21 JHARKHAND RESIDENTS FEARED MISSING IN CHAMOLI

RANCHI: The number of people from Jharkhand, who have gone missing in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand following a glacial burst that triggered an avalanche and massive flooding on Sunday morning, rose to 21, officials said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, ten stranded Jharkhand residents have requested the state government to help them return to their respective districts, officials said.

Johnson Topno, who is leading the state migrant control room, said, “A total of 21 people from Jharkhand’s four districts have been reported missing so far, while ten people, all from Latehar district have expressed willingness to return.”

On Monday, 13 people--nine from Lohardaga district and four from Ramgarh district--were reported missing. Ramgarh deputy commissioner Sandeep Singh on Monday had received information that six people from Gola block were missing. However, after verification, four people had been found missing.

On Tuesday, eight more missing persons were reported to the state control room. Seven of these people are from Jamtara district, while one is from Bokaro. The state is in constant touch with Uttarakhand government, Topno said.

RANCHI: The demand for a common minimum programme (CMP) in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government started showing up after the state committee of Rashtriya Janata Dal, one of the allies of the JMM, highlighted its significance in the coalition government.

The Hemant Soren government, which has Congress and RJD as alliance partners, completed one year on December 28, 2020. However, it was yet to form a CMP.

The RJD clamoured for CMP along with the party’s rightful representation in 20-point programme committees, besides boards and corporations of the state government. RJD state president Abhay Singh stressed on consensus building and said that the alliance partners should meet on issues.

While the RJD put forward its demand, opinions were divided in the Congress camp. The JMM, on the other hand, seemed reluctant.

A section of the Congress leaders were of the opinion that CMP should be in place for better coordination and execution of plans of coalition government.

Congress legislature party leader and rural development minister Alamgir Alam admitted that CMP was mentioned in the party manifesto. It was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he said. “We will meet soon to frame it with a consensus,” said Alam.

Jharkhand Pradesh Congress chief and finance minister Rameshwar Oraon said, “It would be thought over after the budget session of Jharkhand assembly is over.” He, however, said the government was executing many things mutually, respecting each other’s manifesto. He said things were in process to constitute the 20-point programme and vigilance committees. When asked about JMM’s viewpoint, party general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “The government was fighting Covid-19 last year. It should be given some time,”, adding that there has been no discussion over CMP till date.

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it is against granting one-time relaxation on age limit to UPSC civil service aspirants, including those who had exhausted their last attempt in 2020 exam amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and would get one more chance this year provided they are not age barred, as it would be discriminatory to other candidates.

The Centre told this to a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar which reserved its verdict on a plea which had sought one more chance in the UPSC’s civil services exam to those aspirants who could not appear in their last attempt in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Centre, said that initially the government was not willing to concede the extra chance and it was later done at the suggestion of the bench.

“This is not the exam where you prepare at the last minute. People prepare for years together,” Raju told the bench, adding, “My first offer remains”.

The Centre had on February 5 told the apex court that it was agreeable to give an extra chance as a one-time relaxation to those civil service aspirants, who had appeared in their last attempt in the 2020 exam and are otherwise not age-barred.

The Centre, however, had said that no relaxation shall be granted for 2021 exam to those candidates who have not exhausted their permissible number of attempts or to those who are otherwise age-barred from appearing in 2021 exam as per the prescribed age limits of different categories.

THE CENTRE TOLD THIS TO A SC BENCH WHICH RESERVED ITS VERDICT ON A PLEA WHICH HAD SOUGHT ONE MORE CHANCE IN THE UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMS

The natural disaster in Uttarakhand and the ongoing rescue operation provide an opportunity to assess where India stands on disaster management. If one compares the current response to the Kedarnath tragedy (2013) — while keeping aside the difference in altitude and the scale of the challenge — the system has improved in terms of response time, equipment availability, professional manpower training and information flow. In 2013, it took the State several days to mount a search-andrescue operation, losing precious time. In the Chamoli case, the response has been swift and the political leaders have been forthcoming with on-theground information.

Yet, flaws are evident. The response remains reactive because of inadequate planning and absence of precautions. Hydropower projects are often built in ecologically fragile areas, ignoring scientific evidence. The situation becomes more challenging because there are no early warning systems; there is lack of seamless flow of information between those at the frontline (the police or communities) and the government/scientists to report and assess gaps; and there is an absence of disaster-related training for the population. For example, did the workers undergo mock drills on what to do if a disaster strikes, and how to survive in such biting cold? This is even more critical for migrant labourers who have no knowledge of the local environment and modes of survival. Rescue operations in India remain human-intensive, but technology has moved forward and, therefore, constant upgradation is required. These issues need to be addressed since, in a disaster, time is of the essence and the focus has to be on saving every life.