Alert residents of Dadumajra village saved a minor girl from being married off to a 25-year-old man on Wednesday when they rushed to inform the police, who swooped down in time at the wedding venue to arrest four persons, including the priest, even as half a dozen invitees along with the groom managed to slip away.
Registering a case under sections 10 and 11 against all accused under the Prohibition of Child and Marriage Act, 2006, sub-inspector Baldev Kumar, incharge of Maloya police post, said, “As soon as we got information from Jagar Singh that the wedding of a 12-year-old girl was being solemnised in Maa Durga Temple, a police team raided the spot.” But spoiling the party for cops were groom Ganesh, a vegetable vendor, and the girl’s paternal uncle who escaped arrest along with many others.
“We, however, nabbed the girl’s mother Sita Devi, aunt Amrita, the temple’s priest Madan Lal and groom’s sister Seema Devi,” added cops. Sita landed in city from Bihar two days ago to get her daughter married. “But Anil was the main culprit as he pushed for the alliance,” said a cop. Sita claimed poverty had driven her to take such a step as she was no longer able to take care of her daughter even as rumours of money exchanging hands in the whole affair flew thick and fast. link
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Tuesday 1 September 2009
Baby born with heart outside chest in Bihar
Five-day old baby is being described as a miracle after he survived being born with heart outside of this chest.
Vibha Devi, who was born on Thursday in a remote rural village in India’s Bihar state, was rushed by 24hr train to the capital by his desperate father.
Leaving his wife behind, Chander Manjhi and his father-in-law travelled to Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to try to save the child’s life.
During a complete check-up doctors found the baby also has multiple disorders. Apart from the protruding heart, he also has a hole in his heart and has a single pump (for pumping blood). A normal heart has two pumps.
Suffering from a condition known as Ectopia Cordis, which causes the heart to be abnormally placed inside or outside of the body, most babies die within hours of being born.
However, there is guarded optimism for Vibha after the child survived the arduous 800-mile train journey from Muzaffarpur to Delhi.
“He is stable and is being treated for infection. Once the infection goes, we will do the surgery,” said Dr A.K. Bisoi, a cardiologist at the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department at AIIMS.
“His parents are lucky the baby is still alive even after infection as it has spread to all body parts. We are trying our best to save the baby.”
Due to the family’s income and the rarity of the child’s condition, cardiologists at AIIMS, including Dr Bisoi, are providing treatment for free.
A team of five surgeons is on stand-by to operate should Vibha survive the next few weeks.
“The surgery is a multi-layered procedure and might take months,” said Dr Bisoi.
“We have to create space step by step and the chest wall has to be reconstructed.
“In India, no infant with such a defect has survived,” Dr Bisoi added.
There are only three survivors suffering from the disease in the world. But this baby is the only one with two heart defects,’ he said.
‘It’s a miracle and challenge for doctors. Every extra day he survives gives us an opportunity to deal with the rare disease and we are learning a lot from the case. We are doing our best to ensure the child lives,’ Bisoi said.
For now, the baby’s heart has been covered with a synthetic membrane and infected blood fully replaced from his body.
In 2006, doctors in Florida, U.S. carried out a similar operation on Naseem Hasni who was born with his heart outside his chest.
Doctors wrapped his heart in Gore-Tex, a waterproof, breathable fabric used in outdoor clothing and medical applications. His heart was then wrapped in a layer of his own skin, to substitute for his missing pericardium, the sac that encloses the heart. The heart was then slowly eased inside his chest.link
Vibha Devi, who was born on Thursday in a remote rural village in India’s Bihar state, was rushed by 24hr train to the capital by his desperate father.
Leaving his wife behind, Chander Manjhi and his father-in-law travelled to Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to try to save the child’s life.
During a complete check-up doctors found the baby also has multiple disorders. Apart from the protruding heart, he also has a hole in his heart and has a single pump (for pumping blood). A normal heart has two pumps.
Suffering from a condition known as Ectopia Cordis, which causes the heart to be abnormally placed inside or outside of the body, most babies die within hours of being born.
However, there is guarded optimism for Vibha after the child survived the arduous 800-mile train journey from Muzaffarpur to Delhi.
“He is stable and is being treated for infection. Once the infection goes, we will do the surgery,” said Dr A.K. Bisoi, a cardiologist at the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department at AIIMS.
“His parents are lucky the baby is still alive even after infection as it has spread to all body parts. We are trying our best to save the baby.”
Due to the family’s income and the rarity of the child’s condition, cardiologists at AIIMS, including Dr Bisoi, are providing treatment for free.
A team of five surgeons is on stand-by to operate should Vibha survive the next few weeks.
“The surgery is a multi-layered procedure and might take months,” said Dr Bisoi.
“We have to create space step by step and the chest wall has to be reconstructed.
“In India, no infant with such a defect has survived,” Dr Bisoi added.
There are only three survivors suffering from the disease in the world. But this baby is the only one with two heart defects,’ he said.
‘It’s a miracle and challenge for doctors. Every extra day he survives gives us an opportunity to deal with the rare disease and we are learning a lot from the case. We are doing our best to ensure the child lives,’ Bisoi said.
For now, the baby’s heart has been covered with a synthetic membrane and infected blood fully replaced from his body.
In 2006, doctors in Florida, U.S. carried out a similar operation on Naseem Hasni who was born with his heart outside his chest.
Doctors wrapped his heart in Gore-Tex, a waterproof, breathable fabric used in outdoor clothing and medical applications. His heart was then wrapped in a layer of his own skin, to substitute for his missing pericardium, the sac that encloses the heart. The heart was then slowly eased inside his chest.link
Bihar records plantation of one crore saplings in a single day
An IAS officer of Bihar cadre created history of sorts by planting nearly 1 crore saplings in a single day.
The Guinness Book of World Records has registered plantation of 5,41,176 saplings on July 15 this year in Pakistan. Bihar did it 20 times more and edged out Pakistan from the record book.
The man behind the mission is Tirhut Commissioner SM Raju, who hails from Karnataka and is an agriculture graduate.
“I’ve been nursing a dream to plant 1 crore saplings in a single day for two years. I achieved this goal through active cooperation of village panchayats and mukhias of my division,” Raju said.
Raju engaged 3 lakh people from 8,463 panchayats and 7,500 villages of six districts of Tirhut division. “We planted the 96,19,870 saplings under the rural job scheme NREG,” said an ebullient Raju.
He said though he had been planning for this day for two years, when he got the news of Pakistan’s Environment Ministry getting the Guinness certification, he decided to beat their record as soon as possible.
“I discussed my idea with the Bihar Chief Secretary and with the blessings of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, I plunged into this mission and ultimately succeeded,” said Raju.
“With groups of four families each planting 200 trees; now they must protect the saplings for three years, till the plants grow sturdy. During this period, they will be paid,” Raju said.
He has charted out a blueprint to protect the planted trees and to provide job to villagers simultaneously through his mission.
“Since Tirhut region in north Bihar is a flood-prone area, mukhias here find themselves unable to provide jobs to poor villagers throughout the year. So I’ve engaged them into this programme,” Raju said.
The workers will get the full pay of about Rs 102 under the rural job scheme if they can ensure the survival of 90 per cent of the plants under their care. For a 75-80 per cent survival rate, they will be paid only half the wage. If the survival rate is less than 75 per cent, the families in the group will be replaced.
The villagers of Tirhut have vowed to protect the trees at any cost and they’re taking constant vigil to the planted saplings.
“They seem to feel as if the trees they are protecting belong to them,” Raju said.
The non-fruit trees like neem, jamun, gulmohar and peepal have been planted along the state and national highways while the fruit-bearing saplings such as the guava, mango, litchi, lemon and amla were planted in the villages.
Raju explained that this tree plantation mission will promote social forestry in flood-affected areas of north Bihar.
A total sum of Rs 700 crore would be spent on this scheme in three years, said Raju, who was also actively associated with the Chief Minister’s much-praised Vikas Yatra.
Now, a beaming and confident Raju hopes to get his mission and the name of the State reflected in The Guinness Book.
The Guinness Book of World Records has registered plantation of 5,41,176 saplings on July 15 this year in Pakistan. Bihar did it 20 times more and edged out Pakistan from the record book.
The man behind the mission is Tirhut Commissioner SM Raju, who hails from Karnataka and is an agriculture graduate.
“I’ve been nursing a dream to plant 1 crore saplings in a single day for two years. I achieved this goal through active cooperation of village panchayats and mukhias of my division,” Raju said.
Raju engaged 3 lakh people from 8,463 panchayats and 7,500 villages of six districts of Tirhut division. “We planted the 96,19,870 saplings under the rural job scheme NREG,” said an ebullient Raju.
He said though he had been planning for this day for two years, when he got the news of Pakistan’s Environment Ministry getting the Guinness certification, he decided to beat their record as soon as possible.
“I discussed my idea with the Bihar Chief Secretary and with the blessings of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, I plunged into this mission and ultimately succeeded,” said Raju.
“With groups of four families each planting 200 trees; now they must protect the saplings for three years, till the plants grow sturdy. During this period, they will be paid,” Raju said.
He has charted out a blueprint to protect the planted trees and to provide job to villagers simultaneously through his mission.
“Since Tirhut region in north Bihar is a flood-prone area, mukhias here find themselves unable to provide jobs to poor villagers throughout the year. So I’ve engaged them into this programme,” Raju said.
The workers will get the full pay of about Rs 102 under the rural job scheme if they can ensure the survival of 90 per cent of the plants under their care. For a 75-80 per cent survival rate, they will be paid only half the wage. If the survival rate is less than 75 per cent, the families in the group will be replaced.
The villagers of Tirhut have vowed to protect the trees at any cost and they’re taking constant vigil to the planted saplings.
“They seem to feel as if the trees they are protecting belong to them,” Raju said.
The non-fruit trees like neem, jamun, gulmohar and peepal have been planted along the state and national highways while the fruit-bearing saplings such as the guava, mango, litchi, lemon and amla were planted in the villages.
Raju explained that this tree plantation mission will promote social forestry in flood-affected areas of north Bihar.
A total sum of Rs 700 crore would be spent on this scheme in three years, said Raju, who was also actively associated with the Chief Minister’s much-praised Vikas Yatra.
Now, a beaming and confident Raju hopes to get his mission and the name of the State reflected in The Guinness Book.
Tourist flow goes up in Bihar
The initiatives taken by Bihar government to boost the sagging tourism sector has begun to pay dividends as the number of foreign tourists in the state has gone up by nearly six times in three years.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Bihar has gone up from 63,321 in 2005-06 to 3,56,446 in 2008-09, which was nearly six times, state's tourism minister Ram Pravesh Rai said.
Rai said steady and healthy growth in the number of foreign and domestic tourists was the result of state's NDA government's concerted efforts to create a conducive environment and its commitment to provide better security to them.
"People (tourists) are now feeling safe and secured in the NDA regime and that's why they are visiting Bihar in big numbers", Rai said.
The number of foreigners visited the state in 2005-06 was 63,321 which rose to 94,446 in 2006-07. Similarly, it went up to 1,77,362 in 2007-08 and was almost doubled in the very next year to touch 3,56,446 foreigners in 2008-09. More than 1.14 lakh foreigners have visited till the end of April in the current fiscal.
Similarly, there has been steady rise in the domestic tourists also, except in 2007-08 when it showed a little decline. The number of domestic tourists, which was 86.87 lakh in 2005-06, was hovering over one crore in subsequent years and touched its all time high to 1.21 crore in 2008-09.
Realising the huge potential of tourism in Bihar, which was home to a number of Buddhist, Jain and Sikh shrines, the NDA government increased budgetary allocation to tourism department after coming to power in November, 2005.
The government made a substantial allocation from a meagre Rs 7.43 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 29.78 crore in the current financial year (2009-10) which was almost a four-time raise, the minister said.
Rai said the department has formulated a tourism policy to provide impetus to the sector which has also been accorded the status of industry by the state government.
With a view to making travel more convenient for all tourists including foreigners, steps were underway for broadening and strengthening roads linking to Buddhist, Jain, Sikh religious circuits, official sources said.
Talks were also on with several aviation companies for increasing the frequency of international flights connecting Bodh Gaya airport.
To woo the foreigners, the government has decided to build a three and five star rated hotels at tourist spots such as Patna, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya on public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Tourism Police Force would be deployed at Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali in the first phase and subsequently the force would be stationed at all the tourist sites.
The government was committed to develop tourist sites at Vaishali, Jehanabad, Maner, Kesariya, Lauria, Nandangarh, to attract more tourists, the minister said.
The government has plans to launch courses in travel and tourism, hospitality, hotel management, catering guide, tour and travel operator with assistance from Human Resources Development department to promote greater expertise for improved management of the tourism sector. link
The number of foreign tourists visiting Bihar has gone up from 63,321 in 2005-06 to 3,56,446 in 2008-09, which was nearly six times, state's tourism minister Ram Pravesh Rai said.
Rai said steady and healthy growth in the number of foreign and domestic tourists was the result of state's NDA government's concerted efforts to create a conducive environment and its commitment to provide better security to them.
"People (tourists) are now feeling safe and secured in the NDA regime and that's why they are visiting Bihar in big numbers", Rai said.
The number of foreigners visited the state in 2005-06 was 63,321 which rose to 94,446 in 2006-07. Similarly, it went up to 1,77,362 in 2007-08 and was almost doubled in the very next year to touch 3,56,446 foreigners in 2008-09. More than 1.14 lakh foreigners have visited till the end of April in the current fiscal.
Similarly, there has been steady rise in the domestic tourists also, except in 2007-08 when it showed a little decline. The number of domestic tourists, which was 86.87 lakh in 2005-06, was hovering over one crore in subsequent years and touched its all time high to 1.21 crore in 2008-09.
Realising the huge potential of tourism in Bihar, which was home to a number of Buddhist, Jain and Sikh shrines, the NDA government increased budgetary allocation to tourism department after coming to power in November, 2005.
The government made a substantial allocation from a meagre Rs 7.43 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 29.78 crore in the current financial year (2009-10) which was almost a four-time raise, the minister said.
Rai said the department has formulated a tourism policy to provide impetus to the sector which has also been accorded the status of industry by the state government.
With a view to making travel more convenient for all tourists including foreigners, steps were underway for broadening and strengthening roads linking to Buddhist, Jain, Sikh religious circuits, official sources said.
Talks were also on with several aviation companies for increasing the frequency of international flights connecting Bodh Gaya airport.
To woo the foreigners, the government has decided to build a three and five star rated hotels at tourist spots such as Patna, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya on public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Tourism Police Force would be deployed at Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali in the first phase and subsequently the force would be stationed at all the tourist sites.
The government was committed to develop tourist sites at Vaishali, Jehanabad, Maner, Kesariya, Lauria, Nandangarh, to attract more tourists, the minister said.
The government has plans to launch courses in travel and tourism, hospitality, hotel management, catering guide, tour and travel operator with assistance from Human Resources Development department to promote greater expertise for improved management of the tourism sector. link
BSNL launches Nova Net PC in Bihar
With a view to expand the usage of internet among the people particularly in rural areas, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched a multi-featured computing service Nova net PC bundled with broadband over landline for both urban and rural areas in Bihar.
"BSNL has been constantly striving to have broadband penetration in the country especially in rural areas. With our huge connectivity and infrastructure, BSNL hopes to give a new wind to the computing and broadband revolution in the country, Chief General Manager, Bihar Telecom Circle S C Mishra said.
The Nova net PC, launched in association with Noavtium Solution Private Limited, can be used for both internet access and computing applications at economical prices, Mishra said.
In urban areas, Nova Net PC would be delivered to the users against a one-time payment of Rs 2,999 and tax, the BSNL chief GM said.
However, in rural areas, the system would be made available to the broadband users under USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) scheme which means that rural users would have to pay a secuirty deposit of Rs 1900 which was refundable if the facility was used for three years continuously, Mishra said.
The rural users, if they opted for Nova Net PC, would be provided with CRT Monitor, Modem, Keyboard and Mouse free of cost, he said.
The idea behind this shceme was to take broadband to the rural areas whcih was possible only by bundling it with the landline connections, Mishra said.
He said that the state has 38,000 broadband users till date and it (BSNL) has set a target to add 80,000 new subscriber by the end of the financial year 2009-10 with this launch.
The telecom department has also introduced two monthly rental plans for the broadband users in rural areas under USOF scheme.
The first one was of Rs 99 under which the users would be given 400 MB free download/upload whereas second monthly plan of Rs 150 provided 1GB free usage.link
"BSNL has been constantly striving to have broadband penetration in the country especially in rural areas. With our huge connectivity and infrastructure, BSNL hopes to give a new wind to the computing and broadband revolution in the country, Chief General Manager, Bihar Telecom Circle S C Mishra said.
The Nova net PC, launched in association with Noavtium Solution Private Limited, can be used for both internet access and computing applications at economical prices, Mishra said.
In urban areas, Nova Net PC would be delivered to the users against a one-time payment of Rs 2,999 and tax, the BSNL chief GM said.
However, in rural areas, the system would be made available to the broadband users under USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) scheme which means that rural users would have to pay a secuirty deposit of Rs 1900 which was refundable if the facility was used for three years continuously, Mishra said.
The rural users, if they opted for Nova Net PC, would be provided with CRT Monitor, Modem, Keyboard and Mouse free of cost, he said.
The idea behind this shceme was to take broadband to the rural areas whcih was possible only by bundling it with the landline connections, Mishra said.
He said that the state has 38,000 broadband users till date and it (BSNL) has set a target to add 80,000 new subscriber by the end of the financial year 2009-10 with this launch.
The telecom department has also introduced two monthly rental plans for the broadband users in rural areas under USOF scheme.
The first one was of Rs 99 under which the users would be given 400 MB free download/upload whereas second monthly plan of Rs 150 provided 1GB free usage.link
Monday 31 August 2009
Junior doctors in Bihar end strike
After an assurance from the Bihar government of a hike in stipend, protesting junior doctors of the Patna Medical College and Hospital here Monday night withdrew their five-day long strike that has claimed the lives of 38 patients.
Speaking to newspersons after his meeting with Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) president Rajiv Babu Prajapati said the association has withdrawn its agitation following an assurance from the government to address their demands as soon as possible.
The JDA has asked all the junior doctors to resume their duties.
The five-day-old strike by junior doctors in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) here has claimed the lives of at least 38 patients.
The state government Monday served notices to the medicos and asked them to return to work or face action, an official said.
A day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his anger at the doctors' strike that has paralysed health services in the PMCH, Health Secretary C.K. Mishra served notices on doctors asking them to report back on duty.
More than 400 junior doctors went on an indefinite strike, first demanding a hike in stipend and then payment of salary instead of stipend.
The strike has badly hit emergency, outdoor and surgery services of the hospital.link
Speaking to newspersons after his meeting with Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) president Rajiv Babu Prajapati said the association has withdrawn its agitation following an assurance from the government to address their demands as soon as possible.
The JDA has asked all the junior doctors to resume their duties.
The five-day-old strike by junior doctors in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) here has claimed the lives of at least 38 patients.
The state government Monday served notices to the medicos and asked them to return to work or face action, an official said.
A day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his anger at the doctors' strike that has paralysed health services in the PMCH, Health Secretary C.K. Mishra served notices on doctors asking them to report back on duty.
More than 400 junior doctors went on an indefinite strike, first demanding a hike in stipend and then payment of salary instead of stipend.
The strike has badly hit emergency, outdoor and surgery services of the hospital.link
Sold for Rs 500, he is now a wonder on stage
Gaja is nine years old. At the AHA! International Theatre Festival for Children, he wowed the audience with his bulti-jumping and drum stick tricks.
Little does anyone know he was sold for Rs 500 by his parents from Bihar to a factory owner in Bangalore four years ago. Now, the stage is his world.
Gaja and his friends belong to a troupe called Gondwana Band. They come from different streets of Bangalore and have worked as child labourers at homes or in factories. Having been rehabilitated by Bornfree Arts School, Jayanagar, these kids now learn dance, drama, music, sculpture, photography, film-making and architecture, apart from going to a regular school.
The children have performed at more than 1,000 venues by now. The programmes range from mimes to playing musical instruments. They have teachers who are popular artistes, like Yana Lewis, who coaches them regularly. The money from these arts sustain the 40 children.
The band is also a project of Bornfree Arts School. Children who somehow escape from their torturous life are rehabilitated. "It is usually spread by word of mouth. Children who are now with us tell others they know about the organization. They act as child liberators," said school founder John Devaraj.
When children come here, many are addicted to drugs or tobacco. The rigorous practice of these art forms kick their old habits away. The children are set into the mood by volunteers, who are artistes themselves. "They see us work and try to imitate us. That is the first step," John, an engineer, said. And then the taste develops. "Art is inherent in every human being. It is just a matter of triggering it," he said.
The organization was formed five years ago by John, when he realized the power of art in transforming people. "I do not want to run this as an NGO but want to make it a movement, whereby people realize that child labour is a crime," he said.
Many of them want to find their families and go back, but they know the task is not easy. "They sometimes get emotional when they see other children with parents. But they are tough. They have learnt how to live. Nothing can deter them now," John said.
The children had recently been to Pakistan on a cycle rally to spread the message of love and peace. They bicycled to Lahore from Bangalore and talked to their counterparts.link
Little does anyone know he was sold for Rs 500 by his parents from Bihar to a factory owner in Bangalore four years ago. Now, the stage is his world.
Gaja and his friends belong to a troupe called Gondwana Band. They come from different streets of Bangalore and have worked as child labourers at homes or in factories. Having been rehabilitated by Bornfree Arts School, Jayanagar, these kids now learn dance, drama, music, sculpture, photography, film-making and architecture, apart from going to a regular school.
The children have performed at more than 1,000 venues by now. The programmes range from mimes to playing musical instruments. They have teachers who are popular artistes, like Yana Lewis, who coaches them regularly. The money from these arts sustain the 40 children.
The band is also a project of Bornfree Arts School. Children who somehow escape from their torturous life are rehabilitated. "It is usually spread by word of mouth. Children who are now with us tell others they know about the organization. They act as child liberators," said school founder John Devaraj.
When children come here, many are addicted to drugs or tobacco. The rigorous practice of these art forms kick their old habits away. The children are set into the mood by volunteers, who are artistes themselves. "They see us work and try to imitate us. That is the first step," John, an engineer, said. And then the taste develops. "Art is inherent in every human being. It is just a matter of triggering it," he said.
The organization was formed five years ago by John, when he realized the power of art in transforming people. "I do not want to run this as an NGO but want to make it a movement, whereby people realize that child labour is a crime," he said.
Many of them want to find their families and go back, but they know the task is not easy. "They sometimes get emotional when they see other children with parents. But they are tough. They have learnt how to live. Nothing can deter them now," John said.
The children had recently been to Pakistan on a cycle rally to spread the message of love and peace. They bicycled to Lahore from Bangalore and talked to their counterparts.link
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