Ranchi Apr 22 PTI The Jharkhand government has identified 73 hamlets affected by fluoride and arsenic concentration in groundwater which causes several health complications officials saidAccording to the Central Ground Water Board website fluoride concentration was found above 15mgl in parts of Bokaro Dhanbad Garhwa Giridih Godda Gumla Koderma Pakur Palamu Ranchi Sahibganj and Khunti districts and arsenic concentration was found above 001mgl in parts of Sahibganj and LohardagaDrinking Water and Sanitation Department DWSD secretary Prashant Kumar said We have identified 73 tolas in several districts including Garhwa and Palamu which are affected by fluoride and arsenic concentrationAs an interim arrangement we are providing them drinking water through community water purification plants CWPP As a long-term plan we are identifying surface water sources to provide tap water facilities through the pipeline under the Jal Jivan Mission The concentration of fluoride above the permissible limit in drinking water can lead to bone gum and teeth damage whereas excessive arsenic can cause roughness in the skin and it could also lead to a thickness of palm and sole skin said Dr SK Mandal senior dermatologist at Sahid Nimal Mahto Medical College and Hospital DhanbadJharkhand has more than 120 lakh hamlets and there are three to four tube wells in each hamlet for drinking water purposesThe department has also emphasised the need for increasing the number of water laboratories to increase the number of water quality testingAll 29 water testing laboratories in the state have been strengthened officials saidIn 2021-22 as many as 167 lakh water samples collected from 19727 villages have been tested More than 10000 water samples have been tested by the Jal Sahiyas at the village level covering 465 villagesUnder capacity building and public awareness campaign five women from each village are being given water quality testing training Till now women from 1500 villages have been imparted training the secretary saidMeanwhile the state has applied for NABL National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories accreditation for its 10 district-level water quality testing laboratories at Chaibasa Latehar Jhumri Teliya Deoghar Garhwa Pakur Ramgarh Khunti Simdega and Saraikela-Kharswan PTI SAN MM MM

New Delhi [India], April 21 (ANI): Jharkhand Bharatiya Janata Party president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash on Thursday blamed the Hemant Soren government for the "pro-Pakistan slogans" raised when Md Shakir Hussian was enroute to filing nomination for contesting the elections for the Mukhiya from Dokodih panchayat in Giridih, and said that the appeasement politics is responsible for the incident.

Kolkata Apr 21 PTI Following are the top stories of the Eastern Region at 5 pm CAL 9 AS-MEVANI-LD KOKRAJHAR Tweet on PM leads to arrest of Mevani Kokrajhar Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani arrested by the Assam Police in the western state over a tweet had claimed in the purported post that Prime Minister Narendra Modi considered Godse as God according to the FIR that led to his apprehension CAL 8 WB-MAMATA-INVESTMENT West Bengal received Rs 342 lakh cr investment proposals at biz summit Mamata Kolkata Investment proposals worth Rs 342 lakh crore were received by West Bengal in this years business summit Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday CAL 10 JH-MINES-COLLAPSE Several feared trapped in BCCL abandoned coal mine collapse Dhanbad Several persons are feared trapped in an abandoned coal mine in Dhanbad district after it collapsed during illegal mining on Thursday officials said CAL 3 JH-MUKHIYA-LD ARREST Mukhiya candidate booked for pro-Pakistan slogan in Giridih Ranchi A man vying for the mukhiyas post in Jharkhand and two of his supporters have been booked for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans during a procession in Giridih police said on Thursday CAL 4 OD-RAJYA SABHA-RESIGN Newly elected Cuttack mayor quits Rajya Sabha membership Bhubaneswar Nearly a month after he was elected to the post of mayor in Cuttack Municipal Corporation CMC Subhas Singh on Thursday quit the membership of Rajya Sabha CAL 2 AS-NRC-AADHAAR Assam to approach SC for Aadhaar to NRC applicants Guwahati The Assam government will file an Interlocutory Application in Supreme Court for providing Aadhaar cards to National Register of Citizens NRC applicants whose biometrics have been locked in the updating process of the citizenship document CAL 1 TR-BSF-OFFICER-DEAD BSF officer shoots self dead in Tripuras Dhalai Agartala A BSF officer allegedly shot himself dead outside his battalion headquarters in Tripuras Dhalai district police said on Thursday PTI RG RG

Ranchi Apr 21 PTI A man vying for the mukhiyas post and two of his supporters have been booked for pro-Pakistan slogans allegedly raised in a procession in Giridih when he was on his way to file nomination papers for the coming Jharkhand rural poll police said on Thursday Supporters of Md Shakir Hussain 45 the panchayat poll candidate from Dokodih panchayat allegedly raised Pakistan zindabad slogans when they accompanied him to the election office on Wednesday the police said As a video of it went viral on the social media police swung into action We have arrested the mukhiya candidate Md Shakir and his two supporters Asif and Sohaib on charges of spreading hatred in the society and violating the model code of conduct Giridih Sadar sub-divisional police officer Anil Kumar Singh told PTI The three will be be sent to jail on Thursday after completing some procedures such as the COVID test he said The process for filing nomination papers for the first phase of the panchayat election in Jharkhand began in 72 blocks of 21 districts of the state from April 16 As many as 1127 panchayats will go to the poll in the first phase on May 14 and counting will take place on May 17 Altogether 6267 candidates have so far filed nomination papers for the first round for the post of mukhiyas and members of the panchayat samiti zila parishad and gram panchayat members The nomination for the first round will conclude on April 23 On Wednesday the process for the second phase of polls started in 50 blocks under 16 districts A total of 872 panchayats will go to the polls in the second phase on May 19 to elect 103 zila parishad members 1059 panchayat samiti members 872 mukhiyas and 10614 panchayat members officials said The Jharkhand State Election Commission on April 9 announced the four-phase rural poll in the state between May 14 and May 27 PTI SAN NAM KK KK KK

Ranchi Apr 18 PTI Jharkhand could expect a brief respite from the prolonged heatwave conditions with possibility of rainfall in some pockets of the state this week weather officials said on MondayThe maximum temperature which is hovering above 40 degrees Celsius is likely to drop by 2-3 degrees Celsius after April 20The rainfall activity in northeast parts of India is likely to impact weather of West Bengal and its adjoining areas in Jharkhand Northeast and some pockets of central Jharkhand are likely to witness partly cloudy sky with possibility of thunder and light rains from Tuesday Abhishek Anand in-charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre told PTISimilar weather conditions are likely over eastern parts and few pockets of central Jharkhand on April 21 Southern and eastern parts of Jharkhand might experience light rain coupled with thundery development on April 22 he saidAnand said We expect the change in weather will bring down the maximum temperature by two to three degrees Celsius from the current level People might get some respite from the heatwave but hot weather conditions will continue The maximum temperature has shot up above 40 degrees Celsius across JharkhandState capital Ranchi recorded the seasons highest maximum at 406 degrees Celsius five notches above the normal temperature on Monday Godda recorded the states highest 448 degrees CelsiusSimilarly Jamshedpur is simmering at 42 degree Celsius Daltonganj at 439 Bokaro at 421 Chaibasa at 418 Deoghar at 43 Garhwa 418 and Giridih 418 degree CelsiusA prolonged dry weather and extreme heat condition has aggravated the incidences of forest fire Besides it has also caused water shortage in many parts of Jharkhand Not only human beings but even wild animals are suffering from the water crisisMore than 40 per cent waterholes at Jharkhand lone reserve for big cats Palamau Tiger Reserve have dried officials saidWe have started filling those dried waterholes with artificial water supply The natural water sources are drying fast due to extreme heat PTR deputy director buffer zone Mukesh Kumar told PTI PTI SAN NAM RG RG

Ranchi Feb 28 PTI Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday said that a fast-track court will hear the Rupesh Pandey murder case and any decision on handing over the case to CBI would be taken after consultation Seeking justice for Rupesh the parents of the teenager met the chief minister and demanded a CBI inquiry into his killing Pandey 17 was allegedly killed in a clash between members of two communities at Barhi in Hazaribag district during immersion of Goddess Saraswati idols on February 6 sparking communal strife in the region Urmila Pandey mother of late Rupesh Pandey resident of Barhi Kariyatpur and father Sikandar Pandey met Soren and sought justice for the deceased son a statement from the Chief Ministers office said The family members urged for getting the case probed by CBI so that their son can get justice The chief minister assured the family members that the government would take a decision after consultation Rupeshs case will be heard by a fast-track court the statement said It added that the CM has directed the Deputy Commissioner Hazaribagh to ensure permanent livelihood for Rupeshs mother After the instructions of the chief minister the Hazaribagh district administration has started the process for providing permanent livelihood to Urmila Devi it said Barhi MLA Umashankar Akela Giridih MLA Sudivya Kumar Sonu and others were present during the meeting The main opposition BJP in the state has been demanding a CBI probe into the incident besides action under the provisions of mob lynching legislation The issue was raised in Jharkhand Assembly too Earlier this month the chairperson of apex child rights body NCPCR Priyank Kanoongo had visited Barhi to take stock of the investigation into the killing of Rupesh Kanoongo the chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights NCPCR had held separate meetings with the district officials and enquired about the investigation He had said a report will be submitted to the Centre and the state government soon A five-member Jharkhand government delegation had also met the youths parents this month and promised them financial assistance and a job to a family member The delegation will submit a report to the chief minister PTI NAM RG RG

New Delhi Feb 18 PTI Planning early for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls the Congress in Jharkhand will hold a three-day brainstorming exercise beginning Sunday with Rahul Gandhis virtual address to party workers The Chintan Shivir will be held at the Jain pilgrimage centre of Parasnath in Giridih district of Jharkhand AICC general secretary Avinash Pande said Academicians and experts have also been invited to the meet to deliberate upon and discuss contemporary issues of national and regional importance and dwell upon the partys institutional stand thereto he said With a view to assess the prevailing socio-economic and political situation challenges thereof and preparedness of the party for the general elections scheduled in 2024 Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee JPCC has decided to organise a three-day Chintan Shivir of Congress party workers office-bearers and leaders he said The Shivir will discuss the role that the Congress Party could play in contributing more effectively in the development process of the state Pande said It will deliberate on the strategy for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 as well as the assembly elections Pande was given the charge of Jharkhand last month after AICC in-charge of the state RPN Singh quit the Congress to join the BJP Congress is a junior coalition partner in the Jharkhand government led by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and Chief Minister Hemant Soren PTI SKU SMN SMN

Ranchi Feb 18 PTI The Jharkhand government on Thursday said 30 workers from the state are currently trapped in Malaysia and the process to bring them home was underwayThe workers residents of Giridih Hazaribag and Bokaro districts had been working as linemen for a construction company since January 2019According to a statement issued by the government the contractor was holding the workers back despite the employment agreement having expiredIt also said that the workers were not paid their dues over the past four monthsThe Labour Department has started the process of bringing back 30 workers trapped in Malaysia to Jharkhand on the instructions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren The High Commissioner of India in Malaysia B N Reddy has been requested to intervene in the matter the statement said PTI NAM RMS RMS

New Delhi Jan 27 PTI Following are the top stories at 9 PM NATION DEL119 AVI-AI-ANNOUNCEMENTS Passengers to be told about Tatas takeover of Air India during in-flight announcements on Friday NewDelhi Thepassengers who will be travelling on Air India flights on Friday will be hearing about the Tata Groups take over of the airline during in-flight announcements according to an official order DEL114 CONG-LD RAHUL-TWITTER Rahuls stand on social media platforms vindicated Cong after Twitter says it is for healthy debate New Delhi The Congress on Thursday said its leader Rahul Gandhis stand was vindicated that democracy and social media platforms cannot be suppressed or subjugated by the ruling government and allowed to become a space for mere abuse and trolls DEL111 MEA-CENTRAL ASIA SUMMIT India 5 Central Asian countries decide to establish joint working group on Afghanistan New Delhi India and five Central Asian countries on Thursday decided to establish a joint working group on Afghanistan at the senior officials level Ministry of External Affairs Secretary West Reenat Sandhu said DEL107 MEA-EU-INDIA-LD INDOPACIFIC France to hold event focused on Indo-Pacific under its EU presidency New Delhi France on Thursday announced that under its presidency of the European Union it will host a ministerial meeting focused on the Indo-Pacific on February 22 and invited India to participate CAL24 AR-CHINA-LD ALL BOY Missing Arunachal teen handed over to Indian Army ItanagarNew Delhi The Chinese PLA Thursday handed over Miram Taron a teenager from Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh at Damai Border Personnel Meeting point a defense spokesman said DEL26 DL-VIRUS-DDMA Weekend curfew odd-even system of opening shops lifted in Delhi DDMA New Delhi The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday decided to lift weekend curfew and odd-even system of opening non-essential shops in the city besides permitting restaurants and bars to reopen with 50 per cent seating capacity in view of improving COVID-19 situation DEL31 ED-KARVY-ARREST ED arrests Karvy stock broking CMD Parthasarathy CFO Hari in money laundering case New Delhi The Enforcement Directorate ED on Thursday said it has arrested Karvy Stock Broking Limited KSBL CMD CParthasarathyand group CFO G Krishna Hari in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged diversion of clients securities of over Rs 2873 crore CAL5 JH-RAIL-LD BLAST Suspected Maoists trigger blast on railway tracks in Jkhand train services disrupted GiridihDhanbad A portion of railway tracks in Jharkhands Giridih district was damaged due to a blast triggered by suspected members of outlawed CPI Maoist early on Thursday a police officer said MDS5 TN-LANGUAGE-POLICY-GOVT Two-language policy is no setback clear NEET exemption bill TN govt tells Guv Chennai Insisting that the dual language policy of Tamil and English being followed in Tamil Nadu is not a setback to students eligibility or in their opportunities the government on Thursday rejected the idea of enforcing a three-language policy in the state and sought the Governor to expeditiously forward the NEET exemption bill for Presidential assent LEGAL LGD12 DL-HC-TELECOM-LD ACTRESS HC expunges remarks against Juhi Chawla for lawsuit against 5G tech reduces cost from Rs 20L to Rs 2L New Delhi The Delhi High Court Thursday expunged remarks made in an order against actress Juhi Chawla that she had filed the lawsuit challenging setting up of 5G wireless networks in the country citing health hazards for gaining publicity LGD17 DL-HC-SIKH RIOTS-NATH 1984 anti-Sikh riots HC asks SIT to respond to plea for action against Cong leader New Delhi The Delhi High Court Thursday asked the SIT to file a status report on a plea seeking action against Congress leader Kamal Nath for his alleged role in a case relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots BUSINESS DEL118 BIZ-LDALL AIRINDIA Air India back under Tatas wings New Delhi Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group on Thursday took over Air India and vowed to turn the loss-making carrier it had founded but had lost control nearly seven decades back into a world-class airline DEL117 BIZ-LIC-IPO LIC to list on bourses by March 31 DIPAM Secy New Delhi The government will list the countrys largest insurer LIC on the stock exchanges by March-end a top official said on Thursday FOREIGN FGN39 CHINA-INDIA-BORDER China says latest round of talks with India on border issue positive and constructive slams White House officials remarks Beijing China on Thursday described as positive and constructive the latest round of military-level talks with India and said Beijing will work closely with New Delhi to properly handle the border issue even as it refuted the US allegation of intimidating neighbours By K J M Varma FGN28 UN-INDIA-AFGHAN Indias approach to Afghanistan guided by special relationship with its people Amb Tirumurti United Nations India has said that its approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by its special relationship with the Afghan people and New Delhi remains steadfast in its commitment towards much-needed humanitarian assistance to the people of the war-torn countryBy Yoshita Singh PTI CJ CJ

New Delhi Jan 27 PTI Following are the top stories at 515 PM NATION DEL26 DL-VIRUS-DDMA Weekend curfew odd-even system of opening shops lifted in Delhi DDMA New Delhi The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday decided to lift weekend curfew and odd-even system of opening non-essential shops in the city besides permitting restaurants and bars to reopen with 50 per cent seating capacity in view of improving COVID-19 situation DEL14 CONG-RAHUL-TWITTER Rahuls stand on social media platforms vindicatedCong after Twitter says it is for healthy debate New Delhi The Congress on Thursday said its leader Rahul Gandhis stand that democracy and social media platforms cannot be suppressed or subjugated by the ruling government and allowed to become a space for mere abuse and trolls stands vindicated DEL71 AVI-AI-SCINDIA AI handover to Tatas Confident airline will bloom under new owners says Scindia New Delhi Air India will boom under the wings of the new owners and the airline will pave the way for a thriving and robust civil aviation sector in India Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said after the carrier was handed over to Tata Sons on Thursday DEL34 VACCINE-MARKET LD APPROVAL Regular market approval granted for Covishield Covaxin for use in adult population New Delhi Indias drug regulator on Thursday granted regular market approval for COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for use in the adult population subject to certain conditions official sources said By Payal Banerjee DEL7 VIRUS-LD CASES Active COVID-19 cases in country decline to 2202472 New Delhi With 286384 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day Indias total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 40371500 according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday DEL31 ED-KARVY-ARREST ED arrests Karvy stock broking CMD Parthasarathy CFO Hari in money laundering case New Delhi The Enforcement Directorate ED on Thursday said it has arrested Karvy Stock Broking Limited KSBL CMD CParthasarathyand group CFO G Krishna Hari in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged diversion of clients securities of over Rs 2873 crore CAL5 JH-RAIL-LD BLAST Suspected Maoists trigger blast on railway tracks in Jkhand train services disrupted GiridihDhanbad A portion of railway tracks in Jharkhands Giridih district was damaged due to a blast triggered by suspected members of outlawed CPI Maoist early on Thursday a police officer said MDS5 TN-LANGUAGE-POLICY-GOVT Two-language policy is no setback clear NEET exemption bill TN govt tells Guv Chennai Insisting that the dual language policy of Tamil and English being followed in Tamil Nadu is not a setback to students eligibility or in their opportunities the government on Thursday rejected the idea of enforcing a three-language policy in the state and sought the Governor to expeditiously forward the NEET exemption bill for Presidential assent LEGAL LGD12 DL-HC-TELECOM-LD ACTRESS HC expunges remarks against Juhi Chawla for lawsuit against 5G tech reduces cost from Rs 20L to Rs 2L New Delhi The Delhi High Court Thursday expunged remarks made in an order against actress Juhi Chawla that she had filed the lawsuit challenging setting up of 5G wireless networks in the country citing health hazards for gaining publicity LEGAL LGD4 SC-LD MAJITHIA SC asks Punjab govt not to arrest SAD leader Majithia in drugs case till Jan 31 New Delhi The Supreme Court on Thursday orally asked the Punjab government not to take any coercive step against SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia till January 31 when it hears his pre-arrest bail plea in a drugs case BUSINESS DEL54 BIZ-AIR INDIA-LD GOVT Tata Group takes over Air India New Delhi Tata Group on Thursday took over the ownership of national carrier Air India The strategic disinvestment transaction of Air India successfully concluded today with transfer of 100 per cent shares of Air India to Ms talace Pvt Ltd along with management control DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a tweet DEL57 BIZ-AIR INDIA-CHANDRASEKARAN Tata Group committed to making Air India a world-class airline Chandrasekaran New Delhi Tata Group is committed to making Air India a world-class airline Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Thursday after the conglomerate took over the ownership of the national carrier from the government FOREIGN FGN28 UN-INDIA-AFGHAN Indias approach to Afghanistan guided by special relationship with its people Amb Tirumurti United Nations India has said that its approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by its special relationship with the Afghan people and New Delhi remains steadfast in its commitment towards much-needed humanitarian assistance to the people of the war-torn countryBy Yoshita Singh FGN15 US-INDIA-LD HUMAN RIGHTS Former VP Ansari four US lawmakers express concern over human rights situation in India Washington Former vice-president Hamid Ansari and four US lawmakers have expressed concern over the current human rights situation in IndiaBy Lalit K Jha PTI CJ CJ