Page 8 - Jharkhand

CM Soren writes letter to PM Modi on non-payment of Rs 1.36 trn coal dues

Hours before the Election Commission is set to announce the schedule for Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly polls on Tuesday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding clearance of Rs 1.36 lakh-crore in pending dues from coal companies. Soren emphasised that he is not asking for a "special budget" for the state but is requesting its rightful dues, which he claims are causing irreparable harm to Jharkhand's development. "This outstanding amount is our right... Jharkhand is not asking for a special budget. We are just asking for our rightswhich we will take under all circumstances," Soren posted on X, sharing the open letter to the PM. "In spite of provisions in the law and judicial pronouncements, coal companies are not making any payment... These questions have been raised at various forums, including your kind office, Finance Ministry and NITI Aayog. But till now this compensation (Rs 1.36 lakh crore) has not yet been paid," he said. A .

Cong to contest J'hand polls as part of JMM alliance, BJP confident of win

The Congress on Tuesday said it will contest the Jharkhand assembly elections in alliance with the JMM, with a final decision on seat sharing expected soon. "We will contest elections with our alliance partners in the state. A final decision on the seat sharing will be done soon. We are confident of winning elections on the back of development works done by us," Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshav Mahto said. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also expressed confidence that its alliance would be voted back to power. However, it raised concerns on how Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma knew that the election dates would be announced on Tuesday. "We are ready to contest elections, though the announcement was made a bit early. However, we would like to know how Sarma was aware that elections would be announced on Tuesday. This is a grave threat to democracy," JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said. Sarma, who is BJP's co-in-charge of assembly elections in Jharkhand,

EVMs 100% foolproof: CEC refutes Cong claim ahead of poll date announcement

Kumar said, the public answers questions by participating in the voting. As far as the EVMs are concerned, they are 100 per cent foolproof

Jharkhand polls: JMM-led alliance to contest all 81 seats, says CM Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday said the JMM-led alliance will contest all 81 seats in the upcoming assembly elections. Speaking after a central committee meeting of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Soren expressed confidence in the party's electoral preparedness and assured that the alliance would regain power in the state. Assembly elections are likely to be announced soon with the tenure of the Vidhan Sabha coming to an end on January 5, 2025. "I participated in the JMM central committee meeting today along with all other workers and executive committee members. We reviewed our election preparedness and we are confident of winning the assembly elections. The JMM-led alliance will contest all the 81 seats," Soren said after the meeting. He said unlike the opposition BJP, the JMM-led alliance did not believe in making only announcements as it executed several welfare schemes. JMM legislator and Soren's wife Kalpana Soren said the alliance was confident of victory

ED raids IAS officer, others in Jal Jeevan Mission case in Jharkhand

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme's implementation in poll-bound Jharkhand, official sources said. More than 20 locations in Ranchi are being covered as part of the probe. Some locations in Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district were also raided, the sources said. Premises linked to IAS officer Manish Ranjan, a personal staffer of drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, his brother, some government officials, contractors and businessmen are being searched by the federal probe agency, they said. Ranjan is the secretary of the Land, Road and Building department and has been questioned by the ED earlier in a separate money laundering case in which it arrested former minister Alamgir Alam. Thakur charged that the raids are "politically motivated" as he refused to "buckle under pressure" of the saffron brigade to join the BJP. Alleging

CIL's H1 FY25 contribution to govt exchequer falls slightly to Rs 28,930 cr

State-owned Coal India Ltd's contribution to the government exchequer dropped marginally by 0.6 per cent to Rs 28,930.27 crore in the first half of the ongoing fiscal over the year-ago period. Coal India Ltd (CIL), which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal output, paid Rs 29,122.13 crore to the government exchequer in April-September period of FY24, according to provisional figures of the coal ministry. Total levies paid to the government in September also dropped by 11.1 per cent to Rs 4,335.24 crore from Rs 4,878.84 crore paid in the corresponding month of FY24. Of the total Rs 28,930.27 crore paid to the government exchequer in April-September FY25, maximum amount of Rs 6,452.30 crore went to the Jharkhand government, followed by Rs 6,383.14 crore to the Odisha government, Rs 5,432.02 crore to Chhattisgarh, Rs 5,177.41 crore to Madhya Pradesh, and Rs 2,782.25 crore to Maharashtra, among others. The coal-producing states earned the revenue from royalty, District ..

Nabard sanctions Rs 770 crore for two irrigation projects in Jharkhand

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Saturday said it has sanctioned Rs 770 crore financial assistance for the construction of two irrigation projects in Jharkhand. These projects were approved under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for the fiscal year 2024-25. "NABARD has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 769.58 crore for construction of two irrigation projects in Palamu and Giridih districts under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund during FY 2024-25," S K Jahagirdar, Chief General Manager, NABARD Jharkhand Regional Office, said. Once completed, the project in Palamu will provide irrigation to an additional 11,000 hectares of land through pipelines across eight blocks in the district. The megalift irrigation project in Giridih will cover 165 of the 197 villages in Pirtand block, leading to the development of 10,158 hectares of cultivable command area. Both projects are expected to significantly enhance agricultural activities

BJP will sweep upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand: JP Nadda

After Haryana, the BJP would also sweep the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, BJP president J P Nadda asserted on Friday. Nadda, who paid obeisance at the Shri Naina Devi temple here, said the people were happy with the performance of the BJP government at the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Talking to a group of reporters, Nadda said the BJP had achieved a lot in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and credit for this goes to the people and the almighty. The Union Heallth Minister was here to offer prayers after the party's victory in the polls. "The party would also sweep upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand," he said. Bucking anti-incumbency, the ruling BJP pulled off a hat-trick of wins in Haryana to retain power and halt Congress' comeback attempt in the assembly elections. The BJP also made notable gains in Jammu and Kashmir by winning 29 of the 90 seats. The National Conference-Congress combine is set to form government in

Animal husbandry emerging as reliable income source for Jharkhand farmers

Farmers and livestock rearers in rural Jharkhand are increasingly turning to animal husbandry as a promising source of additional income, an official said on Wednesday. It is providing them a safeguard from crop loss due to erratic weather patterns for the past few years. Jharkhand suffered a drought-like situation in two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. The state government had to declare 226 blocks as drought hit in 2022 and 158 blocks in 2023. The state recorded normal rainfall this monsoon season after two years. The Hemant Soren-led government has been providing essential support to boost animal husbandry as a promising source of additional income. For this, the government has launched Mukhyamantri Pashudhan Vikas Yojana (MPVY), which is aimed at boosting the production of milk, meat, and eggs, thereby narrowing the gap between demand and supply. "Amid the change in climate, our farmers need to adopt diverse farming. The state has huge demand for milk and meat but they ar

Coal scam: Delhi court awards jail terms to 4 accused persons, imposes fine

A Delhi court on Monday awarded jail terms to four persons accused in a case related to the alleged scam in allocation of two coal blocks in Jharkhand. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj awarded a three-year jail term to Rungta Project Ltd's former managing director R S Rungta, Sanjay Rungta and T M Achyutan, and a two-year jail term to Shambhu Nath. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the company and R S Rungta each, while Sanjay Rungta and Achuthan were directed to pay a fine of Rs 40 lakh each. The judge further directed Nath to pay a fine of Rs 20 lakh. The case relates to the allocation of Hutar Sector C and Hurilong coal blocks situated in Jharkhand during the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. The CBI alleged that false information in respect of capacity, land and the likes was given to the Ministry of Coal. The probe agency was represented by advocates Narender Pratap Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar, A P Singh, and Tarannum Cheema.

Foundation stone laid of Rs 732 cr coal handling projects in Jharkhand

The two plants will be an important step towards first-mile rail connectivity under which arrangements will be made to take the coal produced from the mines to the nearest railway circuit

JMM-led govt 'patronising' infiltration, BJP to implement NRC: Chouhan

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday accused the JMM-led government of "patronising" Bangladeshi infiltrators and said that BJP would implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state if voted to power. He claimed that Jharkhand was in danger and 'mati' (land), 'beti' (daughter) and 'roti' (bread) were insecure. "The BJP is not concerned about coming to power only. Jharkhand is in danger today, 'maati', 'beti', 'roti' are insecure. It is our pledge to protect them," the Union Agriculture minister said at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport while leaving for Delhi. Chouhan, who is also election in-charge for Jharkhand, alleged there has been infiltration from foreign land and Hemant Soren-led government patronising them by making their Aadhaar and voter identity cards. "Infiltrators are coming to Jharkhand, marrying daughters here, purchasing land and increasing their influence in local bodies. This is very dangerous and it is ruining Jharkhand," he said. Asserting to s

Champai Soren hospitalised following blood sugar-related complications

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren was hospitalised following blood sugar-related complications, an official said on Sunday. He was admitted to the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur around 9 pm on Saturday. He was admitted to the hospital after his blood sugar dipped and he felt dizzy, a close aide of the former CM said. Tata Main Hospital GM Dr Sudhir Rai told PTI that Soren's condition was stable and improving. Soren, 67, joined the BJP in August, alleging "disrespect" and "humiliation" in the JMM. He was appointed the chief minister on February 2, following Hemant Soren's resignation and subsequent arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He left the post on July 3, clearing the way for Hemant Soren's return to the chair after being granted bail.

Birla's Hindalco, Jindal's JSW Steel in race for copper mines in Jharkhand

Aditya Birla Group firm Hindalco Industries and Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel are in the race for two copper mines in Jharkhand which will be put on sale this month, sources said. Both mines have a combined capacity of three million tonne per annum. Hindalco Industries and JSW Steel will be vying for state-owned Hindustan Copper Ltd's two copper mines in Jharkhand, sources said. The auction of both the mines is likely to take place in the month of October. While one of these blocks is virgin, the other one is closed for the past 20 years. Hindustan Copper had earlier invited applications for appointment of mine developer-cum-operator (MDO) for re-opening and expansion of Rakha Copper Mine and development and operations of underground Mine at Chapri. Hindustan Copper had said in its recent report that Rakha Mining Lease expired in 2021 and extension of mining lease period is under progress with the Jharkhand government. Further, the application for grant of stage one forest clearanc

500k jobs, monetary help for women: BJP's initial Jharkhand manifesto

The BJP on Saturday released five key points of its manifesto for the assembly polls in Jharkhand, promising financial assistance of Rs 2,100 to women every month, five lakh jobs to youths and housing for all if the party came to power. Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi released the Panch Pran' (five vows) here in the presence of Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Annapurna Devi and Assam Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Assembly polls are due in the eastern state later this year. The saffron party will release another 25 key points of its manifesto to underline 25 years of Jharkhand's formation and finally a 150-point document, marking the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda. Jharkhand was created on November 15, 2000, which also happens to be the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda. Elaborating on the Panch Pran', Marandi said households in the state will be able to purchase LPG gas cylinders at Rs 500. Besides, two cylinders would be provided free of co

Jharkhand SPKSY initiative to boost girls' education, combat early marriage

Adolescent girls, particularly those from weaker sections of society, are receiving support from Jharkhand government's financial assistance scheme to pursue their educational dreams, an official said. According to him, Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana (SPKSY), launched by the Hemant Soren-led government, has been instrumental in discouraging early child marriage, reducing school dropouts, and encouraging girls to seek higher education. Laxman Hajam, a parent, said the scheme has ensured that financial constraints would no longer hinder his daughter's dream of becoming a doctor. "Now, she can continue her education," said Hajam, whose daughter is in class 10. The SPKSY provides scholarships totaling Rs 40,000, distributed in six installments, to facilitate the education of adolescent girls and promote women's empowerment and gender justice. Girls studying in classes 8 to 12 receive Rs 20,000 in five installments, with a one-time scholarship of Rs 20,000 available when ...

PM Modi unveils development projects worth Rs 83,700 cr from Jharkhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled development projects worth over Rs 83,700 crore from Jharkhand. He launched the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, which will be implemented at a cost of Rs 79,150 crore, aimed at ensuring comprehensive and holistic development for tribal communities across the country. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the project will benefit more than 5 crore tribals in 549 districts across 30 states and Union Territories. The scheme seeks to address critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood through 25 interventions implemented by 17 central ministries and departments. Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for multiple projects under the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), valued at over Rs 1,360 crore. These include the construction of more than 1,380 km of roads, 120 anganwadi centres , 250 multi-purpose centres, and 10 school hostels. Additionall

Hindu, Adivasi population declining, JMM doing vote-bank politics: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cautioned that the population of Hindus and Adivasis in Jharkhand is declining and accused the JMM-led coalition government of engaging in dangerous "vote bank politics" by supporting infiltrators at the expense of the state's identity, culture, and heritage. He asserted that it was time to "throw such forces out" to protect "mati, beti, roti" (land, daughter, bread). "The time is ripe for 'Parivartan' in Jharkhand to safeguard 'beti, mati, roti' and combat corruption. The JMM-led coalition is playing a dangerous game, jeopardising the identity, culture, and traditions of the people while patronising infiltrators," Modi said during the concluding programme of the BJP's Parivartan Yatra, which covered approximately 5,400 km across all 81 assembly segments. Modi criticised the coalition for being insensitive, citing the deaths of several aspirants during recruitment drives for excise constables. This visit marks Modi's second trip to Jharkhan

PM Modi to to launch developmental projects during visit to Jharkhand today

It will benefit more than 5 crore tribals in 549 districts across 30 states and UTs, the statement said

BJP to contest Jharkhand polls in alliance with AJSU Party, JD(U): Himanta

The BJP will contest the upcoming assembly polls in Jharkhand in alliance with NDA partners AJSU Party and Janata Dal (United), Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday. Sarma, who is the BJP's Jharkhand election co in-charge, said that the seat-sharing agreement with the allies is in the final stage. "The BJP will contest the Jharkhand elections in alliance with AJSU Party and JD(U). The seat-sharing agreement with the allies has been done on 99 per cent of the seats. Discussions are underway for the remaining one or two seats and it will be finalised soon," he said while speaking to reporters in Ranchi. Sarma said that a formal announcement in this regard will be made after 'Pitri Paksha', which ends on October 2. Elections to the 81-member assembly in Jharkhand are due later this year.