DGP in home quarantine
Jharkhand Police chief MV Rao is in home quarantine after he returned to Ranchi from Visakhapatnam where he had gone by car to meet his ailing mother, who passed away recently. Sources in the police department said that he is doing well. IG operations and Jharkhand Police Spokesperson Saket Kumar Singh said that the DGP had travelled by road to see his ailing mother. Everyone with travel history within the country or abroad has to undergo quarantine and DGP Rao is no exception, he said. “It is the primary duty of every citizen to follow the guidelines of Union home and health ministries and strictly adhere to precautionary measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” IG Singh asserted.
Digital classes on DD
To facilitate educational activities for students during lockdown, digital classes for over 42 lakh students right from Class 1 to Class 12 in government schools was started on Doordarshan on Monday.
The daily education bulletin, designed by Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC), will be aired daily for three hours. JEPC officials said the initiative was taken looking at the fact that many of the students might not having access to smart phones, hence a new platform was created for them to continue educational activities at their homes during the lockdown.
Small gesture, but big contribution
Doing their bit in the Covid fight, porters at Hatia Railway Station, already suffering hardship due to lockdown, are giving free service to thousands of migrants returning homes.
Ranchi Rail Division CPRO Niraj Kumar said that the porters readily agreed when they were asked for helping those arriving in distress. The porters said that since migrant have already suffered for the last one and half months, there is no point charging them. Bhagwat Mahto, a porter, said that this is the time to think above personal interests for greater good.
GI tag for Sohrai-Kohvar painting
Hazaribagh’s indigenous Sohrai-Khovar painting was given Geographical Indicator (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry headquartered in Chennai. The GI tag ensures that none other than those registered as authorised users (or at least those residing inside the geographic territory) are allowed to use the popular product name.
Sohrai-Khovar painting is used to decorate mud or brick houses. Practiced by the tribal women, it can be seen most during the harvest festival and marriage season. ‘Sohrai’ is a local festival whereas ‘Khovar’ is a nuptial chamber designed and decorated to bless a newly married couple. One of the oldest art forms of wall paintings, the art is passed from the mother to the daughter who takes it to a new household upon marriage and subsequently passes it on. The tribal art is said to have its root 5,000 years ago.
Mukesh Ranjan
Our correspondent in Jharkhand
mukesh.r@newindianexpress.com