Ranchi diary

Dragon fruit to beat malnutrition, poverty
To check malnutrition among the rural populace and generate income for farmers, the Jharkhand Tribal Development Society has started distributing saplings of dragon fruit among impoverished farmers of Ranchi and Khunti under a pilot project. Officials said these farmers will be made master trainers to encourage other villagers to take up cultivation of dragon fruit. Regular consumption of this fruit is believed to increase production of RBC in the body, maintain blood sugar levels and improve functioning of the cardiovascular system. It is also a great source of Vitamin A, and helps in treating anaemia.

Special ST/SC Courts to come up in Jharkhand
The Hemant Soren-led  government in Jharkhand has decided to set up special courts in every district to address the cases related to atrocities against Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. The special courts will be set up to clear all such pending cases in all districts except Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad and Deoghar where such courts are already functioning. According to officials, ST/SC courts in every district headquarters will help speedy trial of cases under the amended Section 14 (1) powers of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1988. A total of 1,953 suits are pending in 24 jurisdictions of the state under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with a maximum of 318 in Dhanbad.

Special trains to beat festive rush
After getting green signal from Indian Railways and state authorities to operate trains keeping Diwali and Chhath festivals in mind, the South Eastern Railway has announced to run at least 13 trains. SER announced that there should not be much rush of passengers this Diwali and Chhath, hence a decision was taken to run fully reserved festival special trains. These trains will run between Hatia to Islampur, Hatia to Purnia Court, Tatanagar to Danapur and Ranchi to Patna. In addition to that, five one-way special trains will also be run.

Markets flooded with ‘Made in India’ products
Due to the impact of Coronavirus, the regular Chinese products, seen in the markets during the festival season, seems to be missing this year. However, products that are made in India are ready to add colour and gaiety to Diwali this time in Ranchi. According to a local businessman, they are avoiding any sort of Chinese products since last year. Due to the pandemic, the demand for decorative lighting is less as compared to last year but the response for made in India products is very positive, he added. Apart from lights and decorative items, even firecrackers that are being made in India have gained popularity.

Mukesh Ranjan
Our correspondent in Jharkhand mukesh.r@newindianexpress.com