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

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

2009-04-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-21T06:26:00.001-07:00

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 ?

2009-04-18T01:51:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-07T01:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

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.

2009-02-21T09:10:00.001-08:00

Jharkhandi.com/yourname | yourname@jharkhandi.com

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

2009-02-20T05:20:00.001-08:00

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)

2009-02-05T09:55:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-31T00:56:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-20T19:07:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-12T13:28:00.001-08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adivasi (Tribal) Witchcraft News Reports

Adivasi Witchcraft

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

Witchcraft in Assam school curricula?

Indian 'witchcraft' family beheaded

Fire in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block near Asansol

Fire in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block

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Jharkhand

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

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

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

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National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation

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

Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Plant, Jharkhand

tilaiya.jharkhand.org.in

tilaiya.wordpress.com

jhumri-tilaiya.jharkhandi.com

Jharkhand (USA)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adivasi (Tribal) Witchcraft News Reports

Adivasi Witchcraft

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

Witchcraft in Assam school curricula?

Indian 'witchcraft' family beheaded

Fire in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block near Asansol

Fire in an abandoned coalmine in Salanpur block

Directory

Jharkhand

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

Directory

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

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

Directory

National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation

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

Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Plant, Jharkhand

tilaiya.jharkhand.org.in

tilaiya.wordpress.com

jhumri-tilaiya.jharkhandi.com

Jharkhand (USA)

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

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

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

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

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

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