Page 14 - Jharkhand

AJSU Party chief unveils strategy for upcoming Assembly polls in Jharkhand

AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto on Monday unveiled the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand, emphasising their commitment to resonate with people's sentiments in the state. Mahto highlighted the prevailing discontent among people due to what he termed as erroneous policies and governance practices of the current coalition government over the past four-and-a-half years. He declared the party's resolve to amplify the voices of all segments of society against the incumbent administration. He announced that June 22, the party's foundation day, would be commemorated as 'Balidan Diwas' across all 81 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand. Each segment will feature a video presentation highlighting the state's history and sacrifices leading to its formation. Mahto outlined the party's roadmap leading up to the elections, including padyatras, youth gatherings, and recognition programmes for grassroots party workers. Regarding electoral alliances, Mahto confirmed t

BJP appoints incharges for poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana, J'khand, J-K

BJP president JP Nadda on Monday appointed the party's election incharges and co-incharges for assembly poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav has been appointed as the incharge for Maharashtra while Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the co-incharge for the state, according to a statement issued by the party. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been made the BJP's election incharge for Haryana and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb the co-incharge for the state, it said. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the election incharge for Jharkhand and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma the co-incharge for the state, the statement said. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has been appointed as the incharge for Jammu and Kashmir, it said. While assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand are due later this year, the Supreme Court has ...

Jharkhand to waive farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh, will impact 191,000 farmers

Jharkhand Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh on Friday said the state government has decided to waive farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh, in an effort to give relief to over 1.91 lakh farmers. During a meeting with officials of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) here, the minister asked the banks to present a proposal in this regard. "Loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh taken by farmers till March 31, 2020 will be waived through one-time settlement," the minister said. In 2021-22, the state government had announced waiver of crop loans up to Rs 50,000, he said. "As per its promise, the state government had waived loans up to Rs 50,000 of more than 4.73 lakh farmers... The Jharkhand government has given an amount of over Rs 1,900 crore to banks," Patralekh said. He also asked the bank officials to send a proposal to the state government to close accounts that have become non-performing assets (NPAs) so that the farmers can be debt-free.

Monsoon to hit Jharkhand around June 19, rain deficiency rises to 54%

Heatwave conditions and delayed monsoon have aggravated Jharkhand's rainfall deficiency to 54 per cent and it may rise further as monsoon onset over the state is expected around June 19, a weather official said on Friday. Most parts of Jharkhand have been simmering over 40 degrees Celsius with Daltonganj recording the state's highest maximum temperature at 46.5 deg C on Thursday. The current progress of the monsoon is tardy. It is likely to get momentum after June 16 and we are expecting the onset of monsoon over Jharkhand around June 19," Abhishek Anand, in charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre, told PTI. The normal date for monsoon onset in Jharkhand is June 10. However, it has been reaching Jharkhand between June 12 and June 25 since 2010, according to the monsoon onset record at the Met office. Anand said the current situation suggests that rainfall might be deficient in June and it might increase in July. Jharkhand has received a mere 20.2 mm rainfall from June 1 to June 13

Postal department recruitment fraud: CBI searches 67 locations in Odisha

The CBI is conducting searches at 67 locations in Odisha in connection with an alleged recruitment fraud in the postal department, officials said Thursday. The CBI action comes on an year old complaint from the postal department alleging 63 candidates of the Gramin Dak Sevaks Exam allegedly submitted fake certificates. Over 204 officials, including 122 officers from the CBI and 82 personnel from other departments, swooped down at various premises in Kalahandi, Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, and Bhadrak with an objective of uncovering the interstate organised gang responsible for providing these fake certificates. "These certificates were allegedly issued by the Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Allahabad; West Bengal Board, Kolkata; Jharkhand Academic Council, Ranchi; among others. The complaint suggests alleged involvement of an interstate racket in creating and supplying these forged certificates in collusion with the ...

Meet Annapurna Devi, women and child development minister in Modi cabinet

Annapurna Devi, 55, succeeds BJP leader Smriti Irani, who was dropped from the new National Democratic Alliance government

Annapurna Devi gets women and child development ministry in Modi govt 3.0

BJP leader from Jharkhand Annapurna Devi has been appointed as the new Women and Child Development Minister as part of the NDA government's third term. Savitri Thakur is the new minister of state in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, according to an official statement. With challenges such as raising the legal age of marriage for women, combating malnutrition among women and children, and addressing women's safety issues, the new ministers face a formidable agenda. Devi, 55, succeeds Smriti Irani in this role. Her political journey began with her election to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in a 1998 by-election. She later served as minister of state for Mines and Geology in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) government of undivided Bihar. From 2005 to 2014, Devi was a member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly and became a cabinet minister in Jharkhand in 2012, overseeing the Ministry of Irrigation, Women & Child Welfare, and Registration. She joined the Bharatiya Janata .

Hemant Soren being oppressed like Stan Swamy, says former J'khand CM

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is in jail, is facing the same kind of oppression that led to the custodial death of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy who dedicated his life working for tribal rights, according to social media post by the JMM leader. The latest Lok Sabha elections mark the beginning of Jharkhand's revenge for the custodial death of Swamy who had been fighting for tribal rights, said the Facebook post from Soren's account which is being managed by his wife Kalpana Soren. Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. "Just as Father Stan, who raised his voice for the most vulnerable section, was silenced by institutional neglect and injustice, today the same kind of oppression is being done to Hemant Soren. Today there is a need for every Jharkhandi to stand strongly in support of Hemant Soren. Otherwise, no one can stop turning Jharkhand into Manipur," the social media post said. In Manip

Union Minister Arjun Munda loses Jharkhand's Khunti seat by 149,000 votes

Union Tribal Affairs and Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda lost the Khunti Lok Sabha seat to Congress's Kalicharan Munda by 1.49 lakh votes, officials said. Arjun Munda, a three-time chief minister, had defeated Kalicharan Munda by 1,445 votes in 2019. Arjun Munda congratulated Kalicharan for victory and said people have given mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form government for the third time. Kalicharan Munda gave the credit of his victory to party workers, partners of INDIA bloc and people of his constituency. "People of Khunti have given a befitting reply to NDA. A big responsibility is now on my shoulder. I will make every effort to live up to the expectations of people here," he said. Arjun Munda, the 56-year-old tribal leader, had also won a by-election for Lok Sabha seat from Jamshedpur and held the post of BJP's national general secretary. Arjun Munda first became chief minister in March 2003 when he replaced Babulal Marandi after JDU and Samata Party MLAs revol

LS polls 2024: NDA leads in 10 seats in Jharkhand, INDIA bloc in 4

The BJP was leading in nine Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, its ally AJSU Party in one, while the Congress and JMM were ahead in two each, according to available trends. Union minister and sitting MP Arjun Munda was trailing to Congress's Kalicharan Munda in Khunti Lok Sabha seat by around 40,000 votes, as per ECI officials. In Singhbhum, JMM's Joba Manjhi was leading by 64,654 votes over her nearest rival Geeta Kora of the BJP after the fourth round of counting, they said. Kora, wife of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, joined the BJP just ahead of Lok Sabha polls. She was the lone Congress MP in the state. Former DGP and sitting BJP MP VD Ram was leading by 85,340 votes over her nearest rival Mamata Bhuiyan of the RJD in Palamu. In Dumka, BJP's Sita Soren was leading by 12,057 votes over JMM's Nalin Soren. Sita, a three time JMM legislator, joined BJP just ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was leading by 5,734 votes over his nearest rival Pradeep

400 Dumka villagers boycott voting over coal dumping yard construction

Over 400 people in a village in Dumka district boycotted voting in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday to protest against the construction of a coal dumping yard, an official said. A total of 426 voters did not exercise their franchise at booth number 94 in Bagdubhi village, a part of the Dumka Lok Sabha constituency, he said. Out of 430 voters enrolled in the booth, only four electors have exercised their franchise till 3 pm, Dumka Circle Officer Amar Kumar told PTI. He said the villagers have been protesting against the construction of the Railways' coal dumping yard. Sub-divisional Officer Ajay Kumar held a meeting with the villagers and assured them of raising the issue with higher authorities. However, they did not agree to vote. A representative of the village, Lakshman Soren, told PTI, We made it clear that if the SDO gives us an assurance in writing to stop the construction of the yard, we will go to cast our votes. But, we were not given any suc

Lok Sabha elections Phase 7: 49.68% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 7 voter turnout: At more than 60 per cent, Jharkhand recorded the highest voter turnout at 3 pm, Bihar had the lowest at 42.95 per cent

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 7: Over 40% voter turnout recorded till 1 pm

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 7 voter turnout: Himachal Pradesh had the highest voter turnout at 48.63

LS polls 2024: 46.80% turnout recorded till 1 pm in Jharkhand's 3 seats

Voting for three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand commenced on Saturday, amid tight security, officials said. Polling began at 7 am in Dumka, Rajmahal, and Godda, and will continue till 5 pm. A total of 52 candidates, including eight women, are contesting in this final phase, the state's fourth and the seventh nationwide. Nineteen candidates each are competing in Dumka and Godda, while Rajmahal has 14 contestants. Approximately 53.23 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots in these three constituencies, with Godda having the highest number of voters at 20.28 lakh, and Dumka the lowest at 15.91 lakh. Over two lakh are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group, while 439 are aged over 100 years. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said preparations are in place for free and fair polls, including sealing the borders with neighboring Bihar and West Bengal, where polls are also taking place. Arrangements have been made to transport elderly citizens and persons with disabilitie

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 7: Over 26.3% voter turnout recorded till 11 am

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Seventh phase will see voting in 57 of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, across seven states and one UT

Sunday holidays linked to Christians, one district tried to change it: Modi

Lok Sabha elections 2024: While addressing election rally in Dumka, Jharkhand, Modi says one district in Jharkhand tried to change weekly-offs from Sunday to Fridays

Money laundering case: IAS Manish Ranjan appears before ED for questioning

Senior IAS officer Manish Ranjan on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a money laundering case in which the agency recently arrested Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam, official sources said. Ranjan arrived at the ED office here around 11.15 am, they said. Ranjan is a former secretary of the Rural Development department. He is currently the secretary of the Land, Road and Building department and had been asked to depose before the federal agency at its zonal office here on May 28. The IAS officer had earlier been summoned to appear before the ED officials on May 24 but he skipped the summons and had sought more time. The summons is linked to the ED investigation in which Congress leader and state Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam, his former personal secretary Sanjeev Kumar Lal and the latter's domestic help Jahangir Alam were arrested early this month. The agency had claimed to have recovered more than Rs 32 crore from

Jharkhand HC seeks ED's response in bail plea filed by Ex-CM Hemant Soren

The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a reply on the bail application moved by former chief minister Hemant Soren. Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, filed the petition before the high court on Monday and requested an early hearing of the matter. Appearing on behalf of Soren before a bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay, senior advocate Kapil Sibal pleaded that the JMM leader was a victim of political conspiracy. The court directed the ED to file a response in the matter and set June 10 as the next date of the hearing. In his petition, Soren pleaded before the court that his name does not figure in any of the documents about 8.5 acres of land in the Bargain circle and no offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act is made out against him. He also claimed that the ED was relying only on statements of some people who ha

Court extends ED remand of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam for 3 more days

A special PMLA court in Ranchi on Monday extended Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam's remand with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for three more days in connection with an alleged money laundering case, his legal representatives said. Alam had been taken into custody by the ED on May 15 following two days of interrogation at the agency's office. Initially remanded for six days by the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court starting May 17, his remand was subsequently extended for five days on May 22. Alam's lawyer, Kishlay Prasad, said that the ED prayed for a three-day extension of remand for further inquiry, which was granted by the court. "The ED indicated the necessity for additional inquiries and the requirement for details regarding immovable properties," Prasad elaborated. Alam, who serves as the state parliamentary affairs minister and represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand Assembly, is under investigation for alleged irregularities and bribery in the state rural

Lok Sabha polls 2024: EC releases absolute number of voters for 5 phases

Election Commission says recorded vote counts was communicated to all candidates' polling agents on the polling day and such data is unalterable