THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, March 9: Several key issues, including Maoist activities in Saranda, recruitment of polytechnic teachers, drinking water crisis, migration and holding tax were raised during the Jharkhand Assembly Budget Session, with legislators questioning the government over policy implementation and ground realities.
Debate on Maoist activities in Saranda
The issue of extremist activities in the Saranda region was raised by MLA Saryu Roy, who sought detailed information from the government regarding the security situation in the area.
Roy said the reply submitted by the Home Department referred to an annexure, but the document had not been provided to the House. He added that the response appeared incomplete without the annexure.
The MLA also asked why Maoist activities are more frequently reported in Saranda, questioning whether factors such as mining, poverty or unemployment could be responsible. He demanded comparative data for the past 20 years to evaluate the effectiveness of security operations.
Roy also expressed concern over the deaths of security personnel in IED blasts and suggested conducting a comprehensive survey of IEDs in the region.
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Responding to the issue, Minister Yogendra Prasad said the government is continuously carrying out operations against extremist groups. He noted that the dense Saranda forests often provide hiding places for Maoists, making operations difficult.
The minister added that anti-insurgency operations during the current government’s tenure have been among the most effective in the past two decades and claimed that extremist activities have now reduced to around 10–20 percent of earlier levels.
Polytechnic teacher recruitment issue raised
The issue of regular recruitment of teachers in polytechnic colleges was raised by MLA Pradeep Yadav, who questioned the criteria for the selection of teachers currently working as need-based faculty.
Yadav said many teachers have been serving the institutions for nearly 15 years, yet the recruitment policy may exclude them due to the marking system.
He pointed out that while BTech has been allotted only 10 marks, higher qualifications such as MTech and MPhil receive 15 marks each, which could disadvantage teachers who have long teaching experience.
The MLA also demanded greater weightage for experience, suggesting that, similar to Bihar, 25 marks should be allotted for experience instead of the current five marks. He added that around 50 MLAs have written to the government supporting these teachers.
Yadav suggested that if necessary, the government could conduct a written examination through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).
Replying to the issue, Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government is sympathetic towards the teachers but must follow legal and technical guidelines. He said the JPSC has clarified that experience cannot be given more than five marks in the recruitment process.
He added that while AICTE prescribes minimum qualifications, the department follows UGC guidelines for shortlisting candidates, which naturally gives higher weightage to candidates with advanced degrees such as MTech or PhD.
Civic issues raised by Koderma MLA
Meanwhile, Koderma MLA Neera Yadav raised several civic and development issues in the Assembly while speaking on cut motions related to the Urban Development, School Education and Tourism departments.
She highlighted the drinking water crisis in several parts of the state, stating that many people still struggle to access safe drinking water despite government schemes.
Yadav also expressed concern over migration from Jharkhand, saying lack of employment forces many youths to move to other states for work.
She questioned why the JTET examination has not been conducted for several years, depriving many qualified candidates of job opportunities.
The MLA also raised the issue of increased holding tax in urban areas, alleging that traders and small business owners in places such as Koderma are facing additional financial burdens. She demanded withdrawal of cases filed against people protesting the tax hike.
Neera Yadav further raised concerns about lack of basic facilities in schools and Kasturba Gandhi residential schools, including toilets, electricity and safe drinking water.
She also pointed to traffic congestion in Jhumri Tilaiya and Koderma, as well as issues related to waste management and pending infrastructure works connected to NH-2 in Barkatha.
The MLA urged the government to focus on ground-level development instead of only showcasing progress through announcements and advertisements.