J’khand road accident: President Murmu expresses grief, extends condolences to bereaved families

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Friday expressed grief over the loss of seven lives in a road accident in Jharkhand’s Khunti district and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

“The news of the deaths in the road accident that occurred in Khunti district of Jharkhand is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of those injured in this accident,” President Murmu posted on X.

The accident occurred in Karra village of Khunti district around 10 p.m. on Thursday near the Jone-Ludru turn on the Karra-Torpa main road. A scooter had met with an accident, following which local residents gathered along the roadside to help the rider.

During this time, an 18-wheeler trailer truck, reportedly speeding from the Torpa side, allegedly ran over the people who had gathered at the spot.

Six people died on the spot, while a 12-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Khunti Sadar Hospital. A young girl was also injured in the accident.

Anger erupted among villagers in Khunti district on Friday morning following the accident.

Enraged residents blocked the main road near the Karra railway crossing by burning tyres, bringing vehicular movement in the area to a complete halt.

The protesters demanded the immediate arrest of the trailer truck driver allegedly responsible for the accident, government jobs for the families of the deceased and adequate compensation for the victims’ kin.

The protesters claimed that poor visibility and the condition of the road at the Jone-Ludru turn significantly increase the risk of accidents. They also alleged that despite the stretch being accident-prone, heavy vehicles frequently pass through the area at high speeds.

The villagers demanded stronger road safety measures at the accident-prone stretch to prevent such incidents in the future.

Following information about the road blockade, police and administrative officials reached the spot and held talks with the demonstrators in an effort to restore normalcy. Authorities assured the protesters that all possible assistance and compensation would be provided to the affected families in accordance with government provisions.

Additional police personnel were deployed in the area as a precautionary measure amid rising tensions.

–IANS

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Gujarat: Three arrested in Vadodara with hybrid ganja worth Rs 9.34 lakh

Vadodara, April 4 (IANS) Three persons were arrested with 267 grams of illegal hybrid ganja valued at around Rs 9.34 lakh during a raid by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Gujarat CID (Crime) in Vadodara district, officials said on Saturday.

The operation was carried out on Friday at Mosampura village near Kundhela Road on University Road under Dabhoi police station limits in Vadodara rural.

Acting on specific intelligence, an ANTF Vadodara Zone team conducted the raid.

“During the raid, three suspicious persons were found in possession of 267 grams of illegal hybrid ganja from the dickey of their two-wheeler vehicle,” the ANTF said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Dinesh Thakor, 34, a resident of Krishna City, Kelanpur; Vishal Parmar, 32, a resident of Pratapnagar; and Raj Onganiya, 28, a resident of Sarvodaya Nagar, all in Vadodara.

A fourth accused, identified as Asif from Vapi, is currently absconding.

A case has been registered under Sections 8(c), 20(II)(A) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and further investigation is in progress.

Police said the seizure includes hybrid ganja worth Rs 9,34,500, three mobile phones worth Rs 15,000, one two-wheeler valued at Rs 80,000, cash amounting to Rs 4,270 and a DVD worth Rs 200, taking the total estimated value of seized property to Rs 10,33,970.

“The accused were arrested on the spot, and further investigation has been handed over to Dabhoi police station in Vadodara rural,” the department stated.

The operation forms part of a broader crackdown on narcotics in Gujarat.

In a similar operation a day earlier, the ANTF’s Gandhinagar Zone team intercepted a government bus near Chiloda crossroads and arrested two persons with nearly 12 kg of ganja valued at around Rs 5.97 lakh.

The accused were allegedly transporting the illegal narcotics for distribution, and a case was registered under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, with further investigation handed over to the local police.

–IANS

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Centre beefing up weather radar network in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Nov 30 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, announced here that while three weather radars have already been installed at Uttarakhand’s Surkanda Devi, Mukteshwar and Lansdowne, three more radars will soon be commissioned at Haridwar, Pantnagar, and Auli, thus further strengthening real-time forecasting capability for the region.

Addressing the World Summit on Disaster Management here, Dr Singh said that the Centre has significantly expanded Uttarakhand’s meteorological and disaster-monitoring infrastructure over the last ten years. He informed that 33 meteorological observatories, a network of radio-sonde and radio-wind systems, 142 automatic weather stations, 107 rain gauges, district-level and block-level rainfall monitoring systems, and extensive app-based outreach programmes for farmers have been established to improve early warning dissemination.

The minister stated that India has initiated a specialised Himalayan climate study programme to analyse the conditions that trigger sudden cloudbursts, with the objective of generating predictive indicators for vulnerable districts. He mentioned that the “Nowcast” system, which provides a three-hour forecast and has been successfully used in major metros, is now being expanded across Uttarakhand to provide timely alerts to administrations and communities.

He also highlighted the coordinated efforts of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Ministry of Earth Sciences and several scientific institutions in developing advanced forest fire weather services, describing it as a whole-of-government and whole-of-science model for climate resilience.

Expressing concern over the lack of compliance in some regions with IMD alerts, Dr Singh highlighted the need for stricter administrative response. He recalled a recent incident in Jammu & Kashmir where a newly appointed IAS officer prevented a major tragedy by immediately shutting down the highway following a red alert issued by the IMD, demonstrating how timely action can save lives.

He said that land-use regulations issued jointly by the NDMA, the Ministry of Environment, and the urban development bodies must be implemented with absolute seriousness to prevent long-term ecological and infrastructural damage. He also warned that illegal mining along riverbeds and near newly constructed highways is becoming a dangerous man-made threat, eroding foundations and amplifying flash flood impacts, and urged communities to recognise that short-term gains often lead to long-term destruction.

Dr Singh also spoke about transforming Himalayan strengths into economic opportunity through agri-startups and CSIR-led value-addition models. Sharing successful experiences from Jammu & Kashmir, he said that several young professionals, including B.Tech and MBA graduates, have left private sector jobs to join CSIR-supported enterprises because of higher incomes and better market linkages. He urged CSIR to work closely with the Uttarakhand government to replicate these proven livelihood models, which combine science, entrepreneurship, and local resource utilisation.

Highlighting India’s growing global role in disaster resilience, he noted that India is increasingly offering its technical expertise and services to neighbouring countries. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment at COP-26 to achieving Net Zero by 2070, and emphasised that disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and early warning systems are integral to sustainable economic growth. Preventing economic loss, he said, is as important as generating new economic value, and disaster mitigation must therefore be seen as an economic as well as humanitarian priority.

Dr Jitendra Singh congratulated Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and all organisers for convening the World Summit on Disaster Management. He said the discussions and insights emerging from Uttarakhand will meaningfully contribute to the global narrative on disaster mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilient development, and reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment to strengthening scientific capacity, forecasting accuracy and inter-agency coordination for vulnerable Himalayan regions.

–IANS

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Empowering rural communities: The impact of e-Gram Vishwagram

Ahmedabad, Oct 4 (IANS) When Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he introduced a development model that would later transform the entire nation.

At the heart of this transformation lies the ‘Digital India’ campaign, inspired by the vision behind the e-Gram Vishwagram project initiated during his tenure as Gujarat’s Chief Minister.

On January 23, 2009, he launched the e-Gram Vishwagram scheme, connecting more than 13,000 village panchayats in Gujarat through broadband connectivity.

This initiative played a pivotal role in changing the landscape of rural Gujarat, making government services more accessible to villagers through digital means.

Prakash Thakor, Sarpanch of Vadtal Gram Panchayat in Kheda, said that the e-Gram Vishwagram scheme brought revolutionary changes in accessing digital services for rural communities.

The scheme empowered Gujarat’s village panchayats, allowing residents to benefit from various government schemes and services with just a click.

Nilesh Patel, Taluka Development Officer in Nadiad, said that 321 types of KYC documents such as death and life certificates are now provided digitally, simplifying access for citizens.

After assuming the responsibility of leading the country, Prime Minister Modi expanded this vision to a national level.

On July 1, 2015, he launched the Digital India Mission, aiming to digitally empower India and connect even the most remote and impoverished areas with digital facilities.

Prime Minister Modi emphasised the mission’s goal: to enable every citizen, regardless of location, to access digital resources and government services efficiently.

As a result of the ‘Digital India’ campaign, the number of internet users in India has surpassed 1 billion over the last decade.

Among them, more than 420 million are from rural areas.

Mobile phone users have also crossed 1.17 billion.

Moreover, there are more than 581,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the country, with over 452,000 located in rural regions.

From banking services and online financial transactions to the direct benefit transfer (DBT) of government funds to beneficiaries, these advances have been made possible through the ‘Digital India’ initiative.

Today, the campaign is not only empowering the citizens but also strengthening India’s digital economy.

–IANS

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