Jharkhand (India) Network | news.jharkhand.org.in

Money and Maoists are now reaching out to take over the reins of power

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Money and Maoists are now reaching out to take over the reins of power

Businesses in Jharkhand are desperate for a way out of the terror raj. Surendra Bengali is languishing in Hazaribagh Jail, but when he "ruled" Ranchi along with Anil Sharma in the mid-90s, nothing moved after dark. Life came automatically to a total standstill, such was the reputation of these two crimelords. It was then that a fairly unassuming senior superintendent of police, a certain Amitabh Choudhary, moved into office and picked up the two dreaded gansters almost as if by magic and restored Ranchi's peace.

At Ranchi today, ordinary people recall those days. "The present day Red-terror reminds me of those dreadful days of Anil Sharma and Surendra Bengali when there were no night shows and nobody would venture out after 7 pm. How can we do business in such an environment," asked Bikash Singh, a Ranchi-based industrialist and former president of Jharkhand Small Industries Association (JSIA).

Talking to ET, Singh said that though he voted on polling day, he was really pained that none of Jharkhand's politicians ever raise the issue of how this terror raj is affecting small businesses. And not small businesses alone.

According to a Central Coalfield Limited (CCL) official, truck movement had come to a halt on as many as 88 days in the financial year. "Production went down as a result and our business could have been much better only if trucks had a free run," he said.

Indeed, movement on highways have got really hit due to the fear of Naxalite depredations. A survey made recently claims that while trucks run 350-450 kms on average a day in South India, in Jharkhand it is limited to just about 125-200 kms. According to Uday Shankar Ojha of the Jharkhand Truck Owners' Association : "Except for the Grand Trunk Road and the Patna-Ranchi-Jamshedpur National Highway 33, we cannot even think of moving on the road after sunset." While some 35-40,000 trucks ply within Jharkhand every day, about 10-15,000 also pass through to adjoining states. This gives an idea of how heavy the truck movement in the state actually is and most of these trucks actually ferry ore and coal to different industrial units.

"There are six points of exit from Ranchi, but except for NH 33, none are safe at night. So no trucker from Ranchi would move towards Gumla (connecting Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Gujarat), Daltonganj (connecting UP and MP), Khunti (connecting Chaibasa, Barbil and Orissa), Silli for West Bengal for Patratu for Barkakana after 6 pm. Same is the situation with buses," said Ojha.

There are also problems of no-entry in the state capital. So in a way, trucks run only 12 hours in Jharkhand and they remain stranded for the other 12 hours. Then you have the frequent bandhs that Maoists call and truckers have no option but to stay put. If a truck owner earns Rs 2000 a day, 25,000 truck owners in Jharkhand would lose about Rs 5 crore a day whenever there is a Maoist bandh", Ojha said.

With 18 out of 24 districts in their pocket and them running parallel governments in places like Chatra and Latehar, Maoists and Naxals really have a field day. With the administration crippled and politicians corrupt, businessmen are at the mercy of extremists. In the last four months alone, Maoists have called bandhs on 16 days and all of them were successful. Nothing moved.

And not business alone either. Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, former national secretary of the Indian Medical Association said : "None of our doctors want to stay in rural areas because of Maoists' fear. We often get threat calls. Government doctors posted in peripheral areas tend to return home early, affecting health services. Private doctors never plan to settle in rural pockets".

Policemen also tend to avoid postings in Naxal-infested areas. "So far about 300 policemen have been killed in different incidents of Naxalite violence," said Lalmohar Singh, president of the Jharkhand Police Association. "Though the Centre has given a good amount of money for modernisation of the police force, it has never been utilised properly. There have been cases where the funds have been diverted for other purposes," he said. And ofcourse there hangs a story....

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4455175.cms?prtpage=1

Suggested understrap: In Jharkhand's insurgency, there are no rules, just fear. Not content with the dominance born out of political patronage,

money and arms, Maoists are now reaching out to take over the reins of power. For the locals who have been living under the shadow of terrorism in a state helmed by short-sighted corrupt politicians for years now, the only thing that matters anymore is peace.

"Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today"

-- Mahatma Gandhi

There were masked, hooded men before too, men who moved like shadows in the dark of the night, a high-calibre rifle cradled carelessly on the arm, men who caused the police and administration of three adjoining states decades of fitful sleep, men who killed for honour, the Baaghis of Chambal.

But there was romanticism surrounding Man Singh, Panna, Sultan, Lakhan Singh, Madho Singh, Mohur Singh, Chidda Singh Sikarwar, Lukka Daku or Lokman Dikshit as he was born.... . Villagers feared them, but they adored them too. Honour ruled their activities and stories about them usually portrayed them as custodians of moral righteousness, even if they were not entirely so.

In Jharkhand, masked men rule too. However, they change their names to suit the area they operate in and they sport a trademark "ji" suffix in all non-Christian areas. So Mukulji of Dumka is Kundanji at Latehar or Salimji at Pakur which is Muslim dominated.

The same person may be John at Rajmahal or Zakaria in Littipara, where Christians form the majority. They aren't baagis; they are de-facto zamindars. They virtually control 18 of the 24 districts in the state, have paralysed the constitutional authorities who are supposed to run the administration, bludgeoned policemen into submission and killed well over 1,400 people just to make their cause known. They are sometimes referred to as Naxals, sometimes as Maoists, but essentially they are followers of a sect that believes in creating anarchy as a self-sustaining realisation of a revolutionary dream to create a classless society.

Welcome to Mao-land Jharkhand, where six successive state governments since its formation in 2000, have all tried their damndest best to topple the other in order to rule and in the process, have befriended Maoists to spread anarchy during the other's regime.

Very simply put, you cannot exterminate Maoists in Jharkhand by use of force, because every local political honcho wants them on their side, irrespective of party colour. And the motive is entirely selfish, because unless you can destabilise the ruling government, you cannot come to power yourself and so on... . Naturally therefore, everything has taken a backseat in Jharkhand. Only the Frankensteins rule. A taste of that this country witnesses in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Cut to this very powerful politician, an MLA who spoke to ET about the Naxal menace last week. "A road which was supposed to be built under a government scheme in my constituency, was not getting built. So I asked about the delay. To my utter shock and dismay, the engineer in charge told me that there was a delay because extremists have demanded a levy and if it was not paid, they wouldn't allow the road to be built.

There was so much of public pressure for the road, that I had to ask the engineer to do whatever was required so that the road gets constructed. I was helpless, but I cannot escape the ground reality."

Obviously, money had to be given as ransom for the road and in all likelihood the MLA paid out of his pocket or shelled out party funds or maybe funds from other sources. But that's what Naxalism or Maoism in Jharkhand is all about. No matter who you are, or what you want, you need to keep them happy first.

That Maoists rule with political patronage is an accepted fact. No political party in Jharkhand has raised the issue of Naxal menace prominently in their manifestos. There are vague references to bringing back "those who have been misguided to the mainstream", some appeals to "shun violence", but nothing more than that.

Former CM and JMM chief Shibu Soren has always referred to the extremists as "bhai bandhus" and although he had sought a financial assistance of Rs 7,126 crore from the 13th Finance Commission to combat the "grave menace", he also released three notorious Maoists from jail when he was contesting the Tamar byelections, just so that the Naxals support him. Crack commando forces galore have been raised and named either the Special Task Force or Jharkhand Jaguars, but they have not been used to combat extremists. These battle specialists are now used for providing security to ministers and VIPs.

Intelligence reports say Maoists have very good bases in rural pockets and that they also control a large part of the economy by collecting levies from contractors, miners, industrialists, transporters, forest produce dealers -- nobody escapes by not paying. Even state bureaucrats do, just to ensure that token administration can be run atleast. And no politician dares to disturb this arrangement either.

Former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi lost his son to Maoists last year. "Nobody, including politicians, wants to take any trouble. They want the easy way out. When politics has become confined to individual growth, what else can you expect," he said.

Ofcourse you become wise after the horse has bolted and in Babulal's case, he lost his son. But then to his credit goes the fact that during his regime he had announced a surrender policy to woo Maoists and Naxals to give up arms and join the mainstream. As was only to be expected, the scheme didn't work. These are no Makhan Singhs or Mohur Singhs, and Babulal Marandi was no Jayaprakash Narayan.

Noted social activist Faisal Anurag dismisses theories that the extremist problem is an economical and law-and-order problem. "It is a purely political issue. Politicians are in fact their associates. It is an open secret that these politicians get monetary support from Naxals when they are not in power, and therefore it is foolish to expect them to act against their financiers when they are in power" Anurag said.

Mr Harivansh, a senior journalist who has been tracing the growth of naxalism in the state ever since inception felt that the state always lacked honest and dedicated leadership and that this has resulted in the failure of the system. This has also subsequently alienated people from the government.

"This has been the root cause for the rise in insurgency at ground level, but no government has taken it seriously because every politician has remained busy making money for himself. A large number of corruption cases against many of these politicians is a living testimony to this," Mr Harivansh said.

But what's most terrifying is the fact that extremists are no longer content playing a passive role, no longer satisfied with disruptive politics. Kameshwar Baitha, a former hardcore Maoist, contested the byelections at Palamau two years back and came second at the hustings. This time, he is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the same constituency and it is being said that he will give a tough fight to sitting RJD MP Ghuran Ram. Similarly, in the Simaria assembly byelection last year, two former Maoists contested. This time, a jailed Maoist, Ranjan Yadav is contesting from Chatra constituency and he is giving a good fight.

Chhatarpur MLA Radha Krishna Kishore sees the writing on the wall maybe. "Instead of supporting politicians, they are themselves now planning perhaps to take over the reins of power. They might also be conspiring to get access to secret government documents through friendly 'honourable' MLAs" he said. Nepal may have been a very different ball game, but the question uppermost to many in Jharkhand now is whether, after all its misfortunes, the state will also live to see a day when Maoists would rule along with their present-day "friends" in power ?

Will it be all that bad or will that be good ? Frankly, Jharkhand's intelligentsia or whatever is left of it, doesn't quite have the answer. They have lived since 2000 with short-sighted corrupt politicians who promise administration, but have so far not been able to run even one successfully for long.

Administration has gone for a toss and the state, in all respects, is sinking despite its potential. The fear factor and the killings only make matter worse.

"Babu kya farak parega Ghuran Ram ayaa ki Kameshwar Baitha ? Humlog sirf shanti chahte hain" (What difference will it make Sir, if Ghuran Ram comes or Kameshwar Baitha ? We just want peace) said Lalan, a panwallah in Ranchi. That, one supposes, is what everybody in Jharkhand wants

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4455154.cms?prtpage=1

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Adivasis in Kokrajhar district of Assam are Voting for the third time — from a relief camp

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Jharkhand News

Adivasis in Kokrajhar district of Assam are Voting for the third time — from a relief camp

Sawna Tudu does not exactly remember the date when his third son died of malaria for want of treatment at the age of three in a makeshift relief camp. He only remembers that his wife was carrying the third child in her womb when a violent ethnic clash in 1996 uprooted thousands of downtrodden Bodos and adivasis like him and forced them to take shelter in relief camps.

The adivasi farmer, who now earns his bread by working as daily wage earner and running a small shop, will be casting his vote at one of the three polling centres located within a cluster of make shift relief camps for internally displaced persons.

This will be for the third time that Tudu and about 2,000 other voters of the Joypur adivasi relief camp in lower Assam's Kokrajhar district will be casting their votes in a Lok Sabha poll.
Quickly forgotten

Those in the camp say that politicians remember them only during elections and make promises to rehabilitate them but conveniently forget once the hullabaloo is over.

This time too, the candidates of Kokrajhar Lok Sabha constituency and their agents have made the same promises when they approached them for votes.

A series of violent ethnic clashes between the Bodos and the adivasis in lower Assam's Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon district in 1996 and 1998 and between Bodos and Muslims in 1993 uprooted 48,556 families from their homes. Some of them have been rehabilitated.

However, for past 16 years, thousands of refugees, mostly adivasis, are still languishing in congested makeshift relief camps in sub-human conditions without proper food, drinking water, sanitation, healthcare and livelihoods. Children born in the camps do not have any idea what a proper home is.

For more than 13,000 occupants of the Joypur relief camp at Karigaon by the side of the National Highway there are only five tube wells as the only source of water for drinking and other household purposes.

The refugees have not heard about the Total Sanitation Campaign and open defecation is the normal practice for children and elders alike.
No ration cards

The government provides them free rice that lasts 10 days of the month. For the remaining 20 days they have to manage for themselves. The government has not issued ration cards.

Some of those who live in the camp have been issued job cards under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). But they are yet to get jobs.

Those in the relief camp are willing to return to their homes provided the government increases the rehabilitation grant from existing amount of Rs. 10,000 for each family to Rs. 50,000.

"The government has been asking us take the rehabilitation grants of Rs. 10,000 and return to our villages. As farmers we need livestock for resuming agricultural activities and at the same time we will also have to rebuild our houses. What will we do with such little amount?" said Ramsing Lakra, president of the camp inmates' committee of Joypur Relief Camp.

Like him, the others are waiting to exercise their franchise during the second phase of polling on April 23.

However, this time they under no illusion that exercising this right will change their lives for the better.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2009042150911200.htm&date=2009/04/21/&prd=th&

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Why Adivasis in insurgency-hit Koraput risk their lives to participate in the elections ?

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:51:00 +0000

Jharkhand News

Why adivasis in insurgency-hit Koraput risk their lives to participate in the elections ?

Tied to a bamboo pole that seems to stretch to the sky, the red flag of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) flutters high above the hamlet of Ganjaipadar.
But draped all around it are green Biju Janata Dal flags, emblazoned with the party's conch logo, and Congress posters extolling the virtues of nine-time Member of Parliament Giridhar Gamang.

Not a single police officer is visible in or around Ganjaipadar, but Maoist insurgents seem to be making no effort to enforce their call for an election boycott. By 10:00 a.m., 147 of 510 voters had exercised their franchise; the number had more than doubled by lunchtime.

Ganjaipadar lies in the cluster of adivasi hamlets around the village of Kotiya — the mountain bastion of the Maoist insurgency in Orissa's troubled Koraput district.

For all practical purposes, Kotiya has disappeared from Orissa's map. Buses stopped making the 26-kilometre journey from National Highway 43 years ago. Last year, Koraput district authorities gave up the effort to stop what remains of the road from dissolving into the red earth, after a contractor fled the area. Police officials in Koraput admit it has been months since they attempted to send patrols into the area.

Democracy and development

Why do large numbers of Kotiya villagers spend their time — and risk their lives — on participating in the democratic process as voters and party activists?

Kotiya is among the most impoverished regions in Orissa, but democracy seems to have part-delivered. Its residents have access to a functional primary school, which gives students an education — and, no less important, lunch. Kotiya has a rudimentary dispensary; its footpaths have been paved, and Indira Awas Yojana grants have enabled more than half of its 490 residents access to a weather-proof home.

Orissa government engineers have even stretched power cables across the mountains to Kotiya and — for a few hours every day — there are lights, among other things, for late-evening volleyball games played on the court built by the Gram Panchayat.

Most important of all, the local residents' votes have brought a degree of food security. Most Kotiya families have access to cards which entitle them to 25 kilos of rice at Rs. 2 a kilo. In Ganjaipadar, the election campaign revolved around the fact that just 25 of 110 families had cards — a result of badly-framed rules and poor implementation.

"I'm voting," says Kotiya resident Shakunta Hemla, "to show that I support the people who brought us cheap food."

Learning from experience, insurgents have avoided confrontation with local politicians. Cadres of both the Congress and the Biju Janata Dal told this correspondent they had an arrangement with Maoists: no attacks would take place as long as no police personnel were brought into the Kotiya area. But in the face of other challenges, those that go beyond the provision of cheap food or municipal facilities, democracy isn't doing quite so well.

Koraput is the advertisement for the new Orissa the State's politicians have been working to create. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited operatives a massive facility that produces engines for Sukhoi and MiG combat jets. The National Aluminium Company Ltd. runs Asia's largest alumina refinery here. Nearby, in the town of Jeypore, hotels are packed with British and Russian engineers who have come in to help develop new mining and industrial projects.

But the district's residents have benefited relatively little from these investments. HAL, local politicians complain, refuses to conduct job examinations locally, while much of NALCO's work goes to contractors from outside the region.

Little progress

More important, industrial growth has done little to accelerate human development. Just 36.2 percent of the district's 11,97,954 residents are literate; less than one in four women can read and write. Among adivasis, who make up just over half of the population, the literacy rate is estimated at just over 20 percent.

Put simply, the bulk of Koraput's population has neither the education nor the capital needed to exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities that industrial growth is opening up. Koraput's already-marginalised adivasi population, in particular, has little reason to look to the future with hope. Democracy needs to provide answers to the looming crisis — or could face defeat.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/18/stories/2009041856091300.htm

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Adivasi (Tribal) Witchcraft News Reports

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Adivasi Witchcraft

URL: adivasi-witchcraft.jharkhand.org.in

Children of 'witches' fight social stigma

September 19, 2007 (IANS) Ranchi: A social revolution is taking root in Jharkhand's villages. Daughters and granddaughters of women who were once branded witches are coming forward to root out the social evil.

Poonam Toppo, 29, whose grandmother was once tortured for being a witch, has taken up cudgels to fight the crime of branding innocent people witches and then killing them brutally.

A resident of Bhusur village on the outskirts of Ranchi, Poonam became an orphan at the age of eight. She was the third child of her family and lived with her grandmother.

Recalling her past, Poonam, now director of the Ranchi unit of Free Legal Aid Committee (FLAC), said that when a villager died, residents put the blame on her grandmother.

The village panchayat branded her grandmother a witch and she was brutally beaten up. The family was ostracised and prevented from going to the village market or participating in tribal festivals.

"My grandmother was blamed for everything taking place in the village, be it the death of a cow or a buffalo. One day I decided to stand up against this. When they once came to beat my grandmother, I stood at the doorway and asked them to kill me first. The villagers retreated," Poonam said.

"I took up the matter with the panchayat leaders and argued that if my grandmother could kill anyone, then why couldn't she protect herself from the wrath of the villagers. The panchayat accepted my argument and agreed not to harass my grandmother," she said.

Poonam started a campaign against the social stigma at the age of 12. She was ridiculed in school as the granddaughter of a witch. Undaunted, she organised more than 50 plays to create awareness among children.

Seema Toppo, another girl from Namkom village in Ranchi, is also in the campaign. Seema's mother too was tortured by her neighbours. Villagers beat her, blaming her for the death of a woman.

Seema also started a protest campaign by organising street plays and puppet shows.

But women are still being attacked and killed after being branded witches in the state.

Official figures show that 189 women were killed between 2001 and 2006 for allegedly practising witchcraft. The figure is contested by FLAC, which says 412 women were killed between 2001 and 2006.

And since 1991 to July this year, 922 women have been killed.

To prevent witchcraft killing, Bihar unveiled a Witchcraft Prevention Act, 1999. Jharkhand accepted this in 2001.

"Law is not sufficient to curb witchcraft deaths. The real culprits are Ojhas (witch doctors). We want stringent action against anyone torturing women," said Ajay Kumar, a former director of FLAC.

Three of a family killed for practising witchcraft

June 28, 2008 (IANS) Ranchi: Three members of a family were beaten to death in a Jharkhand village after being accused of practising witchcraft, police said Saturday.

The incident occurred late Friday night in Torpa block of Khuti district, around 90 km from Ranchi.

Police identified the victims as Ghuchara Pahan, his son Kisun and daughter-in-law Mukta.

The villagers had convened a panchayat meeting Friday night and summoned the trio, who were asked to stop practicing black magic as this was causing suffering to the villagers.

Ghuchara and Kisun had a verbal altercation with the villagers, after which they ran into their hut. The villagers dragged them out and started beating them with bamboo sticks and irons rods, killing all three on the spot. The villagers later informed the police about the incident.

The police reached the village Saturday and took the bodies away. The villagers involved in the killing are absconding.

Over 700 people, mostly women, have been killed over the past few years in Jharkhand after being branded as witches.

Accused witch axed to death

Jamshedpur / telegraph / July 05, 2005: A 35-year-old woman was axed to death in Lodhanbani village under Barsole police station for allegedly practising witchcraft.

The woman, identified as Badbari Munda, was allegedly axed inside her house by four villagers from the same village at about 1.30 in the night. Sukra Munda, the husband of the victim who is also the eyewitness, revealed that late Sunday night four persons forcefully entered their house and started beating Badbari.

The four have been identified as Ranga, Maha, Lolia and Tira Munda. ?We had just finished our dinner and were about to sleep when we heard some people shouting outside our house. Soon someone knocked at the door. We did not open the door, but they broke the bolt and entered the house,? said Sukra.

Ranga was carrying an axe and the other three assailants were carrying iron rods and sticks. ?As soon as they entered into the house they started abusing my wife as a witch. Before we could find our way out of the house, Ranga attacked her with the axe and she fell on the ground,? said Sukra.

Sukra and his family members, however, denied Badbari ever practised witchcraft. They maintained that before this no one has ever raised any allegation against the deceased. ?The most important thing is that witchcraft is practiced by old women and she was just 35 years old. How could they label her as a witch?? said the father of the deceased.

From Superstition to Savagery

Women Accused of Witchcraft Face Violence in Rural India

The Washington Post, August 8, 2005 - At sundown, Pusanidevi Manjhi recalled, nine village men stormed into her house shouting, "Witch, witch!" and dragged her out by her hair as her six small children watched helplessly.

"This woman is a witch!" the men announced to the villagers, said Manjhi, 36. She said they tied her ankles together and locked her in a dark room.

"They beat me with bamboo sticks and metal rods and tried to pull my nails out. 'You are a witch, admit it,' they screamed at me again and again," Manjhi said, tearfully recalling her four days of captivity in June.

"They accused me of casting an evil spell on their paddy crop that was destroyed in a fire. I begged them and told them I was not a witch," she said, showing wounds on her legs, thighs, hips and shoulders one recent morning in this village in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.

After a police investigation, the men who attacked Manjhi were arrested. An official said that the attack was spurred by a powerful landowner who owned rice paddies in the village and used local superstition to mask his attempts to maintain control.

Threats and charges of witchcraft occur in a number of Indian states that have large tribal populations with traditional beliefs about witches. Indian newspapers periodically publish reports about women who, after being accused of being witches, have been beaten, had their heads shaved or had strings of shoes hung around their necks. Some have been killed.

In a tribal society steeped in superstition, the spells of witches often are blamed for stubborn illnesses, a stroke of bad luck, the drying up of wells, crop failure or the inability to give birth to a son. But social analysts and officials said that superstition and faith in witchcraft often are a ploy for carrying out violence against women.

"Superstition is only an excuse. Often a woman is branded a witch so that you can throw her out of the village and grab her land, or to settle scores, family rivalry, or because powerful men want to punish her for spurning their sexual advances. Sometimes it is used to punish women who question social norms," said Pooja Singhal Purwar, an official at the Jharkhand social welfare department.

"Women from well-to-do homes in the village are never branded witches," Purwar said. "It is always the socially and economically vulnerable women who are targeted and boycotted."

Purwar said she sees an average of five women a month being denounced as witches and tortured in rural Jharkhand. Her department has drawn up a public information project to oppose the practice, providing information at village fairs and conducting street performances and puppet shows. Police at the local level have been alerted to track the cases of women who are attacked, she said.

While Manjhi was imprisoned by her captors, her husband, a farmhand, sought help from the village elders, who called a meeting to determine if Manjhi was a witch and summoned a witch doctor for verification. But by then, word spread and the police arrived.

The nine men were charged under a Jharkhand state law that forbids accusing people of being witches. One of them was Gahan Lal, the man whose paddy had caught fire. Lal later confessed to torturing Manjhi.

"Gahan Lal was a powerful landlord. There were fights all the time in the village over land and wages," said Jayant Tirkey, the police officer investigating the case. "When his paddy caught fire, he blamed [Manjhi] for casting an evil spell. But that is merely an excuse. His real motive is to instill fear among the poor."

Tirkey said he thinks that village witch doctors are to blame for superstitious practices, but added that witch doctors are not arrested and tried because they are not directly involved in the violence.

"I never name a witch. I only give villagers some clues to find her," said Leena Oraon, who is known as a witch doctor in Aragate village and who says she studies rice grains to ascertain the presence of a witch in the village. "Today's doctors cannot cure ailments that are caused by a witch's curse. That is why people come to me."

In a case three years ago in Lalganj village, an elderly woman, Baili Kashyap, was branded a witch for supposedly causing sickness in the family of a relative. The relatives, who allegedly were engaged in a land dispute with her, tied her to a tree and slit her throat with a sickle while others in the village watched. Six men are in prison for the murder.

"My mother-in-law was not a witch. They were after our land. But the entire village just stood and watched the murder," said Kashyap's daughter-in-law, Reena, 28. "They believed she was a witch and deserved to die."

According to a study by the Free Legal Aid Committee, an advocacy group that works against witch-hunting, only 2 percent of people charged with witch-hunting are convicted in court.

"People go scot-free because witnesses are hard to come by. Villagers often approve of the torture meted out to these women," said Girija Shankar Jaiswal, a lawyer who heads the organization. "They think witch-hunting is a heroic act and that it will clean the society of evil."

Only two Indian states, Jharkhand and Bihar, have outlawed witch-hunting. Last year, one of India's northeastern states, Tripura, conducted a discussion in the legislative assembly about the need to ban the practice of witch-hunting. After a day-long debate, the assembly unanimously decided that killing of people for practicing witchcraft should be prevented.

However, members failed to reach a consensus on whether witchcraft was a science or superstition.

Couple killed for practising witchcraft in Jharkhand

Ranchi (IANS)| July 02, 2007: An old couple were killed in Jharkhand for allegedly practicing black magic, police officials said.

Tanekta Bhokta, 60, and his wife Ashamani, 55, were residents of Beti village under Pithoria block, about 40 km from Ranchi.

Police officials said Monday that the couple's neighbour Deodhari Bhokta and his brother Surendra Bhokta dragged them out of their house Sunday. The brothers tied the old couple to a tree and beat them to death with sticks. The men then hacked the dead bodies with sharp edged weapons and chopped off the hands and legs.

Later, they informed other villagers about the crime that they had committed and surrendered before the police.

However, the brothers do not regret having killed the couple. "The couple were practising black magic and due to impact of their black magic our family members were falling ill. We have no remorse," said Surendera Bhokta.

The couple are survived by their two daughters. One of them, Rupanti Kumari, 19, said: "We tried to save our parents but they did not show any mercy. Not a single villager turned up to help us".

Killing people suspected of practising black magic is common in Jharkhand. In the past 10 years, more than 600 persons, mostly women, have been killed in Jharkhand after they were branded witches.



Man sacrifices sons in Jharkhand

Ranchi (IANS) | January 10, 2007: In a strange incident of child sacrifice, a man in Jharkhand sacrificed two of his sons Wednesday in search of spiritual powers, police said.

Jeetan Munda, a resident of Barki village in Hazaribagh district, is a sorcerer by profession, escaped after sacrificing his sons with the help of an aide, police said.

The younger son died on the spot, while the elder son sustained serious injuries and he was admitted to a local hospital. His condition is said to be serious.

Police have recovered materials like vermilion, mustard oil and clothes, which suggest that Munda had worshipped the god before sacrificing his sons.

Witchcraft and occult practices are common in Jharkhand.

More than 20 persons have been sacrificed in the state recently in the name of appeasing god.



Three of a family killed for practising witchcraft

June 28th, 2008 by IANS - Three members of a family were beaten to death in a Jharkhand village after being accused of practising witchcraft, police said Saturday. The incident occurred late Friday night in Torpa block of Khuti district, around 90 km from Ranchi.

Police identified the victims as Ghuchara Pahan, his son Kisun and daughter-in-law Mukta.

The villagers had convened a panchayat meeting Friday night and summoned the trio, who were asked to stop practicing black magic as this was causing suffering to the villagers.

Ghuchara and Kisun had a verbal altercation with the villagers, after which they ran into their hut. The villagers dragged them out and started beating them with bamboo sticks and irons rods, killing all three on the spot. The villagers later informed the police about the incident.

The police reached the village Saturday and took the bodies away. The villagers involved in the killing are absconding.

Over 700 people, mostly women, have been killed over the past few years in Jharkhand after being branded as witches.

Chhattisgarh police arrest 22 for assaulting 50 women

December 23rd 2008 Raipur (IANS) - Twenty two men have been arrested in Chhattisgarh for assaulting about 50 women and branding them witches, a senior official said Tuesday. According to reports, a nine day "purification ceremony" was organised by about 200 villagers on the advice of a local leader at Dhodhakesra village in Surguja district, about 400 km north of Raipur.

During the "ceremony", about 50 women were branded witches and they were forced to get a haircut "to free them from impact of evil spirits". The women were also beaten in public. The "ceremony" ended Dec 19.

"Police will not tolerate such an act; 22 men have been arrested under the stringent Chhattisgarh Witchcraft (Prevention) Act that makes crimes against women in name of witches a non-bailable offence," senior police officer Radheshyam Nayak told IANS.

He said the probe is on and villagers are being interrogated, adding that more arrests are likely.

Chief Minister Raman Singh has taken a serious view of the incident and termed it "most inhuman, unfortunate and shameful". He has asked police chief Vishwaranjan to thoroughly investigate the case and ensure tough punishment to culprits.

With a rising number of cases against women in the name of witchcraft, the state government enacted a Witchcraft (Prevention) Act in 2005. Those convicted under the act can be jailed for upto five years.

Teenager lynched in West Bengal on suspicion of being a witch

Kolkata, Nov 23 (IANS) A 16-year-old girl was beaten to death by villagers in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, who accused her of practising witchcraft and entrancing the son of her former employer to marry her, the police said. "Tulu Dolui, 16, was dragged out of her hut in Ghoramara village around 11.30 p.m. by at least eight people, who then tied her to a tree and beat her with sticks for over three hours," an official at Sagore police station told reporters.

He said police intervened to rescue the girl, but she succumbed to her injuries on way to the local health centre. She had sustained serious head, abdominal, chest and back injuries.

The official said the villagers alleged that Dolui was a witch and had hypnotised the son of a rich grocer's son, who decided to marry her against his parents' wishes. She was working there as a maid servant until the grocer came to know of the relationship and sacked her.

No one has been arrested so far in this incident, he said.

Jharkhand tribes facing Malaria deaths

November 12th, 2008 by ANI - Kuramu (Pallamu) Jharkhand, Nov.12 (ANI): Widespread ignorance, dependency on exorcism and witchcraft among tribes in Jharkhands Palamu district have become a major problem for people struggling against Malaria here.

Malaria has claimed over 24 lives and affected hundreds of others in Kuramu village under Chandwa Block of Latehar Division of States Palamu district.

"My grandson was already suffering from fever. We called the exorcists and even witch doctors, but nothing could help. He died on the Diwali night. Later my granddaughter also fell ill and we have taken her to Primary Healthcare Centre at Chandwa," said Ram Chandra, a local resident.

Marshy lands, water logging and unhygienic conditions in this region have become a haven for mosquitoes to breed and spread dreaded filaria, malaria and dengue, further the situation is compounded by apathetic attitude of the State administration.

Nine persons belonging to the Lohra and Ganjhu tribes have reportedly succumbed to the disease in the last week alone.

Another factor that let the spread of the disease has been the isolated location of these affected areas with no concerned officials turning up for inspection.

"We know that this place is a remote place, and it''s not really accessible by general public. But still the way administration has delayed the matter and this is something very much unjustified," said Boidya Nath Ram, a former legislator of Chandwa area.

Hundreds of hapless villagers are compelled to endure the dreaded malaria while those responsible in the administration appear to have just woken up from slumber.

Doctor and para-medical staff of Primary Health Centre at Chandwa, however, blame the inaccessible roads and remote location for the delay in providing help.

"Kuramu is not very accessible, and thus, treatment in this area has been bit delayed. But we are trying our level-best to treat as many people as possible. Hopefully, things will get better soon," said Dr. R R Prasad, Medical Officer at the Primary Health Centre, Chandwa. (ANI)

Youth killed in witchcraft related violence

Raipur, May 21 (IANS) Eight people have been arrested in Chhattisgarh's industrial city Bhilai after a young man was killed in group clashes over a dispute over witchcraft. Police said two groups clashed Monday night at Sector 11 in Bhilai, about 30 km from here, after some people attacked a woman's house blaming her for the death of a boy.

This led to the group clash in which a 22-year-old man, S. Gopi, suffered severe head injuries and died later, said Additional Superintendent of Police Prashant Thakur.

Chhattisgarh is infamous for witchcraft related violence.

Dalit woman branded witch in Bihar, beaten up



Patna, March 28 2008 (IANS) A middle-aged Dalit woman was brutally thrashed and her hair cut off for allegedly practising witchcraft in a Bihar village, barely 20 km from the state capital, Patna, the police said Friday. The police lodged a first information report and arrested six people, including prime accused Ramayodhya Rai.

The woman, Lalpari, in her 40s, is a resident of Naubatpur village nearPatna. The police said the people suspected she practised witchcraft in the neighbouring Adalchak-Dumaria village, near Maner in the outskirts of Patna.

"She was first tied to a palm tree with a rope, then thrashed and her hair was cut off and burnt in front of a crowd of villagers Thursday," a senior police officer said.

The incident created an uproar in the state assembly Friday and an opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator and a minister in the erstwhile Rabri Devi government, Shyam Razak alleged that women were not safe under the present regime.

"Women were being tortured by feudal forces," Razak said while his party members raised anti-government slogans. The opposition demanded stern action against the guilty.

The police said Lalpari had gone to Adalchak-Dumaria village Thursday to treat a woman, Manorama Rai, who suffers from a mental illness.

As Manorama's condition deteriorated, her husband Ramayodhya Rai lost his temper and accused Lalpari of practising sorcery and inflicting harm on his wife.

He got together some of his friends from the village and paraded Lalpari through the streets. The men tied her to a palm tree, cut off her hair and smeared her head with limestone paste.

Lalpari, however, refuted the charge of practising witchcraft and said she was a healer. When the police were informed about the incident, they rushed to the village and rescued the woman.

16 arrested for burning alive woman in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, March 27 2008 (IANS) Sixteen people including five women have been arrested for allegedly burning alive a 40-yr-old tribal woman in Korea district of Chhattisgarh after beating her for hours with hot iron rods, a police officer said Thursday. "The woman, who belonged to the Gond tribe, was beaten for hours with hot iron rods before being set on fire in the presence of dozens of villagers. They accused her of witchcraft and claimed she was responsible for the recent deaths of three children in the village," A.M. Juri, district superintendent of police, told IANS.

The woman called Phulkanwar was killed Sunday in Dholpur village, about 500 km north of here. A case was registered Wednesday when her husband Harilal Singh reported the tragedy to the police.

"We have strong evidence against 17 people and 16 of them have been arrested. The one person who is absconding will also be arrested soon," Juri said.

Besides murder, the 17 have been charged under the stringent Chhattisgarh Witchcraft (Prevention) Act, 2005.

Crimes against women accused of witchcraft are common in Chhattisgarh's northern and southern regions.

Man enters police station with severed head

Jamshedpur, Apr 20 2008 (PTI) In a ghastly incident, a woman was beheaded on suspicion of practising witchcraft by a tribal who later walked in the police station with the severed head in Ghatsila sub-division of Jharkhand today.

The accused Jairam Hansda held the woman Renti responsible for the death of his brother a few days back and had been looking for a chance to get her, police said.

On finding her alone today, Jairam coaxed the unsuspecting woman to accompany him to a desolate spot next to a paddy field and made her consume alcohol at Musaboni area under Ghatsila sub-division.

Watch this incident in video - http://jharkhandforum.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/jharkhand-forum-adivasi-witchcraft-in-india-the-most-sensational-murder-of-sorcery-suspect/

Tribal Woman in Assam Hacked To Death on Suspicion of 'Witch'

Sinlung / Jan 31 09 Baksa - A 65-year-old Adivasi woman was hacked to death, allegedly by her two brothers, on the suspicion of practising witchcraft in lower Assam's Baksa district.

The decomposed body of Buddha Bala, with cut wounds on her head and neck, was found at her house in labour line quarter of Dumuni tea estate on Friday, police sources said.

Inquiries revealed a group of 20-25 neighbours along with her two brothers came to the woman's house on Tuesday night and forcibly took her away at knife point.

Her body was found near home this morning, the sources said.

Bala's two brothers Jogen Kerketa and Jonathan Kerketa confessed before reporters after their arrest that they had killed their sister on suspicion of her practising witchcraft along with four others.

The dark side of India where a witch-doctor's word means death

Monday, 5 July 2004: The decision was made in the hot jungle night: Bhobesh Pahan and his two adult sons, Nirmal and Bimal, must die. Two weeks ago, the villagers of Poaltore, near the border with Bangladesh, had a meeting to decide what to do about the spate of illness gripping the village. A month before, a two-year-old, Sumon Pahan, no relation, had died of dysentery.

The decision was made in the hot jungle night: Bhobesh Pahan and his two adult sons, Nirmal and Bimal, must die. Two weeks ago, the villagers of Poaltore, near the border with Bangladesh, had a meeting to decide what to do about the spate of illness gripping the village. A month before, a two-year-old, Sumon Pahan, no relation, had died of dysentery.

Several villagers had viral fever. The village witch doctor said the cause was simple. The 65-year-old Bhobesh Pahan and his sons were witches, and had placed a curse on the villagers.

The jungle is never far in the villages here. The banana leaves and creepers are so thick you cannot see through them, even by daylight. There are spiders bigger than a man's hand, and some of the world's most poisonous snakes. At night, the villagers hear the sounds of leopards in the undergrowth.

The witch-doctor is said to have told the people the only way to rid themselves of the curse that was making them sick was to kill the witches. Bhobesh Pahan and his sons were condemned to death. The villagers agreed to kill them.

But, by a rare stroke of fortune, the Pahans were saved. The police were tipped off that there was about to be a witch-killing. The officers raided in force and rescued the men. Since then, there have been intensive police patrols in the village to prevent violence.

This incident, just two weeks ago, has cast renewed scrutiny on a darker side of India. The country is at the forefront of the cyber-revolution, the home of the world's biggest film industry, and a place where more and more business is being outsourced from Britain. But if India is changing fast, the more remote parts of the country are being left behind. Witch-killing is still an everyday part of life here. And not all the victims are as lucky as the Pahans.

They came for Sanseriya Oraow on a humid monsoon Sunday. Her neighbours dragged the middle-aged mother from her house and hammered a nail through her skull into her brain. Then, while she was still alive but in desperate pain, they sewed her up in a sack and dumped her in the nearby Murti river. Two days later, the police recovered her body.

The neighbours dragged four other middle-aged women from their homes that day. Each one suffered similar treatment, nails being hammered into her head, then, in her confusion and agony, being sewn into a sack and dumped in the river to die. This was the most notorious case of recent times. The local witch doctor had proclaimed the women witches after a run of illness among the people.

The place where it happened, Kilkott tea garden, seems an unlikely setting for such stuff of nightmares. This is a plantation set up by the British in colonial times, and is famed for the quality of its tea. On the mountainsides nearby are the great tea gardens of Darjeeling.

Kilkott is in stark contrast, surrounded by encroaching jungle. At the head planter's bungalow, the managers sit in wicker chairs on a vast, white verandah, gazing over manicured lawns and flower-beds that look straight out of Surrey, shielded by an elaborate iron screen from the monsoon deluge hammering into the garden. In a curious throwback to the colonial era, the managers of the tea estates dress in old-fashioned, tight English shorts that would be considered risqué in polite Indian society and seem ill-advised in a region ridden with malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

In another notorious case, across the border in Bihar state in 2000, Manikul Gopai survived only because her family fought to the death to defend her after she was named as a witch by a medicine man and 10 men attacked her house. Her husband was hacked to death by the attackers as he tried to guard the door. Her son's arm was sliced open, but he managed to escape and get to the police to beg for help with his dying breath. They arrived armed to the teeth and just in time to rescue Ms Gopai. She had been seriously wounded with a sword- blow to the forehead.

Activists believe there may be up to 100 cases a year in India. In May, Dituben Singhod was hacked to death with a scythe and an axe by two men who accused her of being a witch and putting a spell on their niece, who had died of illness. That was in Vadodara, hundreds of miles from here.

But tea plantations founded by the British are the focal point of anti-witch activities. Between 1992 and 1998, the most recent period for which figures are available, 1,403 people were killed as alleged "witches" on the plantations. The reason, says Sundeep Mukherjee of the Indian Tea Association, also dates from colonial times. When the British planted tea in India, finding local labourers prepared to do what was seen as the menial work of laboriously picking leaves from the bushes by hand was difficult.

So the British imported workers called Adivasis, people still living in tribal society at the time in the jungles of neighbouring Bihar, and offered them a new life. Free accommodation on the tea estates, and a job not only for life, but for at least one child after their deaths. To this day, most of the workers on the estates are still Adivasis, and they still enjoy the deal made with the British.

Mr Mukherjee is a retired Indian army officer, immaculately dressed and with perfect English. At one point, he suggests a trip to a neighbouring village where a rogue elephant is on the rampage, "just for the adventure of it".

He says: "The witch-hunting [is caused by] ignorance, because they are so steeped in superstition. First, most of the tribals are illiterate. They are so engrossed in their superstition that, although qualified doctors are provided for them, it's so deep-seated that they still go to their witch-doctors."

The Indian Tea Association has been trying to stamp out the witch-hunting phenomenon by pushing for better education in the plantations, and for initiatives such as plays to encourage adults to go to real doctors instead of witch-doctors. Although some Adivasis still practise animism, most have become Hindus or Christians. But primitive beliefs are still deep.

Several types of poisonous snakes roam the jungle, including the deadly king cobra. Most Adivasis who are bitten still go to the witch-doctors, who are believed to be able to draw out the poison with a mixture of herbs applied to the skin.

The medicine men also try to cure other illnesses with mantras. When the witch-doctor fails to cure an illness, Mr Mukherjee says, he faces the wrath of the family, so he claims the sickness has been caused by a witch, and names one of the local labourers, usually a middle-aged or elderly woman, often unmarried or widowed. The only cure is believed to be to kill the witch.

In an effort to stamp this out, the plantations are required by law to provide free medical care for workers, and doctors and hospitals are all available nearby. But many workers still prefer the witch-doctors.

"The witch-doctors are themselves illiterate, and are pawns in the hands of rival groups, used to settle scores among them," Mr Mukherjee says. There have been cases in which one side in a land dispute is believed to have persuaded the witch-doctor to name his rival as a witch to get him off the scene.

"Pointing out of 'witches' is an offence under Indian law, but because of the lack of witnesses, the witch-doctors invariably go free," Mr Mukherjee adds.

The Kilkott case is still being investigated, and there is a court case pending. But many of the witnesses are said to have changed their police statements. On the plantation, no one will admit they witnessed the killing. Everyone claims they were somewhere else at the time. Even Sanseriya Oraow's two grown-up sons denied to The Independent that they had seen anything.

"I was in the fields when it happened," Somra Oraow says. "When I got back I saw my mother's dead body." But when questioned about the condition of the body, he quickly changed his story. "I didn't see the body," he says. "I didn't see anything." Something has the labourers of Kilkott deeply scared. But whether it is fear of the police, the witch-doctors, or reprisals from the guilty labourers, is impossible to tell.

On the plantations it is not hard to understand why the labourers still believe in witchcraft. The night is pitch-dark here, there is no light for miles, and if you find yourself out on the plantations after dark you are alone amid the impenetrable darkness and the incessant sound of the surrounding jungle. Anyone can start believing in witchcraft under such conditions.

The labourers live by the sun. They get up at dawn to start work, and got bed soon after dark falls. They live on the "lines", rows of wood-and-mud houses with little gardens full of chickens and goats. Compared to the slums of India's city, these artificial villages don't seem that bad; there is space and everybody has a roof over his head. But the jungle begins where the "lines" end, at the end of the street, and leopards have been known to come in at night to kill the chickens and goats.

We found a witch-doctor on the tea plantation at Gandrapara tea garden. His name was Ashok Goaala, a slight man with deep-set, dark eyes. He seemed more frightened than intimidating, and was dressed in Western clothes, a tatty shirt and trousers.

"I possess my power from God," he says. "I can cure sicknesses. For snakebites, I put herbs next to the bite and then I recite a mantra. People come from as far away as Assam and Nepal to see me. My great-grandfather was a witch-doctor."

When asked if he believed in witches, his reply made the skin prickle: "As far as I know, there are witches in the lines here," he says. The manager of the plantation, who was standing nearby, looked shocked, but Mr Goaala added: "I don't publicise this or point it out. I don't believe in witch-hunting. I am capable of handling it myself."

The management of the tea plantations is often as reticent about the incidents as the labourers. At the Gairkata tea garden, where a woman was beaten to death last year as an alleged "witch", the management claimed there were "no official records" of witch-killings. All over the tea gardens, you get the same answer: yes, it happens, but not here.

A visit to the local police station shows the difficulties police are working under. There is no air-conditioning, despite the damp jungle heat. Officers sit sweating and mopping their brows, cradling the military rifles they need to patrol India's lawless rural areas. There are separatist militants here, some roads are not safe to travel at night.

"We'd like you to do an article," Sub-Inspector Nirmo Yonzhan, the senior officer, says. "We want more exposure for the witch-hunting, we want to stop it." But producing his files on witch-killing is no easy task. The station has no computers, just thousands of dusty documents that would have to be laboriously sifted through. It could take days.

There are piles of documents like that about witch-hunting across India, but with so few witnesses prepared to testify against the killers, and traditional societies resisting efforts to wean them off the witch-doctors, they may just keep piling up.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-dark-side-of-india-where-a-witchdoctors-word-means-death-552084.html

Witchcraft in Assam school curricula?

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has mooted introduction of a subject relating to 'dayan pratha' or witchcraft in the syllabus of primary education in Assam to eradicate the growing menace.

Neeva Konwar, member of the National Women Commission, said witch-hunting, like an infectious disease, was slowly spreading to newer areas and solutions would have to be found to eradicate the evil practice.

"The idea behind introducing dayan pratha in primary schools is to bring about awareness from an early age to do away with the primitive practice of witch-hunting based on superstitious beliefs," said Konwar.

Mridula Saharia , chairperson of the Assam State Women Commission, stressed the need for better medical facilities and mass awareness in remote rural areas to eradicate the evil practice. She said women cell should be activated at panchayat and district-level to tackle the evil.

The practice of witch-hunting is prevalent among some tribal communities in the state. These include Bodos, Ravas and the greater Adivasi community.

The Assam government had already adopted multi pronged strategy to combat witch-hunting. The Assam police have also intensified their drive to curb this problem. Codenamed 'Project Prahari', the crusade includes community policing measures, besides regular awareness campaigns, among tribal chiefs and village elders.

The police campaign is now focusing on educating villagers and holding meetings in areas dominated by tribal people.

Indian 'witchcraft' family beheaded

A family of five has been beheaded in Sonitpur district, north-east India, by a mob who accused them of witchcraft.

The tea plantation worker and his four children had been blamed for causing a disease which killed two other workers and made many unwell in Assam state.

About 200 villagers tried and sentenced the family in an unofficial court, then publicly beheaded them with machetes.

They then marched to a police station with the heads, chanting slogans denouncing witchcraft and black magic.

'Pregnant wife fled'

The incident occurred at the Sadharu tea plantation near the town of Biswanath Charali, about 300 km (190 miles) north of Guwahati, Assam's main city.

Sixty-year-old Amir Munda, who was killed alongside his two daughters and two sons, was reportedly a traditional healer.

After two plantation workers died and many others became ill from mysterious illness, other members of the Adivasi Santhal community accused him and his family of being the cause.

"A trial was held to prove if Munda and his family were involved in casting evil spells in the tea garden that led to a bout of epidemics in the area," police officer D Das said. "They said the killings would appease the gods.

"Munda's pregnant wife and her three young children managed to escape before the mob killed the other members of the family," A Hazarika, a local police official, told AFP.

Six people were arrested for the killings, Mr Hazarika said.

According to police records, some 200 people have been killed in Assam in the past five years for allegedly practicing witchcraft.

Source: BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4822750.stm

Witch' family buried alive

Guwahati, 11 Jun 2008 | Telegraph: Four members of a family were stoned and buried alive in a village in Upper Assam's Sonitpur district last night after a kangaroo court found them guilty of practising witchcraft and sentenced them to death.

The victims — Lakhan Majhi, 65, his wife Sumoni, 60, son Durga, 45, and daughter-in law Sabitri, 35 — incurred the wrath of villagers in Koilajuli Milanpur after a 21-year-old youth, Gobinda, died on Saturday.

Sonitpur superintendent of police Munna Prasad Gupta said Gobinda had died after prolonged illness, but the villagers held Lakhan, who used to regularly perform puja at Gobinda's residence, responsible for his death.

The villagers summoned the Majhis to village headman Bhutkori Majhi's house for a public hearing last night.

"The entire village was present at Bhutkori's house. The elders charged the Majhis with casting evil spells on Gobinda that resulted in his death," an officer at Biswanath Chariali police station, under which the village falls, said.

The villagers then stoned the four and buried them in a nearby jungle while they were still breathing.

When police reached the village this morning to exhume the bodies, all the males of the village had fled.

"We interrogated a few women who said the men of the village had crushed the victims' heads with bricks and stones and buried them even before they died," the officer said. He added that the headman was the main accused and the police were looking for him.

This is the second time that alleged witches have been murdered in Biswanath Chariali in the past two years.

On March 18, 2006, five members of a family were beheaded by a mob at Sadharu tea estate in the heart of Biswanath Chariali. The mob then marched to a police station with the heads, chanting slogans against witchcraft and black magic.

Amir Munda, 60, his two sons and two daughters were beheaded after a mysterious ailment struck the labour lines.

Two garden workers died while several others were afflicted by the disease.

Soon, the community's suspicions fell on Munda.

The labourers called a meeting, to which Munda was also invited. When he fled with his family, their suspicion turned to conviction.

Munda's pursuers caught him and held a kangaroo court. When Munda denied practising witchcraft, he was beaten until he "confessed" his entire family's involvement in occult practices. The court sentenced them to death.

According to police records, over 200 people have been killed in Assam in the past seven years for allegedly practising witchcraft.

Assam police have launched campaigns in Sonitpur and Lower Assam's Kokrajhar district to educate people against witch-hunts.

Fire in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block near Asansol

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:22:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Fire in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block

25/March/2009: Statesman News Service: A fire that broke out in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block near Asansol last night caused land subsidence in the area, leaving thousands of people panic-stricken.

Smoke fumes followed by scattered fire balls covered the entire Samdi, Muchipara and Sangramgarh localities in the Jharkhand bordering stretches at about 12.30 a.m. today. Residents woke up to mild tremors at midnight and ran from their homes. About 400 square metres of surface adjacent to Eastern Coalfields Limited's abandoned Sangramgarh pit caved in due to the subsidence. A senior ECL officials stated: "The fire and subsidence was a result of rampant illegal coal mining in the area." In 2001, 14 labourers engaged by the Mafia had died due to similar subsidence in Sangramgarh. The civil administration and ECL officials were manhandled by the aggrieved residents on arriving at the spot around eight a.m. today. The group included the BDO of Salanpur, Ms Soma Saw; the Salanpur panchayat samiti sabhapati, Mr Shyamal Majumdar, as well as several ECL officials headed by Mr S N Tripathy, custodian manager of the adjacent Bonjemari colliery.

The locals alleged: "Last June, we were told that we would be rehabilitated to a safe zone after previous subsidence in the area. Since then, no officials have come to the village. Today, when yet another subsidence occurred, the same officials have come to estimate the extent of the damage."

Mr Majumdar said: "Nothing has been done for their rehabilitation as yet. The local's distress is valid." BDO Ms Saw said: "The residents will be shifted to a different, safer location in two phases. The ECL has agreed to share the responsibility."

Two fire tenders were pressed into operation to combat the mine fire, though smoke fumes didn't stop till this evening. Mr Tripathy, ECL official, said: "A further dozing operation is required in the area to fill the porous strata from where the residue coal bearing methane is emerging and periodically causing fires."

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Jobseeker turned politician Yashwant Sinha: Na Ghar Ke, Na Ghat Ke, now beaten up mercilessly by Police.

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:10:00 +0000

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Jobseeker turned politician Yashwant Sinha: Na Ghar Ke, Na Ghat Ke, now beaten up mercilessly by Police.

Police beat us up 'mercilessly': Yashwant Sinha

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha and former chief minister Arjun Munda were among those beaten up by the police during a BJP protest, Ghera Dalo, Dera Dalo, in Ranchi outside the Raj Bhawan on Thursday.

Injured in his legs and shoulders, Sinha fell down and was lifted by the police. "They caned us mercilessly and indiscriminately when we were leading a peaceful demonstration," he said.

A total of 45 persons, including Sinha, Munda and MLA Sarayu Rai, were arrested on charges of rioting and disturbing the peace. They were released in the evening. The state administration had deployed three companies of the police to maintain law and order.

The agitation was called by the state unit of the BJP to protest against the decision of the UPA Government to keep the state Assembly in suspended animation while imposing the President's rule in Jharkhand on January 19. They demanded fresh Assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha elections.

"By keeping the Assembly in suspended animation, the UPA has kept the horse trading on," said BJP's state unit president Raghuwar Das.

An identical demand was raised by the opposition JD(U), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha led by Babulal Marandi and the Left -- CPI, CPI(M) and the CPI(ML).

However, JMM's spokesperson Madan Nayak said, "Since the Assembly elections were due next year, there is no need of polls now. We want the democratic government to be formed at the earliest."

http://www.indianexpress.com/story_print.php?storyid=422665

Public comments

Good they deserved it

by Jim on 2009-02-13 20:41:19.576982+05:30

Good they desrved it, its not mercilessly but its without discrimination, which is usually rare. Good good - goondas deserve that only.

Great job

by RS on 2009-02-13 16:19:01.197802+05:30

Well done Indian police....thrash more netas....all they can do is transfer you to some other place..u will find more netas there..thrash them as well..

Good job police

by Angry indian on 2009-02-13 15:19:04.364249+05:30

They deserve it. When they go around hitting poor girls, they would not have expected this...

That's life

by Mia on 2009-02-13 11:06:39.168156+05:30

It is not at the behest of anyone. This is generally how the police behave towards ordinary people. Just because the netas have been at the receving end does not make it anything special. No harm if they receive a few dandas from time to time. At least they know how common people live.

All Indians Should Think Now Please !

by Rajeev on 2009-02-13 08:48:00.761675+05:30

THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CONGRESS TO RUIN DEMOCRACY AND USE OF ITS OWN GIVERNER. CONGRESS HAS DONE SO MUCH DAMAGE TO COUNTRY ON EVERY FRONT, FROM 1947 INCLUDING J

police lathicharge

by arvind on 2009-02-13 06:33:34.282914+05:30

I am a supporter of BJP, but Police allover is the same. Akali Dal in Punjab is in power with the open support of BJP, BUT WHAT THEY all ARE DOING.i heard today about the same treatment students had in JALLIANWALLA Bagh in Amritsar, what Yashwant Sinha had in Ranchi. So after all these lathi charge, all these politicians from all main parties have to see what they have in consolation for the ordinary voter

Police brutality

by GNS on 2009-02-13 04:19:32.425328+05:30

Sinhaji : this happens when the police charge ordinary people agitate where BJP is in power too whatever the cause.I am NOT supporting the police aggression against people including you.But what BJP did during those 5 years in power to civilise police ? Nothing.

Freedom or congress

by Anon on 2009-02-13 07:29:51.739801+05:30

Democracy in India is always in threat from congress

Congress is repsonible

by GK on 2009-02-13 04:06:06.911058+05:30

This is done at the behest of Congress top leaders. They have tried to crush democracy by lathicharging on a peaceful demostration. Congress will have to pay a heavy price in the election. Their support base is dwindling and they have become a second rung party in nearly all the states.

BJP means Divide and Rule

by Peace on 2009-02-12 22:54:41.401832+05:30

Wow BJP is a hindu party ....What it did for the hindus when it was in power only raising Ram Ram will not fill the belly of the common man ... Show some concrete plan it has to develop India .. I challenge it can't afterall they know only divide and Rule.

BJP...high time learn it

by gautam singh on 2009-02-12 18:43:16.019997+05:30

Jharkhand has just become a joke in the name of politics. curruption over there is on all time high. UPA is keeping the assembly suspended showing their power hungry attitude. People had voted BJP in power twice there but what happened? They made a near illitrate and most currupt Arjun Munda chief minister who spent his time in womanizing and scamming. BJP know it that biggest reason of your losing elections everywhere is you dooming yourself to caste politics.

Live in Joy

by sumit on 2009-02-12 17:41:24.981342+05:30

When demonstrations are peaceful why does the police use violence. I think even the policemen may be feeling bad. This is all the result of wrong thought process in the politics. God please help our country to live in peace and be joyful. But yes joy does come after a lot of struggle...may be even violence..pray it does come

Good

by paul on 2009-02-12 17:14:41.416725+05:30

Beating to any politician of any party is welcomed by the entire public

Polotics

by rajesh on 2009-02-13 16:11:11.926704+05:30

They will learn how to be civilised after some rounds of beating. Then decent people also can enter politics.

Shame-Mera Bharat mahan

by Raj on 2009-02-13 09:37:43.957007+05:30

Police beat up public offenders. Do you have anything to say about all the vanara senas that beat up peaceful people at their homes, pubs, churches, mosques, etc. Mera Bharat Mahan!

Soniaji:

by Reddy on 2009-02-13 04:03:29.976619+05:30

Open your eyes. It is Congress playing the vote bank politics for which religion and caste is the prime candidates. In AP, my boyhood days we do not know what is caste. We all like one family. A cast was treated something like a sir name. But after 30 yrs, I see divisive and confrontational castism and rampant corruption. But there is no BJP in AP at all. The castism made confrontational due Christians also. They provoke dalits against hinduism so that they can be trapped fro conversion. BJP/VHP/RSS,etc is the way to go. Because their approach is of no nonsense.

What can a common man expect?

by Niharika Babu on 2009-02-12 16:54:30.932593+05:30

If our police are so stupid as to act in this manner against a former central minister, what can a common man expect? One hopes that a sensible government will take severe action against the guilty policemen

what can --

by ak on 2009-02-13 06:43:27.353621+05:30

What do you expect from a simple police wala. They have to do whatever high officials say

RELATED - OLD NEWS CLIP

BJP tells Yashwant Sinha to shut up

Press Trust of India

New Delhi, June 24: In a clear disapproval of his open attack on the party-led Jharkhand government, BJP today made it clear to senior leader Yashwant Sinha that he should raise issues within the party forum and not air them through media.

Notwithstanding the party caution, Sinha insisted today that he was compelled to raise the issue in public as he felt it was his duty to do it.

Embarrassed over his surprise attack on Chief Minister Arjun Munda charging his government with corruption, which had come on top of his criticism of party president L K Advani during the recent leadership crisis, party spokesman Arun Jaitley said "... Sinha is advised that if he has to raise any of these subjects, he should do so within the party forum and not through the media".

Jaitley's remarks came after Advani's discussions with general secretary Rajnath Singh, who had earlier talked to Sinha on his criticism yesterday.

Sinha had recently raised the hackles of the party when he had termed Advani's remarks on Jinnah as unnecessary and doubted whether he would be effective as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha after his resignation as party president.

Jaitley, who had also talked to Sinha, said the former minister should keep in mind that only two months ago Arjun Munda had got a mandate to rule again.

The spokesman said Sinha told the party that his intentions were to highlight some subjects to improve the performance of the party's government in Jharkhand.

Referring to the advice of restraint, Jaitley hoped that "Sinha will see virtue in this advice".

Asked if Sinha's outbursts amounted to indiscipline, Jaitley evaded a direct reply saying that he would not say anything more. He has not levelled any personal allegation against anybody, he added.

Meanwhile, Sinha said, "I felt it was my duty to raise problems. I have raised it within the party and I have been compelled to raise this in public now."

Asked about the possibility of a disciplinary action against him, he said he had raised the issue in the party and it was for it to decide. "I have nothing to say."

URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=49407

About - Yashwant Sinha

Born and educated in Patna, Bihar, Sinha received his Masters Degree in Political Science in 1958. Subsequently, he taught the subject at the University of Patna till 1960.

Yashwant Sinha joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1960 and spent over 24 years holding important posts during his service tenure. He served as Sub-Divisional Magistrate and District Magistrate for 4 years. He was Under Secretary and Deputy Secretary in the Finance Department of the Bihar Government for 2 years after which he worked in the Ministry of Commerce as Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.

From 1971 to 1973, he was First Secretary (Commercial) in the Indian Embassy, Bonn, Germany. Subsequently, he worked as Consul General of India in Frankfurt from 1973 to 1974. After working for over seven years in this field, he acquired experience in matters relating to foreign trade and India's relations with the European Economic Community. Thereafter, he worked in the Department of Industrial Infrastructure, Government of Bihar and in the Ministry of Industry, government of India dealing with foreign industrial collaborations, technology imports, intellectual property rights and industrial approvals. As Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Surface Transport, Government of India from 1980 to 1984, his main responsibilities were road transport, ports and shipping.

Janata Dal

Yashwant Sinha resigned from the Indian Administrative Service in 1984 and joined active politics as a member of the Janata Party. He was appointed All-India General secretary of the party in 1986 and was elected Member of the Rajya Sabha in 1988.

When the Janata Dal was formed in 1989, he was appointed General Secretary of the party. He worked as Minister of Finance from November, 1990 to June 1991 in Mr. Chandra Shekhar's Cabinet.

BJP

He became the National Spokesperson of the BJP in June, 1996. He was appointed finance minister in March, 1998. He was foreign minister from that date until May 22, 2004, when a new government took office after parliamentary elections. He represented Hazaribagh Constituency in Bihar (now Jharkhand), in the Lok Sabha. However in an amazing development, Yashwant Sinha was defeated from Hazaribagh seat in the elections of May, 2004. He reentered Parliament in 2005 as Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand.

Directory

- Jharkhand Directory

Hindu Caste OBC - Barber (Nayee / Thakur) Community demand Schedule Caste (SC) status

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Jharkhandi.com/yourname

Hindu Caste OBC - Barber (Nayee / Thakur) Community demand Schedule Caste (SC) status

Barbers in Jharkhand are demanding Schedule Caste status, which will help them get reseved jobs and educational opportunities. They are presently classified among Other Backward Communities in the state.

'We are one of most backward communities of society. Our social status and educational levels are very low. To improve our situation we demand inclusion of our community in the Schedule Castes (SC),' said Gopal, president of Ranchi Barbers Association.

Echoing his view, Ganesh Thakur, a barber, said: 'No one can live without our services. Despite serving each and everyone in the country, from urban to rural areas, we are still leading a wretched life. The state government should issue cards to barbers and extend facilities provided to SCs of the state.'

The barbers' demands include free education to their children in schools, inclusion of their community in SC category, subsidy in train and bus fares and soft government loans to open saloons.

There are over 1,000 barbers in state capital Ranchi.

The barbers' association is planning to demonstrate in front of the governor's house to press the demands.

POVERTY in Barber (Nayee / Thakur) Community

(IANS/July/2007) He is probably the youngest barber in India. But seven-year-old Praduman Thakur of Jharkhand is already an expert. And there is always a long queue outside his shop.

Praduman, a resident of Ramgarh in Hazaribagh district, picked up the skills from Ram Tahal, his 65-year-old father, a barber for decades who has called it a day.

As Praduman is his eldest son, the onus of supporting the family has fallen on the boy.

Praduman was just five years old when he began learning how to shave beards and cut hair.

'When I found my father was unable to work and my family was facing problems as there was nobody to earn money, I decided to adopt my father's profession,' said the boy.

The young lad charges Rs.2 for a hair cut and Rs.1 for a shave. He manages to earn between Rs.30 and Rs.35 a day. The low charges combined with Praduman's neat fingers and dedication has won him many clients.

No one really sees him as a child worker.

'Praduman is showing a path to young people looking for employment. I prefer to get my hair cut and beard shaved from him. He talks well and keeps everyone happy with his work,' said Nagendra Mahto, a resident of Ramgarh.

Praduman is a Class 2 student at a local primary school but cannot afford to go to school regularly. He attend classes whenever possible.

His mother Kullo Devi is proud of him but does not want Praduman to become a barber by profession.

'The situation forced my child to work as barber. But I do not want him to continue in the profession for a long period of time. I want to see a pen in his hand instead of the knife,' she said.

Directory

- Jharkhand Directory

National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation

National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) has been set up in April, 2001 as a Government Company under Section 25 of the Companies Act. 1956 (A Company not for profit), following bifurcation of the erstwhile National Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) into two separate corporations.NSTFDC is a fully Government of India owned Undertaking under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and is managed by a Board of Directors with representation from Central Government, State Level Channelising Agency, financial institutions and persons representing Scheduled Tribes.
2.3 SHARE CAPITAL
The Authorised Share Capital of the Corporation is Rs.500.00 Crores.
2.4 BROAD OBJECTIVES
NSTFDC is the Apex organisation for providing financial assistance for scheme(s)/project(s) for the economic development of Scheduled Tribes. The broad objectives of NSTFDC are as under: -

i.
Identification of economic activities of importance to the Scheduled Tribes so as to generate employment and raise their level of income.

ii.

Upgradation of skills and processes used by the Scheduled Tribes through providing both institutional and on the job training;

iii.

To make the existing State/U.T Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations who are nominated as the State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) for availing assistance from NSTFDC and other developmental agencies engaged in the economic development of Scheduled Tribes more effective.

iv.

To assist SCAs in project formulation, implementation of NSTFDC assisted Schemes and in imparting necessary training to their staff.

To provide financial support for meeting the working capital requirement of the Central / State government owned agencies, for undertaking procurement and marketing of minor forest produces, agricultural produces ,and other products grown/made or collected by the Scheduled Tribes.

vi.

To innovate, experiment and promote rather than replicate the work of the existing agencies.

2.5 FUNCTIONS

i.	To finance viable income generating Scheme(s)/ Project(s) costing upto Rs.10.00 Lakhs through the SCAs for the economic development of eligible Scheduled Tribes.
ii.	To provide grants through the SCAs for undertaking training programmes for the skill and entrepreneurial development of eligible Scheduled Tribes..
iii.	To upgrade skills of officials of the SCAs through periodic training.

2.6 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

i.	The beneficiary should belong to the Scheduled Tribes community.
ii.	Annual family income of the beneficiary should not exceed double the poverty line (DPL) income limit (presently Rs.39,500/- p.a. for the rural areas and Rs.54,500/- p.a. for the urban areas).
iii. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)	Individual, Partnership Firms/Co-operative Societies / any other form of Legal Associations are eligible to avail financial assistance from NSTFDC. However, proposals submitted by the Partnership Firms, Co-operative Societies and any other forms of Legal Associations shall be subject to the following : a) All the members should belong to the Scheduled Tribes community. b) Annual family income of each member/applicant should not exceed double the poverty line income limit. Eligibility Criteria for Self Help Groups (SHGs) : Proposal(s) submitted by an existing profit making SHGs to the Channelising Agencies of NSTFDC (SCAs) shall only be eligible for financial assistance under NSTFDC scheme of Micro Credit. All members of each Self Help Group should belong to the Scheduled Tribe community. Annual family income of each member of SHG should not exceed double the poverty line (DPL) income limit (presently Rs.39,500/- p.a. for the rural areas and Rs.54,500/- p.a. for the urban areas), at the time of availing of financial assistance [ Income Limit is revised from time to time based on the poverty norms revised by the Planning Commission.] The financial assistance given will be subject to further condition that till the currency of loan, availed under NSTFDC Scheme, non Scheduled Tribe (ST) person and or otherwise in-eligible ST person shall not be made member of the said Self Help Group. An undertaking for the above condition will be obtained by the SCAs from the SHGs prior to sanction of loan. Financial assistance is to be extended only to the eligible person(s) who is/are residing in the concerned State/U.T. for which the said Tribe has been notified as Scheduled Tribe by the Government. Note : SCAs are to verify the Tribe Caste as declared for each of the member by the SHGs with the notified Scheduled Tribes for the concerned State/UT prior to sanction of loan.

2.7 ALLOCATION OF FUNDS

CRITERIA
At the beginning of each financial year, funds are notionally allocated by the NSTFDC to the SCAs in proportion to the Scheduled Tribes population in the respective States and UTs. This is intimated to the SCAs. The SCAs may ensure the flow of funds in such a manner so as to maintain proper balance among different districts/regions, sectors and achieving an equitable gender-wise balance among the beneficiaries.

UNIT COST
Within the overall allocation, funds are to be allocated keeping the following broad norms :

%age of Notional Allocation

i) scheme(s)/project(s)
costing upto Rs.5.00 lakh /per unit /profit centre

90%

ii) scheme(s)/project(s)
costing above Rs.5.00 lakh /per unit /profit centre

10%

However 10%of allocation earmarked above can also be availed for small value projects .

SECTORAL ALLOCATION
The broad norms of sectoral allocation are given below .The norms are indicative .However,the SCAs are expected to ensure a balanced approach on sectoral allocation while forwarding scheme(s)/project(s) to NSTFDC for consideration.

Sector

%age of Notional Allocation

i) Agriculture & Allied Sector

40%

ii) Service Sector (Including Transport)

50%

iii) Industrial Sector

10%

3.4 LlST OF STATE/UT CHANNELISING AGENCIES OF NSTFDC

S.No. Name and Address of the SCA Telephone No. Fax No.

01. A.P. Scheduled Tribes Coop. Finance Corpn. Ltd.,
1st Floor, Telugu Samkshema Bhawan,
Masab Tank, HYDERABAD - 500 028 ANDHRA PRADESH. 040-3390487
-3391634 040-3315236

02. Andaman & Nicobar Island Integrated Development Corporation Ltd.,
New Marine Dry Dock/WorkShop Complex,
P.B. NO. 180, PORT BLAIR - 744 101 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLAND. 03192-32801
-32095 -

03. Arunachal Pradesh Industrial & Finance Dev.Corporation,
(Near A.O.C.), ITANAGAR - 791 111
ARUNACHAL PRADESH. 0360-212672
-212673 0360-212751

04. Assam Plain Tribes Dev. Corpn. Ltd.,
Ganeshguri Chariali, DISPUR - 781 005 ,
GUWAHATI ASSAM 0361-201521 -

05. Bihar State Scheduled Castes Co-operative Dev.Corp.Ltd.,
4th Floor, Biscomaun Tower,
PATNA - 800 001 BIHAR 0612-231406
-231674
-231672 -

06. Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu SCs/STs Other
Backward Classes & Minorities Financial & Devp. Corpn. Limited,
2nd Floor, Rightwing, Old DIC Office, PWD Complex,
SILVASSA - 396230 DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 0361-201521 -

07.
Chhattisgarh Rajya Antyavsayee Sahkari Vitta Avam
Vikas Nigam, Plot No. R-12, Anupam Nagar,
Near Door Sanchar Kendra,
Sankar Nagar, Raipur
0771-666105 -

08. Goa State SC & Backward Classes Development Corporation,
4th Floor, Patto Centre, EDC Complex,
Near KTC Bus Stand, PANAJI - 403 001, GOA . 0832-220201
-227107 0832-222340

09. Gujarat Tribal Development Corporation,
Block No.: 10, 2nd Floor, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhawan,
GANDHI NAGAR - 382 010., GUJARAT 079-322 0009 (O)
-322 2635 (R) 079 - 322 3710

10. Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation,
Jain Bhawan, Hospital Road, SOLAN - 173 212
HIMACHAL PRADESH. 01792-20671 01792-20058

11. J & K Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes & Backward Classe Development Corporation,
Ramesh Market, Shastri Nagar,
JAMMU. 0191-433229
-452009 0191-433229

12. The Jharkhand State Tribal Co-operative Dev. Corpn. Ltd.,
Balihar Road, Morabadi, RANCHI - 834 008
JHARKHAND. 0651-541398 0651-316686

13. Karnataka Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Dev. Corp.Ltd.
9th & 10th Floor,Visweshwaraiah Mini Tower, Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi,
BANGALORE - 560 001,
KARNATAKA. 080-2867097
-2865747
-2865192
080-2860396

14. Kerala State Development Corporation
For Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Limited,
Town Hall Road, THRISSUR - 680 020,
KERALA. 0487-331064
-331202 0487-331469

15. Lakshdweep Development Corporation Limited,
G-406,Panampilly Nagar, ERNAKULAM,
COCHIN - 682 036,
KERALA. 0484-310979
-310990 322924

16. Manipur Tribal Development Corpn. Ltd.,
Lamphelpat, IMPHAL-795 004,
MANIPUR 0385-310452
-310293 0385-310293

17. Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank Limited,
M.G. Road, SHILLONG 793 001,
MEGHALAYA. 0364-224160 0364-222026

18. M.P. Adivasi Vitta Aivam Vikas Nigam,
Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan Parisar II,
35 Shyamala Hills, BHOPAL - 462 002,
MADHYA PRADESH. 0755-660672 0755-221825

19. Mizoram Khadi & Village Industries Board,
"Zorun" Zarkawat, AIZWAL - 796 007,
MIZORAM. 0389-342460 0389-347587

20. Mizoram Urban Cooperative Development Bank Ltd.,
Lalsawmliani Building (Top Floor), Zarkawt,
AIZWAL - 796 001
MIZORAM. 0389-346508
343475 -

21. Nagaland Industrial Devp.Corporation
Limited, IDC House, P.B. No. 5,
DIMAPUR - 797 112,
NAGALAND. 03862-30571
-30573 03862-30572

22. Nagaland State Cooperative Bank Ltd,
Post Box No. 151, DIMAPUR 797 112,
NAGALAND. 03862-28335
-28578
-20702 -

23. Orissa Scheduled Castes Scheduled Tribes Dev. & Finance Coop. Corpn. Ltd.,
Lewis Road, BHUBANESHWAR - 751 014,
ORISSA. 0674-432949
-431623 0674-431798

24. Rajasthan Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Co-op. Corporation,
Nehru Sahkar Bhawan, Central Block, IIIrd Floor,
Bhawani Singh Road, JAIPUR -302 002.
RAJASTHAN. 0141-740745
-740880 0141-740880

25. Shabari Adivasi Vitta Va Vikas Mahamandal Maryadit,
Adivasi Vikas Bhawan, 3rd Fl., Ram Ganesh Gadkari Chowk,
Old Agra Road, NASHIK - 422 002 MAHARASHTRA. 0253-576860
-571782 0253-571560

26. Sikkim Scheduled Castes, Tribes & Backward Classes Dev. Corpn. Ltd,
Bhanupath, GANGTOK - 737 101, SIKKIM. 03592-23261
-25310
-23456 03592-25318

27. Tripura Scheduled Tribes Co-op. Development Corpn. Ltd.,
Supari Bagan, Krishna Nagar, P.O. Lake Chowmani,
AGARTALA - 799 001 TRIPURA. 0381-305090 0381-305090

28. Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing & Development Corpn. Limited,
Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Shopping Complex, 2nd floor, Thirumangalam
(Anna Nagar) - 600 101 TAMILNADU 044-6286280
-6287075
-6286283 044-6282007

29. West Bengal SCs & STs Development & Finance Corporation,
(2nd Floor) 135-A, Biplabi Rashbehari Basu Road,
KOLKATTA - 700 001, WEST BENGAL. 033-2432099
-2429381 033-2428566

30. Uttaranchal Bahudeshiya Vitta Evam
Vikas Nigam, 6-A, Rest Camp, Near Prince Hotel, DEHRADUN - 248 001, UTTARANCHAL 0135-628099 0135-628099

31. U.P. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation
B-912, Sector - C, Mahanagar,
LUCKNOW - 226 006 UTTAR PRADESH 0135-386989 0135-672054

32. Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED)
N.C.U.I Building , IInd Floor,
3 Siri Institutional Area ,August Kranti Marg,
NEW DELHI -110016 26510923 26866149

33. Girijan Co-operative Corporation Ltd.
East Point Colony, Visakhapatnam-530017 ANDHRA PRADESH 2796164 2796345

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Reliance Power bags 4,000 MW Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Project, which needs an investment of about Rs 18,000 Crore

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:56:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Plant, Jharkhand

Reliance Power of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) won the bid for 4,000 mw Tilaiya ultra mega power project (UMPP), the third such project in its kitty after Sasan (Madhya Pradesh) and Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). Reliance Power has bagged the Tilaiya ultra mega power project (UMPP) by offering to supply power at Rs 1.77 per unit — the lowest price quoted by the four companies in the fray.

Sources said the financial bids were opened by the government's nodal agency for ultra-mega power projects, Power Finance Corporation, on 28-01-2009. RPL quoted a levelised tariff of Rs 1.77 per unit for the coal-fired project. State-owned NTPC quoted a tariff of Rs 2.34 to come second, followed by Jindal Steel & Power Ltd Rs 2.67. There were two other bidders — Jindal Steel and Power which offered to supply power at Rs 2.69 per unit and Sterlite Industries which bid the highest at Rs 2.97 per unit.

The fifth company shortlisted to bid, Lanco Infratech, partnership with Genting Power International, withdrew at the last minute, according to an official of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), which is the nodal agency for the ultra mega power projects. Lanco said that bankers to its partner, Genting Power, withdrew support for the project at the last moment, forcing them to withdraw their bid.

Eleven companies had originally qualified to bid for the Tilaiya UMPP but the global financial meltdown and the subsequent credit crunch saw many companies opt out of the bid. These included the likes of Tata Power and Larsen & Toubro.

Reliance Power has quoted an extra 57 paise per unit for Tilaiya over its bid for Sasan, the first UMPP to be auctioned. Although Sasan and Tilaiya are of the same size, 4,000 mw each, and based on captive coal blocks, the Tilaiya bid comes amidst tight liquidity conditions in slowing global economy.

The Tilaiya project will get its coal from a captive mine that will also be developed by the power project bidder. The coal mine is estimated to have reserves of 972 million tonnes. An analyst report by ICICI Securities says coal reserves in the block are 86% more than the power plant's requirement, which is expected to help the project.

The project will require an investment of Rs 18,000 crore with a debt-equity ratio of 70:30. The letter of intent to Reliance Energy will be awarded in the next few days and the company will be given 60 days to comply with the provisions.

"We expect the contract to be signed in a month," the PFC official said. The bids were opened by a high-level committee that included representatives from the governments of Bihar and Jharkhand.

PFC had once deferred the bidding process as power companies had expressed concern over getting funds for the project. They also wanted clarity over the coal transportation system in the project.

Last year, the government had awarded the Sasan project to Reliance Power after Lanco's bid was disqualified by a group of ministers led by power minister Sushilkumar Shinde. The company lowered its bid to Rs 1.19 per unit to match Lanco's. The government has asked RPL to hand over the Sasan project in four years against the quoted time-frame of 10 years. Lanco, whose bid was disqualified, had vowed to complete the project in seven years.

Unlike the Tilayia and Sasan projects, the Krishnapatnam project will use imported coal. This is the second ultra-mega power project that plans to use imported coal after the Mundra unit planned in Gujarat that was bagged by the Tatas. For the Mundra imported coal-based project, the Tatas had quoted a tariff of Rs 2.26 against Reliance Power's Rs 2.66, L&T's Rs 3.22 and Sterlite's Rs 3.74.

"The tariff is much higher when compared to Sasan. We expect much better margins," said Reliance Power's chief executive, JP Chalasani. Analysts were also concerned about the financing challenges that the company would face given the group exposure norms that it is likely to run into.

"We do not expect any financing challenges," asserted Chalasani. "The Tilaiya project is due for commissioning in 2015, which gives the company enough time to manage the funding. Financial closure for the Sasan UMPP is expected next month, while that of Krishnapatnam is likely in the first quarter of the next financial year, he added.

While there is no cap on the number of UMPPs that a company can bag, the performance guarantees required go up with each project. For instance, a performance guarantee of Rs 300 crore is required when a company bags its first UMPP. For the second project, the performance guarantee required goes up to Rs 450 crore, and Rs 600 crore for the third project, officials informed.

The Tilaiya project in Jharkhand, which will be funded seven parts by debt and three parts equity, is a part of the government's showcase UMPP scheme under which over 50,000 Mw of power capacity is planned through 13 projects during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-2017).

kseboa.org/news/reliance-power-bags-tilaiya-ultra-mega-power-project-in-jharkhand.html

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People are paying Rs 5 to recharge a mobile phone battery in Nawadih village, Jharkhand

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

People are paying Rs 5 to recharge a mobile phone battery in Nawadih village, Jharkhand

http://tamar.jharkhand.org.in/
tamar.jharkhand.org.in

Nawadih (Jharkhand): Ever heard of paying Rs 5 to recharge a mobile phone battery? Welcome to Nawadih village, which falls under Jharkhand's Tamar constituency from where chief minister Shibu Soren was seeking to enter the state assembly—the locals here have to pay up each time their cell phones run out of charge.

"What can we do? This is our fate. As there is no electricity in the village, most of us use solar power for energy requirement, and some of us make a living by recharging cells (of mobile phones)," says D. Pramanik, a resident of Nawadih.

"We don't expect much from the political leaders. They come during polls only to make promises that remain unfulfilled," says an elderly woman in the village.

"The crowd you find now has come just to see the helicopter, and not to see the leaders," adds the woman showing her distrust of politicians' campaigning in the area.

It is not only the lack of electricity that has angered thevillagers, but also a canal going dry because of damage to the barrage on the Kanchi river, affecting irrigation in the area.

"The villagers depend on agriculture and with the canal going dry for a year, the farmers are depending on rainwater and wells," says a teacher of Nawadih high school, requesting not to be identified.

Courtesy: livemint.com

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The dream of e-governance in districts of drought, hunger, poverty and starvation

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

The dream of e-governance in districts of drought, hunger, poverty and starvation


Palamu commissionerate in the state of Jharkhand consisting of districts of Palamau, Garwah and Latehar are better known for their alarming poverty levels, drought, hunger and starvation in extreme times resulting In deaths, absentee governance,   highest levels   of corruption, punishment transfers In terms of the community getting notorious and corrupt officials, equally corrupt political parties and its leaders.   It is unfortunate but many civil society organisations are not far   behind them and most of the development programs in the region are given to agencies who can tread the same   path of corruption.   Thus this region is steeped in deep corruption.    As   there are frequent droughts in the region, there is always speculation and declaration of drought is greatly   looked forward as   the natural   calamity   brings about bounty In terms   of programs and resources .

TRAVAILS OF THE POOR

The poor   are steeped in extreme illiteracy and their prime concern is survival of self and their families. They consider the   poor governance and maladministration as their fate and hence in the absence of any opposition there is uninterrupted looting of the resources meant for the poor. In the absence of able leadership that works for the   people's cause the different political parties are at a collision course .    Incidentally this region was earlier steeped in feudalism the traces of which are   still existing to till date.    Large tracts of land   called   Gair Mazrua land also was usurped by the landlords.   The   mean existence of the poor at the behest of collection of mahua fruit and flowers - these resources - the trees also were under   landlord's control.   The other attributes of feudalism are creation of   bonded labour,   child labour, using   the entire family force of the dalits for domestic, agricultural and cattle rearing and grazing .    The   dalit women being subjected to sexual harassment were common   features of the region.

EMERGENCE OF EXTREME LEFT GROUPS

Independence, land ceiling act, abolition of zamindari    system, peasant   revolution   brought about some cosmetic and some deep rooted changes.   The   extreme left   ideology   took deep roots in the region as all the ills of the class ,caste divide of the society were found in the region .    Majority of the   landlords sold their lands or leased their lands and shifted their base to escape the violence and life threats from the extreme left   ideology groups.   They   took up a new avatar in the form of contractors.

DEADLY NEXUS

The contractors, corrupt officials both civil and police , political groups   forms   core nexus .    This nexus   eats   into almost 80% of the resources allotted for the poor.   The forest resources such as kendu patta generate huge resources for the contractors.    But they give "protection money" or "levy " to various sources which includes the extreme groups .   In   the similar manner for execution of any development works in the region the kickbacks to the various levels   is   included In the estimation itself and an inflated estimation is made.   Thus   most of the works are incomplete or it is   of most poor quality .    It is observed that in the name of drought relief umpteen times   irrigation structures of various hue and cry are announced. And if really executed then there would be no more ground available in   the region for execution of watershed works.   During each drought relief work some cosmetic work in the same structures take place and it is shown as new work.

THE SAGA OF COMPLEX FAILURES IN THE REGION

It if difficult for any outside person to understand the complex failures of systems and paralysed programs in the region. The education, health, agricultural, banking , the government and name any system all are paralysed.

Though so much hype is created In the media and the government circles on NREGA . It is a non-starter or total failure in   the region.   Recently we had a rapid assessment of the ground level realities on NREGA.     There is no need to conduct any social audit on the system. Because already it is known that all the documents are fake and built up.    In the entire year only 5—7 days and in some places 14 days of work has been carried out under this scheme. But the entries in the   job   cards shows 56,60 and even 100 days of employment given to them.

Even in this scheme touts are fully engaged as link person between the community of the poor and the government.   The illiteracy , ignorance and helplessness of the poor is brought   to full utility .     The people's testimony and their job card entries are enough to estimate the extreme levels of corruption In the region.     No doubt the lives of the activists taking up such complex issues   are   always under the threat.     Further the voices are muffled   and muted by the authoritarian administration.

EMPLOYMENT ASSURANCE STANDS VITIATED

Rita Devi, Sanju Devi, Gaura Devi, Sunil Paswan, Akileshwar bhuiya and countless more people all hailing from Palamu region have common problem.    They have all obtained the job cards. But in the last one year they were provided work ranging from 7 days to 14 days and no more. What is more startling is that they never understood that their job cards show that employment of 54 to 100 days has been marked for them by the touts. When this was brought to their notice they were furious and helpless. They all want to catch hold of the contractor who is managing their job cards and take them to task. But in the existing system only these contractors are their link with the government officials and hence cannot also do away without them and are in dilemma as to what is to be done?


THE INFLATED TENDERS THAT BENEFITS ALL

The SHG women groups in one of the tribal villages have taken tender for laying the roads. It is a huge tender nearing 14 lakhs of rupees. The tender was for laying a stretch of 3k.m. road. The first stretch of 1 km was laid by the women group and their family members and members of the village community at a cost of Rs.2 lakhs. But the average estimate of 1 km works out to be Rs4.60 lakhs . The women groups members are aware that they need to "manage" the accounts and the major money will go to the different levels of officials and inspite of that they will be able to make better margins out of such contracts.

The school   teachers need not attend the schools.   It is enough if they provide money to the school inspectors .   In some places the teachers are generous enough to appoint local volunteers to take classes at very low costs.    The   emoluments of the teachers are rotated for money lending to   the villagers at very high cost . Further the teachers are at liberty to continue their domestic chores and agricultural works unabated.    While at the residential schools for the girl children the families of the teachers   are    well   taken   care at the cost of food   deprivation of the girl children.

The health care is in shambles. The life of the poor is not valuable and in the absence of appropriate and minimum medical care the poor are forced to fully depend on the quacks locally called "Jholachap doctors".Most of them have either worked under some doctor for short period or have just learnt the art of providing medication and made it as their means of livelihood. Malaria and diarrhoea are the most common ailments and there are many times deaths due to these preventable and treatable diseases. Due to lack of transport the villagers bring the patients by carrying the cot and walking a distance of 16-20 kms.     This is the stark reality in the region.

As the poor's livelihood is totally dependent on agriculture, they necessarily have to migrate enmasse with family at least for 3-4 months in a year to the neighbouring Bihar or to far off places like Punjab for their mean survival.   As there is no organised system of labour migration, they go through contractors or based on their earlier rapport built. There have been several instances of fatal accidents as they try to travel in every means of available transport on the goods vehicles and top of the trains.

MIGRATION COSTS THEIR LIVES

Very recently 5 men from this Lesliganj region went to UP for agricultural labour but found the owner was too demanding and tried to escape from him as they were almost living in captive condition. They started running towards the railway station on the railway tracks. While they were trying to cross the bridge a train was approaching and had no option and three of them jumped into the river and lost their lives instantly. Two of them tried to hang o n to the rails and have their fingers badly mutilated. The fact that many times such deaths are hushed up as they are afraid of the lengthy police cases. Migration is a means for their survival.  In the absence of any kind of constructive intervention from the government the people are forced to devise their own means of livelihood and thus migration has become the way of life for the poor in the region.

RAIN DURING HATHIA NAKSHTRA DETERMINES THE FATE OF FARMERS

As far as agriculture is concerned, it is the experience and the expertise of the farmer and the entrepreneurship of the seeds and fertiliser dealer which takes ahead the agriculture. It is untouched by any kind of intervention from the experts. The scientists are in their ivory towers and their expertise never reaches the common farmer. There is no advice for the drought resistant crops and which to be used in   which season. Each year when the monsoon starts the entire farmer sow the seeds. As it is totally rain fed agriculture, they wait for rains during the " Hatia Nakshatra" which falls in the Hindi calendar month of "Ashwin" and in English calendar is it around September - October. If the rain fails in   this period of 15-20 days then the farmers are aware that all their crops will wither and they cannot go for the next Rabi crop as well. Thus they mentally prepare themselves and make plans for migration for their survival. This is also indication of the upcoming drought in the region. There is no meteorological forecasting but it is indigenous knowledge and expertise of the local farming community which determines their immediate future in relation to assured livelihood or there is need for migration.

FOOD SECURITY PROGRAMS IN DISARRAY

The so called food security schemes   are in total disarray. Primarily the BPL number   and card is the poor's passport to social security entitlements of the government.   To enable the poor get this entitlement itself is a big hurdle. But having the BPL card is no assurance that they will be able to get hold of the social security measures.


THE POOREST OF THE POOR PUSHED TO THE BRINK WITH FAILURE OF FOOD SECUIRTY PROGRAMS

Manoj Bhuiya of Bakasi village is a daily wage labourer.   He lives with his wife and 9 children.   He has been allotted the Antyodaya card - which is the food security scheme for the poorest among the poor in the village.    While going   through his card we can find out that for the current year all the 10months are ticked showing that he got his ration entitlements of 35 kg's of rice at Rs.2 per kilo. But while discussing with him ,we understand that so far he has received the rations only thrice but records show that he has been issued the rations for 10 months. In spite of various ills the administration thinks it is a blot on its image to accept the fact of starvation deaths in the region. It bends back   to declare that the deaths are due to " disease" and denying the facts that disease at the first place has   been manifestation of cyclic hunger, consumption of forest roots ,ill health   and ultimate death.     As if the government is not responsible for deaths due to ill health ???

THE DREAM OF E-GOVERNANCE

In this scenario the central government envisaged e-governance has been   planned and brought in this region also. Common Service   Centres (CSC) is   one of   the policies of Central   Government of India - Ministry of   Information Technology(IT) to    launch 1 lakh centres   covering all the rural panchayats of India.     A public private   partnership initiative was mooted and tenders were called   for   by different states in India.   Jharkhand   though   lags   behind on all   the development parameters surprisingly was one of the first state to launch this program in the country which many are unaware.

One of the main planks of CSC is to bring about   transparency,   accountability and good governance at the grassroots level.   All   the   common certificates which the citizens require from time to time for various purposes are to be made available at the panchayat level itself through the CSC centres   which would be linked with the Government of Jharkhand portal at Ranchi. Apart   from this the CSC would be nodal point for services related to education,health,agriculture and   any other commercial services.

CSC centres is a luxury in the state of Jharkhand which is second last state in the ladder of development next only to its parent state of Bihar with 50% of the population living below the poverty line.

The creamy layer among the poorest is only the stakeholder who come forward with lot of hesitation to take up the csc centers.

The establishment of csc centres amidst lack of basic amenities such as roads, electricity, telephone and internet connectivity, official apathy primarily due to lack of awareness and secondly due to fear on loss of "control" over people and resources   and last but not the least the threatening of the Maoist groups is the ground reality in Jharkhand.

Both Centre and State accepts that establishment of CSC is very difficult in the tough terrain of Jharkhand but only lip service is paid with no pro-action.

The State and Centre retorted back that SCA's have signed agreement knowing the infrastructure lacunae in the regions and hence should not complaint now.     Are the SCA's supposed to establish the infrastructure required prior to establishment of CSC's in the region??

Financial inclusion is a buzz word and bankers are just not inclined to render any financial assistance in terms of loans for the CSC's. They have been playing passing the ball game successfully for the last one year. There is rampant corruption at the banking level as well. When you talk to any villager, they tell you the prevailing rates of commission for obtaining any loan. Sudama Singh said that for obtaining the Kisan credit cards the current rate is 10-15% of the loan amount,   Beena Devi said , "revolving fund for the women under the Swarna Jayanthi Rozgar Yojna (SGSY) is 20% " and thus long list of existing rates are available when we talk to the villagers. Thus the public sector banks in the region are also steeped   into the commission culture of the region.   Recent reports also indicate that many of the banks have not rendered loans to even a single BPL family in the past many years and they are categorised as zero lending banks.

Only corporate giants who can amass public wealth are appropriate for establishing the CSC's. Even the government is interested only in the same. Be it banking, mobile technology, micro credits such institutional set ups which want to convert csc are as their upfront shops in every nook and corner of the country are the prime players.   Thinking about equal opportunities, enabling the poorest of the poor to participate in the decision making, making them party to the platform of CSC does not seem to happen with so many obstacles strewn around. CSC is a platform for the rich and the richest and poor has no role in it.

Though CSC can be used as a platform to promote the youth from diverting themselves in joining divisive forces there is no political and administrative will. The government could direct all its energies to utilise the various developmental programs allocated to the states through CSC's. But as of now only the number games are on, There is a kind of rush and competition between states to show where they stand in terms of CSC.   The State of Jharkhand which is least in all parameters at least in the statistics of CSC is trying to catch the prime slot.   But the ground reality is totally different.

The   governance is paralysed and proxy rule rules the roost in the region. As the region is under the proxy rule of the extreme left this is used as major excuse by the officials for not performing their duties.     As development of roads and communication is considered as threat to the extremists groups they make every possible effort   to sabotage or destabilise the communication networks. The continuous blasting of the mobile towers in the region in the recent times is establishing the above facts.

There is   lack of phone and internet connectivity. Even the government established Jharnet at the block level is non-functional.   The computers   given to the block offices are non-functional due to absence of electricity and no resources allocated for generators and running expenses and also the human resource crunch of no trained personnel   available.   The government owned telecom giant has been given crores of rupees to set up Broadband connectivity in all the rural regions. Yet we are struggling with basic connectivity.    Though the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification boasts of around   1500 crores grant to Jharkhand state , as yet the CSC centres are struggling without power and are fully dependent on the generators for the power.   There is no proper pucca structures available everywhere though the government dictates to have them placed in panchayat bhavans.

Thus the CSC's in Jharkhand are struggling for its basic existence among all the odds and most   importantly the government apathy.    As it is not taken as an opportunity to establish and nurture the relationship of partnership.   The approach is more intimidating.   If Jharkhand government expects the private players will take the entire risk of rooting themselves against all odds I n the state and it has no role to play except passing orders then we can increase the list of the failures among which CSC may feature as one of the prominent programs.

The major issue which is affecting the functioning of the csc centres is the deep rooted corruption in the region. The major plank of the program is for transparency and good governance, but again the programs are administered under the same set of inept corrupt officials the program will be tainted in corruption. The government talks of outsourcing number of its programs to CSC's. But locally at what cost? The first program of outsourcing has taken place for Narega Photography program. Only the Village level Entrepreneurs (VLE's) who were smart enough to strike a deal with the Block Development officers were successful.   The deal being for every photograph of Narega beneficiary a set amount is given to the officials.   This is the beginning….   There are many more programs to follow suit and if the same trend is going to continue then unless and until you are mentally prepared to be "practical" and go along with the existing practices no program will be forthcoming.

The officials are not sensitised on the benefits of the program. The majority of the officials are IT illiterate.   Their core concern remains that their power will diminish and their recourse to the speed money will be lost. By pushing the ICT program of CSC under the purview of such officials the sheen of the program is being lost and it is pushed to the brink in the same manner and fate as of other programs.

The biggest challenge will be whether you will be able to wade through the turbulent tides of corruption to enable the CSC's to survive or the community will prepare itself to brace against corruption and fight to its logical end and ensure the CSC's survive, flourish and bring about the required changes.

But the failure of CSC   will be a biggest loss to the community especially the poor who will loose the opportunity of seeing good governance knocking at their doors.   The youth who have involved themselves in establishing the csc's will have their dreams crashed.   We see CSC as an last opportunity to ensure a semblance of   governance in   the region and that should not become a   lost opportunity. Amidst all its backwardness, controversies at least the CSC platform can be utilised by the Jharkhand state to negate its inactiveness in the region.

Before it is too late, the Government of Jharkhand and its officials need to wake up from their deep slumber. They need to ensure the basic minimum infrastructure is made available to run the CSC centres. Without internet connectivity, absence of pucca structures, absence of loans to the youth it is difficult to set up CSC centres in the state of Jharkhand. There is need for a white paper from the Jharkhand government on the programs that are going to be outsourced to the csc centres. There is need for bringing the different grant-in aid programs to synchronise with the CSC programs so that the youth are not pushed to the brink.

bihartimes.com/Newsbihar/2009/Jan/Newsbihar12Jan5.html

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An eight year old Jharkhand State is awaiting its 7th chief minister.

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:08:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

An eight-year-old Jharkhand State is awaiting its 7th chief minister

Ranchi, Aug 27 (IANS) With his flowing beard, he looks more like a Hindu godman. But newly anointed Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren is a politician to the core and hugely popular in the state despite being dogged by bribery allegations.Popularly known as "Guruji", the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief took to politics after battling for years moneylenders who exploited members of his poor and impoverished tribal community.

Born Jan 11, 1944 in Nemra village of Hazaribagh district (now in Ramgarh district), Soren had to cut short his education after his father was allegedly killed by thugs in the employ of moneylenders.

That made the young man a lifelong foe of moneylenders. At the age of 18, he constituted the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh.

In the late 1960s, he set up an ashram at Tundi block in Dhanbad district. Despite being born in Chotanagpur region, the young revolutionary chose the Santhal region to take on the moneylenders.

The man became a terror for those who lent money to the needy at exorbitant rates of interest. He also took up the cause of the poor. Very soon, he was also opposing "outsiders" — the non-tribals.

In an outbreak of violence against "outsiders", the tribals killed 11 people in Chirudih village of Jamatara district. Soren was made an accused in the case.

By then he was being revered as a "god" in the tribal society. The murder case forced Soren to go underground. But not for long.

In 1971, Soren became the general secretary of JMM. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. In 1986, he became the JMM president. He went on to represent the Dumka Lok Sabha seat in 1989, 1991 and 1996.

Soren's image changed with the passage of time. As he came to be seen as another politician who made deals and took short cuts to power, he failed to get elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998 and 1999.

Soren's popularity declined after he and three other Lok Sabha MPs were charged with taking bribes to vote in favour of the Congress government of P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1992. He was jailed in the bribery case.

In 2004, he became coal minister in the Manmohan Singh government. He was forced to quit the cabinet in July 2004 after a warrant pending against him in the Chirudih massacre surfaced.

Soren was again made a minister in the central government in October 2004.

He quit the cabinet in March 2005 after becoming the chief minister of Jharkhand. But he failed to prove his majority in the assembly, and had to step down.

Soren was again inducted in the central cabinet in 2006.

He had to leave the central cabinet again in October that year after he was convicted and awarded life imprisonment for the murder of his personal secretary Shashinath Jha.

He was acquitted in the murder case by Delhi High Court in 2007. He has also been let off in the Chirudih massacre case.

On Wednesday, as he again became chief minister for a second time, Soren declared that his aim was to promote the people's welfare.

"I understand the problems of both the rural and urban people. I will try to take development to the last person in the state."

End.

The defeat in a by-poll of Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren can only be described as surprising. Usually, such events are scripted beforehand and any correlation they may have with popular will is, at best, weak. But what happened at the hustings in the Tamar assembly constituency was astounding: Soren lost to a novice, Gopal Krishna Patar, by around 8,000 votes. In Jharkhand politics this is a 7.0 on the Richter scale event.

Jharkhand is a state that has been beset with political instability right since its creation eight years ago in November 2000. No chief minister has completed a five-year term. Defections, independent legislators turning into kingmakers and utter lawlessness in the countryside have been the salient features of political life in the state. A small legislative assembly (with 81 legislators), a political landscape divided along tribal lines and a legacy of gravely weakened institutions inherited from its parent state, Bihar, have contributed to this sorry situation.

In the instant case, however, a large part of the blame must be laid on the doorstep of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. In a bid to save its government and the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the UPA's political managers vacuum-cleaned all political allies who could save the government. Soren, who was embroiled in a murder case, came in handy, as did his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

The tacit bargain stuck at that time, that Soren would vote for the UPA in Parliament and would in turn have a free hand in Jharkhand, made a mockery of representative politics. Soren, one could say, simply walked into government last August. He ousted chief minister Madhu Koda, himself an independent who had earlier ousted another chief minister by "walking out" with the right numbers of legislators.

His defeat is unlikely to change things in Jharkhand. In the fractured electoral landscape of India, states with weak institutions of governance stand little chance to improve their lot. At a time when every single member of Parliament counts in forming governments at the Centre, states such as Jharkhand come in handy to secure these numbers. It's another matter that the people of the state deserve better.

http://www.livemint.com/2009/01/08205341/Surprise-in-Jharkhand.html?h=B

RANCHI (Jharkhand), Jan. 8: The historic Morhabadi grounds of Ranchi will now be readied for a new oath-taking ceremony. But with JMM supremo Mr Shibu Soren losing the Assembly bypolls today and with it his chances of staying the chief minister of the state, Jharkhand is now clueless about who will be taking this oath.

An eight-year-old Jharkhand is awaiting its 7th chief minister.

Mr Soren, the chief minister in office, was defeated in the Tamar bypolls by Mr Gopal Krishna Patar aka Raja Peter. Mr Patar contested the by-polls on a Jharkhand Party ticket and has secured his win with a convincing margin of nearly 9,000 votes.

But Mr Soren's defeat in the elections, especially when he was contesting as a chief minister in office, has managed to surprised all.

The question which arises here is why Mr Soren chose to contest the polls from the Tamar constituency. Being a veteran political campaigner, Mr Soren should have known that Tamar was a constituency alien to him and was far from the political map of Santhal Parganas, which has been his political region over decades.

Initially, it was Mr Soren himself who was very categorical to contest the Jamtara seat after the sitting candidate from there and a rebel BJP MLA Mr Vishnu Prasad Bhaiyya, put down his papers making way for Mr Soren. Mr Soren is not a member of the state Assembly and had to win an election to remain at the helm of affairs in Jharkhand within six months of his oath taking. Jamtara would have been a relatively safe seat for Mr Soren as it was very close to his own political hinterland, Dumka.

However, Mr Soren, later, decided to contest the Tamar bypolls. The answer to the question of what prompted him to do so, is unknown.

Also, Mr Soren did not consider the fact that JMM does not have enough organisational support across Tamar Assembly constituency before filing his nomination. The seat is an erstwhile stronghold of the Congress and the JMM actually had utilised the Congress's organiSation structure during Mr Soren's campaign.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=239381

The chief minister of Jharkhand Shibu Soren suffered a major set back when he lost a crucial assembly by-election to Jharkhand Party candidate Gopal Krishna Patar by 9,000 votes. Gopal Krishna is a member of the ruling alliance led by the JMM. The winning of Tamar assembly seat was important for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren as it would have kept his post of chief minister safe. After the loss, the chief minister may have to resign from the post.

The Tamar constituency fell vacant after JD(U) legislature party leader Ramesh Singh Munda was killed on July 9 last year by Maoists. The bypoll was held on January 3 and the counting was taken up today. Soren became chief minister in August last year and needed to be elected to the state assembly within a six month period that ends Feb 27.

Gopal Krishna who secured 34,186 votes said that the people of Tamar have made the right choice as he had working here for the last ten years. Meanwhile, the BJP demanded the resignation of Shibu Soren and wants President's rule to be imposed in the state of Jharkhand. BJP national spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that Soren's defeat is equivalent to that of Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal's defeat in the state.

The BJP demanded fresh elections in Jharkhand. Reports say that the UPA have asked Shibu Soren and former chief minister Madhu Koda to visit New Delhi to discuss the political scenario. It is very likely that Soren will be asked to step down and ensure formation of a new UPA government in the state

http://www.india-server.com/news/jharkhand-chief-minister-shibu-soren-5559.html

Soren, Shri Shibu

Constituency : Dumka-ST (Jharkhand )

Party Name : Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)

Email Address : shisoren@sansad.nic.in

Father's Name Late Shri Shobaran Soren

Date of Birth 11.01.1944

Place of Birth Nemra, Distt. Hazaribagh (Bihar)

Marital Status Married

Date of Marriage 01 Jan 1962

Spouse's Name Smt. Roopi Soren

No. of Sons 3

No.of Daughters 1

Educational Qualifications Matriculate
Educated at Gola High School, Hazaribagh (Jharkhand)

profession Agriculturist

Permanent Address

Qr.No. 14, Sector 1-C, P.O. Ram Mandir,

P.S. City Thana, Bokaro (Jharkhand)

Present Address

224, North Avenue,

New Delhi - 110 001

Tels. (011) 23093857, 23093861

Position Held

1971 onwards General Secretary, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (J.M.M.)

1980 Elected to 7th Lok Sabha

1986 onwards President, J.M.M.

1989 Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (2nd term)

1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (3rd term)

Leader, J.M.M. Parliamentary Party

1996 Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (4th term)

8July 1998-18July 2001 and 10April 2002-2June 2002 Member, Rajya Sabha

2002 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (5th term)

May 2004 Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha ( 6th term)

May 2004 Union Cabinet Minister, Coal and Mines

July 2004 Resigned from Union Council of Ministers

2 March 2005-11 March 2005 Chief Minister, Jharkhand

29 January 2006-28 November 2006 Union Cabinet Minister of Coal

29 November 2006 Resigned from Union Council of Ministers

2008 Leader of JMM in Lok Sabha

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Bewakuf Hotel and Burning issues in Giridih, Jharkhand

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Bewakuf Hotel & Burning issues in Giridih, Jharkhand

Giridih is a small town bustling with people who love to eat in a chain of food joints called Bewakuf, Bewakuf No. One, Shri Bewakuf and Maha Bewakuf. People who loved and watched the 'family' film Vivah so much that it had a super hit run of 6 months and where 'mineral' water brands like Baba Jal, Kempti, Vailleys give a run for money to Bisleri.

Giridih is also split into CCL (the govt. owned Central Coalfield Ltd.) and non CCL areas. The CCL areas are rich for its natural resources of coal deposits under the ground and the non CCL areas are rich for its natural resources of forest, timber like sal, bamboo, khair over the ground. But… the people who live here are far from being rich. So close to these rich resources and yet so far removed from the benefits of this proximity and so utterly poor.

The reasons for this are several, In the CCL areas the reasons are:

This town is supposed to be administered (provide civic, health, education services to the inhabitants) by the govt. owned Central Coalfield Ltd. (CCL). But, CCL does this in areas where its employees are concentrated and the rest of the people 'do not exist' for CCL.

1.         These people 'do not exist' because as required by the govt. they don't have the 'patta', a long, scroll-like, official paper that proves ownership of the land.

2.         Non-existent people don't get their rights – to a home, health, education and thus a livelihood.

3.         The govt. schemes like employment guarantee schemes, income generation schemes, mooted to help all people below poverty line are so mired in corruption that they fail to benefit the very people. The schemes either just stay on paper. Or get implemented by the contractors for the contractors i.e. they pay the local people less or get people from outside, pay them less and pocket the rest.

4.         The govt. owned CCL now does a lot of open mining (dig and scoop out pits the size of a sports stadium) to reach the coal below. They are supposed to cover it and return it to the original state. But they just leave it open. Result – these open, deep pits over time collect water that gets used by the local people leading to diseases. There is less and less of flat land left for even basic vegetation.

5.         The officially closed mines still continue to be mined illegally. Out of desperation the local people including children go in and then travel long distances to sell the coal. In case of accidents or death inside the mines due to the pillar or roof collapsing etc., it goes unrecorded and uncompensated.

The reasons of deprivation, unique to the non-CCL areas are:

1.         The rampant illegal deforestation happening with the complete sanction of the forest dept. officials. Leading to a fast depleting forest cover, soil erosion, change in crop patterns.

2.         The prevalence of age-old and deep rooted social sanctions primarily in the area of caste and gender discrimination. The lower caste is unable to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty, debt, bonded labour, generation after generation.

The rest of the reasons remain the same 2, 3 and 4 as in the CCL areas mentioned above.

Excerpt from: childrightsandyou.blogspot.com/2008/08/sarrkar-raj-was-movie-running-in-this.html

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Adivasi Rebelliousness in Lalgarh, West Bengal

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Adivasi Rebelliousness in Lalgarh, West Bengal

Lalgarh was an obscure place in West Midnapore district of West Bengal (India). Before November 2008, it was just another village, 42 kilometers from the Midnapore railway station. Not any more. It is the centre of the movement of people who constitute almost 10% of the population of India. Lalgarh is now an icon of the defiance of the adivasi (tribal/indigenous population) against their history of discrimination and oppression.

The Shalbani land mine explosion on 2nd November 2008, which was targeted at the Chief Minister's convoy returning from the proposed site of Jindal Steel Plant, resulted in hyperactivity of the police, who immediately had to prove their proactive nature by identifying the 'culprits,' or rather scapegoats. As always they chose easy targets, tribal people from Lalgarh.

There is no map to Lalgarh, at least none easily available. The most detailed map shows a narrow road from Midnapore Station, which abruptly ends somewhere near Pirahkata. The road from Pirahkata to Lalgarh is well made but scantily used. The road is of no use to the indigenous population who possess no cars. Even motorbikes are a rarity among them, and their primary mode of transport is bullock carts, cycles or walking. So the quality of this road is not for the locals to appreciate. Its sole purpose is the quick transportation of police and para-military. This in fact sums up the direction of development in the majority of such areas. The black pitch road on the red soil surrounded by forests is most picturesque. The tranquility of the place was, until recently, disturbed every now and then by rumbling police jeeps and vans which would enter villages routinely and pick up adivasi for questioning. Often such questioning was accompanied by a generous dose of sadistic torture, both physical and psychological. It is most common to come across men and women of the region who have been detained and tortured apparently for no concrete reason, without any legal charge sheet produced. Detention often extends to three months on the base of mere speculation. People could not venture out of their houses after dark. The local police have even targeted some people whom they would repeatedly pick up for interrogation. A few conversations with the locals are enough to reveal a completely different world where not a day goes by without terror. The entire system at every level is bent on keeping them in such a state of constant fear that they would not even dream of making demands of development and all they wish for is a day without torture and police oppression.

Just after the Shalboni incident, the police of the Lalgarh and Ramgarh police stations led a joint operation on 5th November 2008, into the villages of Choto Pelia, Boro Pelia, Bashber and Kata Pahari. These are small villages at least two to six miles from each other, surrounded by forests and interconnected by narrow roads. They are thus easy targets for the police, where they can carry on their torturous interrogations in isolation without the news quickly leaking to surrounding villages. In Choto Pelia the police forced their way into houses and tortured and beat up people in their usual manner. According to one person, "We know the police from the way they knock at the door, just one long and loud knock and then they break in with heavy kicks. They do not even wait for anyone to open the door." In one such house the family was having a guest, a relative from a nearby village who was helping to stack up the paddy from the fields. The police at once singled him out, labeling him as an 'outsider' who has come to carry out the 'Shalboni Landmine Operation'. When the police tried to take him away, the women from the family tried pleading with the police. They pointed out that he was a guest and a relative and it was a disgrace to take him away in that manner. The police were in no mood to listen and thrashed them with the butt of their guns. One woman was hit right in the eye. She fell unconscious, her eye damaged permanently. Their guest was dragged away by four constables holding his hands and legs and thrown into the police van. On the same night, another police patrol came across four boys, all school students of classes eight to ten. They were returning to their homes in Bashber after a programme of Baul (folk) songs in Katapahari some 2 miles away. They were picked up without any questioning. "They never asked us a question, they just asked us to step into the van. We had no choice," remembered one of the students. In the police station, as their names and fathers' names were taken down, the police learnt that one boy had a father working in the army, and he was released at once. It was through him that the village came to know of the whereabouts of the other boys. The headmaster of Katapahari High School was detained on grounds of being a Maoist conspirator and hatching plans with his students. The police were working towards putting forth a good, dramatic and flawless lie that the press would readily endorse. Further detention and torture continued throughout the night. These incidents triggered the mass protests but are by no means the sole reason behind it. These were just the sparks to the gunpowder.

The list of deprivations and oppressions of the adivasis is a never ending one, and the government and the police took it for granted that these simple rustic peace-loving people had almost learnt to live with it. The police were too confident that their detentions would go unchallenged as always, especially when the adivasis of Lalgarh had no backing from mainstream parties -- neither the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] that governs West Bengal, nor the Congress, nor the Trinamool Congress, longtime ally of the Hindutva fascists. Remarkably, but not surprisingly, police never found it necessary to carry out investigations in the villages surrounding the location of the incident; they did not question even those peasants from whose fields the kilometer-long wire used to trigger the mine had been dug up. The simple reason for that is that the village and the region is politically a CPI (M) stronghold, and the party leaders did not want the police to harass their supporters.

Most adivasi of Lalgarh would point out that police repression had steadily increased since 1998, the year that marked a sudden spurt in Maoist activities in the tribal belt. People were picked up from their homes by the police, and often relatives were asked to sign papers which said that the person arrested was found in some forest and certain guns and ammunition were recovered from them. Refusal to sign would result in inhuman torture and prolonged detention without the arrest being acknowledged officially; signing the paper would mean lesser tortures but also a never-ending litigation. By 2008 there was hardly a single home in the tribal belt of West Bengal where police had not picked up and tortured a resident for being a 'Maoist' or a sympathizer.

The funds allotted to development of adivasis are regularly siphoned away by Panchayet [local government] leaders while the only visible development is more and more police camps, modern weapons and better-fortified police stations. Even as crores are being spent on modernizing the Lalgarh police stations, no house in the villages around has access to electricity, schools are but buildings without teachers, irrigation canals are perennially dry and the only toilets are the fields and forests. The majority of houses are still of mud and thatched roof of dry leaves while CPI (M) leaders have grossly misdirected funds allocated for Indira Awaas Yojna. According to IAY, money in installments can be provided to rural people living below poverty line (preference being given to members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) to build proper houses, with the cost shared between State and Central government. Funds are distributed by local Panchayets, and people who truly need the benefits have hardly heard of the scheme, while sons and daughters of local leaders got houses. Health Centers in the villages are at best occasionally visited by doctors and medicines are never available there.

In spite of all the deprivation and torture, only small, uncoordinated bursts of protest occurred, which were easily pacified or repressed. Often local leadership were bought and made to give pacifying statements after closed-door meetings. The leaders took the decision for the entire community. But the post-Shalboni protests were different -- they had no leadership who could decide for everyone. The adivasis had representatives who only communicated the decision of the entire community rather than took decisions on everyone's behalf.

On 6th November, adivasis gathered and moved to the Lalgarh police station and demanded immediate and unconditional release of all villagers detained without any ground, including the three boys. Looking at the unprecedented mobilization of the adivasis, the police well understood the gravity of the situation and started making false promises to pacify the crowds and buy time. But the situation grew tenser by the hour and soon support from other adivasi villages started pouring in. After night-long assurance that the boys would be soon released, in the morning, seeing that the mobilization had only grown yet larger, the police had to concede that the boys were never in the local police station but had been transferred to Midnapore Police Station. The adivasis could not be pacified with this -- they understood clearly that the words of assurance from the police could not be counted upon for release of their people, and a full-fledged movement needed to be launched. It was made clear to the police that they were not welcome in the villages any more. They decided to organize themselves and move for a permanent solution to this mindless police oppression.

The Lalgarh adivasis sat together in lengthy meetings and chalked out a proper plan to carry forth the movement. They decided to go around the existing mainstream political parties and float a forum of their own. This resulted in almost unanimous support of all adivasi sections towards the movement. They also decided upon an 11-point demand. The leadership emerged from within the people. But they insisted upon calling themselves a committee of the people, rather than leadership. And truly they have acted as spokespersons of the villages. Every village has chosen a 10-member committee of 5 men and 5 women. The participation of youth in these committees is truly overwhelming, as is their participation in the movement. This development and practice of participatory democracy is perhaps the most distinguishing and positive feature in these events. And this is the main point of concern for the government and the mainstream parties. Furthermore, these committees have specialized work allotted to the members, like communicating to journalists, maintaining contact with outsiders, communicating within the village, keeping in touch with far-off villages where the movement has spread. Within weeks of the movement, results started to show. The movement spread across other districts like Bankura, Birbhum, Puruliya and even North Bengal. Everywhere the character was similar, the mainstream parties dissolved away and committees sprung up. And everywhere the adivasis took measures to keep out the police: they barricaded the roads with felled trees and cut trenches across roads to prevent quick mobilization of reinforced troops.

In every aspect, the movement has shown that it has not ignored the lessons of Nandigram and Singur and is in fact a level above. Without spilling a drop of blood it has spread so far that it really inspires many thoughts. All these years, in spite of their regions being neglected and kept underdeveloped and in darkness, the adivasis, who are peace-loving people, have never protested . . . until now. Gradually this movement is taking a rather novel shape. The government is at a loss to counter what has captured the imagination of such a large section of the population across such vast region in such short time. Unlike Nandigram, it is too large to be surrounded by CPI (M) mercenaries. And the adivasis are too self-sufficient to be starved out. These people need little to sustain themselves and they themselves produce most of it. The roads that they have blocked are preventing police vans only; they never needed these roads and hardly ever use them. The government and the ruling party don't know what to do as their meager presence within the adivasi communities suddenly evaporated and information flow from the adivasi belt has stopped completely. Moreover, unlike in Singur or Nandigram, they had no ready group of leaders who would be willing to negotiate or bargain behind closed doors, keeping the movement on hold. In fact, the adivasis have welcomed any representative of government to discuss their demands, but only at their villages. In total disregard and disrespect of where the adivasi people live, however, they say, 'how can negotiation and discussion take place in jungle'.

The government tried to create confusion by roping in the upper 'creamy' section of the traditional adivasi leaders, who posed as the leadership of the movement. These emerged out of nowhere, completely ignorant of the ground situation, attended a meeting with the government officials and came out and declared before the press that all their demands had been met and they were thereby calling off the movement. Initially this caused some misunderstanding amongst the adivasi communities, but they soon got the crux of the matter and these traditional respected elders of the adivasi society were boycotted and asked to stay out of the movement.

The ruling party was and still is in a state of constant denial of the true nature of the movement and at rallies and meetings they utter less than confident phrases like 'our adivasi brothers are being misled by Maoists', 'it is a counter revolutionary force', 'imperialist funded conspiracy' and so on. At one meeting the State Secretary of the CPI (M) went as far as to state that at least in West Bengal the adivasis are in better conditions than their Jharkhand counterparts, at least the West Bengal government hasn't ordered them shot as the Babu Lal Marandi government did in Jharkhand. Mr. Bose perhaps expected his 'adivasi brothers' to be thankful for that and call off their movement.

The Lalgarh movement has matured and is preparing for a long drawn-out and sustainable movement, beyond mere blockades, demonstrations and rallies. They are coordinating their moves with far-off villages, communicating strategies. They are campaigning, talking to people and press, writing posters, distributing leaflets and trying to take their demands to the heart of Calcutta. All their campaign and communication are on behalf of 'the people' or 'the people's committee against police atrocities'. They understand very well that the elite Bengali intelligentsia will not act as sympathetically to the movement explicitly of the indigenous tribal masses, and they are prepared to do without it. But they have decided that they won't fade out without being heard.

The demands of the adivasis are not revolutionary but for a simple life without unnecessary interference. The core demand is their right to decide for themselves, to preserve their culture. Indeed their movement has not hampered the normalcy of their lives. Their blockades are lifted from time to time to allow passage of paddy-filled bullock carts from fields to villages, which is a most important activity during this season of harvest. They allow and invite representatives of all press, civil society organizations and even general citizens to come and move around their villages. They have successfully prevented the uninvited patrol of the police jeeps, and the villages are most peaceful these days. The state of constant fear that they had to live with is gone. The only hardship they have had to accept is carrying away seriously ill patients to town. They never had any proper health center anyway, for any serious ailment they had to travel to town, now they only have to take a longer route.

In their path towards a sustained movement, they meet often within and amongst villages. Each village committee has two persons who should be available at every meeting. The meetings are in local languages and are often lengthy and attended by many. In late night discussions among the committee members, it's not unusual to find the youth in early twenties doing most of the talking. They even mention 'class struggle', 'imperialism', 'cultural hegemony' rather lucidly, and in their own way. They admit openly their failure to spread their movement and thoughts in all 'fronts'. To a question like what will happen if paramilitary is deployed to crush the movement, they smile and reply that they will resist though they will eventually fail, many will perish but not all. They quickly refer to Iraq, where many were killed but the protest is still on. They also point out that the movement began without a single act of violence, and that they want none, so they prefer the path of non-violent mass movement unless they have to defend themselves from armed attacks. To ask these people who are protesting the police excesses and demanding a normal life whether they are all 'Maoists' is redundant.

Author Koustav De is an activist in India.

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URL: mrzine.monthlyreview.org/de171208.html

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Tilaiya Power Plant, Jharkhand - Bids for the 4,000 MW Ultra Mega Power Project, which needs an investment of about Rs 18,000 Crore

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Plant, Jharkhand

Bids for the 4,000 MW Ultra Mega Power Project, which needs an investment of about Rs 18,000 Crore

The Union government plans to call this month the next round of bids for the 4,000MW power plant at Tilaiya in Jharkhand, but a person familiar with the project claims it poses significant environmental problems that have been glossed over.

"Tilaiya project has no water. In order to provide water linkage, the dam's height needs to be raised which in turn will submerge 20 villages," added this person who did not want to be identified, referring to the Tilaiya dam over the Barakar river. "Even the transport corridor for the project will pass through forest land. This issue is yet to be resolved." The person said Water and Power Consultancy Services Ltd, a public sector undertaking with expertise in dam surveillance, power and infrastructure, was asked to study the issue of water supply to the project and had recommended spending Rs350-500 crore to strengthen the Tilaiya dam.

"This amount is for increasing the height. Everyone knows it," the person added.

Eleven developers had qualified for the so-called request for proposals stage, or the sec ond stage of bidding for the plant, one of the so-called ultra mega power projects launched by the Union government to accelerate the addition of power generating capacity in the country. Of the 11, nine companies have purchased the documents for the next stage of bidding: NTPC Ltd, Essar Power Ltd, Reliance Power Ltd, Tata Power Co. Ltd, Larsen and Toubro Ltd, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd , Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd, Lanco Infratech Ltd and Citra Thermal Power and Infrastructure Ltd. Lanco has bid along with Malaysia-based Genting Sanyen Power Sdn Bhd.

The Tilaiya project was to have been awarded by 23 June.

This was deferred and the last date for the submission of second-stage bids was extended to 4 November. The government has said it will award the project by December.

A senior government official associated with the Tilaiya project said there was no problem with water supply. And information on the website of Power Finance Corp. Ltd (PFCL), the state-owned firm responsible for all ultra mega power projects, says: "The site has been examined for environmental aspects and found to be compatible with various eco-sensitive landmarks."

The Tilaiya plant has already faced hurdles related to the law and order situation in Jharkhand—a state where there is significant Naxalite activity—and land acquisition which could lead to the displacement of tribals.

These issues are largely to blame for the delay, said Anish De, chief executive at Mercados Asia, an energy consulting firm.

The United Progressive Alliance government planned to set up 10 ultra mega power projects across the country. So far, three have been awarded— Mundra project to Tata Power and Sasan and Krishnapatnam projects to Reliance Power.

epaper.livemint.com/Articletext.aspx?article=17_12_2008_004_001&mode=1

Tata Power, Essar Power, L&T opt out of Tilaiya

BS Reporter / New Delhi December 30, 2008, 0:39 IST

Reliance Power, Lanco, NTPC submit technical bids.

Four companies, including India's largest private sector electricity generator Tata Power and infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro Ltd, chose not to bid for the Rs 16,000-crore ultra mega power project (UMPP) in Tilaiya in Jharkhand even as Reliance Power, Lanco Infratech and NTPC Ltd, the country's largest power producer, submitted their technical bids today.

Jindal Steel and Power Ltd and Sterlite Industries were the other two firms which bid after buying request for proposal documents in May this year. A total of nine companies had bought these bid documents.

Essar Power, part of the telecom-to-oil Essar group, and Citra Thermal Power and Infrastructure Ltd had bought bid documents but did not bid.

"If everything would have been normal (referring to the current financial turmoil), we could have more bidders. But under the circumstances, five bids placed for the project is in itself an achievement," said Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for power. "The project is expected to be awarded in a month's time from now," Ramesh added.

The financial bids, indicating the tariffs at which electricity from the 4,000-Mw Tilaiya project would be sold, are expected to be opened in a fortnight, after which the project would be awarded to the company that offers to sell power at the lowest price. The technical bids, in which the bidder mentions his technical capabilities for implementing such a project, were opened today.

Experts say five companies bidding for the mega project in the middle of a financial turmoil is a healthy sign. "Five bids received for a multi-crore project like Tilaiya out of nine is a good response keeping in view the current economic situation," said a senior official from Power Finance Corporation (PFC), the nodal agency for implementing the UMPPs.

Three companies had bid for the last UMPP offered at Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Essar Power, one of the four companies which had bought the bid documents but did not submit a bid, said its current capacity under implementation was large enough for the time being. "We will take up only that much (project capacity) which we can execute. We are too tied-up in other projects," said a senior official from Essar Power.

The bids for the Tilaiya project come at a time when a financial crisis is making it difficult for companies to get loans from banks to fund projects. The credit crunch has also driven up interest rates to 14 per cent — 15 per cent from around 11 per cent — 12 per cent a year ago.

The government is, however, planning to ease the lending norms for banks and financial institutions so that they can provide funds for the UMPPs. Demand for electricity in India is growing at around 10 per cent every year, but generation continues to be less than demand.

For the Tilaiya project, experts estimate companies to bid between a range of Rs 1.19 and Rs 2 per unit of power sold.

Tilaiya will be the fourth UMPP to come up in the country under the public-private partnership route through tariff-based competitive bidding. Reliance Power has bagged two of these UMPPs, at Sasan in Madhya Pradesh and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, while Tata Power bagged the Mundra UMPP in Gujarat.

The project is a part of the government's UMPP scheme under which it proposes to set up 13 UMPPs to increase India's power capacity by above 50,000 Mw by the end of 2017 in order to fill the electricity demand and supply gap in the country. India has envisaged a capacity addition of 100,000 Mw by 2012 and the achievement of this target requires the development of large power projects like UMPPs.

Five power generation firms including state-run NTPC and Anil Ambani-led Reliance Power on Monday submitted bids for the 4,000 MW Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Project in Jharkhand, which needs an investment of about Rs 18,000 crore.

Other companies that submitted bids at the close of the submission process today included Lanco Infratech, Jindal Power and Sterlite Energy, sources said.

The process of selecting the developer of the UMPP is likely to be finalised in 15 days, they said, adding that the qualifying technical bids were being opened this evening.

The final financial bids will be opened within 15 days.

Officials said that only a handful of companies out of the 11 pre-qualified bidders submitted bids in the midst of a global financial crisis and the prevalent liquidity crunch.

Power Finance Corporation (PFC), the nodal agency for Ultra Mega Power Projects, will verify the bid documents of the companies.

The companies have to produce details such as the schedule of the project's commissioning date, and a minimum bid guarantee of Rs 120 crore.

The cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 16,000-18,000 crore, with a debt-equity ratio of 70:30 and the project is expected to come up during the XIIth Five Year Plan (2012-17).

profit.ndtv.com/2008/12/29183053/ADAG-NTPC-Sterlite-in-race-f.html

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Talking Adivasi Language

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:05:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Talking Adivasi Language

TOI/28 Dec 2008: It took Ashok Kumar Baxla almost 30 years, and a visit to Germany, to decide that he wanted to learn his mother tongue. Baxla, an agrometeorologist with the Ministry of Earth Sciences in Delhi, could barely speak a smattering of Kurukh - the language of the Oraon tribe to which he belongs - before he went for a year-long official visit to Germany. He spent the first five months studying German. "That inspired me to learn Kurukh. Till then, I only knew a few words picked up during visits to my village in Jharkhand," says Baxla, who grew up in Ranchi. He is now fluent in the language, and has been a key member of the Kurukh Literary Society since its launch in 2006. Last month, the society decided to publish Kurukh folktales.

"We want to develop original literature in Kurukh, and also make it more socially acceptable, especially for the younger generation," says Baxla.

Like him, many people are now trying to keep their native language alive, some of them so little known that their existence may be unheard of outside the group of speakers. When the recent International Film Festival of India in Goa featured Yarwng, a movie in Tripura's Kokborok language, information & broadcasting minister Anand Sharma is said to have admitted that he didn't know such a language exists.

Hundreds of languages are in a similar state the world over. Reports from UNESCO say over 50% of some 6,700 languages spoken today are in danger of disappearing. Experts estimate that 96% of the world's languages are spoken by 4% of the population, and one language disappears on average every two weeks.

India, which has 22 scheduled languages (the number increased from 18, when Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added to the list in 2003), has also seen some shift in the language profile of populations. In the 1961 Census of India, 1,652 mother tongues were recorded. However, the 2001 census listed only 234 identifiable mother tongues - those which have 10,000 or more speakers each at an all-India level.

"Mother tongues which have less than 10,000 speakers in India, are in a pathetic condition," says Professor Ganesh Devy, founding trustee of the Vadodara-based Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, which promotes the study, documentation and conservation of languages not protected by the Constitution of India. Devy reveals that hundreds of them, such as the Kolati language spoken by traditional rope-walkers of Maharashtra and Karnataka, are on the verge of extinction.

The UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing mentions that "in the Andaman Islands, there are only a few dozen people left who speak Vnge and Shompen."

"The Great Andamanese language is already extinct, and these people have been speaking Jero," says Vaishna Narang, professor of linguistics at JNU. He has worked on the documentation and preservation of the languages of the Andaman & Nicobar Island.

But now, adds Narang, these island inhabitants can't even converse fluently in Jero. "They speak Port Blair Hindi," she says, blaming the government for their patchy assimilation with the mainstream society.

Linguists like her are deeply concerned about preserving the minor languages of the country. Language, after all, is not just a medium of communication. It is also a source of information about the history and culture of any society. "Preservation of languages is our concern, and should be our concern," says Narang, adding the mother tongue should be used as the medium of instruction at the primary school level.

Also, educationists say that promoting the use of mother tongue can boost the self-esteem of marginalized people. This has been noticeable in Jharkhand, which has worked to further the use of the tribal languages spoken in the state. "The tribal society is realizing that if we don't teach the native language to our children, they may later develop an identity crisis," says Dr Karma Oraon, head, anthropology department, Ranchi University. The university, which has a post-graduate Department of Tribal and Regional Languages, offers bachelors and masters courses in Kurmali and Mundari.

In other parts of the country too, organizations are working to promote such languages. A five-day training programme on tribal languages development was conducted this past week at the Tribal Research Institute, Chingmeirong, Manipur, where concerns were voiced about the 35 languages in the state that need to be protected and encouraged by the government. The Central Institute Of Indian Languages at Mysore is compiling an online information database called Language Information Services (LIS), with details like the history, structure, script, and oral and written literature of 16 languages each from the scheduled and non-scheduled groups, including Juang, Kharia, Khasi, Korku, Kom, Lahnda, Nyishi, Rabha and Thadou. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is working on making various Indian languages compatible with computers.

Also, new scripts have been developed for languages such as Lambadi, Kurukh and Santhali.

Devy has been involved in preparation of study material in Rathwi, Dehwali, Dungri Bhili and Pavri languages and pictorial glossaries in Rathwi and Dehwali. He, however, emphasises that not every language in the world has a script, the best example being English, which is written in the Roman script. "The development of a language is not logically related to the presence of a script," he says.

"What it is strongly related to, on the other hand, is having enough speakers." And that can come only when people feel connected with their roots. "No amount of effort from the government will help any language," says Devy, citing the example of "sarkari Hindi"."Ultimately, people have to take pride in their language, and have development opportunity in it."

A classic war of words

In a country where state boundaries have been drawn on a linguistic basis, it is no surprise that language regularly emerges as a bone of contention. The most recent issue rankling some Indians is the Centre's decision to accord classical language status to Telugu and Kannada while ignoring Malayalam. The announcement, made earlier this month, has prompted the Kerala government to approach the Centre with a 'statement of facts' that details the parallels Malayalam has with Kannada and Telugu.

Telugu and Kannada have joined Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and Tamil in the group of classical languages, which makes Malayalam the only South Indian language to have been excluded. To be accorded the status of a classical language, a language must have a recorded history of over 1,000 years, its literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from any speech community, and it should have a rich body of ancient literature. After Tamil was accorded the status in 2004, Kannada and Telugu activists had lobbied hard to get their languages included in the group.

Eminent poet ONV Kurup, who prepared the report for Kerala, stresses that no language other than Sanskrit can strictly be called a classical language in India. "All the four South Indian languages have originated from the same Proto-Dravidian language," says Kurup. "And since Tamil is nearer to it than the others, we can perhaps consider it a classical language too."

However, Kurup asserts that though Kannada and Telugu have a slightly earlier beginning than Malayalam, one or two centuries should not make a difference. "The three are equally influenced by Sanskrit and have developed quite similarly."

Directory

- Jharkhand Directory

Jharkhand

Most of Jharkhandi politicians including chief minister can not read, write and speak in English

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:38:00 +0000

Now days no body can ignore the importance of English language, that is the most acceptable international language and has been used as primary official language in India.

So, most of official things have been documented in English along with regional languages. And, thinking of a better communication all lawmakers and government of India's officers should be comfortable with English.

In India, without knowing English, it's very hard to get a job in most of the sectors. Higher and technical educations are not available in regional languages. It is sad to note that, most of Jharkhandi politicians including chief minister can not read, write and speak in English. They advocate for using regional languages to general public though prefer to educate their children in English medium school.

Jharkhand Blog Editor

news@jharkhand.org.in

Ranchi, Nov 13 (IANS) Chief minister since Aug 27 and only 15 days in the state secretariat. Tongues have begun wagging in Jharkhand over how Chief Minister Shibu Soren seems busier in transferring officials and inaugurating district blocks rather than getting down to the nitty gritty of governance.

According to officials in the chief minister's office (CMO), Soren has attended office in the state secretariat for just 15 days in the two-and-a-half-months since he took over. He prefers to see files at home or at the CMO attached to his official residence.

In the weeks that he has been in power, Soren has transferred 13 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials, 20 sub-divisional officials and 63 block development officers (BDO). He has also inaugurated more than 20 new block offices.

A block office is the lowest in the administrative system pyramid. The BDO plans and implements development schemes in villages and resolves issues related to land.

Jharkhand has only 148 BDOs for 212 blocks, located about 20-30 km from each other.

The opposition seems to have got the ammunition it has been looking for with Soren's absence from office.

'Soren does not seem to be serious regarding development of the state. He hardly sits in the secretariat. We are not against new blocks but Soren should ensure that BDOs are appointed through service commissions by creating posts,' former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arjun Munda told IANS.

Opposition leaders feel that Soren is transferring officials with an eye to the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

In the current financial year, the Jharkhand government has been able to spend only 33 percent of its development funds.

December 20, 2008 Ranchi (PTI): There was a din in the Jharkhand assembly on Saturday over English language when Independent MLA Inder Singh Namdhari asked Health minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi to read out a court order written in English with a tinge of sarcasm, leading to a brief adjournment.
Pandemonium broke out when Namdhari boasted in the House that he was academically superior to Sahi and that he understood things better, angering JPCC president Pradeep Balmachu, CLP leader Manoj Yadav and a host of other ruling bench MLAs.
They rushed to the well in protest against the Indepenent MLA's remarks against the minister.
Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi said knowledge of English langauage did not necessarily indicate to intellectuality and that in a democracy any person could become MLA.
The opposition NDA MLAs joined when Sahi and HRD minister Bandhu Tirkey asked Namdhari not to boast of his merits and that others were equally good.
The Speaker adjourned House for half-an-hour to cool down the tempers of the legislators across the floor.
It all began on a Namdhari query that why the Health department evoked suspension of an officer facing corruption charges and the minister showing a High Court order of quashing it in his defence.

Shibu Soren (born 11 January 1944) is an Indian politician who is the current Chief Minister of Jharkhand state in India.^[1] He was sworn in as the 6th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on August 27, 2008 and won a trust vote on August 29 in the Legislative Assembly.^[2] He previously represented the Dumka constituency of Jharkhand in the 14th Lok Sabha and is the President of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) political party, a constituent of the UPA.

He was the Minister for Coal in the Union Cabinet in November 2006, when a Delhi district court found him guilty in the murder of his private secretary Shashi Nath Jha in 1994.^[3] He has also been indicted in the past on other criminal charges.

Life

Soren was born in Nemra village of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand States and territories of India. He completed his schooling from the same district. After schooling, he got married and decided to work with his father who was a farmer. He has three sons—Durga, Hemant, and Basant—and a daughter, Anjali.

He started his political career in the early 1970s and rose to become a tribal leader. On 23 January 1975, he was alledly part of a mob that attacked the Muslim-dominated Chirudih village in Jamtara district in a campaign to drive away "outsiders", a term used to describe non-tribals. Ten people including nine Muslims were killed in the attack. Along with sixty eight others, he was charged with murder.

He lost his first Lok Sabha election in 1977. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. In 1986, an arrest warrant was issued against him. He was subsequently elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1991 and 1996 as well. In 2002, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He won the Dumka Lok Sabha seat in a by-election the same year and resigned his Rajya Sabha seat. He was re-elected in 2004.

He became the Union Coal Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, but was asked to resign following an arrest warrant in his name in the thirty-year old Chirudih case. After the warrant was issued, he initially went underground. He resigned on 24 July 2004. He was able to secure bail after spending over a month in judicial custody; released on bail in September 8, he was re-inducted into the Union Cabinet and given back the coal ministry on 27 November 2004, as part of a deal for a Congress-JMM alliance before assembly elections in Jharkhand in February/March 2005[2].

On 2 March 2005, he was invited to form the government in Jharkhand by the Governor of Jharkhand, Syed Sibtey Razi. He resigned as Chief Minister nine days later, on 11 March, following his failure to obtain a vote of confidence in the assembly.

Life imprisonment and acquittal

On 28 November 2006, Soren was found guilty of murder in the twelve year old case of the kidnapping and murder of his former personal secretary Shashinath Jha. Apparently Jha was abducted from the Dhaula Kuan area in Delhi on May 22, 1994 and taken to Piska Nagari village near Ranchi where he was killed. The CBI chargesheet stated that Jha's knowledge of the reported deal between the Congress and the JMM to save the then Narasimha Rao government during the July 1993 no-confidence motion and an act of sodomy was the motive behind the murder. The charge-sheet asserted that: "Jha was aware of the illegal transactions and also expected and demanded a substantial share out of this amount from Soren." [3]

Soren has resigned from his post of Union Minister for Coal after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanded that he do so in the wake of the verdict. This is the first case of a Union Minister of the Government of India being found guilty of involvement in a murder. On 5 December 2006, Shibu Soren was sentenced to life imprisonment; he still awaits trial in the Chirudih case.

Recently a Delhi court rejected his bail plea, stating: 'We cannot overlook the fact that the appellant (Soren) has been convicted after a detailed and elaborate trial only in November 2006 and sentenced in December 2006.'^[4] The bench also noted that he was also being tried in a number of other cases, including the case of mass murder in Jharkhand.

Subsequently however, the court pulled up the prosecuting attorney, R M Tiwari of the (Central Bureau of Investigation), for "not doing its homework" and presenting weak evidence^[5].

On June 25, 2007, Shibu Soren was being escorted to his jail in Dumka, Jharkhand when his convoy was attacked by bombs^[6], but no one was hurt.

The Delhi High Court on 23 Aug 2007 overruled the District Court and acquitted Soren, [4]. stating that "the prosecution has miserably failed in bringing home the charge against the accused persons. The trial court's analysis is far from convincing and not sustainable."

The five men convicted by the Tis Hazari court were held guilty of criminal conspiracy, abduction and murder primarily on the basis of forensic evidence provided by a post-mortem report of a body discovered in Jharkhand, namely a skull superimposition test and skull injury report. This was in addition to eyewitness accounts and some circumstantial evidence^[7]. But the DNA that had been extracted from the skeleton did not match Jha's immediate family: in its judgment overruling the district court, the High Court bench wondered how the trial judge could have "ignored the well-established fact that a DNA test is considered conclusive evidence while skull superimposition tests only allude to a probability"^{[citation needed]}, concluding that the skeleton was not Jha and that the case reduced to merely circumstantial evidence.

References

^ "Shibu Soren sworn in as Jharkhand CM". Rediff. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.

^ "Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren wins trust vote". Rediff. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.

^ PTI (November 28, 2006). "Shibu Soren guilty in murder case, quits cabinet", rediff.com. Retrieved on 12 May 2007.

^ "Shibu Soren's bail plea rejected" (2007-03-14). Retrieved on 2007-05-13.

^ Abhinav Garg (29 May 2007). "HC slams CBI for failing to counter Soren challenge", Times of India. Retrieved on 3 August 2007.

^ "Shibu Soren escapes bomb attack", India Abroad News Service IANS (June 25, 03:30 PM). Retrieved on 26 July 2007.

^ Shibu Soren's aquittal on expected lines- Hindustan Times

External links

Controversies have always tailed Shibu Soren - 123bharath.com article dated 20 July 2004

Jharkhand cops chasing Union minister with arrest warrant - rediff.com article dated 21 July 2004

Shibu Soren goes underground - Mid Day article dated 21 July 2004

PM asks Shibu Soren to resign - Indian Express article dated 24 July 2004

Shibu Soren resigns after arrest warrant - Yahoo! India News story dated 24 July 2004

Shibu Soren: from farmer's son to fugitive minister - 123bharath.com article dated 24 July 2004

Shibu Soren appointed as Chief Minister of Jharkhand - Indiainfo.com article dated 2 March 2004

Shibu Soren sworn in as Jharkhand CM - rediff.com article dated 2 March 2004

Home Page on the Parliament of India's Website

News timeline for Shibu Soren

Most of Jharkhandi politician can not read, write and speak in English

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Now days no body can ignore the importance of English language, that is the most acceptable international language and has been used as primary official language in India.

So, most of official things have been documented in English along with regional languages. And, thinking of a better communications all lawmakers and government of India's officers should be comfortable with English.

In India, without knowing English, it's very hard to get a job in most of the sector. Higher and technical education are not available in regional languages.

It is sad to note that, most of Jharkhandi politician can not read, write and speak in English. They advocate for using regional languages to general public though prefer to educate their children in English medium school.

Jharkhand Blog Editor

news@jharkhand.org.in

…..

Ranchi (PTI): There was a din in the Jharkhand assembly on Saturday over English language when Independent MLA Inder Singh Namdhari asked Health minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi to read out a court order written in English with a tinge of sarcasm, leading to a brief adjournment.

Pandemonium broke out when Namdhari boasted in the House that he was academically superior to Sahi and that he understood things better, angering JPCC president Pradeep Balmachu, CLP leader Manoj Yadav and a host of other ruling bench MLAs.

They rushed to the well in protest against the Indepenent MLA's remarks against the minister.

Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi said knowledge of English langauage did not necessarily indicate to intellectuality and that in a democracy any person could become MLA.

The opposition NDA MLAs joined when Sahi and HRD minister Bandhu Tirkey asked Namdhari not to boast of his merits and that others were equally good.

The Speaker adjourned House for half-an-hour to cool down the tempers of the legislators across the floor.

It all began on a Namdhari query that why the Health department evoked suspension of an officer facing corruption charges and the minister showing a High Court order of quashing it in his defence.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200812201731.htm

Bauxite mining threats to Adivasi existence in Andhra Pradesh

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 05:25:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Bauxite mining threats to Adivasi's existence in AP

Government of Andhra Pradesh has been pushing the mining the bauxite deposits in Easternghats of Visakhapatnam District in a hasty and surreptitious manner to the detriment of the tribal people   The present Government at the Centre and the government in our State, when they came to power, have assured that the tribal peoples' right to mineral resources within the Agency areas will be safeguarded and protected. The provisions of Schedule 5 of the Constitution provide such safeguards, as interpreted clearly by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the Samata judgment. The MOU that were signed by the State government with Jindal South West Ltd on 01/07/05 and with the government of Ras Al Khyma on 14/02/2007 were violating the Samata judgment, as the APMDC is being used in a benami manner to take over the bauxite reserves existing in the agency areas to private interests.

The present situation in the agency areas of Visakhapatnam is very tense as many strong protests have taken place in respect to illegal construction of buildings and occupation of tribal land in violation of the LTR Act during the last few months. The State and central government should respect the sentiments of the tribal community and act in a sensitive manner so that the law and order situation is not destabilized by its hasty and anti tribal action. Moreover the entire tribal belt in chintapalli during the recent public hearing on 3rd October 2008 is filled with the anti naxal squad (greyhounds) created fear among the tribal people and as the literacy rate in the 66 villages is very low it is not possible to voice their opinions in a scientific and democratic manner.



The Gram Sabha is a body created by the Constitution and it is supreme in the agency areas of our state as per the PESA Act and as per the Apex Court's directions in the above mentioned Samata judgment. I am aware that no Gram Sabha has been approached with the complete details of the proposals and no Gram Sabha has given the consent for the proposed project. Therefore it is a violation of PESA provisions and the Constitution of India.



The Tribal advisory Counsel (TAC) convened in the previous government's time had considered the proposals for setting up bauxite mining, Alumina Refinery & Aluminum Smelter in the agency area of Visakhapatnam and proposed an amendment to the LTR Act of 1959 which would have disastrous effects for the tribal. The composition of the TAC in the year 2000 during the Telugu Desam government's time was different from now and therefore a TAC meeting should be convened immediately to consider the proposed bauxite mining and aluminum complexes. Clause 4 of Schedule 5 to the Constitution makes it mandatory that the government should obtain TAC's advice while taking any major decision that affects the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in the Agency Areas. NGOs like Samata and Adivasi peoples requesting the Govt of AP to convene a meeting of the TAC and seek its views on these projects. In the absence of TAC's consent, I feel it is unjust and illegal to go ahead with the proposed projects as they stand today.



The TAC which was convened during the previous government's time initially showed hesitation to agree to bauxite mining in the Agency areas. Later, TAC had visited the NALCO bauxite mines and, based on the information made available to it at that time; it gave consent to the projects proposed. Eight years have elapsed since then and the situation in the bauxite areas of Orissa has undergone drastic changes since then. The tribals in the NALCO bauxite mining areas have since faced problems. In Orissa, new mining projects (Posco, Vedanta etc.) have been started and these have also given rise to tribal dissatisfaction. I therefore propose a visit by TAC members to all those areas namely – Damanjodi, Kashipur & Lanjigarah etc... The approval or otherwise for the proposed projects in A.P. can be considered only after studying the situation there. The Young Leader of the congress government, Mr. Rahul Gandhi has expressed his reservations about these mining projects and emphasized his support to the tribal people of Orissa.



Large area of pristine forests coming under reserve forest category will have to be cleared for the project and it is mandatory for the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to visit before the forest clearance can be obtained. No such visit has been made by the CEC appointed by the Honorable Supreme Court. I am aware that CEC has not visited the site and forest clearance is not accorded yet. Moreover the aspect of highly endangered species like the "Blewitt's Owl" has not been mentioned in the EIA documents by APMDC and the entire area from Sileru to Lambasingi, padeu to Araku & Anathagiri is a proposed "important Bird Area of the country" as per the the Orissa Bird & Bio-cultural survey in their ornithological survey of the eastern ghats (as per information of chief conservator of forests visakhapatnam obtained under RTI)

As per the MOU's signed by the state government with JSWL and RAK, a high level committee has been appointed to go into the aspects of fixing the price and royalty to the state government and the said committee has been convened as per Go.Ms.No 222 dated 13-08-08. I notice that as per the high level committee the price fixed is very nominal considering the international market rates as decided by the London Metal Exchange. The pricing formula announced by the government is more favorable to the private parties than the tribals and the government. I feel that the tribal communities or the nation will not benefit from this kind of pricing policy. So therefore the TAC has to take a decision on the above matter in the light of demand of bauxite and aluminum in the international market and the Governor's approval has to be sought.



It is also important to note that in such projects a competitive bidding procedure should be in place before according / signing any agreement or MOU with a particular company and in this case this procedure has been set aside and the government seems to have acted in a partisan manner. This compromises the interest of the nation in general and the tribal communities in particular.



The TAC minutes of 2000 during the TDP government's tenure, the members of TAC had asked specifically regarding the Rehabilitation and compensation packages offered to tribal people in other projects and also regarding the cultural specificity to be considered before giving permission to such industrial projects. In this regard I have had the opportunity to peruse the EIA of the proposed mines at Jerilla and it does not mention any such aspects. When TAC considered the employment opportunities for tribal boys and girls in the project in 2000, the situation was vastly different. During the last eight years, the number of educated tribal youth has increased thanks to the efforts of the concerned departments. As such, the projects should assure greater employment opportunities for the tribals now. If necessary, some tribal youth should be given training so that their upgraded skills may bring them greater benefit. In the present project proposals, no such assurance is available.



When TAC met last in 2000, the members were given the impression that both the mining and alumina refinery-cum-smelter projects would be located in the Agency area, thereby offering greater employment opportunities for the tribals. Now, the position has changed as the refinery-cum-smelter projects are being located outside. TAC needs to look at the project proposals afresh from this point of view.



In the TAC minutes of 10/05/00 & 24/05/00 the representative of the National Commission of SC and ST had stated clearly that the permission of the National Commission has to be obtained as per the 64th amendment of the constitution of India and no such permission has been obtained as per our knowledge. Similarly the approval of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs New Delhi also has to be obtained as in the case of Polavarm Dam project and in this case the same is lacking.



In light of all the above concerns The Political Paties and NGO's like Samata demanding to scrap the MoU's between Anrak, Jindal Companies and Govt of AP to mine the Bauxite Deposits in Traibal area of Visakhaptanm Districit. According to Ravi Rebbapragada of Samata, an NGO working for protecting tribal rights in the Eastern Ghats " the last but not the least in the case that the all statutory permissions are obtained in due time and the present TAC approves the proposals for mining and refining and smelting then propose that a cooperative of all the primary, secondary & tertiary affected tribal families be formed separately (e.g. The Jerilla mining affected tribal cooperative) and a royalty of Rs.100/- per ton be levied on APMDC and the same be deposited in the account of the said cooperative. " That the tribal peoples development needs in terms of agriculture, coffee plantations, education, drinking waters needs be met from the same and the onus of developing the infra structure and maintenance of roads, afforestation and eco-restoration etc be borne by APMDC separately as per the guidelines of the apex court in the Samata Judgment " Ravi Explained.



Srinivas Ganjivarapu

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Jharia Coalfield Today, Tomorrow and Thereafter

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 07:49:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Jharia Coalfield Today, Tomorrow and Thereafter

JHARIA COALFIELD TODAY

India with about 206 billion tonne of coal reserves is well placed with respect to the sources of energy. The country stands third in terms of coal production in the world after China and USA and in the year 2000-2001 it produced about 310 million tonne of coal out of which nearly 75% was used for thermal power generation. The total power generation capacity in the country is about 100,000 MW out of which about 70% is the thermal power. In the next ten years, i.e., by 2010-12, the total thermal power generation in the country is expected to reach a level of about 140,000-150,000 MW, which will require doubling of the coal production.

In the Indian coal scenario Jharia coalfield occupies a special status as this is the only storehouse of prime coking coal and has been meeting the coking coal needs of the country for over a century. Coal mining in the coalfield was started in the last decade of the 19th century.

The coalfield having an area of about 450 sq km belongs to Gondwana group of Permian age and has Talchir, Barakar, Barren and Ranigunj measures. It is a sickle shaped coalfield occuring in the form of a basin truncated with a major boundary fault on the southern flank. The details of the sedimentary formations in the coalfield are given in Table 1, and the coal reserves in the coalfield are as shown in Table 2. The strata composition of the coalfield is as given in Table 3.

Due to coal mining and associated activities the land use in the coalfield has undergone redical changes as seen in Table 4, which gives a comparison of the land use in the years 1925, 1974, 1987 and 1993. In a subsequent study reported in 1996 the land use pattern of the coalfield area was as given in Table 5.

The coalfield has more than 40 workable coal seams out of which the upper seams have coals of superior quality and this quality deteriorates with the seams at deeper horizons. It is generally understood that the seams below VIII-Seam have medium to non-coking coals. The percentage of coal in Barakar measures is about 20, i.e., the overall coal-overburden ratio is 1:5. The relevant details are given in Table 1.

1. Details of sedimentary formations in Jharia coalfield

Sl No

Description

Barakar formations

Barren measures

Ranigunj measures

Talchir measures

1.

Area (sq m)

218

178

54

-

2.

Location

Extends in EW direction in the northern half and forms eastern and SE part of the coalfield

Exposed in central & southern part of the coalfield

Forms a basin in SW part of the coalfield

Outcrop in the NW as a thin strip along northern periphery of the coalfield

3.

Number of workable coal seams

40

0

10

-

4.

Thickness (m)

1,000-1,200

600-625

700-720

250

5.

Percentage of coal /sandstone /shale

20/60/20

0/70/30

10/80/10

-

2. Coal reserves in Jharia coalfield in million tonne

Sl No

Quality

Proved

Indicated

Total

1.

Coking

6,929

3,298

10,227

2.

Non-coking

4,479

2,371

6,850

3.

Total

11,408

5,669

17,077

(Source: Bharat Coking Coal Limited)

3. Strata composition(percent) in Jharia coalfield

Sl No

Borehole

Block

Coal

Sandstone

Shale

S&S mixed*

Jhama

Sub-soil

1.

LB-14

Loyabad

10

50

23

10

5

2

2.

BLS-1

Bhalgora

7

54

27

1

9

2

3.

SBJ-46

Sendra Bansjora

18

45

10

3

4

20

4.

DMH-2

Damuda

10

45

38

5

1

1

5.

DB27

Dharmaband

10

49

20

19

1

1

6.

PD-27

Patherdih

16

44

14

21

4

1

7.

PTS-13

Patherdih Sudamdih

26

41

16

10

5

2

8.

SNE-3

Sitanala

8

45

21

24

-

2

9.

SNE-1

Sitanala

7

48

22

21

-

2

10.

KP-11

Kapuria

10

34

8

45

-

3

11.

Average

-

12

45

20

16

3

4

  (Source: Bharat Coking Coal Limited)

Table 4: Land use pattern in Jharia coalfield (Area as percentage)

Sl No

Land use

1925

1974

1987

1993

1.

Villages, settlements, townships, etc.

8.6

16.0

32.3

33.10

2.

Land in mining use including open pits

4.7

17.4

12.5

19.42

3.

Water bodies

7.3

6.7

3.1

2.90

4.

Forests (plantation)

4.9

0.7

0.7

2.45

5.

Agriculture & natural vegetation

65.4

56.8

49.4

39.02

6.

Fallow land and pasture

9.1

2.4

2.0

3.11

(Source: Center of Mining Environment, ISM, Dhanbad)

Table 5 : Distribution of land use and coal leasehold pattern in JCF

Sl No

Condition

Area(sq km)

Area%

1.

BCCL leasehold

-

-

.

Opencast & underground blocks

-

-

.

Subsided land

35.0

7.7

.

Under fire

18.0

4.0

.

Coal refuse/overburden dumps

6.5

1.4

.

Abandoned opencast pits

4.5

1.0

.

Others (Agri/Res/Indust)

194.0

43.1

Sub-total

258.0

57.3

2.

TISCO

22.0

4.9

3.

IISCO

10.0

2.2

4.

Other industrial

51.0

11.3

5.

Agriculture

49.5

11.0

6.

Forest

5.5

1.2

7.

Settlements

54.0

12.8

.

Sub-total

192.0

42.7

.

Total

450.8

100.0

(Source : Bharat Coking Coal Limited)

The mining in the last 105 years or so has made major changes in the overall social and environmental scenario of the coalfield and today this is probably one of the most polluted coalfield in the country. Some important features of the coalfield are outlined below.

1.     The coalfield has more than 70 mine fires spread over an area of about 17 sq km. These fires are not only polluting the atmosphere but are also not permitting proper mining of coal seams underneath and in their vicinity. In the past few decades the coalfield has seen adequate mitigation of a few fires. Noteworthy is the management of Jogta fire. According to a BCCL estimate made in 1991 the mine fires have affected half of their 90 mines/collieries and had already consumed about 40 million tonne of coal. The fires had isolated about 1.8 billion tonne of coal from the possible recovery.

2.     A sizable area, about 35 sq km, has subsided in the coalfield. It is becoming difficult to find areas for caving in the underground mines and mining with hydraulic stowing is posing its well known problems of slow production, increased costs, and constraints of availability of sand and other suitable stowing solids. Some of the subsidences in the recent past have not only damaged the surface properties but also have caused social problems. Some portions of Jharia town have been said to be facing the threat form subsidence and backfilling has been done in the underground workings near Bata More for stabilizing underground openings. The road connecting Dhanbad town with Jharia town subsided in 2001 in a portion and in future many such collapses may take place causing problems to the traffic movement in the coalfield.

3.     There are more than 120 urban and rural settlements in the coalfield belonging to the coal mining companies and others. The total area occupied by these settlements in the coalfield in the year 1993 was over 30%. Although the provisions in the Coal Bearing Act and the rules of MADA are meant to regulate the construction work over the coal/mineral bearing areas many new constructions are coming up every year in the coalfield.

4.     The total population living over the coal bearing area in the different settlements is about 11 lakh and most of the settlements are unplanned. Some of the settlements are quite close to the fire areas and many houses/hutments have been built over subsided areas. The population density of the coalfield is rather very high, i.e., 2,400 persons/sq km.

5.     The coalfield has a vast network of railway lines for the transport of coal which connects Eastern Railway to South Eastern Railway. Some experiments have been successfully conducted for the extraction of the coal seams from underneath and in the vicinity of the railway lines and other surface properties.

6.     On a rough estimate about 7,000 million tonne of coal reserves are blocked under various surface properties, etc. and about 1,800 million tonne are blocked below fires.

7.     The coalfield also has a number of water bodies, i.e., rivers, jores, nallahs, etc.

8.     On the mining front the coalfield has both opencast as well as underground mines of various shapes and sizes.

9.     Due to multiplicity of coal seams in the coalfield and complex mining situations appropriate long term plans for exploitation of the coal reserves have not been developed.

10. It has been reported in the EMP of the coalfield prepared by Norwest Mine Services Limited in 1997 that the entire coalfield has been disturbed by human activities for a long period of over 100 years. The core area has been severely disturbed during by the surface and underground mining activities and more recently by other industrial activities. The northern part of the coalfield has been more severely disturbed by mining, while the southern part has less disturbances.

11. Most of the core and buffer zone of the coalfield has been denuded of the forest cover and suffers from excessive soil erosions.

12. The largest land use in the coalfield has been dry-land agriculture and the integrated paddy agriculture was only in a small area.

13. On the basis of the soil characteristics the approximately 47% of the core and buffer area can be designated as good cultivable land and 36% as moderately good cultivable land.

14. Ground water in the coalfield has been disturbed by the mining activities. The ground water in the coalfield is supposed to occur in its multi-aquifer system, but due to mining the aquifers have been disturbed and their yield has been considerably decreased over the years over and adjacent to the mines.

It is difficult to estimate the total quantity of coal that has already been extracted and that which is available in the coal seams in the coalfield. On a rough estimate not more than 25 percent of the coal has been extracted and burnt by the mine fires and the remaining 75 percent is available.

The presence of numerous urban settlements, fires, railway lines, water bodies, etc. in the coalfield are not permitting effective exploitation of the coal seams. The overall percentage of extraction in the underground mines seldom exceed 40, while the opencast mines are facing the constraints in advancing due to the vicinity of the surface properties, etc. A study of the stability status of dwellings in Kustore, Bastacola, Lodna, Eastern Jharia, Pootki Ballihary and Chanch Victoria areas of BCCL conducted by the Central Mining Research Institute (CMRI) in the later half of the last decade of 20th Century reported the findings quoted below.

"The six areas with 39 mines were found to have 39 dwellings and part of 5 dwelling were found ;to be imminently in danger which required immediate action in term of eviction on priority basis. Nearly 8,413 houses were to be taken care of in these dwellings over an area of 19,76,542 sq m. Another 34 full dwellings and a fraction of another 5 were under Category III, covering an area of 16,13,431 sq m. These dwellings may come within the danger zone in a short time if suitable preventive measures were not adopted. A few of the areas like Eastern Jharia where the mining discontinued during 1938 to 1960 has a large number of dwellings under Category I and in case preventive measures were not taken from now itself, a stage may come when the area may have very little scope of mining. The areas located in and round Jharia have a large number of unstable dwellings under Category IV - Kustore Area 16 and 3partial bustees, Lodna 14, Pootki Ballihary 7, Bastacola 1 and 2 partial and Eastern Jharia 1, which required immediate attention.

"Exact estimate of the coal - magnitude, quality and status below Category IV dwellings could not be established because of non availability of the details. The estimated reserve under the Kustore area alone estimated to be 322 million tons could however be an eye opener ;for the techno-economics of the eviction exercise."

In these studies the stability of the dwellings was grouped under I to IV classes, the last one being unstable to be evicted on priority basis. A minimum of 20 houses were taken as the bench mark to define a dwelling/village/bustee/town in the study.

Although time to time attempts were made to remove and resettle the urban and rural settlements from the coal bearing areas not much success could be achieved and the social and general scenario in the coalfield area presents a situation where it is becoming difficult to plan scientific mining with due regard to conservation, environmental management, and economics. It is estimated that below Jharia township alone about 600 million tonne of coking coal is blocked, which can be economically opencasted.

In the ninth decade an attempt was made for planning a large opencast mine, i.e., Mukunda Project, for exploiting all the seams available in a part of the coalfield and at the same time liquidating the mine fires in the project area and developing the land for post mining use.

The present situation of the coalfield demands immediate extensive measures for the development of suitable strategies and action plans for the exploitation of the coal in the seams based on sound and proven technologies. Otherwise the mine fires and the environmental situation in the coalfield will continue to degrade.

The coalfield has vast areas with potential for inundation not only from the surface water bodies but also from the waterlogged underground workings. The experiences of Gazlitand and Bagdigi are fresh in the minds of the people. People are living over fire and subsided areas in poorly constructed hutments/houses with eminent dangers.

The author very recently, i.e., in 2001, studied the case of Pootki-Bulihari Project where extraction of the coal seams was planned with caving as well as stowing. The study revealed that there was no possibility of extraction of the coal seams with caving due to the presence of water logged workings in the overlying seams. In another study for Jitpur colliery of IISCO it was possible to plan for the extraction of areas in XVII and XVIII seams with hydraulic sand stowing underneath and in the vicinity of a main railway siding and other surface properties.

In the recent years a number of studies have been conducted for Jharia coalfield, which included the diagnostic studies for the mines fires and an overall environmental management plan for the coalfield. In addition a lot of attention was given to long-term development planning of the coal mining areas in the Carrying Capacity Based Development Planning of Damodar River Basin, the report on this account has recently been submitted to the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MOEF), Government of India.

JHARIA COALFIELD TOMORROW

If no suitable action is taken in time the situation in the coalfield will continue to worsen due to the following reasons.

1.     The mine fires in the coalfield will not only continue to consume coal but also will not permit effective exploitation of the coal seams lying underneath and in their vicinity.

2.     The construction work in the coalfield will continue blocking more and more coal below and a situation may come when there will be practically no place in the coalfield for adapting caving method of underground exploitation of the coal seams. The constructions on the surface may even make it difficult to exploit coal seams by stowing methods.

3.     The dangers of inundation to the underground workings will remain as the waterlogged underground workings will not only remain but may increase.

4.     Some of the settlements may get threatened by the advancing mine fires and in a decade or so it may be required to shift these settlements, e.g., some parts of Jharia town.

5.     Unsafe old underground workings in the coalfield may subside causing problems not only to the surface properties but also to the population living in the areas. These subsidence can also disrupt road and rail traffic in the coalfield.

6.     The overall environment in the coalfield in terms of air quality, water quality, water availability and land quality will further degrade and thus will clause not only inconvenience to the people but may also cause health problems.

If no suitable action is taken for the above the mining in the coalfield will slowly become difficult and uneconomical and many underground and opencast mines will be required to be closed without exploiting the lower seams. Huge quantity of coal will be left in the underground mines in the pillars to be formed for the protection of the surface properties.

With the decrease in the mining activities the population from over the coal bearing areas and the surroundings areas will start migrating as the land area in and around the coalfield will not be able to sustain the requirements of the people. There is practically no action plan available at present for the development of the post mining land in the coalfield.

Therefore, tomorrow of Jharia coalfield depends upon the adoption of the most feasible technology with due regard to conservation and environment with long-term planning inclusive of decommissioning and closure of the mines, reclamation and rehabilitation of the land areas for post mining use, and social concerns.

JHARIA COALFIELD THEREAFTER

If the long-term plan of the coalfield is not seen in proper perspective the coalfield after about 25-30 years will probably be deserted having smoking mine fires, inundated underground mines, large subsided areas, overburden dumps of various shapes and sizes, and unreclaimed open pits. Hence, not only from the point of view of the mining activities but also from the standpoint of the environmental scenario the coalfield will present a deserted and bleak look.

The population of the coalfield will decrease and may reach a level of one-fourth or even less than that of the present level as there will be nothing in the coalfield and the surrounding areas to sustain living of the people.

Similarly the areas surrounding the coalfield will also be facing the social and financial problems as with the decline and reduction in the mining and associated activities the coal based industries will also be reducing and thus the level of the economic activities in the entire region in and around the coalfield will decrease. In fact this will affect the entire Dhanbad district as the main economic activity in the district is mining and more than 50% of the total population of the district directly and indirectly is associated with the mining activities. Among the other economic activities farming in the district is totally rain based as there is hardly any arrangement for irrigation. Recently some watershed management studies have been done.

If the social and economic activities in the coalfield and the surrounding areas are to be continued with a suitable developing trend with due regard to the quality of life it is necessary that the coalfield should be given a serious attention so that the most appropriate technical option for the continuation of the mining and associated activities is developed. The option should take into consideration the geo-statistics of the coal deposits in the coalfield area, social concerns, environmental management, decommissioning and closure of the mining activities, reclamation and rehabilitation of the mined out areas, and the development of the post mining land uses of the reclaimed and rehabilitated land. For the search of the most appropriate technical option for the coalfield that author suggests the following strategy.

STRATEGY FOR THE SEARCH OF THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNICAL OPTION

Jharia coalfield presently has a complex situation with the mining and associated conditions varying from place to place. Therefore, for the development of the most appropriate technical option for the coalfield it is necessary to develop an inventory of the geo-mining conditions in the different parts of the coalfield. This inventory, after dividing the coalfield into suitable grid pattern, should cover the following details.

Geology of the area in the grid outlining the following

Strata section

Sequence of the seams

Details of the seams, i.e., thickness, depth, dip, etc.

Quality of coal in the seams

Washability characteristics of the coals in the seams

Geological disturbances, i.e., faults, dykes, sills, etc.

Status of mining and details thereof

Type(s) of mining being done in the area in detail

Seams under active mining

Pumping details

Status of the overlying seams

Status of the underlying seams

Status of water logging in the seams

Details of the mine fires and their status

Constraints in mining

Any apprehension of mining hazards/dangers

Any history of mining hazards/dangers

Production potential and actual production

Output per man shift

Nature and extent of mechanization and constraints thereof

Machine utilization

Economic status of mining activities, i.e., cost-benefit analysis

Short-term and long-term mining plans, if available

Any plan for decommissioning of the mining activities, mine closure, reclamation of the mining areas, and rehabilitation of the mining area.

Seam-wise availability of the reserves of coal

Surface details

Surface plans including revenue plan and topography

Land-use details

Locations of the surface properties and their ownership

Locations of the surface water bodies

Surface infrastructure, transport, communication, etc.

Drainage pattern

Environmental status

Total population and the details of the population, i.e., age, sex, education, etc.

Population growth rate

Total mining and associated activities employment

Other sources of employment in the area

Status of employment and income

Quality of life of the area and the level of satisfaction of the emotional, mental and physical needs of the people

Medical, health care and educational facilities and their adequacy

Any history of displacement and resettlement

Details of water environment, i.e., availability, sources, quality, sufficiency, etc.

Details of the liquid waste management and it adequacy

Details of the solid waste management system and its adequacy

Details of air quality and its management

Details of noise status and its management

Overall environmental quality

Any environmental management plan developed and approved

Any conditions laid down in environmental clearances, etc.

Environmental hazards/dangers, if any

Hazard mitigation strategies

Economic considerations in environmental management

Post mining land use plan, if available

The above details are to be compiled as accurately as possible and wherever the data is not available it should be indicated appropriately. This is important from the point of view of the assessment of the most appropriate technical option for the development of the coalfield.

The inventory of the data should then be used for the assessment of the following aspects of the most appropriate technical option.

Quantity and quality of coal available in all the seams and the status of this availability, i.e., standing on pillars, stooks, etc., and undeveloped areas, etc.

Constraints in exploitation of the coal seams due to surface properties, waterlogged workings, mine fires, etc.

Feasibility of exploitation of the coal seams by opencast and underground mining methods considering that there is no constraint and also considering the constraints

Extent of displacement and resettlement that will be required for the exploitation of the coal seams.

Methodologies for the preparation of the coals in the different seams for the intended uses.

The cost benefit analysis of feasible options including the costs on coal preparation.

The above study will bring out the mining options for the different areas of the coalfield. A general review of the surface and underground situations of the coalfield reveals that in most of the situations, i.e., in about 70-80% of the area, it should be feasible to adapt opencast mining after the removal of the surface constraints. This will also facilitate extraction of the good quality coking coal locked in the upper seams. With the present status of technology it should be possible to plan opencast mining with coal overburden ration of 5 and even up to 7.5.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Jharia coalfield requires immediate attention if the mining and associated activities in and around the coalfield are to be sustained on a long term basis as the present situation if allowed to continue will bring a marked decline in the mining and other activities and in about 30 years time the area may become deserted.

The methodology suggested with suitable modifications after the compilation of the details may be developed for the planning of the mining activities in the coalfield with a long-term view point.

This article is contributed by Dr N C Saxena, Centre of Mining Environment, & Dean (P&RG), Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad

Website: jharkhand.org.in/jharia

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Why Rs 8,000 crore rehabilitation plan for Jharia Coalfield is not working?

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 06:52:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Why Rs 8,000 crore rehabilitation plan for Jharia Coalfield is not working?

Industrialist turned politician S Bagrodia, the Minister of State for Coal, took charge of the Coal Ministry in April this year. Within a short span of seven months he has been witness to ups and downs in the Indian economy, largely due to the global recession and its impact on the coal sector.

In an interview with Business Line, Mr Bagrodia explained how the Ministry structured its policies to adjust to falling industrial confidence. The Minister also outlined the steps being taken by coal companies to turn more consumer-friendly.

Excerpts from the interview:

You took charge of the Coal Ministry in April, when the economy was said to be booming. However, now the situation is quite different and we are witnessing the impact of the global economic crisis on the domestic economy. To what extent has the Indian coal sector been affected by the global meltdown?

The global economic crisis has not had any major impact on the domestic coal sector because most of the coal produced in India is used for domestic power generation. However, the international situation is impacting the availability of coking coal as well as its prices.

Coking coal, used for making steel, is mostly imported by steel manufacturers. As a result of the slowdown, import of coking coal is likely to drop. However, the Coal India subsidiary, Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), which produces coking coal, is not likely to be affected as its entire production will get utilised. There will certainly be that much demand.

Every industry is talking about a credit crunch in the economy and poor cash-flow. Are there any strategies that the public sector coal companies are putting into place to make their services more consumer-friendly?

Yes, they are trying to do exactly that. There are serious problems and many companies that need coal sometimes do not have the ready money to purchase it. Very recently, coal companies have taken some new initiatives.

In the earlier system, if you went to Coal India, they would ask you to pay in advance. But now the new system is that the consumers do not have to pay upfront. A letter of credit from the bank is enough. We understand that there are problems in getting credit.

There has been a lot of concern about the continuing underground fires in the Jharia mines. Earlier, initiatives were taken to contain the fires, but these did not all succeed. Are there any fresh measures planned to extinguish the fire and save the coal resources?

The fire in Jharia mines is a 100-year old problem. Originally, there were 67 fires. Later, another 10 new fire spots came up. Of the total 77, it was possible to extinguish 10, bringing the number back to 67.

What are the efforts being made to rehabilitate the people living in the Jharia area?

The Ministry has a Rs 8,000-crore rehabilitation plan that it wants to implement. However, we are not able to roll it out as, for various reasons, the people are not willing to leave the place and settle in a different location. For rehabilitation, 300 houses have already been built, but of those, there have been takers only for 100 houses. People are just not willing to move away. Adding to the problem is that there are more and more people coming to Jharia and settling there.

We have also appealed to the non-government organisations (NGOs) working in this area, the local political leaders, local governments and panchayats to arrange to move these people to safer places, saying we would bear the expenses for it. Still, most people are not willing to move.

What about the future uses of coal? There have been earlier efforts by the Ministry to set up a project to make oil from coal. What is the progress on that front?

We have given coal blocks to the ONGC and they are still experimenting with it. However, this process was once necessary only for South Africa where, because of sanctions, they could not get the necessary oil. But the economic viability of the project has to be established. As far as India is concerned, when there is already shortage of coal, there is no need to go in for such novel projects.

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India Shopping for Coal Mines in America

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:48:00 +0000

Jharkhand News

India Shopping for Coal Mines in America

Mountaintop coal mining in Virginia. Appalachia looks good to India.
As Clifford Krauss pointed out last spring, the United States, in response to increasing global demand, has become a major exporter of coal for the first time in years, forcing domestic buyers to compete with others from countries like Germany and Japan.

Now it appears that India — a giant in coal production itself — is doing some window-shopping of its own in American mine towns, not just to secure exports, but to invest.

(And all this at a time when the globe is ostensibly embracing a migration away from fossil fuels and the reduction of C02 emissions.)

Following up on a tidbit published in India's Business Standard last week, our New Delhi bureau chief, Somini Sengupta, confirms today that Santosh Bagrodia, India's coal minister, and Partha Sarathi Bhattacharya, the chairman of Coal India, were on a shopping trip in the Appalachians last week.

Ms. Sengupta wrote in an e-mail dispatch:

State-owned Coal India Ltd., part of a five-company consortium, is searching for coal mines in the United States, Canada, Australia and Indonesia to satisfy India's sharply rising demand for coal to feed its power plants.

India already imports 50 million tons of coal every year, and its demand is projected to grow. Indian officials say buying coal mines is a better way to secure supply and at potentially better prices. 'If we want to make foreign coal available in the country it should be through acquisitions,' said Mr. Bhattacharya, chairman of Coal India, who accompanied the Indian Coal Minister on the trip to the United States to explore private financing for the projects.

Mr. Bhattacharya said he was prepared to invest more than $4 billion from his company for the acquisitions, which are still in their nascent stages. He said he was encouraged by falling prices of mines in the United States.

As a percentage of total production, foreign direct investment in coal production in the United States dropped precipitously in 2004, from 21 percent to 14 percent, when RAG (Germany), RWE (Germany), and Itochu (Japan) sold their interests, according to data released earlier this year by the Energy Information Administration.

The largest remaining foreign companies active in coal production in the United States, according to the E.I.A., are Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton (Australia) and Scottish Power.

Coal India, the largest producer in India, began signaling its interest in investing in foreign energy sources as far back as June.

"Of course, it's a buyers market," Mr. Bagrodia, told Ms. Sengupta. "Money is not a problem."

greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/india-shopping-for-coal-mines-in-appalachia/?pagemode=print

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Eight Jharkhandis killed in terror attack at Mumbai

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:31:00 +0000

Jharkhand News

Eight Jharkhandis killed in terror attack at Mumbai

KODERMA (Jharkhand): A pall of gloom descended at Charidih village on Friday after news reached here that six persons of a family had died in the terrorist firing at Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.

"I got the news that my son, daughter, uncle, aunt and two nephews died after being hit by bullets on Wednesday night. After missing Mumbai-Howrah Mail, they were returning to their accommodation in Mumbai when the terrorists fired upon them near VT,'' M r Mohammad Mustakin, family head, told newsmen here.

He broke down saying, "Had they not missed the train....'' The dead members in the family, who were into tailoring profession in Mumbai, include Mustakin's son Arif Ansari (32), daughter Murtaza (17), uncle Abbas Ansari (60), aunt Akeela Khatoon (55), n ephews Ilyas (40) and Sarfaraz (19). Two other nephews suffered bullet wounds, he added.

They were returning home to celebrate "Bakri Id'' on December 9, Mustakin said adding now he only waited for the bodies which are expected to arrive here tonight.

A daily labourer from Murshidabad district in West Bengal Ajfar Ali, 21, was killed outside the Taj Hotel in Mumbai when terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on Wednesday night.

Ali and his brother, who too was a daily labourer in Mumbai, hailed from Badhua village in the Baroan police station area. His family sources said that his body was being brought on Friday to his village. - PTI

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/14281981.htm

Ranchi (IANS): Two people from Jharkhand were among those killed in the coordinated terrorist attacks that rocked Mumbai on Wednesday night.

Malayesh Banerji, a resident of Ranchi, was killed by terrorists in Taj hotel and Prakash Mandal, a resident of Giridih district, was killed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station of Mumbai.

Malayesh, 27, was working as an executive in Reliance Urban Infrastructure Venture Company and was attending a meeting at the hotel. He was gunned down by the terrorists Wednesday night.

Malayesh's relatives said: "He was the only son and was to get married on Dec 6. Parents were busy preparing for his marriage. Now, they are shocked and are not speaking to anyone. They are just waiting for his body."

The victim studied engineering from IIT Kharagpur and management from Singapore.

Prakash Mandal was working as labourer in Mumbai for the last eight years. He had gone to see off his younger brother at CST railway station when the terrorists attacked the station.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200811281404.htm

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Stripped, abused Adivasi Girl to contest Lok Sabha polls

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:07:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Stripped, abused Adivasi Girl to contest Lok Sabha polls

Lakshmi, 27 Nov 2007

A STAFF REPORTER

Lakshmi Orang. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Nov. 19: It is a wound even time struggles to heal. But then there is no visible injury. It is deep down in her soul. No wonder, Lakshmi Orang is not ready to forgive — or forget — the people who stripped her bare, body and soul.

A year after the Adivasi woman from Sonitpur was disrobed on the streets of Beltola here, she said today that there was no question of forgiveness.

"I will never forgive them for what they did to me...How can I forgive them? They have taken away everything I had.

"I talk...I mingle...I try to be normal but deep within, there is always the pang that threatens to tear me apart," she said, almost choking on tears.

Lakshmi said that she was now drawing strength from the Mahabharat in her new avatar as a political personality. "Draupadi, too, was stripped in public. She fought on and lived to see the end of those who committed the crime," she added.

The Adivasi woman recently joined the Assam United Democratic Front and has sought a party ticket to contest the Tezpur parliamentary seat in the next elections. She said the perpetrators of the crime ought to be hanged.

Lakshmi was stripped, chased and assaulted by a group of people after the procession in which she had taken part on November 24 culminated in a clash between those taking part in it and residents of the area. Trouble began when a section of the rallyists allegedly went on the rampage, damaging shops and cars, thus inviting retaliation from the residents.

"I am totally disgusted with the government. Till date, it has not been able to bring the culprits to book. Even the Scheduled Tribes demand of our community, for which we had gone to Beltola, still remains unfulfilled," she said.

In September, the government had offered her a job, which she had turned down. "I had returned the letter without even opening it. I was not hankering for a government job or money. If the government had really felt for me, it would have by now punished the culprits," the Adivasi woman said.

Lakshmi said it was the sense of injustice that drove her to politics. "I have decided to be in politics because it will empower me to provide justice to the unprivileged," she said.

"I am really happy to be able to work for my people. I am overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I am getting from society," she said.

This encouragement and support has kept her going. "I start my work at 7 in the morning. I go out, meet people — mostly women — and share their problems," she said.

By the time I return home, twilight sets in. "That is the time I feel very lonely and get engulfed by the darkness," she sighed.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081120/jsp/northeast/story_10133407.jsp#

UNCIVILISED & BARBARIC ACT IN INDEPENDENT INDIA

Guwahati

Violence continued to rock Assam on Tuesday following the 36-hour general strike called by the AllAdivasi Students' Association of Assam. More than 15 people were injured and several vehicles damaged in separate incidents across the state. The retaliatory violence during an unruly adivasi rally in Guwahati on Saturday, when an adivasi woman was stripped in public and assaulted, has, meanwhile, shocked a wide cross-section of people, including intellectuals and members of women's organisations, who have described it as "uncivilised" and "barbaric".

On Tuesday, security sources said bandh supporters attacked a group of All-Assam Students' Union activists near Bordubi village in Upper Assam's Tinsukia district.

The bandh supporters and adivasi students also attacked a police vehicle and injured a police constable. Two AASU activists were also wounded in a separate attack, a senior police officer at Tinsukia said.

- Deccan Chronicle, November 28, 2007

After beaten up by the local people, these people had their last breath.

Here Police, who are supposed to save people, are also involved in pouring their inherited anger.

Now he is being escaped from the local people, but his body is waiting for four shoulders only.

Adivasi are waiting to be treated inside the hospital, but doctors denied to treat. Later on those doctors were suspended.

Two adivasi are being trapped between 30-40 local people. India ruled under British was better.

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Greetings to all Jharkhandi on eighth foundation day of Jharkhand State & birthday of great Jharkhandi leader Birsa Munda

noreply@blogger.com (Eastern India Blogger Network) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Jharkhand Blog

Greetings to all Jharkhandi on eighth foundation day of Jharkhand State & birthday of great Jharkhandi leader Birsa Munda

15 Nov 2008

Eight resolutions on Jharkhand's eighth Statehood day

Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur are to get over Rs 10,000 crore under JNNURM from the Centre to upgrade their existing civic infrastructure.

If that's cause for cheers, party poopers are many. A mere Rs 32 crore has trickled from the Centre for the Basic Services to Urban poor (BSUP) project that aims to provide integrated housing structures to Ranchi's slum-dwellers.

In Ranchi, although more than Rs 100 crore has gone to prepare project reports for sewerage and drainage systems, water supply, traffic system management and so on, work is grounded as no government quite settled in since 2000. Dhanbad is shackled by sloth and in Jamshedpur, chances of bagging funds from JNNURM are slim due to a legal fracas between the state government and Tata Steel over leased land.

But yes, Jharkhand can. Through collective ownership — Birthday resolution # 1.

Stop the brain drain

Parents, who can afford to, demonstrate their love by practically driving their kids out of Jharkhand right after Plus Two. Reason: the state of the existing universities of Ranchi, Vinoba Bhave (Hazaribagh) and Sidho-Kanho-Murmu (Dumka). However, the yearly brain drain has not stopped the three universities from being overcrowded, with RU alone catering to over 1.5 lakh students.

The Union ministry of human resource development has given the nod to a central university and a branch of Indian Institute of Management (IIM). But the two other proposed universities — Neelambar-Pitambar (Daltonganj) and Kolhan (Chaibasa) - continue to remain on paper as no land has been allotted to the projects.

But yes, Jharkhand can. By getting into the brick-and-mortar mode — Birthday resolution # 2.

No craters please

Your backache says it all. Trips across the 135km stretch of NH 33 - known as the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway — can be used by tyre companies to demonstrate their toughness under extreme conditions.

An unholy nexus between contractors, politicians, bureaucrats and technocrats is cited as the reason behind the cratered face of over 1,500km of national highways and over 6,000km of state highways. Recently, agencies like Asian Development Bank (ADB) and IL&FS have been roped in to fund the roads projects.

But yes, Jharkhand can. By banning air travel for the powers-that-be, so that their backache cures the potholes and the craters — Birthday resolution # 3.

Be a tourist magnet

Who was the last couple honeymooning in the state's forests? Chances are you don't know any. The forests in God's original country are not emerald, but red. Extremists have either blown up or captured forest guesthouses in tourist hotspots like Betla Reserved Forest, the national park at Hazaribagh, and the Saal forests of Saranda. The red hand deters tourists from exploring Jharkhand's rugged beauty and filling state coffers with tourist revenue.

The absence of tourist infrastructure — star hotels, budget lodges and restaurants, washrooms, an intra-state transport network —adds insult to injury.

But yes, Jharkhand can. By gearing its state machinery and grassroots people to make Jharkhand a tourist magnet —Birthday resolution # 4.

lGet the river warriors

The Damodar valley is referred by many as Ruhr of India as three integrated steel plants (Bokaro, Burnpur and Durgapur) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), mines of Coal India subsidiaries like Central Coalfields Ltd and Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. And other factories are located in the valley. But the Damodar river itself? Little better than a drain.

A study by the "Save Damodar movement" has concluded that the 592km river is one of the most polluted in India, force-fed with chemicals, mine rejects and toxic effluents.

But yes, Jharkhand can. By making clean Damodar a green priority — Birthday resolution # 5.

Woo the Big Daddies

Tata Steel came to Jharkhand over a century ago, stayed and prospered. But when Mamata Banerjee put brakes on the Nano project in neighbouring Bengal, the people's car didn't stop at Jharkhand. Where are the big ticket investors? Though the state has signed MoUs worth more than Rs 2.60 lakh crore, none, except the Jindal Steel and Power, have so far bothered to set up shop here. The state needs to support the more serious players, including ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel, Jindal Steel to set up their plants.

A realistic balance between economic and tribal interests, through transparent dialogue, a clear R&R policy and judicious allotment of coal mines and iron ore blocks is what the doctor ordered.

But yes, Jharkhand can. Through inclusive empowerment of all stakeholders — Birthday resolution # 6.

Turn on the lights

Candles for the poor, inverters for the rich, power for half a day. With an average power generation of 400MW every day against a peak time demand of 800MW plus, calculations are easy. In the near future, demand for power will peak to 1,600MW, if all the 32,000 villages are electrified within 2012.

Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (TVNL) contributes 300MW to 400MW against an installed capacity of 440MW. But work on additional expansion of 660MW is held up since the past five years as the state government continues to dither about giving a counter guarantee to Czech firm Skoda. The 30-year-old generating station at Patratu struggles to generate 40 to 100MW against an installed capacity of 840MW. A complete overhaul is the only solution. Over the past five years, the state government signed 27 MoUs with power majors like Tata Power, Calcutta Electric Supply Company, Damodar Valley Corporation, National Thermal Power Corporation, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd etc. to set up power plants in the state that would have contributed more than 40,000MW. But land?

But yes, Jharkhand can. By installing at least one new 1,000MW power plant for starters — Birthday resolution # 7.

Reach for a star

R. Madhavan, Simone Singh, Tanushree Dutta, Priyanka Chopra, Meiyan Chang, Puja Singh, Vijay Kumar Singh, Shraddha Das, Rajdeep Chatterjee — stars and wannashines. And one bonafide biggie — director Imtiaz Ali. Inspiration for many a thousand dreams. But where's the space to nurture them?

The much-touted cultural richness of the state needs a state-of-the-art training ground for its entertainers. Let us not send all our strugglers to Mumbai unprepared. And let us keep some talents for Jollywood, which, umm, er, is supposedly the state's film industry that no one knows much about.

But yes, Jharkhand can. By establishing a training hub for entertainers — not another foundation stone please — Birthday resolution # 8.

Courtesy: Telegraph 15 Nov 08

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S.No.	Name and Address of the SCA	Telephone No.	Fax No.
01.	A.P. Scheduled Tribes Coop. Finance Corpn. Ltd., 1st Floor, Telugu Samkshema Bhawan, Masab Tank, HYDERABAD - 500 028 ANDHRA PRADESH.	040-3390487 -3391634	040-3315236
02.	Andaman & Nicobar Island Integrated Development Corporation Ltd., New Marine Dry Dock/WorkShop Complex, P.B. NO. 180, PORT BLAIR - 744 101 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLAND.	03192-32801 -32095	-
03.	Arunachal Pradesh Industrial & Finance Dev.Corporation, (Near A.O.C.), ITANAGAR - 791 111 ARUNACHAL PRADESH.	0360-212672 -212673	0360-212751
04.	Assam Plain Tribes Dev. Corpn. Ltd., Ganeshguri Chariali, DISPUR - 781 005 , GUWAHATI ASSAM	0361-201521	-
05.	Bihar State Scheduled Castes Co-operative Dev.Corp.Ltd., 4th Floor, Biscomaun Tower, PATNA - 800 001 BIHAR	0612-231406 -231674 -231672	-
06.	Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu SCs/STs Other Backward Classes & Minorities Financial & Devp. Corpn. Limited, 2nd Floor, Rightwing, Old DIC Office, PWD Complex, SILVASSA - 396230 DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI	0361-201521	-
07.	Chhattisgarh Rajya Antyavsayee Sahkari Vitta Avam Vikas Nigam, Plot No. R-12, Anupam Nagar, Near Door Sanchar Kendra, Sankar Nagar, Raipur	0771-666105	-
08.	Goa State SC & Backward Classes Development Corporation, 4th Floor, Patto Centre, EDC Complex, Near KTC Bus Stand, PANAJI - 403 001, GOA .	0832-220201 -227107	0832-222340

09.	Gujarat Tribal Development Corporation, Block No.: 10, 2nd Floor, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhawan, GANDHI NAGAR - 382 010., GUJARAT	079-322 0009 (O) -322 2635 (R)	079 - 322 3710
10.	Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, Jain Bhawan, Hospital Road, SOLAN - 173 212 HIMACHAL PRADESH.	01792-20671	01792-20058
11.	J & K Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes & Backward Classe Development Corporation, Ramesh Market, Shastri Nagar, JAMMU.	0191-433229 -452009	0191-433229
12.	The Jharkhand State Tribal Co-operative Dev. Corpn. Ltd., Balihar Road, Morabadi, RANCHI - 834 008 JHARKHAND.	0651-541398	0651-316686
13.	Karnataka Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Dev. Corp.Ltd. 9th & 10th Floor,Visweshwaraiah Mini Tower, Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi, BANGALORE - 560 001, KARNATAKA.	080-2867097 -2865747 -2865192	080-2860396
14.	Kerala State Development Corporation For Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Limited, Town Hall Road, THRISSUR - 680 020, KERALA.	0487-331064 -331202	0487-331469
15.	Lakshdweep Development Corporation Limited, G-406,Panampilly Nagar, ERNAKULAM, COCHIN - 682 036, KERALA.	0484-310979 -310990	322924
16.	Manipur Tribal Development Corpn. Ltd., Lamphelpat, IMPHAL-795 004, MANIPUR	0385-310452 -310293	0385-310293

17.	Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank Limited, M.G. Road, SHILLONG 793 001, MEGHALAYA.	0364-224160	0364-222026
18.	M.P. Adivasi Vitta Aivam Vikas Nigam, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan Parisar II, 35 Shyamala Hills, BHOPAL - 462 002, MADHYA PRADESH.	0755-660672	0755-221825
19.	Mizoram Khadi & Village Industries Board, "Zorun" Zarkawat, AIZWAL - 796 007, MIZORAM.	0389-342460	0389-347587
20.	Mizoram Urban Cooperative Development Bank Ltd., Lalsawmliani Building (Top Floor), Zarkawt, AIZWAL - 796 001 MIZORAM.	0389-346508 343475	-
21.	Nagaland Industrial Devp.Corporation Limited, IDC House, P.B. No. 5, DIMAPUR - 797 112, NAGALAND.	03862-30571 -30573	03862-30572
22.	Nagaland State Cooperative Bank Ltd, Post Box No. 151, DIMAPUR 797 112, NAGALAND.	03862-28335 -28578 -20702	-
23.	Orissa Scheduled Castes Scheduled Tribes Dev. & Finance Coop. Corpn. Ltd., Lewis Road, BHUBANESHWAR - 751 014, ORISSA.	0674-432949 -431623	0674-431798
24.	Rajasthan Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Co-op. Corporation, Nehru Sahkar Bhawan, Central Block, IIIrd Floor, Bhawani Singh Road, JAIPUR -302 002. RAJASTHAN.	0141-740745 -740880	0141-740880

25.	Shabari Adivasi Vitta Va Vikas Mahamandal Maryadit, Adivasi Vikas Bhawan, 3rd Fl., Ram Ganesh Gadkari Chowk, Old Agra Road, NASHIK - 422 002 MAHARASHTRA.	0253-576860 -571782	0253-571560
26.	Sikkim Scheduled Castes, Tribes & Backward Classes Dev. Corpn. Ltd, Bhanupath, GANGTOK - 737 101, SIKKIM.	03592-23261 -25310 -23456	03592-25318
27.	Tripura Scheduled Tribes Co-op. Development Corpn. Ltd., Supari Bagan, Krishna Nagar, P.O. Lake Chowmani, AGARTALA - 799 001 TRIPURA.	0381-305090	0381-305090
28.	Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing & Development Corpn. Limited, Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Shopping Complex, 2nd floor, Thirumangalam (Anna Nagar) - 600 101 TAMILNADU	044-6286280 -6287075 -6286283	044-6282007
29.	West Bengal SCs & STs Development & Finance Corporation, (2nd Floor) 135-A, Biplabi Rashbehari Basu Road, KOLKATTA - 700 001, WEST BENGAL.	033-2432099 -2429381	033-2428566
30.	Uttaranchal Bahudeshiya Vitta Evam Vikas Nigam, 6-A, Rest Camp, Near Prince Hotel, DEHRADUN - 248 001, UTTARANCHAL	0135-628099	0135-628099
31.	U.P. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation B-912, Sector - C, Mahanagar, LUCKNOW - 226 006 UTTAR PRADESH	0135-386989	0135-672054
32.	Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) N.C.U.I Building , IInd Floor, 3 Siri Institutional Area ,August Kranti Marg, NEW DELHI -110016	26510923	26866149
33.	Girijan Co-operative Corporation Ltd. East Point Colony, Visakhapatnam-530017 ANDHRA PRADESH	2796164	2796345

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Jharia Coalfield Today, Tomorrow and Thereafter

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JHARIA COALFIELD TODAY

In the Indian coal scenario Jharia coalfield occupies a special status as this is the only storehouse of prime coking coal and has been meeting the coking coal needs of the country for over a century. Coal mining in the coalfield was started in the last decade of the 19th century.

1. Details of sedimentary formations in Jharia coalfield

2. Coal reserves in Jharia coalfield in million tonne

Sl No Quality Proved Indicated Total 1. Coking 6,929 3,298 10,227 2. Non-coking 4,479 2,371 6,850 3. Total 11,408 5,669 17,077

(Source: Bharat Coking Coal Limited)

3. Strata composition(percent) in Jharia coalfield

(Source: Bharat Coking Coal Limited)

Table 4: Land use pattern in Jharia coalfield (Area as percentage)

(Source: Center of Mining Environment, ISM, Dhanbad)

Table 5 : Distribution of land use and coal leasehold pattern in JCF

(Source : Bharat Coking Coal Limited)

The mining in the last 105 years or so has made major changes in the overall social and environmental scenario of the coalfield and today this is probably one of the most polluted coalfield in the country. Some important features of the coalfield are outlined below.

6. On a rough estimate about 7,000 million tonne of coal reserves are blocked under various surface properties, etc. and about 1,800 million tonne are blocked below fires.

7. The coalfield also has a number of water bodies, i.e., rivers, jores, nallahs, etc.

8. On the mining front the coalfield has both opencast as well as underground mines of various shapes and sizes.

9. Due to multiplicity of coal seams in the coalfield and complex mining situations appropriate long term plans for exploitation of the coal reserves have not been developed.

11. Most of the core and buffer zone of the coalfield has been denuded of the forest cover and suffers from excessive soil erosions.

12. The largest land use in the coalfield has been dry-land agriculture and the integrated paddy agriculture was only in a small area.

13. On the basis of the soil characteristics the approximately 47% of the core and buffer area can be designated as good cultivable land and 36% as moderately good cultivable land.

Why Rs 8,000 crore rehabilitation plan for Jharia Coalfield is not working?

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India Shopping for Coal Mines in America

Sl No

Quality

Proved

Indicated

Total

1.

Coking

6,929

3,298

10,227

2.

Non-coking

4,479

2,371

6,850

3.

Total

11,408

5,669

17,077