Munda: Still hopeful

Ranchi, July 13: ?The Mittals have not abandoned Jharkhand,? Arjun Munda said today. The state was poised for rapid industrialisation and that the government was fast clearing the hurdles to ensure that the Mittals set up an integrated iron and steel unit in Jharkhand, he added.

The chief minister was speaking to newspersons after presiding over a mass marriage ceremony, in which 370 couples, many of them tribals, tied the knot under the Kanyadan Yojana, at Albert Ekka Stadium in Gumla.

Ignoring the warnings of pundits, Munda went ahead to bless the newly-married couples.

The local pundits, however, declined the request of the Gumla district administration to preside over the mass marriage ceremony citing the month of Shrawan ? in which marriages are deemed to be inauspicious, according to the Hindu calendar.

However, the local administration organised the programme by roping in pahans (tribal priests) and little known Hindu priests.

Later, local Congress leaders submitted a memorandum with the deputy commissioner of Gumla Mohan Lal Rai protesting against holding of the mass marriage ceremony in an inauspicious time.

The memorandum pointed out that the government by its action has not only defiled Hindu customs and religious beliefs, but has also pushed all the 370-odd couples to begin a new life in an inauspicious moment.

Under the state-sponsored Kanyadan Yojana, every couple is gifted with a cash bounty of Rs 4,500 along with household goods like gas ovens, utensils, dress materials and cotton mattresses worth Rs 5,500.

Later, the chief minister told the gathering that apart from good governance, his government was now more interested in laying down a good social framework, so that the people of the state could lead normal and happy lives.

Munda also inaugurated the Panchayat Bhavan at Silam village under Raidih police station, a Birsa agro park off Jashpur Road and a van mahotsav organised by the forest department. He also gave away tricycles to 370 physically-challenged of the district. While speaking to reporters, the chief minister also said talks were underway to prepare an approach paper and determine the plan size and outlay for the state during the 11th plan period beginning 2007.