The ruling SP will organise rallies in 18 divisions of the state starting from Azamgarh on October 29. The rallies will be addressed by SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav and CM Akhilesh Yadav. SP's state parliamentary board, which met in Lucknow Wednesday took the decision. Azamgarh has been lucky for SP in the past, and it began its campaign from Azamgarh on 1 January last year. CM Akhilesh Yadav, who chaired the meeting, also reviewed the party's preparations for legislative council polls in graduate and teachers constituencies. These elections will be held next year.
This blog is dedicated to everything about Azamgarh. It may be news, views, travel info, etc. Azamgarh, Ahraula, Ahiraula, Budhanpur, Kaptanganj, Sadar, Saraimir, Rani Ki Sarai, Lalganj, Nizamabad, Kandhrapur, Maharajganj.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
लोहरा गांव पुलिस छावनी में तब्दील
अमिलो (आजमगढ़) : जिले का लोहरा गांव बकरीद पर्व पर सुरक्षा की दृष्टि से पुलिस छावनी में तब्दील कर दी गई है। मुबारकपुर थाना क्षेत्र के इस गांव में किसी भी अप्रिय स्थिति से निबटने के लिए गांव में 34वीं वाहिनी पीएसी की एक कंपनी जवान भी कैंप कर रहे हैं। 1 प्रशासन हर घर को खंगालने में लगा था। यही नहीं परिवार के सभी सदस्यों का ब्योरा भी एकत्र किया गया। इसके पीछे कारण यह रहा कि गांव में कोई बाहरी व्यक्ति प्रवेश न करने पाए। बाहरी व्यक्तियों पर पैनी नजर रखी जा रही थी और यह चौकसी मंगलवार से गुरुवार तक बनी रहेगी। यहां कुर्बानी पर कई साल से प्रतिबंध लगाया गया है। 1कहीं किसी घर में कुर्बानी के लिए मवेशी छिपाकर न रखे गए हों और त्योहार के दिन कुर्बानी से क्षेत्र का माहौल न खराब हो, इस संभावना को देखते हुए घरों में मवेशियों की तलाशी ली गई। 1सतर्कता यह बरती गई कि पुलिस पर कोई अनायास आरोप न लगे। पूरे गांव के मवेशियों को प्रशासन ने अपने कब्जे में लेने के साथ गांव के बाहर बने अहातों में कैद कर दिया। अब इनकी सुपुर्दगी तीन दिन बाद ही होगी। वैसे तो प्रशासन ने सभी क्षेत्रों में चौकसी बरतने का निर्देश दिया है लेकिन मुबारकपुर थाना क्षेत्र के चर्चित गांव लोहरा पर खासतौर पर उसका ध्यान केंद्रित दिख रहा है। 1लोहरा गांव में वर्ष 1990 में कुर्बानी को लेकर उपजे दो पक्षों के बीच तनाव के चलते प्रशासन ने यहां कुर्बानी पर रोक लगा रखी है। इसी के चलते प्रशासनिक अमले की सतर्कता बकरीद पर काफी बढ़ जाती है। किसी भी स्थिति से निबटने के लिए गांव में पीएसी जहां कैंप कर रही है वहीं चार उप निरीक्षक, 40 सिपाही, चार महिला आरक्षी, 20 होमगार्ड तैनात किए गए हैं। 1मुकामी थाने के अलावा जहानागंज, सिधारी एसओ को भी शांति की जिम्मेदारी सौंपी गई है। इन थानों के पुलिसकर्मी भी गांव में रहेंगे। सीओ सदर मनोज कुमार यादव व एसडीएम मनोज कुमार सिंह भी कैंप कर रहे हैं। गांव के माहौल पर खुद एसपी अरविंद सेन भी नजर रख रहे हैं। गांव में बाहर से आने वाले संदिग्ध व्यक्तियों के प्रवेश पर रोक रहेगी।मुबारकपुर के लोहरा गांव में जांच करते एसडीएम व सीओ सदर के साथ पुलिस टीम।1
Saturday, June 01, 2013
SP changes four Lok Sabha candidates, three got ‘poor feedback’
Lucknow, May 31 (IANS) The ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh Friday changed four candidates for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said grassroot workers had offered “negative feedback” on three of the four.
According to a party communique, Aamir Aalam replaces Anuradha Chowdhary in Bijnor, Zafar Alam is the new SP candidate from Aligarh in place of Kajal Sharma, and Rahul Shukla is the new party candidate from Gonda, replacing Kirtivardhan Singh.
Hawaldar Singh is the new candidate from Azamgarh, replacing Balram Yadav, a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government.
Balram Yadav had expressed his reluctance to take the plunge and told the party leadership so.
There were rumours that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek Yadav would contest polls from Azamgarh. Several local party workers had staged a sit-in, pitching for his candidature, but as the Yadav clan refused to let Prateek go into politics, the party settled for another candidate.
The party has also announced Firoz Aftab as its candidate from Saharanpur.
Ram Gopal Yadav said the party would be releasing its final list for the Lok Sabha polls next week.
The party has already announced the names of more than 60 candidates for the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.
IANS 2013-05-31 12:48:50
Azamgarh boy tops B Ed entrance exam
TNN May 28, 2013, 04.01AM IST
LUCKNOW: Boys took the top slot in the joint entrance examination for admissions to Bachelor of Education ( UPBEd-JEE) - 2013, results of which were declared on Sunday. Officials at the Deen Dayal Updhayay Gorakhpur University-the body conducting Bed-2013- said the top 36 positions have been occupied by boys.
Scoring 301 marks out of 400, Santosh Yadav from Azamgarh emerged topper. In the girl's category, the highest place was secured by Divya Srivastava, a native of Deoria who scored 279.6 marks. State coordinator, B Ed 2013, Surendra Dubey said, "Divya's general rank is 37. Before this, all slots have been grabbed by boys. The results are surprising as usually girls outshine boys.''
As many as 3,78,012 candidates had registered for the exam that was held on April 24 at 689 centres in 26 cities. In Lucknow, 18,837 candidates took the exam at 40 centres. Nearly 30,949 candidates took the exam in Allahabad, 31,513 candidates in Agra, 28,399 candidates in Varanasi, 30,234 candidates in Kanpur. The counseling will begin from June 5. According to Dubey, there are 1,20,811 seats in 1,098 B Ed colleges across the state. "Every one has qualified the exam. But admissions will depend on the number of seats,'' said he.
Shock, anguish in Azamgarh as Khalid Mujahid buried in hometown
Sunday May 19, 2013 8:51 PM, ummid.com & Agencies
Lucknow: Hundreds of people from Azamgarh, Bhadoi and Varanasi on Sunday thronged to Madhiyahu village in Azamgarh to participate in the funeral prayers of Khalid Mujahid - an accused in the 2007 serial blast case, who died in mysterious condition yesterday.
"The entire village and nearby areas are in shock. Markets and bazaars are closed. People have come from different parts of Jaunpur and neighboring districts. They silently and peacefully buried the body of Khalid Mujahid," Mohammad Junaid, an official of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, has been quoted in the media.
The funeral took place today at around 05:30 in the afternoon.
Junaid said no government official from Lucknow came to console the bereaved family.
Khalid Mujahid, an accused in the serial blasts at Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad in 2007, died of 'heat stroke' Saturday when he was being taken back to the Lucknow prison after a hearing at a Faizabad court.
For every hearing, Mujahid, along with other accused - Tariq Qazmi, Mohammad Akhtar and Sajjad ur Rehman - were taken to the Faizabad court under high security from Lucknow prison.
Khalid along with Tariq Qasmi was arrested by Special Task Force (STF) on 20 December 2007 from Barabanki. Huge explosives were also shown as recovered from his possession. STF claimed that he was involved in the serial blasts which occurred in Gorakhpur, Faizabad and Lucknow.
Later, Nimesh Commission was constituted headed by Justice R D Nimesh who in its report questioned STF's claim about the place of arrest.
The Akhilesh governmet had recently decided to withdraw the cases against Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi. The state government, in its petition before the court, had pleaded that it had decided to set the two accused free to "promote communal harmony and public interest".
The Barabanki district court dismissed on May 10 ts request to withdraw cases against the two.
The court, while rejecting the state's plea, said the government has failed to specify and define the two terms used as the reason for appealing to free the two accused.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
MADRASSA TURNS TECH-SAVVY
A CENTURY-OLD ISLAMIC SEMINARY IN AZAMGARH HAS A CURRICULUM THAT INCLUDES SCIENCE AND COMPUTERS TO KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES
AZAMGARH: Re-inventing itself to keep pace with the times, a century-old Islamic seminary in Azamgarh district not only has a broadbased curriculum with science and computers but also a polytechnic to equip its students with vocational skills.
Apart from the Quran, the madrassa also imparts knowledge in English, science, mathematics, political science, economics, Hindi and computers. Several alumni are doing research in various universities in India and abroad.
Fakhrul Islam Islahi, vice rector of Islah, says that modern education is not incompatible with Islam.
“ We don’t believe in differentiating between education,” said Islah, who also heads the department of Arabic of Shibli National Post Graduate College in Azamgarh city.
“ Science and mathematics are helpful to understand Islam and obey its commandments.
It is difficult to solve inheritance questions and disputes without knowing mathematics,” he said.
The Islamic law of inheritance is an important subject of Islam that is necessarily taught in madrassas.
English has come a long way here and is no more viewed from the pre- independence lens as the language of the oppressor
What makes the madrassa stand out is that it is located in a place often associated with terror and Islamic fundamentalism.
Azamgarh made headlines after the Batla House shootout of 2008 in Delhi in the immediate aftermath of the serial blasts in the capital. Two suspected militants, both Azamgarh natives, were killed in the incident.
Many of those accused of the Sept 13, 2008, Delhi serial bombings belonged to Azamgarh. Following the incident, many local youths were arrested in connection with different terror attacks across the country, which maligned the image of the district.
DID YOU KNOW?
Established in 1908 at Saraimir town in Azamgarh, Madrasatul Islah is one of the oldest Islamic religious schools in the region.
1,000
No of students from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra that study at the madrassa
AZAMGARH: Re-inventing itself to keep pace with the times, a century-old Islamic seminary in Azamgarh district not only has a broadbased curriculum with science and computers but also a polytechnic to equip its students with vocational skills.
Apart from the Quran, the madrassa also imparts knowledge in English, science, mathematics, political science, economics, Hindi and computers. Several alumni are doing research in various universities in India and abroad.
Fakhrul Islam Islahi, vice rector of Islah, says that modern education is not incompatible with Islam.
“ We don’t believe in differentiating between education,” said Islah, who also heads the department of Arabic of Shibli National Post Graduate College in Azamgarh city.
“ Science and mathematics are helpful to understand Islam and obey its commandments.
It is difficult to solve inheritance questions and disputes without knowing mathematics,” he said.
The Islamic law of inheritance is an important subject of Islam that is necessarily taught in madrassas.
English has come a long way here and is no more viewed from the pre- independence lens as the language of the oppressor
What makes the madrassa stand out is that it is located in a place often associated with terror and Islamic fundamentalism.
Azamgarh made headlines after the Batla House shootout of 2008 in Delhi in the immediate aftermath of the serial blasts in the capital. Two suspected militants, both Azamgarh natives, were killed in the incident.
Many of those accused of the Sept 13, 2008, Delhi serial bombings belonged to Azamgarh. Following the incident, many local youths were arrested in connection with different terror attacks across the country, which maligned the image of the district.
DID YOU KNOW?
Established in 1908 at Saraimir town in Azamgarh, Madrasatul Islah is one of the oldest Islamic religious schools in the region.
1,000
No of students from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra that study at the madrassa
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Decentralised renewable energy holds the key to rural electrification
Announcement / Economy July 01, 2011, 19:07 IST
National consultation on RGGVY demands revamp of scheme
With Centre’s ambitious Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana failing to provide quality electricity access to rural India, at a National Consultation organised by Greenpeace, restructuring of RGGVY to include decentralised renewable energy for quick and reliable electricity to all, was the key issue on focus. The consultation brought together government agencies, energy experts, policy makers and civil society representatives (1).
Member of Parliament D Raja expressed concern on the findings of the social audit and raised questions on the effectiveness of the scheme. “How long will rural areas have to wait before they get energy empowered? The scheme raised people’s hopes but has dashed them again by not being able to provide reliable and quality electricity, which is not more than a few hours in some areas. The government must rectify the loopholes so that people get what is their right. Their right to electricity, their right to work, study and do business even after dark, their right to growth and a better life,” Raja said.
“The centralised grid based approach of RGGVY has not been able to meet people’s aspirations. Rural areas have always been neglected in this energy hierarchy. Decentralised renewable energy can break this hierarchy and provide quick, reliable and sustainable power to people. The planning commission should consider and include it in the scheme,” said Divya Raghunandan, Campaigns Director, Greenpeace India.
This shift to decentralisation was echoed by Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of new and renewable energy, recently at the global energy forum at Vienna, Austria. He highlighted the need for a fundamental rethink in India’s approach to rural electrification, and the failure of the currently prevalent grid extension approach towards fulfilling the mandate of electricity for all. He emphasized on decentralised distributed generation models (DDG) operated at the local level which rely on renewable energy sources and technologies as the way forward to deliver on energy access. This would deliver faster on access while reducing costs around centralised grid extension (2).
Ahead of the national consultation, Greenpeace conducted social audits and public hearings on RGGVY in 31 villages across Madhubani and Saran districts in Bihar, Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh and Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh.
The social audits and the public hearings clearly brought out the inconsistencies in the claims made by the Centre’s scheme and what the reality at the ground level.
In a shocking expose, it was found that while the information on the RGGVY website claimed that Saran and Madhubani districts in Bihar had achieved 100 per cent and 97 per cent electrification, in reality, almost 78 per cent of the population at Saran and almost all villages in Madhubani had no access to electricity. Similarly, in Azamgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP), the RGGVY website claims electrification upto 93 per cent, while in reality a large number of people have been denied even an electric connection. In energy deficient UP and Bihar, the supply is highly erratic and unreliable.
In Andhra Pradesh, where villages have access to electricity, RGGVY has failed to achieve intense electrification that it set out to do. Improvement in electricity infrastructure has not translated to improved supply and failed to meet the demands of the people who want electricity for more than just lighting purposes. Moreover, lack of awareness and entitlements under the scheme has lead to entry of contractors and rampant corruption as people of the area alleged in our public hearings.
“The scheme has not been able to provide even basic electricity to rural areas because it has envisaged grid extension in the absence of quality and reliable electricity supply. There are inherent problems in the scheme that need to be rectified. The Planning Commission is reviewing the scheme for the 12th five year plan. With the social audits, public hearings, regional consultation and now the national consultation, we hope to input into the review process and take people’s concerns to the policy makers,” said Arpana Udupa, campaigner, climate and energy, Greenpeace India.
Greenpeace calls on the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Power to mainstream DRE in RGGVY in a significant way. The scheme should:
•Take up a target of small scale renewable energy generation (mix of mini-grid and off-grid) infrastructure development in the 12th plan period.
•Include electrification for 100 per cent households in a village.
•Embed the social audit component in the scheme to enhance accountability of the system.
•Include guidelines for energy infrastructure for irrigation and medium and small scale industries as part of rural energy programme
•Inclusion of Panchayati Raj Institutions to enable better implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
Greenpeace will share the recommendations emerging out of today’s consultation with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Power.
Notes to the editor
1.The national consultation was attended by representatives of GIZ, Power Grid Corporation India Limited, Department for International Development, Planning Commission, Society for Participatory Research in Asia, Development Alternatives, The Energy Research Institute, Rural Electrification Corporation, Vasudha Foundation, Ministry of Power, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and Member of Parliament Dr D Raja amongst others.
2.Vienna Energy forum bulletin – A summary report of the Vienna energy forum 2011 http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1001185
For further details and social audit reports, pleae visit:
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/en/System-templates/Search-results/?all=rggvy
National consultation on RGGVY demands revamp of scheme
With Centre’s ambitious Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana failing to provide quality electricity access to rural India, at a National Consultation organised by Greenpeace, restructuring of RGGVY to include decentralised renewable energy for quick and reliable electricity to all, was the key issue on focus. The consultation brought together government agencies, energy experts, policy makers and civil society representatives (1).
Member of Parliament D Raja expressed concern on the findings of the social audit and raised questions on the effectiveness of the scheme. “How long will rural areas have to wait before they get energy empowered? The scheme raised people’s hopes but has dashed them again by not being able to provide reliable and quality electricity, which is not more than a few hours in some areas. The government must rectify the loopholes so that people get what is their right. Their right to electricity, their right to work, study and do business even after dark, their right to growth and a better life,” Raja said.
“The centralised grid based approach of RGGVY has not been able to meet people’s aspirations. Rural areas have always been neglected in this energy hierarchy. Decentralised renewable energy can break this hierarchy and provide quick, reliable and sustainable power to people. The planning commission should consider and include it in the scheme,” said Divya Raghunandan, Campaigns Director, Greenpeace India.
This shift to decentralisation was echoed by Deepak Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of new and renewable energy, recently at the global energy forum at Vienna, Austria. He highlighted the need for a fundamental rethink in India’s approach to rural electrification, and the failure of the currently prevalent grid extension approach towards fulfilling the mandate of electricity for all. He emphasized on decentralised distributed generation models (DDG) operated at the local level which rely on renewable energy sources and technologies as the way forward to deliver on energy access. This would deliver faster on access while reducing costs around centralised grid extension (2).
Ahead of the national consultation, Greenpeace conducted social audits and public hearings on RGGVY in 31 villages across Madhubani and Saran districts in Bihar, Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh and Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh.
The social audits and the public hearings clearly brought out the inconsistencies in the claims made by the Centre’s scheme and what the reality at the ground level.
In a shocking expose, it was found that while the information on the RGGVY website claimed that Saran and Madhubani districts in Bihar had achieved 100 per cent and 97 per cent electrification, in reality, almost 78 per cent of the population at Saran and almost all villages in Madhubani had no access to electricity. Similarly, in Azamgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP), the RGGVY website claims electrification upto 93 per cent, while in reality a large number of people have been denied even an electric connection. In energy deficient UP and Bihar, the supply is highly erratic and unreliable.
In Andhra Pradesh, where villages have access to electricity, RGGVY has failed to achieve intense electrification that it set out to do. Improvement in electricity infrastructure has not translated to improved supply and failed to meet the demands of the people who want electricity for more than just lighting purposes. Moreover, lack of awareness and entitlements under the scheme has lead to entry of contractors and rampant corruption as people of the area alleged in our public hearings.
“The scheme has not been able to provide even basic electricity to rural areas because it has envisaged grid extension in the absence of quality and reliable electricity supply. There are inherent problems in the scheme that need to be rectified. The Planning Commission is reviewing the scheme for the 12th five year plan. With the social audits, public hearings, regional consultation and now the national consultation, we hope to input into the review process and take people’s concerns to the policy makers,” said Arpana Udupa, campaigner, climate and energy, Greenpeace India.
Greenpeace calls on the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Power to mainstream DRE in RGGVY in a significant way. The scheme should:
•Take up a target of small scale renewable energy generation (mix of mini-grid and off-grid) infrastructure development in the 12th plan period.
•Include electrification for 100 per cent households in a village.
•Embed the social audit component in the scheme to enhance accountability of the system.
•Include guidelines for energy infrastructure for irrigation and medium and small scale industries as part of rural energy programme
•Inclusion of Panchayati Raj Institutions to enable better implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
Greenpeace will share the recommendations emerging out of today’s consultation with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Power.
Notes to the editor
1.The national consultation was attended by representatives of GIZ, Power Grid Corporation India Limited, Department for International Development, Planning Commission, Society for Participatory Research in Asia, Development Alternatives, The Energy Research Institute, Rural Electrification Corporation, Vasudha Foundation, Ministry of Power, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and Member of Parliament Dr D Raja amongst others.
2.Vienna Energy forum bulletin – A summary report of the Vienna energy forum 2011 http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1001185
For further details and social audit reports, pleae visit:
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/en/System-templates/Search-results/?all=rggvy
Return in state an uphill task for party
The Congress has miles to go before it can be seen as a political alternative to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh. It has been out of power in the state since 1989 and has been unable to connect with the the people in the elections one since then. The 2009 Lok Sabha polls saw its re-emergence. So all eyes will be on it in the 2012 polls.
In the recent months, it has been able to keep itself on the centre stage by raising issues of public concern. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's recent moves to reach out to the people to meet the victims of rape and murder have helped the party connect with the issues of public concern.
His decision to accompany Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Rita Bahuguna Joshi to file applications to get information about use of National Rural Health Mission funds and his 'dharna' at Bhatta-Parsaul villages outsmarting others have generated a lot of heat in the political arena.
Take the case of party's organisational strength. A number of district and city units are yet to be constituted notwithstanding the much-prolonged exercise of holding organisational elections.
The party leaders from Azamgarh were staging a dharna in front of the UPCC headquarters to demand early appointment of DCC president when Rahul was attending the state election committee meeting to decide the policy to announce candidates for 2012 assembly elections.
The UPCC had said the party would announce candidates for the assembly elections by May 31, 2011. Even after a month, the party has not been able to announce the candidates.
Besides the state centric factors, the party would also have to find convincing answers for its handling of issues like price rise at national level.
In the recent months, it has been able to keep itself on the centre stage by raising issues of public concern. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's recent moves to reach out to the people to meet the victims of rape and murder have helped the party connect with the issues of public concern.
His decision to accompany Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Rita Bahuguna Joshi to file applications to get information about use of National Rural Health Mission funds and his 'dharna' at Bhatta-Parsaul villages outsmarting others have generated a lot of heat in the political arena.
Take the case of party's organisational strength. A number of district and city units are yet to be constituted notwithstanding the much-prolonged exercise of holding organisational elections.
The party leaders from Azamgarh were staging a dharna in front of the UPCC headquarters to demand early appointment of DCC president when Rahul was attending the state election committee meeting to decide the policy to announce candidates for 2012 assembly elections.
The UPCC had said the party would announce candidates for the assembly elections by May 31, 2011. Even after a month, the party has not been able to announce the candidates.
Besides the state centric factors, the party would also have to find convincing answers for its handling of issues like price rise at national level.
Combating human trafficking proves difficult
Jun 24, 2011, 10.03pm IST
VARANASI: Though the anti-human trafficking cell (AHTC) of police has become operational recently in the district, it has to evolve a foolproof mechanism for preventing and combating human trafficking as Varanasi is believed to be a transit point for the same.
"No case of human trafficking has been registered so far, though we have rescued 15 children below 14 years of age from many 'dhabas' and small hotels," said Pannalal Gupta, the in-charge of the cell that came into existence on June 16. The cell has been established as per the directive of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The advisory on preventing and combating human trafficking clearly mentions that the Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) is a crime committed in order to target, lead or drive a human being into an exploitative situation with the aim to make profits. Such exploitation may take many forms like commercial sexual exploitation, child labour, forced labour or bonded labour. The country is witnessing cross-border as well as internal (intra-country) trafficking.
In its initial exercise the cell rescued child labourers only. "We have contacted the guardians of the rescued children and sent them back," Gupta told TOI on Friday. According to him, it could not be established that the children were trafficked. However, one of the main objectives of the cell is to put an effective check on trafficking of children and women, who can be exploited as labourers and commercial sex workers. He admitted that it would take some time for the proper running of the cell. The cell has a team of six personnel, including two sub-inspector, two head constables and two constables. "We also need public support and co-operation for effective action against those involved in trafficking," he said.
On the other hand, social activists working in this field feel that it needs proper co-ordination to address the deep-rooted problem. "It is a fact that girls are trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh and Indian states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and east UP itself. This trafficking either culminates and gets accommodated in the brothels of Varanasi, Mau, Azamgarh, Ballia or gets routed (transit point) to Bombay, Delhi, Dubai and other places from Varanasi by virtue of having air, road, rail links," said Ajeet Singh of Guria, an organisation working for women and child rights. "A broader linkage needs to be built between source, transit and destination areas to trace, rescue and rehabilitate trafficked victims of commercial sexual exploitation," he said. According to him, nearly 5% of women and girls engaged in prostitution are from Nepal and Bangladesh and about 5,000-7,000 Nepali girls are trafficked to India every year mainly via UP and Bihar.
So far the organisation has rescued around 50 minor girls from the brothels in the red light area of Varanasi with the help of the civil society. Presently Guria is fighting over 100 cases against more than 400 traffickers and brothel keepers. Singh has also been included in the team constituted by the National Commission for Women (NCW) to investigate trafficking channels from Azamgarh to the Middle East. According to him, the problem exists because laws like Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA) and Bonded Labour Abolition Act are not enforced properly. A report of the National Human Rights Commission also suggests that laws do not adequately target traffickers, pimps, and brothel keepers. He said around 14,000 persons are arrested every year under ITPA, out of whom about 90% are women, despite the fact that a majority of the exploiters and traffickers are men.
Poverty is believed to be the root cause of trafficking of children for various purposes. Singh said about 44% of the women in prostitution fall prey to traffickers because of poverty. The report of the Ministry of Women and Child Development on Child Protection in the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) also admits it. It is estimated that 90% of trafficking for sexual exploitation is within the country. Many of those trafficked are children, sometimes as young as eight years old, or even younger. According the report, trafficking for labour is the most under reported crime.
"There is no appropriate law to put a check, particularly on child trafficking effectively," said another social activist Rajni Kant, director of Human Welfare Association ( HWA). According to him, Varanasi has sensitive pockets that are ideally located for child trafficking through rail road links. "It is fine to create an exclusive cell to tackle this problem, but all police station should also have dedicated teams for this purpose," he said.
VARANASI: Though the anti-human trafficking cell (AHTC) of police has become operational recently in the district, it has to evolve a foolproof mechanism for preventing and combating human trafficking as Varanasi is believed to be a transit point for the same.
"No case of human trafficking has been registered so far, though we have rescued 15 children below 14 years of age from many 'dhabas' and small hotels," said Pannalal Gupta, the in-charge of the cell that came into existence on June 16. The cell has been established as per the directive of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The advisory on preventing and combating human trafficking clearly mentions that the Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) is a crime committed in order to target, lead or drive a human being into an exploitative situation with the aim to make profits. Such exploitation may take many forms like commercial sexual exploitation, child labour, forced labour or bonded labour. The country is witnessing cross-border as well as internal (intra-country) trafficking.
In its initial exercise the cell rescued child labourers only. "We have contacted the guardians of the rescued children and sent them back," Gupta told TOI on Friday. According to him, it could not be established that the children were trafficked. However, one of the main objectives of the cell is to put an effective check on trafficking of children and women, who can be exploited as labourers and commercial sex workers. He admitted that it would take some time for the proper running of the cell. The cell has a team of six personnel, including two sub-inspector, two head constables and two constables. "We also need public support and co-operation for effective action against those involved in trafficking," he said.
On the other hand, social activists working in this field feel that it needs proper co-ordination to address the deep-rooted problem. "It is a fact that girls are trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh and Indian states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and east UP itself. This trafficking either culminates and gets accommodated in the brothels of Varanasi, Mau, Azamgarh, Ballia or gets routed (transit point) to Bombay, Delhi, Dubai and other places from Varanasi by virtue of having air, road, rail links," said Ajeet Singh of Guria, an organisation working for women and child rights. "A broader linkage needs to be built between source, transit and destination areas to trace, rescue and rehabilitate trafficked victims of commercial sexual exploitation," he said. According to him, nearly 5% of women and girls engaged in prostitution are from Nepal and Bangladesh and about 5,000-7,000 Nepali girls are trafficked to India every year mainly via UP and Bihar.
So far the organisation has rescued around 50 minor girls from the brothels in the red light area of Varanasi with the help of the civil society. Presently Guria is fighting over 100 cases against more than 400 traffickers and brothel keepers. Singh has also been included in the team constituted by the National Commission for Women (NCW) to investigate trafficking channels from Azamgarh to the Middle East. According to him, the problem exists because laws like Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA) and Bonded Labour Abolition Act are not enforced properly. A report of the National Human Rights Commission also suggests that laws do not adequately target traffickers, pimps, and brothel keepers. He said around 14,000 persons are arrested every year under ITPA, out of whom about 90% are women, despite the fact that a majority of the exploiters and traffickers are men.
Poverty is believed to be the root cause of trafficking of children for various purposes. Singh said about 44% of the women in prostitution fall prey to traffickers because of poverty. The report of the Ministry of Women and Child Development on Child Protection in the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) also admits it. It is estimated that 90% of trafficking for sexual exploitation is within the country. Many of those trafficked are children, sometimes as young as eight years old, or even younger. According the report, trafficking for labour is the most under reported crime.
"There is no appropriate law to put a check, particularly on child trafficking effectively," said another social activist Rajni Kant, director of Human Welfare Association ( HWA). According to him, Varanasi has sensitive pockets that are ideally located for child trafficking through rail road links. "It is fine to create an exclusive cell to tackle this problem, but all police station should also have dedicated teams for this purpose," he said.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
UP may formulate Action Plan for augmenting CD Ratio
Virendra Singh Rawat / New Delhi/ Lucknow June 29, 2011, 0:46 IST
Perturbed over low Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR) in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the Bundelkhand region, the state government may formulate an Action Plan in partnership with commercial banks.
This has to be seen in the backdrop of UP seeking private investment to the tune of Rs 2,00,000 crore across sectors to prop up its economy.
Although, UP is the second largest economy after Maharashtra, its CDR is around 48 per cent, much lower than the national average of around 70 per cent.
The issue of the low CDR in UP was discussed in the recent State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting in Lucknow.
“The SLBC decided to double credit flow to the agriculture and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sectors in UP,” Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regional director Amarendra Sahoo told Business Standard .
The segments identified for emphasis are minor irrigation and rural road connectivity. He said the Action Plan would be laid down by the government in concert with banks.
“The banks have assured to increase credit flow commensurate with the credit absorption capacity created by the state government,” Sahoo added.
The government feels the CDR of UP should ideally be 60 per cent. The higher is the CDR, the higher is credit deployment to more credit-users.
Low CDR indicates low industrial and commercial activity, especially in eastern and Bundelkhand regions. It also indicates flight of domestic savings to other industrialised and more developed states to spur their development activities.
UP is a vast and populous state with rough geographical and climatic conditions in certain pockets. Almost 80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas with low literacy and high poverty. Thus, banks need to intensify their network with a sense of commitment, the government feels.
Sahoo, however, denied that there was flight of capital from UP. “In fact, several projects in UP receive funds from banks sanctioned in Delhi and other places.”
Earlier, a sub-committee had been formed to prepare a report on UP districts, where CDR was below 40 per cent. In short term, SLBC aims to increase their CDR beyond 40 per cent mark.
Perturbed over low Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR) in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the Bundelkhand region, the state government may formulate an Action Plan in partnership with commercial banks.
This has to be seen in the backdrop of UP seeking private investment to the tune of Rs 2,00,000 crore across sectors to prop up its economy.
Although, UP is the second largest economy after Maharashtra, its CDR is around 48 per cent, much lower than the national average of around 70 per cent.
The issue of the low CDR in UP was discussed in the recent State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting in Lucknow.
“The SLBC decided to double credit flow to the agriculture and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sectors in UP,” Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regional director Amarendra Sahoo told Business Standard .
The segments identified for emphasis are minor irrigation and rural road connectivity. He said the Action Plan would be laid down by the government in concert with banks.
“The banks have assured to increase credit flow commensurate with the credit absorption capacity created by the state government,” Sahoo added.
The government feels the CDR of UP should ideally be 60 per cent. The higher is the CDR, the higher is credit deployment to more credit-users.
Low CDR indicates low industrial and commercial activity, especially in eastern and Bundelkhand regions. It also indicates flight of domestic savings to other industrialised and more developed states to spur their development activities.
UP is a vast and populous state with rough geographical and climatic conditions in certain pockets. Almost 80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas with low literacy and high poverty. Thus, banks need to intensify their network with a sense of commitment, the government feels.
Sahoo, however, denied that there was flight of capital from UP. “In fact, several projects in UP receive funds from banks sanctioned in Delhi and other places.”
Earlier, a sub-committee had been formed to prepare a report on UP districts, where CDR was below 40 per cent. In short term, SLBC aims to increase their CDR beyond 40 per cent mark.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
‘Bombers’ turn to books in jail
ANANYA SENGUPTA
New Delhi, Feb. 8: Two of the alleged September 13 Delhi bombers are studying from early morning till late night in Tihar jail so they can complete their university courses.
Ziaur Rehman, 22, is up by 4am and, after his morning rituals, immerses himself in books borrowed from the jail library. His lawyer, Shanwar Khan, has petitioned Delhi High Court so that Ziaur is provided all the study material he needs to sit his BA finals from Jamia Millia Islamia, likely in March.
Saqib Nissar, 25, has already received court permission to appear in the third semester examination of Sikkim Manipal University’s MBA programme, which he was pursuing through a correspondence course.
He will take the exam from jail, probably next month, and is studying eight to 10 hours every day, jail officials say. “Since the trial has not started yet, he has a lot of time to study,” Saqib’s lawyer Vikash Padora said.
The two youths’ eagerness to complete their studies is consistent with a new trend in militancy in India: most militants are now highly educated with their ranks including engineers, doctors and teachers.
Ziaur will move court for permission to take his exam once Jamia Millia announces the dates. “The court will decide whether he should go to the campus and write his papers under guard, or if university officials will come to the jail to conduct the exam,” Khan said. “But I know that with his hardworking ways, he will do well even if he is given seven days to prepare.”
Ziaur is already putting in long hours, jail sources said. “He rises early and then he is in his cell, studying hard. He wants to secure good marks so that, if he is acquitted, he wouldn’t have to run around for a job,” Khan said.
Ziaur’s subjects are Islam in medieval India, cultural history of Islam, media education, government and politics in India, international politics, and social changes and social problems in India.
Jail officials said the two youths have been studying late into the night.
Saqib and Ziaur, alleged Indian Mujahideen members, are accused of involvement in last year’s Delhi blasts that killed 30-odd people and injured over 100.
Officers say the Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad bombings were all carried out by 13 young men from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Two of them, including alleged module leader Mohammed Atif Amin, were shot dead in the mid-September Batla House “encounter” in Delhi.
The police have filed chargesheets against the five they have arrested: Saqib, Ziaur, Mohammed Saif, Zeeshan Ahmed and Mohammed Shakeel. The charges come under the Indian Penal Code (murder, attempt to murder, waging war against the nation), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
Saqib and Ziaur, however, are not the first terror suspects to study and obtain degrees from jail. Nalini Murugan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, completed a master’s course in computer applications in 2007. She is lodged in a Chennai prison.
New Delhi, Feb. 8: Two of the alleged September 13 Delhi bombers are studying from early morning till late night in Tihar jail so they can complete their university courses.
Ziaur Rehman, 22, is up by 4am and, after his morning rituals, immerses himself in books borrowed from the jail library. His lawyer, Shanwar Khan, has petitioned Delhi High Court so that Ziaur is provided all the study material he needs to sit his BA finals from Jamia Millia Islamia, likely in March.
Saqib Nissar, 25, has already received court permission to appear in the third semester examination of Sikkim Manipal University’s MBA programme, which he was pursuing through a correspondence course.
He will take the exam from jail, probably next month, and is studying eight to 10 hours every day, jail officials say. “Since the trial has not started yet, he has a lot of time to study,” Saqib’s lawyer Vikash Padora said.
The two youths’ eagerness to complete their studies is consistent with a new trend in militancy in India: most militants are now highly educated with their ranks including engineers, doctors and teachers.
Ziaur will move court for permission to take his exam once Jamia Millia announces the dates. “The court will decide whether he should go to the campus and write his papers under guard, or if university officials will come to the jail to conduct the exam,” Khan said. “But I know that with his hardworking ways, he will do well even if he is given seven days to prepare.”
Ziaur is already putting in long hours, jail sources said. “He rises early and then he is in his cell, studying hard. He wants to secure good marks so that, if he is acquitted, he wouldn’t have to run around for a job,” Khan said.
Ziaur’s subjects are Islam in medieval India, cultural history of Islam, media education, government and politics in India, international politics, and social changes and social problems in India.
Jail officials said the two youths have been studying late into the night.
Saqib and Ziaur, alleged Indian Mujahideen members, are accused of involvement in last year’s Delhi blasts that killed 30-odd people and injured over 100.
Officers say the Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad bombings were all carried out by 13 young men from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Two of them, including alleged module leader Mohammed Atif Amin, were shot dead in the mid-September Batla House “encounter” in Delhi.
The police have filed chargesheets against the five they have arrested: Saqib, Ziaur, Mohammed Saif, Zeeshan Ahmed and Mohammed Shakeel. The charges come under the Indian Penal Code (murder, attempt to murder, waging war against the nation), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
Saqib and Ziaur, however, are not the first terror suspects to study and obtain degrees from jail. Nalini Murugan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, completed a master’s course in computer applications in 2007. She is lodged in a Chennai prison.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Commuters bear the brunt
Vijay Pratap Singh
Posted online: Saturday , August 09, 2008 at 03:00:20
Allahabad, August 8 The August 9 BSP rally brought woes for millions of commuters in the state on Friday, as over 2,000 buses of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) stayed off the roads.
The state party leaders had booked these buses to reach the venue of the national conference of the BSP at the Ramabai Ambedkar ground in Lucknow. Thousands of passengers remained stranded at bus stations across the state.
There are 17 regions of UPSRTC and each region has earmarked up to 200 buses for ferrying the BSP members to Lucknow. “Over 2,000 buses would remain off the road for two days,” said Chandra Shekhar Pandey, state President of Roadways Karmachari Sanyukt Parishad
The UPSRTC buses carry over 4 crore passengers daily, said a department official. The Allahabad, Varanasi, Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Azamgarh, Hardoi, Aligarh and Jhansi regions of the UPSRTC have reportedly kept aside over 1,200 buses for the rally.
While the BSP leaders have booked only 145 UPSRTC buses from the Allahabad region, the department had reportedly sent 200 buses for the rally. Regional manager of UPSRTC, SK Banerjee said the party paid Rs 16 lakh in advance for the buses in Allahabad.
Regarding the inconvenience caused to the passengers, he said the department had increased the frequency of the remaining 230 buses in the region. The actual situation, however, belied his claim, as thousands of passengers remained stranded at several bus stations in the region.
BSP sources said each MLA was asked to manage 15 buses for the party workers. A leader’s ranking in the party would depend on his ability to manage vehicles and workers.
The BSP candidate for the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency Ashok Kumar Bajpai booked 90 buses of UPSRTC and 110 private buses. “We paid money for the buses and did not misuse the state machinery,” said Kumar.
Posted online: Saturday , August 09, 2008 at 03:00:20
Allahabad, August 8 The August 9 BSP rally brought woes for millions of commuters in the state on Friday, as over 2,000 buses of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) stayed off the roads.
The state party leaders had booked these buses to reach the venue of the national conference of the BSP at the Ramabai Ambedkar ground in Lucknow. Thousands of passengers remained stranded at bus stations across the state.
There are 17 regions of UPSRTC and each region has earmarked up to 200 buses for ferrying the BSP members to Lucknow. “Over 2,000 buses would remain off the road for two days,” said Chandra Shekhar Pandey, state President of Roadways Karmachari Sanyukt Parishad
The UPSRTC buses carry over 4 crore passengers daily, said a department official. The Allahabad, Varanasi, Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Azamgarh, Hardoi, Aligarh and Jhansi regions of the UPSRTC have reportedly kept aside over 1,200 buses for the rally.
While the BSP leaders have booked only 145 UPSRTC buses from the Allahabad region, the department had reportedly sent 200 buses for the rally. Regional manager of UPSRTC, SK Banerjee said the party paid Rs 16 lakh in advance for the buses in Allahabad.
Regarding the inconvenience caused to the passengers, he said the department had increased the frequency of the remaining 230 buses in the region. The actual situation, however, belied his claim, as thousands of passengers remained stranded at several bus stations in the region.
BSP sources said each MLA was asked to manage 15 buses for the party workers. A leader’s ranking in the party would depend on his ability to manage vehicles and workers.
The BSP candidate for the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency Ashok Kumar Bajpai booked 90 buses of UPSRTC and 110 private buses. “We paid money for the buses and did not misuse the state machinery,” said Kumar.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
11 school kids drown in swollen Silni in Azamgarh
2 Aug 2008, 0415 hrs IST
LUCKNOW/VARANASI: Eleven children drowned when the boat carrying around 21 school students capsized in Azamgarh on Friday.
Azamgarh district authorities handed out cheques of Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of deceased, whose bodies were fished out of river.
District Magistrate (DM), Azamgarh, Mayur Maheshwari said that the incident took place near Gyaspur village in Sandhara police circle. A boat ferrying 27 persons, including 21 school children, across Silni, capsized in the afternoon.
"While six managed to swim to safety, another 10 were fished out in an unconscious state by the rescue teams and admitted to the district hospital," Maheshwari said adding that 11 bodies of students had been recovered from the river when the rescue operation was called off due to bad light on Friday.
Most of the victims were students of class 4, 5 and 6 at Durga Inter College in Kandhrapur area and were returning home when the incident took place. Though the school had an approach road, students preferred to ferry across the river as it was a short-cut, Maheshwari said.
According to local villagers, the boat was overloaded and ferrying it across the swift current of the swelling river was a dangerous preposition. In utter disregard to safety, the boatman took 27 passengers in the boat that had a sitting capacity of 15.
"The rescued students are completely out of danger but we have kept them under observation as they are in a state of shock," SSP, Azamgarh, Vijay Garg said.
LUCKNOW/VARANASI: Eleven children drowned when the boat carrying around 21 school students capsized in Azamgarh on Friday.
Azamgarh district authorities handed out cheques of Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of deceased, whose bodies were fished out of river.
District Magistrate (DM), Azamgarh, Mayur Maheshwari said that the incident took place near Gyaspur village in Sandhara police circle. A boat ferrying 27 persons, including 21 school children, across Silni, capsized in the afternoon.
"While six managed to swim to safety, another 10 were fished out in an unconscious state by the rescue teams and admitted to the district hospital," Maheshwari said adding that 11 bodies of students had been recovered from the river when the rescue operation was called off due to bad light on Friday.
Most of the victims were students of class 4, 5 and 6 at Durga Inter College in Kandhrapur area and were returning home when the incident took place. Though the school had an approach road, students preferred to ferry across the river as it was a short-cut, Maheshwari said.
According to local villagers, the boat was overloaded and ferrying it across the swift current of the swelling river was a dangerous preposition. In utter disregard to safety, the boatman took 27 passengers in the boat that had a sitting capacity of 15.
"The rescued students are completely out of danger but we have kept them under observation as they are in a state of shock," SSP, Azamgarh, Vijay Garg said.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
No PWD inroads in mafia land
[ 13 Nov, 2006 0300hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: The shadow of the mafia over PWD contracts in east UP has severely hampered the infrastructural growth of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
A majority of contracts for development projects, including World Bank-aided works, simply don't see the light of the day in this crime-prone region because the quoted cost far exceeds the estimated cost. Reason: Contractors have to include the 'mafia tax' in each of the bids.
The cost quoted by contractors in this region is almost 40 to 50 per cent higher than the estimated cost.
Interestingly, same contractors keep their bids approximately equal to or less than the estimated cost for the same nature of work in the central or western parts of the state.
The mafia menace is so rampant that most of the districts in the region including Basti, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Deoria, Ballia, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Mau and Varanasi witness mafia-turned politicians dictating terms in government contracts.
"Politicians like Hari Shankar Tewari, who is also a minister, Mukhtar Ansari, Dhananjay Singh, Chulbul Singh, Akhilesh Singh (all gangsters cum legislators) rule the roost in their respective areas. Each contract would need their blessings," confided a senior PWD official.
Talking to TOI, principal secretary, PWD, Satish Kumar Agarwal admitted," Such elements were not allowing contractors to work without fear of coercion." He however refused to identify the mafia-turned politicians realising 'mafia tax' from the contractors.
He said that the projects which are in the eastern UP areas, the department is not getting the right of kind of people to place a bid.
"In some cases the bids are exorbitant and as high as 40 to 50 per cent above the estimated cost," said Agarwal. Citing an example, he said that for Deoria-Ballia World Bank-aided state road project, the bid was as high as 44 per cent of the estimated cost
A majority of contracts for development projects, including World Bank-aided works, simply don't see the light of the day in this crime-prone region because the quoted cost far exceeds the estimated cost. Reason: Contractors have to include the 'mafia tax' in each of the bids.
The cost quoted by contractors in this region is almost 40 to 50 per cent higher than the estimated cost.
Interestingly, same contractors keep their bids approximately equal to or less than the estimated cost for the same nature of work in the central or western parts of the state.
The mafia menace is so rampant that most of the districts in the region including Basti, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Deoria, Ballia, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Mau and Varanasi witness mafia-turned politicians dictating terms in government contracts.
"Politicians like Hari Shankar Tewari, who is also a minister, Mukhtar Ansari, Dhananjay Singh, Chulbul Singh, Akhilesh Singh (all gangsters cum legislators) rule the roost in their respective areas. Each contract would need their blessings," confided a senior PWD official.
Talking to TOI, principal secretary, PWD, Satish Kumar Agarwal admitted," Such elements were not allowing contractors to work without fear of coercion." He however refused to identify the mafia-turned politicians realising 'mafia tax' from the contractors.
He said that the projects which are in the eastern UP areas, the department is not getting the right of kind of people to place a bid.
"In some cases the bids are exorbitant and as high as 40 to 50 per cent above the estimated cost," said Agarwal. Citing an example, he said that for Deoria-Ballia World Bank-aided state road project, the bid was as high as 44 per cent of the estimated cost
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
DISCOVER YOUR ROOTS : Tracing century-old roots for NRIs’ family tree
UP Tourism Dept’s project helps descendants of immigrant workers trace surviving relatives; Ballia adopted as pilot project.
Surendra Pratap Singh
Lucknow, April 29: IT is a search for long lost roots — a journey which goes back to over a century. Between 1900-1911, thousands of people from various districts of Uttar Pradesh were shipped by the ruling British to serve as bonded labourers across the globe. Today, their descendants, most of whom are now well-to-do Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), are trying to trace their roots with the help of the UP Tourism Department.
The present generation of these NRIs are trying to track the whereabouts of their surviving relatives. In a recent breakthrough, two were successful in tracing their families in Jaunpur and Azamgarh.
Although the department initiated the project, ‘‘Discover your Roots’’, in 2000, it only received a boost last year. This year, the search has received a budgetary allocation of Rs 7 lakh from the State Government. Another proposal for Rs 30 lakh is lying with the Centre. All interested NRIs can register under scheme by paying a fee of US$ 100.
Nikhil Chandra, joint MD, UP Tourism Corporation, said it has been an uphill task so far. ‘‘As per the instructions of the Government of India, we have been searching for the families of 56 people who migrated from Ballia. Of these, eight families have been found so far,’’ he said.
‘‘Information on 38 districts has been collected so far. The names and addresses of 10,000 people who went as indentured labourers have been compiled,’’ said R R Saxena, project manager of Discover Your Roots.
The district of Ballia has been undertaken as the pilot project. ‘‘An office has been set up in Ballia with two field supervisors, who are engaged in visiting villages to collect the necessary information,’’ he said.
Five other districts — Varanasi, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Faizabad and Azamgarh — will also be taken up as part of the pilot project. The maximum number of immigrants was found to be from these six districts. The details of villagers who have been successfully traced will be put up on the department’s website.
Officers involved in the search revealed how their task was made more difficult by villagers’ unwillingness to divulge information. They feared that the NRIs would return to ask for their share of property.
On a district level, officials are scanning old land records, talking to old people belonging to the same caste as the immigrant, checking ration cards, and studying birth and death registration certificates. Even old folk songs are being studied to look for some names.
Seventy colonial immigration registers have been dug out from the Lucknow archives. The pothis (record books) on the ghats of Haridwar, Varanasi, Gaya, Badrinath, Dwarkadham and Pushkar are also being scanned. These pothis contain the names of people who perfomed pind daan (prayers for dead relatives) or other religious functions, along with their addresses too.
Efforts are also on to study the immigration lists (1917-1978) at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius.
The whole project has been divided into three phases. In the first phase, information on the immigrants will be collected. This preliminary information will then be sent to the related NRIs, along with an invitation to visit their ancestral place.
In the second phase, a packaged tour for the NRI will be organised to his village. This will include fooding, lodging and conveyance.
And in the third, the tourism department will facilitate any construction activity or other developmental work that the NRI may want to undertake at his village.
Girmitias to NRIs
FROM 1900-1911, the British got thousands of Indians to sign agreements undertaking to work in foreign countries under the then British empire. They were promised a good life, job opportunities and a chance to make more money.
These people, most of whom belonged to Ballia, Gonda, Basti, Azamgarh, Rae Bareli, Gorakhpur and Bahraich districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, were packed into three ships. Some men were alone, while others were accompanied by their families.
The living conditions on board the ships were bad. Even the rations were inadequate. Many died during the journey. Those who survived were dumped in Mauritius, Surinam, Fiji and other neighbouring areas to work as bonded labourers.
They came to be known as ‘‘Girmitias’’, a distortion of the word ‘‘agreement’’. Because, whenever they were questioned, these Indian immigrants used to answer that they were there ‘‘on agreement’’.
Over the years, the immigrants became affluent through sheer hard work. And most of their descendants are now well-off NRIs.
Surendra Pratap Singh
Lucknow, April 29: IT is a search for long lost roots — a journey which goes back to over a century. Between 1900-1911, thousands of people from various districts of Uttar Pradesh were shipped by the ruling British to serve as bonded labourers across the globe. Today, their descendants, most of whom are now well-to-do Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), are trying to trace their roots with the help of the UP Tourism Department.
The present generation of these NRIs are trying to track the whereabouts of their surviving relatives. In a recent breakthrough, two were successful in tracing their families in Jaunpur and Azamgarh.
Although the department initiated the project, ‘‘Discover your Roots’’, in 2000, it only received a boost last year. This year, the search has received a budgetary allocation of Rs 7 lakh from the State Government. Another proposal for Rs 30 lakh is lying with the Centre. All interested NRIs can register under scheme by paying a fee of US$ 100.
Nikhil Chandra, joint MD, UP Tourism Corporation, said it has been an uphill task so far. ‘‘As per the instructions of the Government of India, we have been searching for the families of 56 people who migrated from Ballia. Of these, eight families have been found so far,’’ he said.
‘‘Information on 38 districts has been collected so far. The names and addresses of 10,000 people who went as indentured labourers have been compiled,’’ said R R Saxena, project manager of Discover Your Roots.
The district of Ballia has been undertaken as the pilot project. ‘‘An office has been set up in Ballia with two field supervisors, who are engaged in visiting villages to collect the necessary information,’’ he said.
Five other districts — Varanasi, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Faizabad and Azamgarh — will also be taken up as part of the pilot project. The maximum number of immigrants was found to be from these six districts. The details of villagers who have been successfully traced will be put up on the department’s website.
Officers involved in the search revealed how their task was made more difficult by villagers’ unwillingness to divulge information. They feared that the NRIs would return to ask for their share of property.
On a district level, officials are scanning old land records, talking to old people belonging to the same caste as the immigrant, checking ration cards, and studying birth and death registration certificates. Even old folk songs are being studied to look for some names.
Seventy colonial immigration registers have been dug out from the Lucknow archives. The pothis (record books) on the ghats of Haridwar, Varanasi, Gaya, Badrinath, Dwarkadham and Pushkar are also being scanned. These pothis contain the names of people who perfomed pind daan (prayers for dead relatives) or other religious functions, along with their addresses too.
Efforts are also on to study the immigration lists (1917-1978) at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius.
The whole project has been divided into three phases. In the first phase, information on the immigrants will be collected. This preliminary information will then be sent to the related NRIs, along with an invitation to visit their ancestral place.
In the second phase, a packaged tour for the NRI will be organised to his village. This will include fooding, lodging and conveyance.
And in the third, the tourism department will facilitate any construction activity or other developmental work that the NRI may want to undertake at his village.
Girmitias to NRIs
FROM 1900-1911, the British got thousands of Indians to sign agreements undertaking to work in foreign countries under the then British empire. They were promised a good life, job opportunities and a chance to make more money.
These people, most of whom belonged to Ballia, Gonda, Basti, Azamgarh, Rae Bareli, Gorakhpur and Bahraich districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, were packed into three ships. Some men were alone, while others were accompanied by their families.
The living conditions on board the ships were bad. Even the rations were inadequate. Many died during the journey. Those who survived were dumped in Mauritius, Surinam, Fiji and other neighbouring areas to work as bonded labourers.
They came to be known as ‘‘Girmitias’’, a distortion of the word ‘‘agreement’’. Because, whenever they were questioned, these Indian immigrants used to answer that they were there ‘‘on agreement’’.
Over the years, the immigrants became affluent through sheer hard work. And most of their descendants are now well-off NRIs.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Capturing roots on frames
25-year-old unfolds her family's 19th Century flight from India and subsequent struggle in a 90-minute documentary film
Name: Shundell Prasad.
Age: 25 years.
Place of birth: British Guyana.
Profession: Documentary filmmaker.
This young woman fled Guyana, grew up in New York and studied at the Film School, New York University. Since childhood -- when she was told of her Indian origin -- she wanted to know where she was born and why she was not in India.
This search for her roots made her go about directing and producing a documentary film in the first-person narrative. It begins in Queens, New York, goes to the sweltering sugarcane fields of British Guyana where her family from India was taken as servants for the British Empire. From New York to British Guyana and Kolkata, the documentary unfolds.
"Uncovering the truth about one's lost history can be painful. This is my family's story of displacement, struggle and survival and my attempt at rediscovery. I managed to trace my forefather's 19th century ship records from Guyana's record room. They became my navigational map back to India," Shundell says.The filmmaker says she has shot 75 digital hours in Bihar and East Uttar Pradesh -- two areas that witnessed major scenes for Indian uprising, specifically the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. In Bihar, she found distant relatives of her mother in remote Muzaffarpur. In Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, she traced her father's relatives.
"It was stranger than fiction to come face to face with my relatives who live in dire poverty. It was here that I realised how removed I had become", she says. The documentary is in the post-production stages and in a few weeks, she will have a 90-minute product for the world to see. She is busy trying to show glimpses to people who matter and is also working to enter her film in film festivals.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
A land that breeds top-rated dons
(Source : TNN)
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005, LUCKNOW:
Azamgarh, situated in the backwaters of Uttar Pradesh, has no industry. Half of its land mass stays barren. But still the district is highly fertile, at least for breeding top-rated criminals.
It is the native place of not only Abu Salem but at least half a dozen other top shots of the underworld. Talk of sharp-shooters with different gangs and the records list over two dozen local youth.
Abu Salem’s link to Sarai Meer in Azamgarh is well known by now but Abu Hashim’s connection is still under wraps. Hashim happens to be the first criminal arrested under the Anti Terrorists Activities and Disruptive Act (Tada). He landed in the dragnet of the investigative agencies probing the serial blasts in Mumbai. Hashim also hails from Sarai Meer.
Ever heard of Shahid Badra? He was the first ever president of banned Muslim outfit Simi (Student’s Islamic Movement of India) which was allegedly behind inciting young minds on communal and anti-national lines. During 1999 - 2000 the Central government finally banned Simi and its activities following intelligence reports highlighting Simi’s role in execution of terror acts in central India. Shahid Badra was from the main Azamgarh town.
A step down from these top ranker natives of Azamgarh are the supposedly "lesser mortals" like Irfan Goga and Salim Chikna.
The two dreaded contract killers and sharp-shooters have given quite a few sleepless nights to Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi police. They too are known to have their bases in Gulf and South East. Azamgarh happens to be their home town as well.
Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Anees Ibrahim found his life partner in a family from this suburban district which has seen a significant migration to the middle east in search of a living.
With such a comprehensive list of important names in the police files of Maharashtra and Delhi having their roots in Azamgarh, it was an obvious hunting ground for the intelligence sleuths to look for two Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) terrorists. They were supposedly operating from their temporary base in eastern UP. The two were intercepted at a Madarsa in the heart of Azamgarh recently.
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005, LUCKNOW:
Azamgarh, situated in the backwaters of Uttar Pradesh, has no industry. Half of its land mass stays barren. But still the district is highly fertile, at least for breeding top-rated criminals.
It is the native place of not only Abu Salem but at least half a dozen other top shots of the underworld. Talk of sharp-shooters with different gangs and the records list over two dozen local youth.
Abu Salem’s link to Sarai Meer in Azamgarh is well known by now but Abu Hashim’s connection is still under wraps. Hashim happens to be the first criminal arrested under the Anti Terrorists Activities and Disruptive Act (Tada). He landed in the dragnet of the investigative agencies probing the serial blasts in Mumbai. Hashim also hails from Sarai Meer.
Ever heard of Shahid Badra? He was the first ever president of banned Muslim outfit Simi (Student’s Islamic Movement of India) which was allegedly behind inciting young minds on communal and anti-national lines. During 1999 - 2000 the Central government finally banned Simi and its activities following intelligence reports highlighting Simi’s role in execution of terror acts in central India. Shahid Badra was from the main Azamgarh town.
A step down from these top ranker natives of Azamgarh are the supposedly "lesser mortals" like Irfan Goga and Salim Chikna.
The two dreaded contract killers and sharp-shooters have given quite a few sleepless nights to Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi police. They too are known to have their bases in Gulf and South East. Azamgarh happens to be their home town as well.
Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Anees Ibrahim found his life partner in a family from this suburban district which has seen a significant migration to the middle east in search of a living.
With such a comprehensive list of important names in the police files of Maharashtra and Delhi having their roots in Azamgarh, it was an obvious hunting ground for the intelligence sleuths to look for two Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) terrorists. They were supposedly operating from their temporary base in eastern UP. The two were intercepted at a Madarsa in the heart of Azamgarh recently.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Eid prayer passes peacefully, night curfew continues in Mau
Saturday November 5 2005 00:00 IST
UNI
UNI
MAU (UTTAR PRADESH): After a violence- free Diwali, the festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr started off on a peaceful note on Friday in riot-torn Mau town, with the customary Namaz being offered amid tight security followed by exchange of pleasantries among all communities.
The town, however, was now free from day curfew following return of peace, DIG (range) Azamgarh Rajendra Pal Singh told UNI.
Adequate security arrangements were in place on the occasion of Eid Namaz, which passed off peacefully, he said.
The town of Mau had been under curfew since October 14 last following communal riots, which had seen seven persons killed and 37, injured.
About 450 people had been arrested so far in connection with the communal trouble in the town. Strict vigil was on, the DIG said.
Day curfew had already been lifted from this town from 0900 hrs to 1700 hrs, but the night curfew was still in place as a precautionary measure, the DIG said.
Following the peaceful passage of the Diwali and Eid, the administration was now reviewing lifting the night curfew as well, Mr Singh said.
Friday, October 14, 2005
SEC postpones polling date by a day
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2005 01:18:47 AM ]
LUCKNOW: State Election Commission (panchayat and local body) has deferred the poll schedule of more than two dozen places from October 14 to 15 on account of continuing festivities.
LUCKNOW: State Election Commission (panchayat and local body) has deferred the poll schedule of more than two dozen places from October 14 to 15 on account of continuing festivities.
According to additional commissioner, SEC, Vinay Priya Dubey the polling in Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Kushinagar, Siddharthnagar, Banda, Balrampur, Maharajganj, Kanpurnagar, Gonda, Bahraich, Shravasti, Sultanpur, Basti and Jaunpur would be held on Saturday instead of Friday to facilitate puja celebrations.
The first first of the kshetra and zila panchayat polls would be held on Friday. In this phase, 223 blocks would be covered. Around 41,775 polling stations have been established and 6,734 of them have been declared sensitive. The number of hyper-sensitive stations are 7,280. More than two crore voters would exercise their franchise in the first phase to elect 17,153 kshetra panchayat members and 695 zila panchayat members.
Meanwhile, the SEC has attached SDM Etah (Aliganj) to collector's office. The polling in Dhobi and Sondhi ward in Jaunpur has been annulled, said the SEC official.
First phase of UP District Panchayat polls tomorrow
Lucknow October 13, 2005 7:38:35 PM IST
All preparations have been made for the first phase of the four phase district and kshetra panchayat polls in 223 development blocks of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow.
State Election Commission (SEC) sources said here today that an estimated 1.5 lakh voters will cast their ballots for electing 17,153 kshetra panchayat and 695 district panchayat members.
The election will take place between from 0700 hrs to 1700 hrs at a total of 215 polling centres and 41,775 polling booths. Out of this as many as 6734 and 7280 booths have been classified as sensitive and hyper sensitive respectively, sources added.
A total of 75,914 and 11,492 candidates are in fray for the post of district and kshetra panchayat members respectively.
Meanwhile, owing to idol immersion, the polls have been rescheduled for October 15 instead of tomorrow in 38 blocks of Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Kushinagar, Siddharthnagar, Banda, Balrampur, Maharajganj, Kanpur, Gonda, Baharaich and Shravasti districts.
The second phase of the polls will be held on October 17, followed by the third and fourth phase on October 20 and 23 respectively, sources added.
All preparations have been made for the first phase of the four phase district and kshetra panchayat polls in 223 development blocks of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow.
State Election Commission (SEC) sources said here today that an estimated 1.5 lakh voters will cast their ballots for electing 17,153 kshetra panchayat and 695 district panchayat members.
The election will take place between from 0700 hrs to 1700 hrs at a total of 215 polling centres and 41,775 polling booths. Out of this as many as 6734 and 7280 booths have been classified as sensitive and hyper sensitive respectively, sources added.
A total of 75,914 and 11,492 candidates are in fray for the post of district and kshetra panchayat members respectively.
Meanwhile, owing to idol immersion, the polls have been rescheduled for October 15 instead of tomorrow in 38 blocks of Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Kushinagar, Siddharthnagar, Banda, Balrampur, Maharajganj, Kanpur, Gonda, Baharaich and Shravasti districts.
The second phase of the polls will be held on October 17, followed by the third and fourth phase on October 20 and 23 respectively, sources added.
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