Ranchi Diary

Tribal conclave ‘Samvaad’ starts at Jamshedpur
Eighth edition of Samvaad, a one-of-its-kind ecosystem for tribal identity, scheduled to be hosted by Tata Steel Foundation from November 15-19, started on Monday in Jamshedpur. Samvaad – 2021, will bring together 187 outstanding tribal artists, home chefs, healers, culture crusaders and leaders to Jamshedpur; along with more than 4,000 women, men and children representing 87 tribes from across 25 states and 5 union territories who have agreed to login to the dialogue remotely. The theme for Samvaad this year is ‘Reimagine’ that hopes to embark on deeper, patient and representative exploration of what this reimagination means for tribal communities. 

Vaccination drive to mark state’s foundation day
Jharkhand government has launched an extensive panchayat-level Covid vaccination campaign from November 15, the state’s foundation day. The campaign will conclude on the second anniversary of the ruling government on December 29. According to officials, the state plans to set up special vaccination camps at each of the over 4,000 gram panchayats during this period. The state will also make use of its 60 mobile vaccination vans during this period to reach far-flung villages and hold door-to-door vaccination drives for eligible beneficiaries. According to officials, vaccination drive will be intensified across the state to achieve the target of administering at least one dose to over 90 per cent of beneficiaries and ensuring that second dose beneficiaries do not miss their jab.

Direct sighting of tiger in Palamu Reserve
In a major relief to forest officials, a tiger was sighted directly by the forest staffs in Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) after several months since the death of tigress Asha last year. According to forest officials, a tiger was directly sighted in the Baresad range of the tiger reserve by the Forest Ranger and nearly half a dozen trackers during the patrolling from a distance of about 10 feet. Notably, according to the Status of Tigers report in India from 2019, there were no tigers in the PTR. The PTR spread in an area of about 1,230 sq km, was made a tiger reserve in 1973. It had a good number of tigers, which came down to three in 2014 census and zero in the newest report.

Police complaint against Kangana Ranaut
In protest against a statement made by actor Kangana Ranaut on Nation’s freedom struggle, All India Sikh Students Federation, Eastern India president Satnam Singh Gambhir has filed a police complaint against the actor at Sakchi police station in Jamshedpur. Gambhir has sought legal action against the actress. The federation has also sent a legal notice to her asking her to withdraw her statement and apologise to the nation.  The notice has been sent through Jharkhand High Court advocate Diwakar Upadhyay. Gambhir has protested against the actress’s comment against the independence movement and freedom struggle. 

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