Jharkhand all set to get an IIM

JHARKHAND IS all set to get an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) out of the seven proposed to come up in the 11th Five Year Plan.
 
Human resource development minister, Arjun Singh, on Friday (March 28), announced that the states not having central universities, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) or IIM would now have one.
 
The minister announced the location for the IITs, IIMs and central university, even though the ministry officials admitted that is would not be possible to set up these institutions in the 11th Five Year Plan.
 
For instance, the cost of the building of an IIT is Rs 760crore, while the ministry has allocated only Rs 2,000 crore to build the seven new IITs for this period. “The project will spill over into the next plan,” a top ministry official said. Similarly, the ministry has allocated Rs 4,800 crore to build 30 central universities, while the cost of one such university would be more than Rs 1,000 crore.
 
SC rejects PIL seeking CS’ suspension
The Supreme Court, on Friday (March 28), refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, seeking suspension and prosecution of former Jharkhand chief secretary, PP Sharma, terming it as ‘frivolous’ and as being ‘devoid of merit’.
 
A bench comprising chief justice, KG Balajkrshnan and justice, RV Raveendran, told Prasant Bhushan counsel for the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (petitioner) that he should approach the concerned trial courts or the High Court for relief.
 
Sharma, 1971-batch IAS officer, has already been removed from his post on March 18 and is currently posted as director general, Sri Krishna Institute of Public Administration (SKIPA), here. He joined his new post on March 27, after returning from a month’s long leave.  
 
State government move to curb drug abuse, streamline de-addiction centres
The union ministry of health is actively thinking of recasting certain components of its ongoing 11th Five Year Plan by introducing specific changes, aimed at strengthening drug dependence treatment, in view of the large number of drug abuse cases that come to the fore, each year. Dissatisfied over the functioning of most government managed drug de-addiction centres across the country, the ministry, will in all probability, seek the planning commission’s approval before it goes ahead with the changes.
 
Experts, who had assembled at the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) in Ranchi on Friday (March 28) for chalking up a national policy on Drug and Alochol Abuse Treatment, hinted at a budgetary allocation of some Rs 50 crore that has already been approved of, for buttressing drug dependence treatment.  
 
Day two and counting for RMC polls still on
While there was jubilation all round, after the declaration of results of 11 nagar parishads and 16 nagar panchayats and termination of the poll process, the contestants for the Ranchi municipal corporation (RMC) polls are still sweating it out, at the counting centre on Pandra Krishi Bazaar premises, as counting begun three days back, is still on.
 
The inordinate delay in counting and declaration of results for the posts of mayor, deputy mayor and councilor of the RMC has left candidates sulking and much of euphoria and excitement that followed the polls has evaporated.
 
By the time of filling of this report, results of only 17 wards had been declared and the results of five-six wards were expected within half an hour, State election commissioner, MK Mandal, said on Friday (March 28) evening. 
 
Health secretary told to expedite medical colleges in Ranchi
Health, family welfare and medical education minister, Bhanu Pratap Shahi, on Friday (March 28), asked the health secretary to expedite process for setting up of medical colleges at Itki and Brambay, among other places.
 
Presiding over a high level meeting of officials here in the state capital, the health minister said the complicated procedure was responsible for the delay in clearance of proposals for private medical colleges.
 
The health minister asked the officials to ensure that all parties, interested in setting-up medical colleges in the state and possessing experience of running institutes having at least 50 students, will be rendered all possible help. 
 
Alleged sender of threatening SMSs in police custody
The Ranchi police, on Friday (March 28), claimed to have arrested a person who allegedly had sent threatening SMSs to the leader of the oposition, Arjun Munda; former chief minister, Babu Lal Marandi; union minister, Ram Vilas Paswan; and certain other political leaders on the days, preceding the Holi festival.
 
The police arrested Ranjan Kumar Mishra alias Kakku Mishra, son of Ram Naresh Mishra from his HEC colony’s sector-1 residence on Friday (March 28). Ranchi SSP, MS Bhatia, told media person later that Mishra had used a Delhi-issued SIM card for sending the threatening SMSs to the political leaders. “Later, he destroyed the SIM card after his cell phone number was flashed all over the media. However, we managed to trace him out,” the SP said adding that Mishra had used six cell phones, eight SIM cards and two directories for forwarding his SMSs, all of which are now in the possession of the police. 
 
Special sportspersons to get cash bonanza, government decides to go ahead with the plan
The State government has seceded that it would go ahead and felicitate all those visually, physically and hearing impaired sportsperson, who had brought laurels to the State in national-level sports tournaments. They would be given cash prizes like the state’s other athletes.
 
Sports minister, Bandhu Tirkey, confirming the proposal, told Hindustan Times that the State government would offer cash awards, as also facilities to all ‘special athletes’.
 
The minister admitted that the government earlier had never really gone out of its way in honouring such athletes. “The government now wishes to rectify its earlier slip. We have already taken steps by including all such players in the policy, which we have for general sportspersons,” he said.