Citylights - Ranchi

Citylights - Ranchi (compiled by Dhrubajyoti malakar & Divy Khare)

Dissatisfaction among ministers

The ongoing row over including Angika, Magahi and Bhojpuri in the upcoming JTET exam has exposed more than just a policy divide. At the May 22 meeting, the ministerial panel couldn’t reach a consensus, but did manage to spark fresh friction after one member suggested expanding the panel based on caste identity. That didn’t go down well. Other ministers were quick to remind that the CM had picked them for their competence, not their caste , raising the obvious question: when merit was the criteria, why bring identity politics into the table at all?

Trust issue in own party

Amid the buzz over who will make the cut for Jharkhand’s two Rajya Sabha seats, former MP Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu quipped that he’s not even in the race this time. “Frankly, even if I contest, my own party would ensure I lose and never make it to the Rajya Sabha,” he remarked with a touch of dry humour.

Social media saves water

A year without water, and suddenly the village discovered a modern miracle: social media. A tweet did what pipelines couldn’t: Wake up the system. Seeing a post on social media, Bokaro DC Ajay Nath Jha directed officials to fix a solar water tank and restore supply within hours. Residents, who were walking 3 km daily, are now happily watching taps flow as if basic infrastructure was never the problem in the first place. Efficiency, finally activated via embarrassment.

Silent Visit

In what officials are calling a “model of modern efficiency” and employees are calling “did he even come?”, Sail chairman Ashok Kumar Panda reportedly made a silent entry into Bokaro Steel Plant at 5:30 pm, held a closed-door review with a handful of top officers and quietly exited by 7 am the next morning. No plant round, no worker interaction, no press briefing, just a highly disciplined exercise in invisibility. By morning, workers were still debating whether the visit actually happened or was simply updated directly into official records by some equally silent system administrator.