(Article: Prashant Jha)

Korba (Chhattisgarh). Korba is a tribal-dominated district in Chhattisgarh, which despite being rich in natural resources, is among the backward districts of the country in terms of development index. Due to the abundance of black diamond (coal) in this district surrounded by dense forests, apart from coal mines, other industries including power plants were also established from 1960-61. But this industrial development also gave rise to the problem of displacement, which the farmers and tribals here have to suffer and instead of improving the condition of their families, their lives are getting worse. The land and forests of the villages have been swallowed up by industries and factories and the general public is struggling with basic problems like water, electricity, roads, education and health in the affected villages.

The displaced families here are forced to live with unemployment and poverty. On top of that, due to environmental destruction and spreading pollution, deadly diseases have reduced the average age of their life by more than half.

Since 1962, the land of more than 62 villages has been acquired in coal mining projects, due to which the land of more than 20000 account holders has been acquired, but only 40% of the people have been provided regular employment by SECL. Earlier SECL's policy was to provide employment in exchange for a small piece of land, but it still did not provide employment to the affected families. Later this policy was changed to provide one employment on acquisition of minimum two acres of land. Due to this, most of the farmers affected by the acquisition were deprived of their right to get employment.

After the coal mines came into existence, the social responsibility of taking care of the displaced farmers and their families has not been fulfilled till date by any government and SECL itself. There was no place for the affected farmer families in the concept of industrial development. Some people have been given employment and rehabilitation, but even today thousands of displaced farmers, most of whom are tribals, are struggling for employment and rehabilitation after land acquisition. Now this struggle has become more difficult due to the pro-corporate policies of the central and state government, which are directly attacking the livelihood and natural resources of the poor. Some people are getting rich due to these pro-corporate policies, while most are fighting for survival. Therefore, the struggle against displacement and for employment is a part of a wider political struggle going on in this country and can be won only by changing the pro-corporate policies of these governments. The Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha in Korba has tried to carry forward this struggle as a part of its daily life. The Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha and the Bhoo-visthapit Rojgar Ekta Sangh have been fighting this battle together for the last 15 months.

Together these two organizations completely stopped coal production for 12 hours in Kusmunda on 31 October 2021 against the anti-employment policies of SECL, causing a loss of more than Rs 50 crore to SECL. The next day, from November 1, 2021, till today, for almost 450 days, they have been continuously sitting on an indefinite strike in front of the Kusmunda headquarters and are conducting various types of agitations from the protest site itself. There has announced that this movement will continue till all the Khatedar land oustees do not get the appointment letter for employment. In fact, they got the inspiration for such a long movement from the movement of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha. In the meantime, mine closure agitation has also been done 6 times, many senior officers of SECL have been gheraoed and picketed in their office rooms, roads have been blocked, effigies of officers and ministers have been burnt. Due to these agitations sixteen agitators have also been sent to jail. But the movement continues without bowing down to repression.

Under the pressure of this movement, SECL has to relax its rules in Korba district in the matter of less land, double acquisition and linear relationship and has been forced to initiate action on pending employment cases of land displaced. Now the struggle will be intensified against the management for giving a decision in favor of the oustees in the matter of birth after acquisition. Our argument is very clear that if the process of giving employment was completed along with land acquisition, then today the displaced people would not have to agitate on the issue of employment. That's why SECL's offer of compensation from the old policy and employment from the new policy is not acceptable to the farmers.

Children of many land-displaced families have also achieved higher education like MBA, Engineering etc. But SECL's policy is that no matter how educated you are, after land acquisition, only category-1 laborer will get job in the company. Such employment policy of SECL is discriminatory, which is being opposed by Kisan Sabha and is demanding to provide employment according to educational criteria in matters of employment.

Due to land acquisition, the only means of livelihood of the farmers has been taken away from agriculture, due to which the economic condition of the displaced farmers is very bad. The villages which have been acquired in the past have not received rehabilitation facilities till date. Even after 40 years, the oustees who have been resettled have not been given the patta or ownership rights of that land, due to which they are deprived of the benefits of many schemes of the government.

For coal project in Korba district,

Land is being acquired since 1962. But even today farmers are in physical possession of the said acquired land in many villages, because Coal India has neither done mining work on this land nor has taken possession of it. This can be called hoarding of land by the government and the company. Many mines have closed. Many lands are such that the mining work has been completed. The Kisan Sabha is demanding the return of all such lands to the original account holder farmers.

Apart from this, due to mining and de-pillaring, people's houses and farms have also been destroyed. Through our struggles, we have forced SECL to compensate annually for the losses caused to agriculture. Kisan Sabha has been fighting this battle with success for the last 10 years in Surakchhar area of Korba district.

After the acquisition of land in the name of industries, the poor come on the street, because the government and the company do not fulfill their responsibilities regarding employment, rehabilitation and compensation. The displaced are so poor that they cannot go to the court because they do not have enough money. Apart from this, cases remain pending in the courts for years and the decisions do not come in their favor. In such circumstances, the poor have no other way but to struggle. In Korba district, the Kisan Sabha has increased its organizational strength by waging a continuous and militant struggle on these issues of the land displaced. Many land displaced leaders are working openly under the banner of Kisan Sabha today and Kisan Sabha has become a popular organization among the common farmers.

gained reputation.

*(Prashant Jha is the state committee member of Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha.)* 

 Lucknow, Jan 25 (PTI) One more person was rescued from the rubble of a building that collapsed here last evening, taking the total number of people pulled out so far to 15, while at least two more are still feared trapped, a senior official said Wednesday.

 Need to further strengthen the economy in the general budget.

Beti Bachao is not a slogan but a warning. Rape case on BJP leader Narayan Chandel's son?

Raipur: A case of rape has been registered against the son of Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel in the capital of Chhattisgarh. An FIR has been lodged against Palash Chandel, son of Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel, at Raipur's women's police station on zero.Let us tell you that the present Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly is Narayan Chandel who is the MLA from Janjgir Chapa. He was defeated in the last assembly elections. Earlier, in the second innings of the Raman government, he had held the responsibility of the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly and according to information, Palash Chandel, son of Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel, originally from Ambikapur and currently working as an exercise teacher in Janjgir-Champa district since 2010, has been accused by a 40-year-old tribal woman that Since the year 2019, Palash Chandel has been exploiting her physically on the pretext of marriage. Save daughter, this was not a slogan but a warning 

 DR . PATHAK 

New Delhi, 15 January  2023. So far no clue has been found in the broad daylight theft of about Rs 50 lakh that took place eight months ago in Ghazipur police station area of the capital Delhi.

This incident took place on 7 April 2022 at 10.30 am at Rajendra Prasad Sharma, a resident of house number B.67 of GD Colony, Ghazipur police station area of East district. Ghazipur police station case number ED GH 000189/2022 was registered in this regard. 

The victim paper businessman Mr. Sharma has complained about this incident to the Home Minister Amit Shah and the Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi. The matter is currently being investigated by Inspector of the Special Unit, Mr. Satendra Khadi. Notices have also been published in newspapers for information regarding two suspicious persons. Despite this, no clue has been found so far

According to the FIR, about 21 lakh cash and 444 grams of gold jewellery were stolen. At the time of the incident, the victim Mr. Sharma had gone to the market along with his family. On returning within half an hour, he found that the lock of the door and the lock of the almirah were broken. And the cash and gold and silver were found missing. He immediately informed the police about the incident. The police team reached the spot and investigated.

The victim Mr. Sharma told that neither the thief's clue nor the goods have been recovered in the investigation of the police till now. The people of the area are still surprised by this incident which took place in broad daylight. Mr. Sharma's senior advocate Mr. Ranjan Kumar told that he will soon approach the court demanding the investigation of this gruesome theft incident.

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 Sharad Ji was a great leader: Dr. Pathak.

New Delhi, January 13, 2023. Late Sharad Yadav was one of the great leaders of the country and he remained the voice for the weaker sections of the society till the last moments, said well-known senior journalist, Dr. Samrendra Pathak.

Dr. Pathak said this in his condolence message. He said that he had a relationship with Sharad ji for three decades and he was the only leader who spoke in the house for the interests of journalists. It is now rare to find such a benevolent leader and may god give peace to his soul.

Dr. Pathak, Executive President of SAARC Journalist Forum and United Indian Journalist Association and Coordinator of Save UNI Movement, said that whenever he was asked about the interests of journalists, he used to listen very carefully and take action on it. The speech given by him in the Parliament in this interest is an example even today.

Sharad ji used to ask him many times to become active in politics. He used to appreciate my leadership ability in the movements run in the interests of journalists, he said. L.S.

 PTI 

 Jaipur: On Monday, police in Rajasthan arrested the son of a Congress MLA for raping a minor girl. One of the three suspects in the February 2021 gang rape of a 15-year-old girl is Deepak alias Dilip Meena, son of Congress member Johari Lal Meena from the Rajgarh assembly constituency. Two other suspects have already been apprehended.

The MLA's son was arrested on the orders of a special court hearing case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court sent him to judicial custody till January 13, Mahua police station SHO Jitendra Solanki said.

The gang rape report was filed in March of 2022, he stated, at the Mandawar police station in the Dausa area. In the complaint, it was said that the accused took the girl to a hotel on the Mahwa-Mandawar Road and raped her there. The accused is accused of making a sexually explicit film in which he threatens the girl.

It was also said that one of the accused had forced the girl to give him Rs 15 lakh in cash and jewellery by threatening her to upload the video on social media.  The situation came to light during the investigation into a complaint filed by the girl's family after cash and jewellery went missing from their house. The family members had initially lodged a complaint of theft in the matter.

MEDIA IN PUT 

 Kurukshetra (Haryana), Jan 8 (PTI) Former Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor and many retired top officers of the defence services joined the Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Sunday which is passing through Haryana.

 People in trouble due to lack of drainage in Seelampur.

Sultan S. Qureshi.

New Delhi, 6 January 2023 (Agency). The life of the local people has become difficult due to non-management of drainage in CPJ block of Seelampur, East Delhi.

According to the local people, several requests were made to the MCD for this, but this work is pending since years. Due to this, nobody wants to marry people living in this area.  Such women have complained.

Dwarka Devi, Mankatidevi, Roopwati, Radha, Seema, Shiv Prasad & Rohit living in this block, told that due to lack of drains on the side of the road for about one and a half kilometers in this area, water flows on the roads & get them submerged. 

Councilor of this ward, Begum Shakila and AAP leader Haji Afzal have told that for this several requests have been made to the officials of the Corporation, but due to non-completion of this work, the problems of the people have become serious. They have demanded the Corporation to complete the work immediately. L.S

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 MEDIA IN PUT 

 New Delhi : According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported 226 new Covid cases during the past 24 hours on Saturday, a little decline from the 243 infections reported the day before.

 New Delhi : Students from a government school in South Delhi tied an eight-year-old classmate's private parts with a thread.

 Lakshmi honored in flower show.   

Vijay Kumar

Journalist.

Darbhanga, December 2, 2023 (Agency). Mrs. Lakshmi Arvind Pathak, President of Darbhanga Mithilani Group, was honored yesterday at a three-day flower exhibition organized in Darbhanga, Mithilanchal.

Mrs. Pathak and other dignitaries were honored on behalf of the North Vihar Horticulture Society, the organizer of the exhibition. The exhibition was inaugurated on December 31, which concluded today.

Various species of flowers were displayed in this event held every year. A large number of people visited the fair and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Apart from being on the board of a reputed publishing group, Mrs. Pathak is associated with many social and cultural organizations. She has contributed a lot in the upliftment of women, especially in Mithila. L.S.

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 Shillong: In order to take legal action against Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad for making fun of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who recently wore the enchanting Khasi traditional dress, a Meghalaya organisation filed a FIR at the Sadar police station here on Tuesday.

 New Delhi, 26.December

Mr. Vidrohi was addressing the meeting of India Chapter of SAARC Journalists Forum today. On this occasion, he emphasized on membership renewal of all the members of SAARC Journalist Forum. The fake work being done by some so-called journalists in the name of this organization was opposed. In the meeting, all the members kept their problems and by January 10, 2023, a proposal was passed to renew the membership form of the organization, issue identity cards and send authorization letters to the respective states.

      Addressing the meeting, Shyam Nath Singh, Principal General Secretary of India Chapter of the Forum, said that SJF is determined to work for the welfare of journalists. A delegation of journalists will also meet Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi regarding the Journalist Protection Act. A resolution was passed in the meeting that if any journalist is attacked, it should be condemned all round and all the members should send protest letters from their respective states to the concerned state government. In this meeting Dilip Verma, Moo Mustaq, Moo Faruk Shahmiri, Moo Afroz Qureshi, Avinash Kumar Singh, Anish Kumar, BD Singh Yadav etc participated!!

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