Bihar cancels selection of 50 NGOs for running shelter homes
Patna, Aug 21 : Bihar has cancelled the selection of 50 NGOs for running shelter homes across the state and announced that the government will run them instead, an official said on Tuesday.
The Social Welfare Department will replace the non-government organisations (NGOs) in running all such short stay homes in the state, he added.
The state government took the decision keeping in view the over 30 rape cases and death of two women inmates at the Muzaffarpur home.
The Muzaffarpur horror came to the fore following a social audit by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) from Mumbai that pointed at the sorry state of shelter homes run by NGOs in Bihar.
"The government has cancelled NGOs selected recently for running the shelter homes. The Social Welfare Department will take over the management in the next three months," the department official said.
Till then the NGOs will continue to run these shelter homes. Earlier in August, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced this. Nearly 100 NGOs continue to run such homes across the state.
A 100-page report by TISS had stated that sexual abuse -- varying in forms and degrees -- was prevalent in almost all shelter homes in Bihar.The audit was commissioned by the state government in 2017.
It was the TISS report that pointed a finger at Balika Grih in Muzaffarpur run by Brajesh Thakur where 34 of the 41 minor girls housed were raped.
Thakur was named the main accused, arrested and jailed along with nine others. State Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma had to resign.
The Patna High Court is monitoring the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
