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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
10 minor girls rescued from orchestra
Patna: Saran police, under Operation Naya Savera, rescued 10 minor girls from four orchestra parties in the district on Wednesday. The raid, led by Saran senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kumar Ashish, resulted in the arrest of seven accused — Neeraj Yadav, Talib Khan, Shubham Kumar, Junaib Hussain, Ankit Kumar, Mohd Bittu Hashmi and Chandan Kumar Tiwari. Twho allegedly exploited the girls. Six rescued girls are from West Bengal, one each from Odisha and Jharkhand, while two girls are from Bihar. Saran SSP Kumar Ashish said they registered an FIR in the matter and are continuing their raids to apprehend the remaining accused. The operation 'Naya Savera' aims to curb human trafficking and exploitation, with the police appealing to the public to share information about such activities. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Scroll.in
05-07-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
Palamu Tiger Reserve: Adivasi residents of village in core sanctuary area to be relocated
'Look how beautiful our village is,' says Dhanu Lohara as we arrive in Jaigir, deep in the sal forests of Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand. The 56-year-old, dressed in a coloured T-shirt and dhoti soaked in sweat from the long uphill walk, is visibly tired but no less excited to be back. The village sits among green hills, quiet and scattered. A few mud houses still stand, while others lie broken or levelled by construction and demolition machines. Some village residents are still around, but many have already left, taking their livestock and belongings down the narrow forest trail. The village lies in the Garu block of the Latehar district in Jharkhand. To reach this village is not an easy task; the people must trek 15 km, climbing uphill for three hours, passing trails through dense forests home to wild animals, before reaching this village. For generations, the wild and humans have coexisted in Jaigir, but now the residents are being relocated to a new place as the forest department is trying to remove human habitation from the core areas so that wildlife can thrive. Palamu Tiger Reserve is home to keystone species, including mammals, birds, medicinal herbs, and more. 'Keeping this zone free of settlements is essential if we want these species to breed, range, and recover undisturbed,' says Kumar Ashish, Deputy Director of reserve. After years of effort and communication between the village residents and the forest department, 22 families from Jaigir, belonging to the Biroh, Lohara, and Oraon tribes, have mutually agreed to relocate to a new place. Jaigir therefore became the first village in the Palamu Tiger Reserve to relocate from the core area. Their new homes are in Polpol, a village in the neighbouring Palamu district. Before moving, the residents spent months building concrete houses and preparing farmland about 75 km away from Jaigir. 'This is the only way to reach here; there is no road,' explains Lohara, looking back to his old home. His face carried a complex mix of nostalgia, relief and quiet grief. 'If someone got sick or a woman went into labour, we had to make a bamboo stretcher and carry them down the hill. Many in the village have also died.' The village residents say that they have been sustainably living here for decades, way before the existence of the Palamu Tiger Reserve. 'Our family has lived here for three generations. We even have land records dating back to 1932. We used to get everything we needed from the forest,' says Lohara as he gathers the wooden beams and other valuable materials from his old house to reuse in the new one. Coexistence, until now The tiger reserve in Palamu was the first wildlife sanctuary in the world where a tiger census was conducted using pugmark tracking in 1932. Palamu Tiger Reserve was one of India's first nine tiger projects in 1973 and remains Jharkhand's only reserve. It covers 1,306.79 sq km: 576 sq km core and 731 sq km buffer. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the core is solely for wildlife; the buffer allows limited human use. Over 5,000 families from 35 villages remain in the core area, sparking human-animal interactions and conflicts. By law, relocation must be voluntary, with full consent from Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers. 'Relocation efforts began soon after PTR was created when only a few families lived here,' says Kumar Ashish. 'Now the (human) population has swelled, and every day brings crop losses due to boars and elephants, and close calls with tigers. With so much wildlife at stake, we urgently need this core to be a true refuge,' he adds. 'In Jaigir, we used to grow two paddy crops each year. There was never a water shortage, and we met all our needs, including firewood, medicinal herbs, roots, and wild fruits from the forest,' says Sitan Birijya, who is among the people who moved. He cultivated on six acres of land. He admits, however, that life in Jaigir was far from easy. 'Wild elephants, boars, monkeys, and even parrots would regularly damage our fields,' says a 68-year-old farmer. 'The forest department has given us crackers to drive wild animals away.' Several times, village residents have spotted tigers, he adds; not one (human) in Jaigir has been harmed so far. Hoping for better medical care and connectivity, all 22 families, some initially hesitant, finally agreed to relocate after years of discussion. A new chapter Under the National Tiger Conservation Authority relocation scheme, there are two options. One is a one-time cash settlement of Rs 15 lakh. The other is a land-based package that includes two hectares (about five acres) of farmland, a new home, and basic amenities. Every person over 18 is considered a separate unit, so a single household can have three or four units. 'However, most villagers prefer getting land since they depend entirely on agriculture,' says Ashish. This has become difficult because each family now has multiple claimants, and allocating land to everyone is not feasible. 'That is why we are negotiating with the villagers. Some will take land, and others may opt for the cash settlement,' he concludes. The negotiations are still ongoing, the paperwork is pending, and local residents remain skeptical about which option they will ultimately choose. 'Though the process began in 2019, securing land took nearly five years as initial talks with 40 families faltered within months, but steady negotiations have renewed hope,' adds Ashish. 'For the relocation, the forest department has acquired 330 acres in Palamu and 400 acres in Latehar district. One of our biggest challenges is that, when we talk with villagers, we have no example to show them because we have never done this before,' says Ashish. 'Jaigir was so remote that no one married their daughters there, and it had no basic facilities. Now, we're turning it into a model village to show other villagers exactly which services we can provide. We've already connected Jaigir to the power grid. Some house constructions are finished, and others are almost complete.' Ashish also said that plans were underway to build a canal branch for irrigation, set up lift-irrigation systems, and lay all-weather roads. Over the next two to three years, the forest department would support resettled families through skills training and job linkages, establish a primary school – while 15 children would continue studying at a nearby village school – and improve healthcare access via the Palamu district hospital. He added that they also intended to collaborate with the agriculture department to promote both rain-fed and irrigated farming, aiming to ensure that the relocation benefits both wildlife and people. Negotiations are going on with at least 13 villages, but progress has been slow. 'Jaigir's relocation will free nearly 100 sq km of forest. This is a significant step towards tiger conservation,' says Ashish. Jaigir is one of the three villages – along with Latu and Kujurum – whose relocation will clear nearly half the reserve's core area of human settlements. The remaining area is still occupied by 32 other villages. In two other villages, Kujurum and Latu, about 60% of residents have agreed to relocate, while 40% still resist. Once our new site is fully operational, we hope to bring them on board, too. 'Our work isn't just for wildlife,' says Ashish. 'We're committed to human development as well. We will stay alongside these families for at least two to three years – only when they're fully confident in their new lives will we step back,' he adds. But not all villages are happy to move. Mongabay India spoke with residents of Kujurum and Latu, which are also in the core area of the Palamu Tiger Reserve. 'Our home is here, our fields are here, our livelihood is here. Now the government wants us to leave everything and go to Palamu,' says a resident of Latu, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'We will not give up our home at any cost.' Hope for the tiger Across India, the tiger population has been growing at an annual rate of 6%, as per the All India Tiger Estimation of 2022. However, tiger numbers in Jharkhand have steadily declined – from 10 in 2010 to just one recorded in 2022. The Palamu Tiger Reserve has been dubbed a 'tiger-less tiger reserve' for years until a lone tiger was photographed in 2022. Kumar Ashish acknowledges the situation, 'We don't have a resident tiger in PTR. Most of the tigers we record are transient – coming in from Madhya Pradesh, mainly from Bandhavgarh. Madhya Pradesh has over 700 tigers now, and territorial fights among them are common. Every tiger needs its own space. When a weaker one is pushed out, it wanders into neighbouring forests like ours.' According to him, six tigers were captured on the Palamu Tiger Reserve's camera traps last year. 'But these are not permanent residents. Some stay for a month or two, others for a year, and then vanish. They weren't born here; they are just passing through,' he explains. For a tiger to establish a territory, two conditions must be met: prey base and minimal disturbance. 'Prey is low here, especially in Betla and adjoining ranges, due to human settlement and poaching. Besides, roads cut through core areas, and vehicular movement disturbs the wildlife,' he adds. Another challenge is the lack of female tigers. 'All six tigers spotted recently were males. Without females, there's no chance of breeding. Plus, with limited prey and too much disturbance, they don't stay. A male tiger instinctively searches for a mate. If it doesn't find one, it moves on,' says Ashish. Before 2010, tiger counting in Palamu Tiger Reserve was done using pugmark tracking, often leading to overestimation. 'The same tiger might be counted multiple times. But since 2015-'16, camera traps have given us a clearer picture, and we now accept that the reserve lacks a stable tiger population,' adds Kumar. One tiger had stayed in Jaigir for nearly a year, but it's no longer there. With the village now relocated, the forest department is hopeful. 'The habitat is ideal. We're installing camera traps, and if a tiger returns and stays, it'll validate our efforts.' 'Our aim isn't just to capture an occasional photograph,' he adds. 'We want tigers to reside here permanently.' Last time, the forest department at Garu block that encompasses Jaigir, found one tiger in October 2024. 'As of June 2025, we have over 18 camera traps active in the Garu area,' the official says. 'Once a cast (a replica of a pugmark) is made, we update our records seasonally – typically once a year – to monitor changes in tiger presence and movement patterns,' said Oraon. This combination of traditional tracking and modern camera technology helps ensure that Palamu Tiger Reserve's tiger population is diligently observed and protected. With Jaigir relocated and new monitoring systems in place, forest officials hope that Palamu can one day support a stable, breeding tiger population – a vital step toward reversing decades of decline. Meanwhile, the fate of the thousands of families still living in the reserve's core hangs in the balance: asked to leave the land that has fed them for generations, they cling to their ancestral forests as the source of livelihood and identity. 'Officials call this just a forest, but this forest is our home. Our fathers and grandfathers have lived here,' says Sitan Birijya with a sense of disappointment.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Time of India
One injured in group clash
Chhapra: Two groups clashed over a minor dispute between two kids on Monday night at Dighwara under the same PS in Saran district. A person was injured in the clash. Saran SSP Kumar Ashish said on Tuesday that till eight people have been taken into custody. The injured was admitted to primary health centre at Dighwara and PMCH, Patna. According to Saran SSP, the Police swung into action immediately after the information was received and the situation was completely under control. "A person has been detained by the police for interrogation," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
RBL Bank eyes 5.1% interest margin, to launch CV and used car loans, targets growth in smaller cities
RBL Bank is targeting higher net interest margins (NIM) from its retail business by expanding its share of higher-yielding assets, including a foray into commercial vehicle (CV) financing and used four-wheeler loans in the next three months, a top executive said. Kumar Ashish, head of retail assets and collections, said the private sector lender is looking to grow its retail book by tapping into underpenetrated tier-II and III markets, while maintaining the secured retail portfolio at around 31% of total loans. The bank currently has a network of 550 branches and over 1,500 business correspondent outlets. Ashish did not disclose retail-specific NIMs or targets but said the bank-level aim is to expand NIMs to 5.1%. In Q4 FY25, RBL Bank's overall NIM had narrowed to 4.89% from 5.45%, contributing to a sharp 76% drop in quarterly net profit to Rs 86 crore, according to PTI. The upcoming CV lending product will target customers slightly below the prime segment to improve spreads, and the bank will use its tractor financing team to support CV loan distribution in smaller towns, Ashish said. A used-car loan offering is also in the works, with a focus on digital partnerships with car resale portals to enable instant financing options. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo 'We would have to gain market share in order to grow,' said Ashish, who joined recently from Aditya Birla Capital, quoted PTI. In home loans, RBL Bank will focus on the affordable housing segment. Ashish emphasised that the lender will leverage digital underwriting tools and faster turnaround times to serve niche borrower groups overlooked by larger rivals. To keep costs under control, branch staff focused on liabilities will now take on credit responsibilities as well, Ashish added. On the microfinance (MFI) front, which has seen stress due to political headwinds, Ashish said collections have been improving steadily since bottoming out in December. He expressed optimism about a stronger performance in the second half of FY26. He said RBL Bank is reducing exposure in politically sensitive regions like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka but has minimal exposure in Bihar, which heads to polls soon. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
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Business Standard
29-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
RBL Bank eyes wider margin from retail, CV finance rollout in 3 months
RBL Bank is aiming to widen its net interest margins (NIM) from retail assets by shifting the portfolio mix towards higher-yielding assets, a senior official has said. As part of the same strategy, the private sector lender will launch a commercial vehicle (CV) financing and used 4-wheeler finance in the next three months. The increase in NIMs, which is being targeted at a time when the entire industry is facing challenges on this front, will be achieved while maintaining the retail share in the overall loan mix at around 31 per cent level, Kumar Ashish, its head of retail assets and collections, told PTI. Ashish, however, did not share the current NIMs of the retail business nor did he share an aspirational number. It had reported a sharp decline in the overall NIMs to 4.89 per cent as against 5.45 per cent, and the narrowing was one of the reasons along with setbacks in the MFI business for the 76 per cent drop in the Q4 net profit at Rs 86 crore. He said at the bank level, it is aiming for expanding NIMs to 5.1 per cent. In retail assets, the bank's focus relies on going deeper into tier-II and III cities, where the bank already has a distribution network courtesy its 550 branches and over 1,500 business correspondent touchpoints. After understanding the customer needs and tailoring the product mix, it will focus on quicker turnaround times for delivering credit in categories such as tractor finance, gold loans, homes loans, business loans and the upcoming businesses, he said. Admitting that RBL Bank is a "challenger bank" in many of the retail businesses and will be up against aggressive competition, Ashish said it will have to find new niche of customers whose needs are unfulfilled, use a lot digital inputs for loan underwriting, depend on quicker turnaround times and have a control over the costs to deliver on higher NIMs. Citing the case of home loans, he said the bank will focus more on the affordable housing segment while even in the soon-to-be-launched CV segment, it will go after demand from customers a notch under prime to expand margins. On the costs front, it is making best use of the existing staffing for doing more, pointing out that the talent across branches which was primarily focused on liabilities will now be doing retail credit as well. "We would have to gain market share in order to grow," Ashish, who joined the bank from Aditya Birla Capital recently, made it clear. The CV financing will be done to smaller players in smaller cities and the bank's tractor financing team will be used for distribution, he said. It is also looking to get into the used four-wheeler business, where it will be focusing on tie-ups with car reselling portals such that a customer is able to get a quote on the loan as well in a single journey after selecting his car on the website, Ashish said. Meanwhile, on the MFI business, Ashish said the collections have further improved since the late-April commentary and are getting better. The lowest point in collections was in December last, when the troubles for the industry started, he said, adding that since then the collections are steadily climbing up. Maintaining the earlier commentary, Ashish said the bank is "optimistic" about the MFI business and added that the second half of FY26 will be a better story. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the two markets where the bank faced issues because of political moves to introduce ordinances, continue to be challenging and the bank is reducing exposure there, he said. It has a low or negligible exposure in Bihar, which is headed to polls soon. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
