserves at Ankua have not been mapped out fully, analysts peg them at 600 million tonnes on the basis of preliminary surveys.
Steel makers, too, are keen on this area because it will be easier to get the leases rather than wait for the outcome of the discussions over Chiria.
Jharkhand and SAIL have been engaged in a prolonged tussle over Chiria, with the state government saying it will only renew the leases to the extent of the PSU's requirements in the state and for IISCO. The reserves are estimated to be 1.7-2 billion tonnes.
SAIL said it would need all the ore — reputed to be the best in Asia — for its projects in the state and IISCO.
The PSU will take its steel making capacity in Jharkhand to 29mt by 2020 and ramp up the capacity at Burnpur to 3.2mt.
In Jharkhand, the plan is to increase the capacity of its steel plant at Bokaro to 17mt and set up a new 12mt plant at Manoharpur.
For SAIL, retaining Chiria is vital to its growth plans. The raw materials division of the company has set a target of producing 19mt of ore by the end of this fiscal and wants to increase this to 26mt by 2012.
The major chunk of this supply will come from Chiria, for which SAIL has prepared a blueprint to upgrade the mining facilities.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070618/asp/business/story_7937962.asp
'We believe in inclusive growth and long-term associations'
At a time when land acquisitions have caused much bloodshed, leading to a nationwide debate, Sajjan Jindal, vice-chairman & managing director of JSW Steel, seems to have an innovative formula. Jindal's model of inclusive growth proves that he is not only a man on a mission to build a 31-million tonne steel conglomerate by 2015, but that he is also an industrialist who can take on global biggies when it comes to thinking out of the box. In an exclusive interview with FE's Papiya De, Jindal discusses his strategies for the future. Excerpts:
We have witnessed a lot of violence over land acquisition for large projects. Yet, you have some pioneering strategies to acquiring land. Could you share some details?
Fortunately for us, 90% of the 5,000 acres we required was with the government, which we have already acquired. For the remaining 10%, some of which is barren and the rest agricultural land, we have so far had a fairly good response. Getting contiguous land without any violence was at the top of our agenda. Land acquisition has become a national issue with farmers agitating everywhere.
However, larger projects such us ours require large chunks of land and some of it will have to be agricultural land. We cannot afford to displace people by just giving out money. People have emotions attached to their ancestral land. We, therefore, are firm believers of inclusive growth and in building long-term associations.
To make inclusive growth a reality, we have developed a model that will break up the price of land into two components. Half will be given to the owners in cash and the remaining portion will be placed with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) as a single-premium annuity. This will ensure a regular monthly income, plus insure their lives. This arrangement with LIC will be managed by the district magistrate. We would also employ one person from each of these displaced families at JSW Steel and any of its associate companies. There are about 741 such families.
We are also issuing shares worth the land value in the name of the owner. This is over and above the cash payment. The shares will be of the new entity, JSW Bengal, and when it is listed after the start of commercial production, the owners will be able to garner many times more than that amount. So, apart from paying cash, we offer employment to a family member and make the owner a shareholder in the company.
When do you expect the Bengal project to go on stream?
We have set a deadline of April 2011. We should start construction towards the end of this financial year.
Given that raw materials seem to be one of the perennial problems of steelmakers, have you been assured of raw materials for your Bengal project?
We will be sourcing iron ore from Jharkhand and Orissa. Since the Bengal project is very close to both states, we would be at an advantage. Bengal does have a few collieries, but they are not very easy to mine. So, we will source half of our requirements from neighbouring states; the rest will be sourced from mines in Raniganj in West Bengal. Since the project is close to a port, the transportation cost for raw materials as well as finished goods will be substantially low.
Your plans for the 10-million tonne steel plant in Jharkhand was announced much earlier than the Bengal project. Why then is your Bengal project taking off first?
The problem with Jharkhand has been the lack of a stable government. As a result, no decisive action has been taken on a relocation and rehabilitation policy. With the kind of resources Jharkhand has, it can be the steel hub of the world. The state is capable of producing 100 million tonne of steel. We at JSW Steel want to start our Bengal project by 2007-08 and by 2008-09, work should start on the Jharkhand project.
Would you agree that your plans of becoming a 30-million tonne steel group by 2015 is ambitious?
Yes it is ambitious—but certainly doable. Our expansion at Vijayanagar is over in the next two years, whereby we will have 10 million tonne. Another 3 million tonne each will come from the first phases of the Bengal and Jharkhand projects. The rest of the expansion plans will depend on market conditions.
However, I don't see the market dynamics changing very quickly. To catch up with the global average per capita consumption of 190-200 kg, India's current capacity has to expand by four times. Currently, none of the greenfield expansions are progressing smoothly; additional capacities are coming from only brownfield expansions. So, the demand shortage will continue.
Your plant at Vijayanagar is one of the most cost efficient steel-manufacturing units in India. Will you be able to duplicate the same efficiency in Bengal?
Bengal should be even better as we will have fewer units, but much larger in size, helping us draw economies of scale. We would also use local coal to a great extent and that would reduce costs further.
Competitors seem to have inched ahead of you acquiring assets overseas. What has not worked in your favour? Will you continue to explore overseas acquisitions?
I am not keen on picking up integrated steel companies abroad. I am a firm believer of a model that makes use of the low-cost steel manufacturing structure in India and adds value overseas. We have already picked up service centres in Europe and will be looking at more similar options. I am interested in hot-strip mills and cold rolling complexes in western Europe and north America . I am also keen on securing mineral resources. Currently, we are looking at coking coal assets in Africa, Australia and Indonesia.
You are also diversifying into aluminium and power. Looking slightly longer term, apart from steel, in which businesses do you expect your group to have a strong foothold?
Our core competence lies in bulk materials like steel, aluminium, energy and cement.
What are your plans for the cement business?
We are setting up slag-based clinker units in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=167420
Lightning kills 21 in Jharkhand
Ranchi, June 14: Lightning during monsoon rains has claimed 21 lives in Jharkhand, with six school students among the victims, the police said.
Jharkhand received the first monsoon shower Wednesday. The children died and nearly a dozen were injured when lightning struck Greenfield School in Rampura village, 12 km from here.
The children were playing in the school ground when the tragedy struck.
A seventh death was also reported in Ranchi district, followed by six in Hazaribagh, two each in Chatra, Lohardagga and Balumath, and one each in Sahebganj and Godda districts.
The government has announced a compensation of Rs.50,000 to the families of each of the dead students and Rs.10,000 to the injured students.
The rains also disrupted power supply in the state, plunging many districts into darkness.
The rainfall brought down the temperature across the state. Ranchi received a rainfall of around 30 mm.
--- IANS http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=38798
Jharkhand to train 25 tribal girls as air hostesses
Ranchi: The Jharkhand government has decided to provide air hostess training to 25 tribal and Dalit girls of the state, an official said on Wednesday.
The decision to train the girls was inspired by the positive response to an earlier programme that trained tribal boys as pilots. The state government had sponsored 25 tribal boys who were trained as pilots and most of them have now been placed professionally.
"The welfare department has decided to select 25 girls belonging to tribal and Dalit communities in the state. These girls will be provided air hostess training and the state government will bear the cost," an official of the welfare department said.
"We will soon come out with advertisement in newspapers inviting applications from the interested tribal and Dalits girls.
"The minimum qualification for eligibility is completion of Class 12. The girls will be selected on the basis of a written and physical examination," he said.
After selecting the girls, the welfare department will invite applications from institutes willing to train the girls.
Initially, 25 girls will be chosen and later the number could be increased depending on the response of the first batch. (IANS)
http://www.indiaedunews.net/Jharkhand/Jharkhand%5Fto%5Ftrain%5F25%5Ftribal%5Fgirls%5Fas%5Fair%5Fhostesses%5F1347/
Jharkhand to get two new universities
Ranchi: Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi has given his consent for the establishment of two new universities in the state.
One of the two universities is Kolhan University. The second will be named Neelambar and Pitambar University after two freedom fighters from the state.
Razi approved the establishment of the universities Monday while the state cabinet had already given its approval earlier.
Kolhan University will be based in Chaibasa district while the Neelambar and Pitambar University will be at Daltanganj.
The spokesperson of the governor's office said, "The governor has directed the state government to create posts for the new universities and prepare budgets in three months".
At present, Jharkhand has three universities. They are Ranchi University, Siddo and Kannhu University at Dumka and Vinobha Bhawe University at Hazaribagh. (IANS)
http://www.indiaedunews.net/Jharkhand/Jharkhand%5Fto%5Fget%5Ftwo%5Fnew%5Funiversities%5F1336/
World Bank to help Jharkhand in development
RANCHI: The World Bank is eager to engage itself in the development process of Jharkhand which has huge mineral and forest wealth, a senior Bank official said on Tuesday.
"The World Bank would be happy to partner with the state in development endeavour," said Fayez Omar, senior manager, World Bank, India, after Jharkhand Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi released a Bank report 'Jharkhand Addressing the Challenges of Inclusive Development' at a function here.
Stating that he was struck by Jharkhand's potential, Omar said "Jharkhand will be our focussed state, ... Jharkhand has every ingredient to achieve success".
Suggesting several short to medium term measures to improve the investment climate, the report said infrastructural improvement and addressing issues in the mining sector could help the state bring in the required investment from the private sector.
Praising the decline in poverty by an impressive two per cent a year between 1994 and 2002, the report said that expanding rural opportunities like accessibility to favourable market could help the poor in villages.
According to the report, access to rural infrastructure such as irrigation, power, roads, credit and attainment of secondary and post-secondary education could also change the rural life.
The report said through an in-depth analysis of various sectors, including health, education, irrigation, power and mining, Jharkhand could lead to development by across the board generic reforms as well as sector-specific reforms.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/World_Bank_to_help_Jharkhand
_in_development/articleshow/2117520.cms
State on a short fuse, warns report
Ranchi, June 12: Politicians have little patience with home-truths. It came as no surprise, therefore, when deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi today hurriedly read out his prepared speech and left before a World Bank team could make its presentation on the strength and weaknesses of the state.
With the chief minister leaving for a week-long honeymoon, Marandi was the only minister to be present. There were three or four secretaries present but the chairman of the state electricity board also left the venue in the wake of Marandi and his entourage. Other ministers and secretaries were conspicuous by their absence.
It was left to principal secretary, Finance, Mukhtiyar Singh, to defend the government.
He fell back on his home-state Haryana to declare that people too must contribute towards development. In Haryana, he claimed, villagers first laid roads at their own initiative and the government dealt the finishing touch.
Ironically, the World Bank had undertaken the study at the behest of the state government.
A team of 20 World Bank staff, led by economists Binayak Sen and Rajni Khanna, took over a year to prepare the 120-page report on the challenges of inclusive development in Jharkhand.
World Bank senior manager Fayez S. Omar was present when the report was released.
The report does record some positive developments. Poverty in the state, it points out, declined by 2.5 percentage points a year while agriculture grew by 4 per cent. Impressive improvements in primary education and different health related programme were also observed.
But the report cautions that the state faces a stiff challenge to overcome odds before development.
With the highest incidence of poverty in the state and with very poor infrastructure, governance and fiscal control and supervision, the World Bank report warns, there is an urgent need for reforms.
The WB officials and economists held several rounds of talks with different stakeholders, including bureaucrats and businessmen and as many as three surveys were commissioned and conducted before preparing the report.
"We have suggested the state government should toe a middle path for the development of Jharkhand. And the middle path involves a balance between agriculture and mineral based industries," said Sen.
Political commitment at the highest level and a consensus on reforms would be required for development, he emphasised. An effective monitoring mechanism on spending and utilisation of funds had to be put in place, the report underlines.
Inclusive growth would be impossible without an effective Panchayati Raj institution, the report warns. The institution is even more necessary in view of the perception in civil society that level of corruption in government is high.
The state having sharp social and regional divisions and tribals feeling deprived, the state has the responsibility to tread cautiously, ensure transparency and ensure the inclusion of tribal groups in the development process.
The survey reports included in the report indicate that frequent transfer of deputy commissioners and secretaries have harmed development.
Senior officials have ceased to monitor the functioning of blocks regularly while block level officials have stopped attending office regularly on the pretext of Naxalite insurgence.
People remain unhappy and a vast majority of PDS dealers admitted to paying bribes for lifting material. The number of such dealers in Jharkhand, the report says, is the highest in the country.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070613/asp/frontpage/story_7915168.asp
Milk is the way to dignity in Jharkhand
The script is refreshing, replete with hope. Twelve tribal women from Jharkhand have given remote Kudu and Sneha, two blocks in the backward Lohardaga district, a new economic lifeline: dairy farming.
Taking a cue from the Amul success story in Gujarat, these women have started a milk cooperative movement that is yielding rich returns.
Aided by PRADAN, a voluntary organisation, the dozen form the spine of the milk chilling plant at Lohardaga — supplying bulk of the raw milk.
What started as a cottage enterprise has become a wave with 196 members. This excludes 158 women from the Sneha block, who have a similar set-up of their own.
The milkmaids of Kudu have formed a self-help group, Mahila Mandap, under the United Nations Development Project that gained strength after they received funds under the centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana.
A grant of Rs 24,250 and a loan of Rs 25,150 each will enable them to purchase two cows each and erect a shed.
"The Lohardaga plant had to manage with 1,200 litres of milk daily despite a capacity of 10,000 litres. Now, it gets 6,000 litres everyday, most of it supplied by these women," said Aradhana Patnaik, who took over the RSVY in 2004 as the Lohardaga Deputy Commissioner. Patnaik is now Deputy Commissioner of Gumla.
The women, belonging to the Oraon, Munda and Lohara tribes, make an additional Rs 800 every month. "Now, they produce 3,000 litres per day in Kudu. Assessing their success rate, we have set a target of 10,000 litres for 2008," said PRADAN's Programme Director Soumen Biswas.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=55be5b97-d0c4-41a7-b9ea-3733af0e032f&ParentID=f6f8d507-78af-4a77-a368-bec2ea09e281
6 mn displaced tribals yet to get compensation
In Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills, tribals are protesting against the government's plan to mine uranium fearing that the radiation would damage their health and ecology.
At Kalinganagar in Orissa, 16 people were killed last year when police opened fire on tribals protesting against the takeover of their land for a steel plant.
From Chipko movement against logging in Garhwal to Jadugoda protests in Jharkhand to Narmada movement in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, more and more tribal people seem to be fighting a losing battle against the industry, mines or dams.
Since 1980, about 9.8 lakh hectares of forestland has been diverted for 11,282 development projects according to an official reply to a Parliamentary question. It specifically mentions that about 1.6 lakh hectares of forestland was diverted for 300 mining projects alone.
Though exact official figures are not available on the total number of tribals displaced from India's forests due to development projects, a 2004 study by NGO Manthan Adhyayan estimates that the Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh has submerged 42,000 hectares of forests land and displaced over 80,000 tribals. Ekta Parishad, another NGO, estimates that in the last one decade about 4.7 million hectares of forestland has been occupied by the Chattisgarh government, displacing about 15 lakh tribals.
A 2005 National Advisory Council paper titled Tribal Welfare and Development authored by D. Swaminadhan, president of Hyderabad-based Mahatma Gandhi National Institute of Research and Social Action, says in the last 50 years over 9 million tribals were displaced out of which 6 million are yet to get any compensation. Noting that displacement has led to far reaching negative social and economic consequences, the author of the paper warns that economic planning cannot ignore these consequences of displacement that come at enormous economic, social and psychological cost. It is well known that uprooting people from their ancestral lands and livelihoods alienates them from kinship and family systems completely disrupting their market links.
The government acquires land for 'public purpose' through a 113-year-old Land Acquisition Act. The displaced tribals cannot take any legal recourse as the country's laws only recognise individual ownership of land and not community ownership of shared resources like the land, water sources, ponds and pastures, as is the case with tribal 'possessions.'
The present National Policy on Resettlement and Rehabilitation for Project Affected Families of 2004 compensates only assets, not livelihoods. And since forest tribals depend on common property resources, they get very little compensation and a large part of this meager payment is spent on debt repayment and subsistence in the interim period between displacement and rehabilitation, leaving little or nothing for future livelihoods.
A study conducted by Biswaranjan Mohanty, Associate Professor of Utkal University concluded that only 25 per cent of tribals displaced from forests in Orissa since independence have been rehabilitated with proper livelihood. The rest, the study says, are languishing because of bureaucratic apathy.
The new ST and Forest Dwellers Act offers some hope by underlining that the acquisition of forestland for national parks, sanctuaries and development projects should be accompanied by resettlement packages that provide secure livelihoods to the affected communities.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=1f5ba796-ef12-4a48-a9f0-
2050ebdf88d8&MatchID1=4469&TeamID1=2&TeamID2=4&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=
1110&PrimaryID=4469&Headline=6+mn+displaced+tribals+yet+to+get+compensation
No ST status to offspring of tribal women married to non-tribal
Ranchi : In a significant judgement, the Jharkhand High Court has ruled that the offspring of a non-tribal father and a tribal mother are not entitled to Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation benefits.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice M.K. Vinayagam and Justice N.N. Tewary passed the judgment while hearing an admission case Thursday.
The Tribal Medical Association (TMA) had filed a case in the high court challenging the state government's move to give ST certificate to children whose fathers are non-tribal and mothers tribal.
The court clubbed the hearing of TMA with a writ petition of Savita Bala Tuti, a student. Tuti in her petition said that Salila, another student, was given admission in Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, because she produced a ST certificate despite her father being a non-tribal.
Tuti challenged the state government move to include Salila in ST category.
The court directed the government to admit Tuti in place of Salila.
In Jharkhand, tribals constitute 27 percent of the total 27 million population.
Tribal people have welcomed the high court order.
"There are scores of examples of tribal exploitation in Jharkhand. The facilities given by the government to tribal people are utilised by non-tribals by using legal leeways. Many non-tribals married to tribal girls get the ST benefits and land rights. The court judgement will prevent exploitation," said Ganesh Hembrom, a tribal teacher.
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/jun/15/no_st_status_offspring_tribal_women
_married_non_tribal.html
A Dalit? Go find a Dalit society
Ahmedabad, June 17: IN a recent trend, Ahmedabad is witnessing "only-Dalit" residential societies — around 300 of which have come up in the last few years. However, for most Dalits, it is not a matter of choice, but of compulsion.
"Even if a Dalit can afford a flat in areas dominated by the upper castes, they are often denied by the builders or the seller," retired IAS officer P K Valera, who lives in one such Dalit society in Ramdevnagar, says. Some social scientists say the alienation started since 1982, after the anti-reservation agitation, but agree that the caste and class distinctions have become more serious in recent years. This trend can be seen not only in the walled city but also in the posh areas of west Ahmedabad like Satellite, Vastrapur, Bodakdev, Ambavadi. Socio-political scientist Achyut Yagnik says, "There are more than 300 Dalit societies in the city. In Chandkheda alone, there are 200 societies, most of which have come up after the 2002 riots when people moved out from Gomtipur, Bapunagar and Dani limda area. You will find construction contractors who only build Dalit societies."
Jayantibhai Jadav, a Congress councillor from Chandkheda and a builder-constructor, said, "In case a Dalit approaches a upper caste builder for accommodation, he is either directly discouraged or tacitly denied. The upper caste buyers don't even approach Dalit builders."
Jadav points out that while a Dalit from Gujarat cannot find a house in the upper caste societies, things are different for Dalits, who are non-Gujarati. "As the unfamiliar surnames do not reveal the caste of non-Gujaratis, Dalits from other parts of the country stands better chance to get accommodation in mixed societies," he adds.
Ashok Shrimali, who moved from Gomtipur to Shyam Bungalows, one of the Dalit societies in Chandkheda post 2002 riots, said, "A quest of safety took me to various Hindu-dominated housing societies in Ahmedabad. But I was denied an accommodation everywhere as I am a Dalit," says Shrimali. Even in Chandkheda, he could not find accommodation in any of the mixed societies. "Finally, I moved to this society, inhabited by Dalits only," he says.
"When does they (Sangh Parivar) consider us Hindus? Just check the list of the dead and wounded in the riots, you will find names of only Muslims and Dalits." says Bharatbhai Makwana, a small time businessman in a Dalit society in Ranip. "Only during elections and riots, they come to us. Otherwise, we are never considered as a part of Hindu society," he adds. "It is not only people from the lower income bracket, but Dalits retired from senior government position also find it difficult to find accommodation in the up market residential areas," says Valera, pointing to Kanabhai Parmar, a former under-secretary of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, who being a Dalit was denied accommodation in a upper caste housing society in Gandhinagar.
Bitthal Bhai Makwana, a former government official and an ex-editor of National Book Trust, points out that even today, a Dalit cannot buy a house in the upper caste housing societies coming up in Chandkheda Gandhinagar Highway. "We have been trying to buy a house in Satelite for last 10 years with no result, as people refuse to sell their house to a Dalit," says Makwana. He adds that only recently, a gentleman from Uttar Pradesh has sold them a house in that coveted area. "Right behind my house is the Pramukhswami Society, a upper caste housing society, which has couple of shops vacant for sometime," he says. So far Makwana had made futile attempts to hire a shop there. "They would rather let this shops decay than rent it out to a Dalit," he adds.
Builders and real estate agents say selling property to even one Dalit family in a society becomes detrimental to sales. Pulin Modi of Modi Constructions says, "Buyers do check out their neighbours before they book a flat in any area. Caste plays an important role as people want to live with their own class of people." He further said that people even avoid the builders, who sell houses to Dalits.
Pankaj Shrimali, lecturer of history in G L S Arts college, says, "Wherever I had approached for house in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, I was denied as I was a Harijan. In Hari Nagar society in Gandhinagar, as a rule, they do not allow Harijans."
Manjula Pradeep of Dalit Shakti Kendra says, "It is not always that people move to such ghettos because they were refused houses elsewhere. Even if a Dalit manages to find a house in such areas, the moment his identity is disclosed, his neighbours start avoiding him. This fear of rejection, social isolation and a need for social security has pushed most of the Dalits to such ghettos," Pradeep adds.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=241627
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Here, they labour hard but can't put date of work on forms
RANCHI, JHARKHAND: Here's the seventeenth part of a series on how the government's big-ticket programmes have impacted the hinterland, filed by our reporters from across the country.
Officials at Angara, Khunti, Mandar and Kanke blocks of Ranchi district often do not put dates on the application forms of the labourers for work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
No date means the labourers cannot claim unemployment dues as provided for by the Act. The NREGA is a demand driven scheme, which says, the government has to provide 100 days of employment in a financial year to every rural household, whose members are willing to work.
While funds for paying the labourers is provided by the central government, if the blocks in a district fail to provide employment within 15 days of the demand application being submitted, the state government has to pay an unemployment allowance. The unemployment allowance, for the first month is supposed to be one-fourth of the wage. If after this period, employment cannot still be provided, then the state government has to pay an unemployment allowance at the rate of half the wage.
However, taking advantage of the lack of awareness of the fine print of the provisions of the Act, local level officials in these blocks have devised this escape route. If there are no date written on the application form, this means a worker cannot stake claim to having been unemployed for the number of days she has been on the rolls, but not employed. While the district administration has suspended several officials of the block who were found guilty of the practice, it still continues unabated.
Deputy commissioner cum district magistrate of Ranchi, Kamal Kishore Soan told FE that the problems like not letting workers put dates on their application forms was a genuine problem. He said the administration was taking steps to spread awareness so that such problems could be solved.
Ramesh Sharan, professor of economics, Ranchi University and convenor of Nrega Watch, a federation of activists working to ensure that the scheme is successfully implemented, said that the aim of the officials seems to discourage workers from demanding jobs.
He also said that since there was no properly laid down grievance redressal mechanism, whereby workers could complain against such practice, the situation has worsened. According to Sharan, the district administration has so far failed to create a shelf of projects for jobs could be provided to the workers on demand.
A major deficiency in the implementation of the programme in these blocks was the virtual absence of work-site facilities like drinking water, first aid and shades as enunciated in the Act. There was no day care center or crèche too.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=166857 Jharkhand tribe falls back on age-old customs for settling disputes
Bero (Jharkhand), June 9 : Oraon, a Jharkhand tribal community still settles all disputes within the community at its annual congregation of village heads.
Known as 'Parha Jatra', the congregation of Oraon tribe is a unique system of judicial administration to settle disputes all through the year. The community members strictly follow the rules drafted by the 'Parha'.
The congregation is now held in the form of a fair or 'Jatra' which attracts people of fun and frolic. Each 'Parha' has a minimum of five villages under its jurisdiction and the 'Parha King' is the head of all the villages under his jurisdiction.
'Parha still functions in the traditional way. Every villager follows the guidelines put by Parha. Every custom of tribals is inherent in Parha,' said K.C. Bhagat, a tribal.
All the 'Parha Kings' come to the congregation, sitting on the symbolic animal corresponding to their 'Parha'.
Amidst music and dance, the tribals also get a chance to settle their disputes at the 'Jatra'. These tribals still have faith in their traditional judicial system and they rarely approach police or courts. Even heinous crimes like murder are settled by the 'Parha'.
'Parha is not restricted to a particular community. It's the social and administrative system of all the natives of the region. The relation between Parha and the people is same as the relation between a lake and its inhabitants,' said Vishwa Nath Bhagat, another tribal.
Oraon tribe traces back its origins to the Harappa civilization and is the largest amongst the eight million tribal population in Jharkhand.
--- ANI
http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=37558
Over 250 bids for captive coal blocks
MUMBAI, JUN 11: More than 250 companies have applied for the allocation of 17 captive coal blocks with the estimated coal reserves of 3, 440.370 million tonne. The applicants include independent power producers (IPPs) Tata Power Company (TPC), Reliance Energy Ltd, Lanco Infratech, Essar Power, AES Chhattisgarh Energy Pvt Ltd, CESC, Ispat, GMR, Spectrum Power, GVK Power, Jindal Steel & Power and Torrent Power.
The captive producers such as Steel Authority of India (SAIL), NTPC-SAIL Power Company, Bharat Aluminium Co (Balco) and Uttam Galva Steel have also submitted their applications to the screening committee attached to the coal ministry.
This apart, various state utilities including Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam, West Bengal Power development Corporation, Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board, Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation, Jharkhand State Electricity Board, Karnataka Power Corporation have also submitted applications.
The list of applicants also include companies which have made foray into power sector. These companies include Emco Energy Ltd (which is setting up power projects in the coal rich Vidarbha region, Maharashtra), JLD Yavatmal Energy, Baidyanath Power and Mining, Abhishek Thermal Power.
These blocks, which are earmarked for power sector, are situated in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal. The screening committee has convened meeting with these applicants from June 20 to 23 in New Delhi.
Carbon Rush
• Blocks situated: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal
• Preference: Will be accorded to the power and the steel sectors
• 3,440.370 mtn: Coal reserves in 17 blocks
The IPPs have already planned capacity addition by setting up 500-mw-project to projects of more than 1,000 mw in various states during the 11th plan period.
Further, applicants also include companies, which have planned the development of merchant power plants as per the centre's recent policy. The coal ministry has made it clear that preference will be accorded to the power and the steel sectors. Within the power sector also, priority would be accorded to projects with more than 500 mw capacities.
Similarly, in steel sector, priority would be given to steel plants with more than 1 million tonne per annum capacity.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=166874 Netarhat trashes ragging charge
Ranchi, June 11: No fresher has ever left Netarhat Public School due to ragging, asserted school authorities on Monday following media reports to this effect.
The student in question, said principal B.K. Karn, left in April complaining of home-sickness and after not being able to adjust with school traditions that require students to clean rooms, toilets, fetch water and wash clothes.
Ever since the residential school was set up over 50 years ago, he said, students in hostels, which are called ashrams at Netarhat, have been trained to become self-sufficient and learn the dignity of labour.
But the son of a college professor from Dumka, said the authorities, found it difficult to follow. His parents, too, objected to the practice and complained that students should not be made to "waste" their time in such chores. Finally, the student left for home in April and never returned.
The charge that he left because of ragging is both unfounded and mischievous, said the principal over the phone. It is once again a tradition at Netarhat that a room is shared by students from different classes and a senior student is designated as the mentor for the freshers. In this case, the mentor, a Class X student, had merely insisted that the fresher must follow the tradition, the principal said.
The boy, claimed other teachers, had never done any work at home. Pampered and fussed, he found it difficult to adjust to the austere and spartan lifestyle encouraged by the school, set up by the Bihar government in the fifties and which is now under the control of the Jharkhand government.
"He hardly lived here for two months during which his parents visited him several times. Once his parents even questioned the tradition as they believed students should come to school only for studies,"said the principal, adding, "but this is a residential school with unique traditions." Earlier batches, he said, faced greater hardship with water and electricity supplies being erratic.
Confirming the tradition, an IAS officer and the state's HRD secretary J.B. Tubid, himself a former "Haatian" as Netarhat old-boys are known, said he is proud of being a "Haatian" and that he recalls washing even others' utensils and clothes when the latter fell ill.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070612/asp/frontpage/story_7910493.asp
Formal credit sources skip 73% of farmers
NEW DELHI, JUNE 11: Even as state-owned banks have disbursed agriculture loans of over Rs 2 lakh in 2006-07, 73% of the farm households still have no access to formal credit sources. Northeastern states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam , Mizoram and Manipur, apart from Jharkhand and Uttaranchal, have achieved a financial inclusion of 25%.Dismal Scenario
• Only 25% of financial inclusion has been achieved by north-eastern states
• Most farmers still prefer to borrow from non-institutional sources
• Relief packages hardly reach the needy in absence of proper channels
• Finmin to ask banks to increase loan accounts and not just loan amounts
According to an official source, the main cause for concern is the fact that most farming households still prefer to borrow from non-institutional sources. Even relief packages for farmers, as and when announced by the government, do not actually reach the poor and the needy, since they are not serviced through formal channels. It may be noted that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a relief package of about Rs 700 crore in 2006-07 to help farmers in distress.
The finance ministry is likely to put pressure on banks to increase loan accounts rather than focussing only on increasing loan amounts. According to the Rangarajan Committee on financial inclusion, in terms of absolute numbers, northeastern, eastern and central region together account for 68% of non-indebted farm households.
Large-scale farmers suicide in 2006-07 had caused much embarrassment to the UPA government. Finance minister P Chidambaram, in his Budget announcement for 2007-08, had asked state-owned banks to continue providing farm credit at 7%. The Centre may even ask banks to set disbursement targets separately for production and investment, though both fall under the broad category of farm loan. The fact that 73% of farmers is still outside the purview of institutional source reflects that larger amount is being disbursed to farmers, who are already in the banking net
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=166854
Rain cuts power supply
Ranchi, June 10: Several parts of the state today went without power after fierce winds and torrential rain lashed southern Jharkhand.
The generation at the state's two thermal power units hovered around 245MW against the demand of 573MW.
However, residents were relieved as temperatures plummeted due to the rain.
The Ranchi Met office has forecast a partly clouded sky with the possibility of rains and thundershowers over the next 24 hours.
"Today's thundershowers were cause by a low pressure over this region. The low pressure is a result of prolonged heat," said weather scientist at Birsa Agriculture University A. Wadood dismissing possibilities of early monsoon.
Meanwhile, fear of lightning strikes shut down power substations.
The power supply from the thermal power stations Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Ltd (TVNL) and Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) was about 245MW, against an aggregate demand of 550MW. Only one unit functioned at TVNL today, generating around 200MW, while PTPS contributed 45MW to the state grid.
Desperate attempts to bridge this shortfall were made by overdrawing from the central sector.
Figures released by the Power Grid Corporation Ltd today indicated that in the afternoon, Jharkhand was drawing as much as 324MW from the central grid against its planned allocation of around 250MW. By evening, Jharkhand electricity board reduced its withdrawal from the central grid to 250MW.
An acute power crisis is set to hit the state because of a breakdown of the second unit at TVNL. The unit had sustained heavy damage following breakage of its turbine blades, which triggered off a chain reaction in the unit.
Two days of power cuts can be expected, said officials.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070611/asp/jamshedpur/story_7906238.asp
Family Feud Kill Eight In Jharkhand
Eight members of a family were killed Thursday in Lohardagga district of Jharkhand over a family dispute.
Police said Mohmmad Hanif, a resident of Mukunda village in Lohardagga district, some 90 km from Ranchi, was killed along with his wife and six children.
They were killed with sharp edged weapons. ' Hanif's brother murdered them over a family dispute,' G.S. Rath, additional director general of police, told IANS. He did not elaborate on the nature of the quarrel.
Police have launched an operation to arrest the killers and the bodies have been sent to a local hospital for post mortem.
http://newspostindia.com/report-2551 Jharkhand tribals protest reduction of reserved seats in Assembly
Ranchi, June 6: Jharkhand tribals are protesting against the visit of a Delimitation Commission team to redraw the boundaries of Parliament and State legislature seats.
The tribals are agitated over the fact that the reserved seats in the 81-member Assembly have been reduced from 35 to 28, and are now being further brought down to 22 in line with their population, which is based on the 2001census.
"We will not tolerate this injustice being meted out to the tribal community of Jharkhand. The members of the delimitation commission are going to arrive tomorrow (June 7), and we will not allow them to land here" said, Hemchand Murmu, a tribal protestor on Wednesday.Besides, one Lok Sabha seat is likely to be removed from the list of reserved tribal seats.
"We will take every measure to stop the Delimitation Commission from landing in Jharkhand. We will compel them to leave Jharkhand," said Mary Hembrom, a tribal woman protestor.
Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census, whereby a Delimitation Commission is constituted to demarcate the boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies as per provisions of the Delimitation Act.
The present delimitation of constituencies was based on 1971 Census figures. The Constitution was specifically amended in 1976 not to have a delimitation of constituencies till the first census after 2000. Thus, the constituencies carved out on the basis of 1971 census are still in vogue.
The census data of 2001 was released on December 31, 2003. Using these figures, a new delimitation exercise is under way.
The main task of this commission is to readjust the territorial constituencies for both the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of Census figures, without affecting the total number of seats allocated to each State in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly.
Its other task is to decide on the seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies, on the basis of the census figures.
Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2001, after nearly five decades of protests by locals, mainly tribals who comprise around 28 percent of the State's population.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (a regional political party enjoying tribal support) had then led the protests for the formation of the state and it is now again at the forefront of the agitation against the reduction of reserved tribal seats in the State Assembly and the Parliament.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/147188.php/Jharkhand-tribals-protest-reduction-of-reserved-seats-in-Assembly
Jharkhand Postal Department's Novel Concept to Promote Family Planning
The Jharkhand postal department has decided to step into the family planning programme and has started delivering condoms and contraceptives to people, especially in remote areas.
The department has tied up with Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust in this initiative, which helps those hesitant to buy condoms from shops to get them at home. The move was initiated last week.
"The idea is to promote family planning. Through post offices we deliver 16 products, including condoms, contraceptives, sanitary napkins and nappies, to people in remote areas," said Anil Kumar, director of the head post office in Ranchi.
"We (postal department) will get 30 percent as commission on the products sold," Kumar said.
The postmen who carry out the innovative idea are enthusiastic about their additional responsibility.
Said Deendayal, a postman: "We interact with people and make them aware about the importance of using condoms."
source-IANS
http://www.medindia.net/news/Jharkhand-Postal-Departments-Novel-Concept-to-Promote-Family-Planning-21718-1.htm
Consul for better roads
Ranchi, June 9: Japanese consul-general in India Noro Motoyoshi stressed on the importance of a comprehensive infrastructure for development of the state here today.
The consul said that the road-railway-seaport link is crucial for any state and Jharkhand should renew its ties with Calcutta that is the nearest port.
Emphasising on the condition of roads in the state and in the country as a whole, Motoyoshi said improving roads was a challenge for the nation. "Roads need to be widened and smoothened to improve the economical condition of the state and the country. Communication has a direct link with the development of the state," he added.
Disclosing about various schemes and projects, Motoyoshi said that the Japanese government, in its bid to observe the cultural agreement entered into by India and Japan, is committed to help the country in its path of development.
Motoyoshi, while addressing newsmen today, also sported a symbol of the existing friendship ties in the form of a traditional Japanese fan with the Tricolour painted on it.
The consul on his three-day tour in the state met government officials and other dignitaries discussing the role of the two countries in promoting infrastructural, political, economical, military and cultural ties.
Lauding Jharkhand Education Council for its efforts, Motoyoshi said elementary education for children is the first step towards development. The mid-day meal scheme for school children and scholarships have been instrumental in checking the school dropout ratio, he added.
Motoyoshi also said the Japanese government has sanctioned Rs 550 crore towards installation of a super thermal power project at North Karnpura, work for which has already started. "Our government is committed to help the state, but a proposal has to be made first through the Union government and then we will decide on the modalities," he added.
Later in the day, Motoyoshi met Ranchi University vice-chancellor A.A. Khan in his office.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070610/asp/jamshedpur/story_7901268.asp
Board to pump up power protection
Jamshedpur, June 10: In its latest effort to stop power theft, Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) has constituted a 10-member anti-power theft wing at its headquarters, headed by Shashi Bhushan Sharma, a senior executive engineer of the board.
The wing would identify industries and individuals indulging in power theft, JSEB officials said. Action against the guilty would be taken based on the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003. Speaking to The Telegraph, Sharma said the wing will co-ordinate with the five area boards and conduct raids at regular intervals.
"The activities of the wing will be monitored by the chairman himself," said Sharma.
JSEB sources said the decision to constitute the wing was taken because of widespread electricity theft across the state.
Citing examples, board official said the Adityapur industrial area in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district causes the board an annual loss of Rs 4 crore through power theft.
Similarly, power theft causes an annual loss of Rs 15 crore for the JSEB headquarters in Ranchi from the Ranchi Industrial Area Development Authority (RIADA) and Bokaro Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA).
Over the years, as industrial units and residential areas burgeoned, the problem became more acute, causing huge losses to the JSEB.
Though area boards of JSEB have conducted raids in the past to check electricity theft, the raids have mostly been toothless as the officials allegedly connive with the guilty.
Promising that the raids conducted now would be different, Sharma said that the wing members can swoop in on any commercial or residential complex without warning. "Earlier, there were even six-month gaps between raids, which diluted their impact. Now, raids would be frequent," he said.
"The team will be accountable as it will have to prepare a report for the chairman after each raid," Sharma added, hoping it would also create more transparency in the process.
General manager of Singhbhum area board, P. R. Ranjan admitted to a rampant increase in electricity thefts in the past few years. Most cases under Singhbhum area board come from Adityapur and Mango, where numerous small and medium-scale industries continue to violate the act by pilfering electricity, he said.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070611/asp/jamshedpur/story_7906071.asp Result noose for colleges
Jamshedpur, June 10: The human resource development department is set to enforce certain strict measures on intermediate institutions across the state in the wake of this year's dismal results.
Sources in the edu- cation department said HRD secretary J.B. Tubid has decided to convene a meeting of principals of intermediate schools and colleges across the state.
The meeting, which is slated to take place in Ranchi during the third week of June, will review this year's performance of intermediate results and issue necessary directives to the principals to ensure better results in the future.
The intermediate results was far below expectations, HRD minister Bandhu Tirkey told The Telegraph. This is the reason for convening the meeting, he confirmed.
"The state's interme- diate students failed to achieve the success rate of this year's matriculate examinees for the second consecutive year. This is a serious issue that needs to be discussed with the school principals," he added.
About 55 per cent of the candidates, who had appeared for the intermediate science examinations this year, have failed.
Students in the commerce and arts streams fared marginally better than the state average, recording a failure percentage of 30.12 and 25.82 per cent, respectively.
Science stream students recorded the lowest success rate with only 45 per cent of the candidates passing.
The dismal performance of students is being attributed to the poor way in which some colleges were run.
Colleges affiliated to the universities is responsible for the poor performance, said the Jharkhand Academic Council, which conducts the intermediate examination.
Chairman of the council Shaligram Yadav said neither did the colleges adhere to the terms specified by the CBSE nor did it implement the curriculum properly.
Though the CBSE advocates 220 teaching days a year, the colleges organised only 150 classes.
The council had direc- ted the institutions to orga- nise classes during the summer and Durga Puja vacations to compensate the academic loss.
However, most institutions did not follow that directive.
"At the meeting we will issue strict guidelines aim- ed at improving the perfor-mance of students appearing for exams next year. Necessary action would be taken against the heads of institutions failing to abide by the guidelines," he added.
The sharp rise in business and, hence, new jobs is creating its own challenges. Earlier, its contractors would source workers locally from around Hyderabad. Then as company's projects spread to far off places like Kerala, it began to feel the labour crunch. "They started to get fussy," says Mr Ramachandran. There were enough projects within Andhra, and they refused to move with the company to other states. Contractors, which supplied workers, began spreading their net wider and deeper to far-flung places like Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Jharkhand.
Not surprisingly, wages have gone up. In unskilled segment, it has doubled from around Rs 40 five years ago to Rs 80-100 today, he adds. In some cases semi-skilled and some skilled workers like helper, packer, loader, watchman, gardener, bricklayers, the salaries could have gone up from Rs 200 to Rs 500 during the period.
Along with the wage hike, attitudes too are evolving. "Earlier we were more like – take it or leave it," Ramachandran says. "We are more sensitive to their needs now." Earlier hutments weren't a must. Today it's a given, that too relatively a more comfortable one equipped with toilets etc. A common mess, managed by a local cook to help ease up the tension of cooking and food is often being provided. Benched strength – something that the IT industry maintained to beat the surging attrition – is beginning to happen here.
For example, in its projects in Kerala while it keeps around 150 supervisors, it also maintains a bench strength of around 50, something that it never did in the past. "We try and keep them busy with on the job training kind of thing," he says.
All this also means worker planning and recruitment kicks far earlier in the project cycle than in the past. "At times we over-hire, knowing well that some of them will leave us," Ramachandran says.
Talent shortage also means often compromising on hiring standards. The workers come and tell the contractor they know carpentry. "At best, they would know how to pick up a saw," says managing director of Gera Developments Kumar Gera. It does create problems. Sometimes they mess up and then leave for another job. "We have to undo and then start from scratch," Gera says. That often means cost and time overruns.
Some companies are trying to find their own solutions. Take, for example, D S Construction, a Delhi-based company currently executing seven projects worth Rs 4,500 crore. Based in Delhi, a magnet for migrant workers, it hasn't faced too much problem getting unskilled labourers. But finding semi-skilled workers is a nightmare. "ITIs just don't produce the kind of people we need," says senior VP (HR) of D S Constructions Ashok Sehgal. The construction industry has changed dramatically with high usage of hi-tech equipments and significant automation. Workers like tipper-operator, loader-operator, crusher-operator, crucial for their business, are just not being churned from the government-managed ITIs.
To build its own resources, the company is starting a training institute in the outskirts of Gurgaon and is also initiating a mentoring programme of its own. It will recruit 200-300 high-school pass students, put them through 6 months to 1 year classroom and virtual machine training module, provide them with a stipend and just hope that they continue to work with them even after they graduate out. "Bonding — not bonds — will work here. Good treatment and assurance of a regular job should be enough of a lure," says Sehgal hopefully.
Others like the Rs 1,500-crore (approx) Simplex Infrastructure is trying a different strategy. Its head Amitabh Das Mundhra, who sees worker shortage of up to 30% at present, is looking at fast-tracking training programs for his workers. Typically, an unskilled worker would take around two years to turn semi-skilled and another three to turn into a skilled worker. "We are trying to fast track their learning as we don't have that kind of time," he says. Through offsite training programs and on-the-job training, he hopes to compress the 5-year unskilled-to-skilled transition period to three years.
Training, worker welfare, higher wages and better work conditions is helping companies retain existing workers and even lure new ones. Subhash Ray, a contractor who sources workers from Orissa, Bihar and Assam, for Gera Developments in Pune says that the supply of workers is thinning down. "But I am not facing any problem."
The word about the good city life, comfortable work conditions and regular on-time salary payments has spread in the villages where he frequents.
Further, while most of these workers are daily wage earners with no assurance of jobs some developers just pay them a holding-on-wage in-between projects to avoid losing them, says VP (construction) of Gera Developments Ranjit Kukaday. All of the above news could be brushed aside as interesting but insignificant. Wage hikes may have barely covered the inflationary pressures for the poor living on daily wages. The small steps by a minority of developers may just be a few drops in the ocean of millions of unorganised workers in India who have no access to even basic statutory benefits.
But there is a silver lining behind all of it. The most heartening news is what Surinder Kumar, an Artiya in Khanna Grain Market in Punjab tells you. Seeing better opportunities, higher earnings and better work conditions, a large number of workers who would migrate to Punjab during harvest season are changing route.
They are opting for non-agri work in the construction and infrastructure industry elsewhere in the country. With unpredictable weather and poor yield, livelihood here is a bit uncertain, he says. And more and more new workers from Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand are not heading to Punjab anymore. "The supply is thinning," he says.
Kulvinder Pal Singh, a potato farmer in Punjab says the shortage of farm workers could be as high as high 25%. Understandably, wages have gone up. A labourer who got 60 paise for loading one 40-kg bag of sunflower last year is now getting 95 paise. "Some farmers are willing to pay more. Others are doing those work themselves because the costs have gone up," says Singh.
In a country where agriculture provides under 20% of the GDP but employs close to 60% of the workforce - implying huge under utilisation of labour - this shift of agri workers to non-agri jobs could be very significant.
From that standpoint, the steps that India Inc is undertaking to enable, smoothen and absorb millions of unskilled and semi-skilled workers into non-agri jobs will have deeper significance for the times to come.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Indicators/_Bad_news_for_firms_good _news_for_workers/articleshow/msid-2116251,curpg-2.cms
Ranchi 's colleges to get networked
JAMSHEDPUR: Ten colleges affiliated to Ranchi University in Jharkhand would soon be made hi-tech. The university administration has prepared a proposal for the same which will soon be submitted to the state human resource development department, said sources in the Ranchi University.
According to the proposal, 10 colleges would be equipped with all networking facilities. Also, all the colleges will be connected to the university headquarters through the network. Each college will have at least 10 computers for storing important information. The proposal also talks about a website for each college. The state government is reported to have assured the Ranchi University of a grant in this regard.
The broadband services would also be made available to the students in these colleges very soon- Ranchi College, Ranchi Women's College, Marwari College in Ranchi, Jamshedpur Women's College, Co-operative College, Graduate School College for Women in Jamshedpur, Tata College Chaibasa, Women's College Chaibasa, GLA College Daltonganj and YSN Women's College Daltonganj . Jharkhand has three universities and Ranchi University is the oldest of them. The university has a total student intake of around 90,000 students from its affiliated colleges. There are a total of 35 constituent colleges and 29 affiliated colleges of Ranchi University. The colleges under Ranchi University offer courses in medical, engineering, management, science, arts and law streams
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Education/ Ranchis_colleges_to_get_networked/articleshow/2110553.cms
Rs 20 million looted from a Ranchi bank
June 7: Robbers today looted the main branch of the Syndicate Bank in Ranchi and decamped with 20 million rupees (500,000 dollars).There were six robbers who held the employees and customers captive while emptying cash vaults of the bank, which is located in the busy Albert Ekka Square, barely 300 meters from a police station."They (robbers) took the customers and employees captive and made them sit on the ground in a room. The forcibly took the keys from the bank manager and emptied the locker of all its contents. It seems they have decamped with some rupees 20 million," said Ranchi Superintendent of Police, Richard Lakda.
Police has begun investigations, with the help of sniffer dogs.
"When I entered the bank at around 10.15 in the morning, the robbers were already inside and were holding some 25 people captive. Four of them were inside and one of them was standing at the flexible gate and pulled me inside as soon as I came. Then he tried to snatch my cell phone from me, which I resisted, on which he threatened to kill me with his revolver. In the ensuing scuffle, I was hit on the head by one of the robbers and this left me bleeding," said Satish Kumar, data management operator of the bank.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/147502.php/Rs-20-million-looted-from-a-Ranchi-bank
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