Lok Samiti Demands Proper Compensation for Farmers

16 January 2023, Baxar: Lok Samiti, a non-political organization established by legendary freedom fighter & sarvodaya leader Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan, has extended its support to the farmers from Banarpur village of Chausa block under Baxar district in Bihar. Recently on 10th January, they have been beaten by police at their houses at midnight.

Mr. Girija Satish, the national president of Lok Samiti condemned high-handedness of police and said that the state government has been ignoring justified demands of the farmers for a long time.

It’s significant that since last three months, the farmers whose land is being acquired by the state government for a thermal power plant are engaged with peaceful demonstration for a better price of their land as they have been offered 12 years old rate. But the government and the construction company never took them seriously. At last when the farmers have locked main gate of the construction site to stop the work, police reacted violently and made raids.

The protesters have alleged that the policemen barged into their houses around 11.30 pm while they were sleeping and thrashed them with batons and boots. Also they complain that the police personnel misbehaved with the womenfolk. The police say that a team went there to arrest the culprits those made violent protest and ransacked public property.

Mr. Girija Satish said we denounce all violent activities but it’s very clear that the issue has been not dealt properly by the government and we demand that –

1. The state government and the company must initiate for a well-mannered negotiation with the farmers.
2. The state government and the company must offer an appropriate compensation to the farmers under Land Acquisition Act 2022.
3. The government should unconditionally withdraw the fake cases against the farmers
4. A judicial inquiry should be conducted into the entire incident and after taking legal action against the guilty policemen involved in the incident; they should be suspended with immediate effect.
5. One member of the each farmer family, whose land is to be taken for plant construction work, should be offered a government job according to qualification.

The government and the company should seriously consider these demands and hold peace talks, he pointed out.

LNJP Eye Hospital Organizes Eye Screening Camp for Commercial Vehicle Drivers

13 January 2023, Barhi (Hazaribagh): Under joint auspices of Sightsavers, National Highways Authority of India and NBJK run LokNayak JayPrakash Eye Hospital, Bahera (Chouparan, Hazaribagh), an Eye Screening Camp was organized for commercial vehicle drivers at Rasoiya Dhamna Toll Plaza on NH-19.

Mr. Dheeraj Bharti (Project Director, NHAI) has inaugurated the eye camp. He said that road accidents can be prevented to a great extent by taking proper care of the eyes, so all vehicle drivers, especially commercial vehicle drivers, should get their eyes checked.

Around 150 drivers went through their eyes checkup and they have been provided spectacles as well as medicines. Also Toll Plaza staffs have availed screening, glasses and medicines. LNJPEH provided all the services free of cost under Netra Vasant campaign by Sightsavers.

The Team LNJPEH including Mr. Santosh Puri (Manager), Mr. Vikant Singh (Senior Optometrist), Mr. Abhinav Kumar, Mr. Raju Rajak, Mr. Sanjay Raj and some students from LNJP Paramedical Institute have contributed to the camp commendably.

The Personnel like Mr. Rajiv Dubey, Mr. Mahesh Kumar, Md. Kalim, Mr. Aman, Mr. Pravin Kaushik with many others from NHAI, Rajkeshri Construction Co. and Path India extended their support to make the event successful.

RCC Girls on Educational Tour

12 January 2023, Rajgir-Nalanda-Bodhgaya: As an activity with the Programme of Girls’ Education & Remedial Coaching Centres by NBJK with support of Action Village India, the girl children from Remedial Coaching Centre at Badasi village in Hazaribagh Sadar Block have enjoyed an educational tour and visited many renowned spots at Rajgir, Nalanda and Bodhaya.

They went to Warm Pool, Gold Treasure, Ruins of Nalanda University, Museum, Main Temple of Bodhgaya and Bodhi Tree. These are the key places of historical & religious importance in Bihar.

Also they have observed the Path made by late Dasrath Manjhi, the Mountain Man of Bihar who carved the way through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and a chisel during 22 long years because her wife died due to injury caused by falling from a mountain and the same mountain has blocked easy access to a nearby hospital in time.

The children were keenly interested in the descriptions of heritages and memorials provided by local guides. Also their teacher Mr. Ganesh Yadav and Mr. Abhay Kumar (Programme Supervisor) have briefed them about the places.

It’s significant that AVI supported 17 RCCs in Sadar, Katkamsandi and Katkamdag blocks in Hazaribagh district provide free tuition of Science, Math & English to more than 600 school girls of class VIII, IX & X in villages.

Eye Screening Camp and Sightsavers People’s Visit to LNJP Eye Hospital

11 January 2023, Chouparan (Hazaribagh): Under Netra Vasant campaign of NBJK driven Inclusive & Rural Eye Health Programme with support of Sightsavers in Hazaribagh district, Eye Screening-Cataract camp has been organized at Chouparan Panchayat Bhawan in Chouparan block.

The senior officials from Sightsavers like Mr. Sudipto Mohanti (Area Manager), Ms. Sapna Surin (State Lead), Mr. Jitendra Kumar (Senior Programme Officer), Mr. Kirti Rawat (District Programme Officer) have visited the camp which provided special provisions for old aged, challenged people, women and the persons with Cataract, Diabetic Retinopathy, Diabetes & Glaucoma.

Also Chouparan Mukhiya Mrs. Archna Hembrom, Mrs. Usha Devi, PRIs’ members, local public figures and Anganbadi workers encouraged the event with their active presence. All the guests have expressed satisfaction over activities of IEHP, affirmed its target to make Hazaribagh district free from Cataract and assured for all possible cooperation.

In the camp, total 163 persons went through their eye screening and 35 found with Cataract while 06 persons have been detected with Diabetic Retinopathy. The patients’ surgery and treatment will be done free of cost at NBJK’s LNJP Eye Hospital, Bahera (Chouparan) under the programme.

At the end, Sightsavers team has visited LNJPEH and assessed the facilities at the hospital.

Four Panchayats of Katkamsandi Block Declared as Free from Cataract Blindness Backlog

10 January 2023, Katkamsandi (Hazaribagh): Today four Panchayats namely Katkamsandi, Kanchanpur, Bargadda and Gadokhar in Katkamsandi block of Hazaribagh district have been declared as Free from Cataract Blindness Backlog. The declaration came to the fore in the functions held at Katkamsandi block office and Kanchanpur panchayat building under aegis of Inclusive Eye Health Programme by NBJK with support of Sightsavers.

Many dignitaries as the Block Development Officer of Katkamsandi Mrs. Devyanti Kumari, NBJK Secretary Mr. Satish Girija and officials from Sightavers like Mr. Sudipto Mohanti (Area Director), Ms. Sapna Surin (State Lead), Mr. Jitendra Kumar (Senior Programme Officer), Mr. Kirti Rawat (DPO-IEHP), Ms. Nidhi Kshetri (DPO-Social Security), Mr. Sudhir Gupta (BPM-JSLPS), Panchayats’ Mukhiyas, PRIs Members, Mr. Varun Pandey, Mr. Deepak Sharma, JSLPS cadres and villagers were present on the occasion.

Mr. Satish Girija said that we aim to make Hazaribagh district free from Cataract caused blindness in the year 2023. The guests have appreciated the achievement of IEHP and thanked all concerned persons for their cooperation.

Before this, a special eye screening camp was organized by NBJK run LNJP Eye Hospital, Bahera (Chouparan, Hazaribagh) for aged persons, PwDs, women and the patients of Diabetic Retinopathy at Ramdev Khairka panchayat in Daru block of the district. This ensured eye checkup for 108 persons including 29 PwDs and detected 13 patients of Cataract while glasses were provided to 9 handicapped.

The very presence of Ms. Shatabdi Mazumdar (Traainee IAS-cum-BDO, Daru block) was quite encouraging for the camp. She praised the initiative of Inclusive Eye Health Programme and its reach at grassroots.

It’s significant that there has been a lot of cooperation from JSLPS, BDOs, Mukhiyas and community to make the programme successful.

Towards Elimination of Avoidable Blindness

09 January 2023, Giridih-Deoghar: In course of eradicating avoidable blindness in remote rural areas, Sightsavers supported & NBJK run Vision Centre; Bengabad (Giridih) is committed for community awareness and household screening at villages in different blocks of Giridih district.

The vision centre is associated with Vimla Ramkrishna Bajaj Eye Hospital, Deoghar by NBJK and during the period of 5th to 9th January 2023, it organized seven screening camps at Dhardharo, Ektara, Phursodih, Maharaidih, Harodih, Phuphundi and Bhuji villages of Jamua, Bengabad, Deori blocks. Also many villagers have reached to the Vision Centre voluntarily for their eye checkup.

The initiative resulted as 153 OPD with detection of 86 eye patients with Refractive Error, 59 with Cataract, 8 with Pterygium while 11 patients availed necessary medicines. These all were very needy persons from poor socio-economic background and beyond reach of any eye care service.

At the base hospital at Deoghar, our medical team has provided follow up service to a number of discharged patients.

Guest Lecture at MRTC, Giridih

07 January 2023, Giridih: Under NBJK run Young India Project with support of UTI Mutual Fund, Mission Rozgar Training Centre-Giridih has invited Prof. (Dr.) Balbhadra Singh, a renowned teacher of Hindi in Giridih College to deliver a guest lecture for the trainees.

Prof. Singh has greeted all in the beginning of New Year and expressed his happiness over representation of girl trainees. He said that presence of girls assure us for social transformation. Self-reliance, financial independence and the ability to get along are the values MRTC is inculcating among youths with its courses, Prof. Balbhadra Singh mentioned. He praised Ms. Rumana Azmat (Manager) with faculties of MRTC and encouraged the trainees to show their spirit. During his address, Prof. Singh said that curiosity, patience, focused approach and commitment are the keys to success in any field of knowledge. He conveyed best wishes to the youths and blessed them for a bright future.

Mrs. Roselin Tudu, Mrs. Poonam Thakur, Mr. Pramod Kumar Turi, Mr. Vishal Kumar (all faculties)  and around 60 trainees were present in the event.

It’s significant that MRTC-Giridih offers three months vocational courses to youths on Data Entry Operator, Tally Prime with GST, General Duty Assistant and Beautician-Bridal Makeup & Menhadi with moderate fee of Rs. 600 only.

Poverty Reduction through Self-Help Groups

06 January 2023, Hazaribagh-Ramgarh-Ranchi-Khunti-Patna: The very concept of SHGs was introduced in Jharkhand by NBJK with women of Hazaribagh in the year 1991 after intense survey and study. Initially the organization has invited some consultants from Bangladesh also to establish the programme.

Now it has been spread up to villages in 12 blocks of Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Khunti districts and 15 slums of Patna in Jharkhand-Bihar.

NBJK works with men’s groups also and the programme is called as Poverty Reduction through Self-Help Groups. It covers formation & promotion of women’s SHGs as well as men’s Joint Liability Groups/JLGs, ensures their internal saving and encourages livelihood activities by group members.

PRTSHG offers small financial support for common people to strengthen their petty businesses and provides doorstep service. Currently it runs total 730 women SHGs with 16490 members and 570 SHGs with 5484 members have availed micro credit while 289 JLGs with 1258 male members are beneficiaries of the programme.

The service goes to total 6742 borrowers and some of them are engaged with new kinds of business like event management, beauty parlor etc besides traditional trades. Their cumulative repayment rate is 91% after two consequent years eclipsed by Covid.

Making Farmers Lakhpati

05 January 2023, Khunti: Lakhpati Kisan™ Smart Village project is being run by NBJK in Murhu and Khunti blocks of Khunti district with support of CInI-Tata Trusts. This is to ensure agriculture productivity enhancement and high value agriculture with integration of improved technologies, access to irrigation, animal husbandry, lac cultivation and Institution building for community engagement.

The project covers 7347 HHs from 32 villages and delivers through Murhu Nari Shakti Kisan Producer Co. Ltd., an FPO with a capital base of Rs. 44 lakh and linked to around 4000 farmers. MNSKPCL has 2986 shareholders with share capital of Rs. 24,71,700 and annual business worth above Rs. 03 crore 08 lakh with profit of Rs. 07 lakh plus.

There are 205 SHGs and 69 village organizations linked with the FPO that could engage 4042 families with secondary stable income source along with agriculture and promoted 31 entrepreneurs from farm & non-farm sectors. During Kharif, Rabi & Garma seasons of 2022-23, total 5606 HHs cultivated paddy, vegetables, watermelon etc on 2048.88 acres in Murhu block while 5298 HHs grew the same on 1955.77 acres in Khunti block. To support the farmers, 09 Nursery entrepreneurs have supplied 4068010 (Kharif), 1095064 (Rabi) and 1149159 (Garma) soilless saplings for quality vegetable crops to farmers through MNSKPCL as a pre-production input. Lakhpati Kisan project has promoted horticulture under MNREGA at 21 villages and now 136 families own 12576 mango plants on 128 acres.

Likewise 3666 HHs have opted lac cultivation as secondary activity and a Lac Handicrafts unit has been initiated in collaboration with ONGC Foundation. Under this project, NBJK has facilitated tribal farmers to go for allied activities as goat rearing for 1506 HHs, pig rearing for 265 HHs, backyard poultry for 951 HHs, backyard fishery for 342 HHs and supported them to become entrepreneurs as 09 with quality piglets’ production, 09 with AI services & vet health care services for goatry, 04 with spawn fingerlings production and 05 with chicks supply units.

With convergence of Johar-JSLPS, local farmers avail many facilities including irrigation like Solar based micro lift irrigation units (135), micro lift irrigation units with drip & mulch technology (30), micro lift irrigation units with solar fencing for crop protection from animals (05) and solar based cold storage for long time preservation of farm products (01).

Such initiatives by NBJK & CInI-Tata Trusts have made nearly 2100 farmers as Lakhpati in villages. MNSKPCL is performing well and bagged “Samunnati-The Economic Times Best FPO Award” and “Vijayalakshmi Das-Friends-of-Women FPO Award” earlier.