Tribals threaten stir demanding Sarna code
To mount pressure on the Centre to include the Sarna religious code in the census, tribal organisations from Odisha, Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Jharkhand have threatened a rail blockade on November 30. Meanwhile, Adivasi Sengal Abhiyan, one of the tribal outfits led by wformer Mayurbhanj MP Salkhan Murmu, will organise ‘peaceful’ dharnas during the intervening two months in the five states. The tribal leader claimed that the day-long rail blockade would affect the states from where bulk of minerals and ores were transported through the railways. The tribals in Jharkhand, who are Sarna followers, have been fighting for a separate religious identity in India for decades.
IIM-R support in setting up model schools
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi will be supporting Jharkhand government in establishing 405 Adarsha Vidyalaya (model schools) across the State for the next three years. According to MoU signed with Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC), IIM Ranchi will impart leadership training to the head masters of model schools. In the first phase of training programme, headmasters of 80 model schools will be trained. The training programme will be held at the IIM campus and JEPC facilities. This MoU also consists of an impact assessment by IIM Ranchi to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme.
Jharkhand focus on farm credit scheme
Jharkhand, which is on the verge of drought-like situation, has set an ambitious target of linking 25 lakh farmers with the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme by March 2023. The KCC loan is available to farmers at seven per cent interest rate, with a waiver of three per cent of the interest by the Centre, when the loan is repaid within the time limit. KCC has proved to be a boon for the farmers, who are not only getting loans that aid their agrarian practices but also liberate them from the clutches of moneylenders. The number of KCC beneficiary farmers as on September 15 stood at 19,18,511, an addition of 5,34,331 since September 2021.
Mukesh Ranjan
Our correspondent in Jharkhand
mukesh.r@newindianexpress.com