Budikai village in Khunti, once under the shadow of the ‘Red Rebels’, witnessed the Tricolour being hoisted for the first time since Independence. The moment brought joy to villagers and children of Bagicha School, symbolising freedom from fear and a new hope. Notably, a makeshift school, supported by IIM Ranchi, was formally inaugurated on April 9 after this newspaper reported on December 24, 2025, about the village’s lack of roads and schools – ‘No roads, no schools: Modern facilities merely a dream in Jharkhand’s Budikai village.’ IIM Ranchi gave primary education to children deprived of schooling.
Unique codes in police stations soon
Police stations across East Singhbhum are set to receive a distinct digital identity, with all 36 police stations in the district being assigned unique three-digit codes as part of an initiative to make policing more technology-driven, streamlined and responsive. The codes will be used alongside police station names in wireless communication, digital records and the monitoring of PCR vehicles and Tango mobile units. The new initiative is aimed at eliminating confusion over police station identities. Notably, the coding system has been designed on the lines of technical identification systems used for airports and railway stations.
Eco-friendly sand substitute for mines
Researchers at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, in collaboration with experts from Poland, have developed an eco-friendly alternative to natural sand used for backfilling underground mines by converting fly ash and plastic waste into a synthetic aggregate. The research addresses two major challenges facing the mining industry: the growing shortage of natural sand and the increasing volume of fly ash and plastic waste. To address both problems, the researchers developed Fly Ash–Plastic Aggregates (FPAs) by thermally binding 80% fly ash with 20% HDPE waste. Natural sand is widely used for filling voids in underground mines.
