Ranchi Apr 26 PTI Research papers of a Jharkhand forest officer have been accepted for presentation at the World Forestry Congress which is held every six years The event will take place in Seoul from May 2 to May 6 Sanjeev Kumar additional principal chief conservator of forests CAMPA Jharkhand will present the two papers at the congress The first paper deals with the use of traditional knowledge in sustainable forest management and provisioning of ecosystems in Jharkhand while the second one discusses non-timber forest produce NTFP as a source of livelihood and climate change mitigation and adaptation Kumar told PTI that villagers and tribals living in and around the forests have acquired traditional knowledge over time It is also transferred from one generation to the next through folk art folk tales and folk music This traditional knowledge he said is all about the enhancement and sustainable use of forests A study was carried out in this regard to know the trajectories of sustainable forest management SFM development and the role of the traditional knowledge for SFM in Jharkhand The study reflects that this traditional knowledge is associated with practices like conservation through planting groves celebrating festivals based on nature taboos social beliefs and various other practices which have been helpful in SFM During globalisation and commercialisation there is a risk of erosion of such traditional knowledge Hence their documentation is necessary he said Kumars second paper deals with non-timber forest produce NTEP as a source of livelihood and climate change mitigation and adaptation There is an inextricable link between forest resources and livelihood of rural people Rural people including tribals such as Oraon Munda Ho Savar Santhal and Birhor living around forest areas use NTFP as their primary source of income food nutrition and medicine Medicinal plants tendu silk lac and bamboo are prominent among them NTFP may be used for subsistence or sale providing cash income and function as an economic buffer in times of hardships the forest officer said The paper also discusses how NTEP is used by the villagers and how it can be increased by using traditional knowledge Its role and possibility in the context of climate change have also been discussed PTI SAN SAN MM MM

Patna Apr 22 PTI The Bihar government has intensified the process of counting transgender people in the state to bring them under social security schemes an official said on Friday The COVID-19 pandemic had slowed down the process and only 20-25 transgender people were issued identity cards in the last two years Social Welfare Department Director Raj Kumar said All district authorities have been asked to intensify the survey of counting transgender people in their respective areas and issue them identity cards at the earliest Kumar told PTI The term of the welfare board for such people expired in January last year The state government has also initiated the process of reconstituting the board Its members include transgender community people to ensure their recognition and empowerment Kumar said There is a provision of the state government for forming Self Help Groups by transgender people through which they can get bank loans to start livelihood activities and district administrations have been asked to implement the scheme he said The state government also wants to provide them education and vocational training to prepare them for respectable regular employment It will also give them the opportunity to enhance their socio-economic status he said Separate public toilets will be made for them Kumar said The government is trying to provide them an atmosphere where they will feel protected and live a respectful life like any other citizen in the country the official said Some of them will be also engaged in popularising the state governments women and child welfare schemes he said PTI PKD NN NN

Srinagar Feb 19 PTI Two Army soldiers and an LeT terrorist were killed in an encounter in south Kashmirs volatile Shopian district a senior police official said here on Saturday The encounter took place after a joint search operation was launched Friday night in Chermarg in Zainpora of Shopian based on a specific intelligence input of the police about the presence of a terrorist there Inspector General of Police Kashmir Range Vijay Kumar said The security personnel involved in the search operation following the standard operating procedure closed in on a cluster of houses and started moving out civilians When the search team reached the house of Gowhar Ahmed Bhat he intentionally misled them and denied providing shelter to any terrorist As Bhat was being questioned a terrorist opened fire on the search team from inside the house causing grievous injuries to two Army personnel In the ensuing encounter Lashkar-e-Taiba LeT terrorist Abdul Qayoom Dar a resident of Laroo Kakpora in Pulwama was neutralised and arms and ammunition including one AK rifle and a pistol were recovered The injured Army personnel died later The Army identified the deceased soldiers as Sepoys Santosh Yadav and Chavan Romit Tanaji of 1 Rashtriya Rifles A case has been registered and the house owner arrested under terror laws Kumar said in a statement LeT terrorist Dar was arrested and booked under the Public Safety Act after an encounter took place in his house in April 2020 He was released in August 2021 However he continued to work as a sleeper cell for the banned terrorist group and fled from his house recently After verifying his disappearance and joining with the banned terror outfit the Pulwama Senior Superintendent of Police SSP declared him as an active terrorist of the LeT outfit Kumar said PTI SSB SKL SMN SMN

An average 31 children died by suicide every day in India in 2020, according to government data. The experts have underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic may have accentuated the psychological trauma faced by children to a great extent. According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, 11,396 children died by suicide in 2020, an 18 […]

Mumbai Sep 30 PTI Director Shoojit Sircar on Thursday said he does not view opting for a digital release for his upcoming feature Sardar Udham as a mistake because the decision was taken keeping in mind the best interest of the filmHeadlined by Vicky Kaushal the film is gearing up to be released on Amazon Prime Video on October 16Sardar Udham which was completed in 2019 was earlier expected to release theatricallyDuring the trailer launch of the film Sircar was asked if he feels he could have waited longer for cinema halls to reopen so that the movie could have had a big screen releaseIts a tricky question Theres a destiny for every film and Sardar Udham landed on Amazon Prime When I shot the film this wasnt the situation We shot the film for cinemasI do not feel guilty that its releasing on a digital platform We decided that this will go on the digital platform I didnt feel that this was a mistake I was making the filmmaker told reportersThe Maharashtra government recently allowed cinema halls in the state a prime market for Bollywood films to resume operations from October 22Last year during the coronavirus pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown which resulted in cinema halls being shut across the country Sircars Gulabo Sitabo was one of the first films to head to the OTT platformStarring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana the film also premiered on Amazon Prime Video in JuneThe filmmaker said he is impatient and wants to showcase his work to the audience as quickly as possible which is why both Gulabo Sitabo and Sardar Udham didnt wait for the reopening of cinema hallsWhat I also experienced after Gulabo Sitabo was the reach the film got I thought this film Sardar Udham also needs a huge global platform apart from our Indian territories That was also a good reason for me to go aheadYes the cinematic experience of a theatre will be surely missed but it is not a compromise on the cinematic narrative Itll be as cinematic on a big screen as it is on a small screen Sircar addedThe film is a biopic on freedom fighter Sardar Udham Singh who assassinated Michael ODwyer the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in British India in 1940 to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacreThe Amazon original movie penned by Ritesh Shah and Shubhendu Bhattacharya is produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar PTI JUR RDS RDS