Port Blair, Sept. 3: The PM SVANidhi, ‘PRAISE Awards Ceremony’, an initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was organized by the Port Blair Municipal Council in the Conference hall of the Secretariat here today. The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS, as the chief guest honored the Best Lending Institutions (Banks) who have shown exemplary dedication and performance in supporting the implementation of the PM SVANidhi scheme in A&N Islands. The felicitation function was also attended by the Secretary, UD, Mr. ASPS Raviprakash, IAS, Secretary, PBMC,Shri Amit Kale,IAS, Secretary, Finance, Mr. C. Arvind, Bank Officials and Officials of PBMC.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Secretary showered all praise for the Department of Urban Development, PBMC and Lending Institutions for implementing the PM SVANidhi Scheme in A&N Islands in letter & spirit. The Chief Secretary stated that the success rate of this scheme in these Islands is exemplary when compared to the mainland. He said, there is further scope for its expansion and urged for deeper penetration of this scheme.
The Chief Secretary noted with appreciation that individuals who have received the loan amount for starting their own ventures have returned the loan in a time bound manner. This, the Chief Secretary said, shows their commitment towards their work and their responsibility towards the nation. The Chief Secretary further urged to encourage such vendors by extending them financial assistance under this scheme. The Chief Secretary congratulated the Banks for approving loans to 1005 persons/individuals out of the 1070 applicants, which he said, shows the positive approach of the Financial Institutions towards the needy people for a better livelihood.
The Chief Secretary expressed his happiness that a total of 676 Certificates of Vending (CoV) and ID Cards have been issued to the identified and authorized street vendors. For the 1st Tranche, 542 loans were disbursed, 2nd Tranche, 322 and 3rd Tranche, 78 loans were disbursed, the Chief Secretary said adding that the success of the scheme is due to the collective efforts of all stakeholders involved in the implementation process, including the Central Government, State/UT Administration, Urban Local Bodies (PBMC) and lending institutions (Banks).
The Chief Secretary further urged PBMC to create awareness about the Scheme involving PRIs and public representatives for wider reach of the scheme. He further urged for bringing more people under the network of this Flagship Scheme SVANidhi for better coverage so that every individual can contribute towards Nation Development.
The Financial Institutions felicitated today by the Chief Secretary included, Bank of Maharashtra, SBI, Mohanpura, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, Pahargaon, SBI, Dollygunj and SBI, Garacharama.
Welcoming the chief guest and others present on the occasion, the Secretary, PBMC, Mr. Amit Kale, IAS, informed that the PM SVANidhi ‘PRAISE’ Awards is an initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to celebrate the dedication and hard work of those who have played a crucial role in the success of the PM SVANidhi scheme.
He further said that the award recognizes exceptional performance at both the National and State levels for 2023-24. The National-level awards were presented in New Delhi on 18th July, 2024 and today PBMC is honoring the Financial Institutions to recognize their excellence at the State Level. In A&N Islands, PBMC feel proud in awarding 8 outstanding recipients who have gone beyond in supporting the implementation of the PM SVANidhi scheme. The Secretary said, COVID-19 pandemic hit livelihoods hard, making financial support essential and at this juncture, the dedication of Bankers in providing crucial assistance to street vendors has been invaluable.
Proposing vote of thanks, the Joint Secretary, PBMC, Mr. Abhishek Bhukal said that the PBMC is firmly committed to implement this scheme in its true letter & spirit ensuring its benefit reach every corner of our Community, so that the needy people are benefitted at large availing this scheme.

Neeraj & Prabhakar
Port Blair, Sept 03: Well-known Chef of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Ashwar Pal Singh from 4 seasons is attempting preparation of an ambitious and a massive 1500 kg laddu this year, which will be offered to Lord Ganesha during the seven-day-long festival.
4 season’s this year’s event known as the Ganesh Bhog Yatra 2024, kicked off with fervor on 01 September 2024 as the team began the laddu-making process. Last year, a similar event of preparing more than 1000 kg laddu garnered widespread recognition, earning 19 world record titles. This year, the team has raised the bar even higher, aiming to surpass their previous achievement with a larger, more impressive offering.
The laddu-making process is set to continue until September 6th, after which the gigantic laddu will be unveiled to the public. Shri Ashwar Pal Singh extended a heartfelt invitation to all residents of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to witness this historic creation and participate in the festivities.
In addition to the laddu, the event will feature various competitions and cultural programs, including painting, singing, dancing, and a laddu-making competition. These activities are designed to engage the community and allow everyone to contribute to the celebration.
The highlight of the event will be the grand procession on September 7th, when the enormous laddu will be carried from the 4 Season Event Management Office to Netaji Club, beginning at 2 PM on VIP Road. Shri Ashwar Pal Singh urged everyone to join the procession and help make this historic laddu a success.
The entire team is working tirelessly, day and night, to ensure the success of this event. Shri Singh emphasized that the success of this celebration is only possible with the support and participation of the community.

 

Port Blair, Sept 03: In a significant breakthrough, the Cyber Crime Police Station has successfully arrested a cybercriminal mastermind behind a sophisticated online scam. The accused had created a fake Facebook profile, illicitly using a local resident’s personal information and photographs, causing harm to their reputation and identity.
A resident of Haddo, Port Blair, reported a distressing case of identity theft and online harassment to the Cyber Crime Police Station. An imposter had created a fake Facebook profile using her personal information and images, posting inappropriate content that severely impacted her family life and reputation within the community.
Promptly, a thorough investigation was initiated by a team of Cyber Crime Police Station comprising Inspr. Sahil Shamsuddin, SHO CCPS; Inspr. Mohd. Sameer; SI Devraj; Constable Sangeeta Mazumdar; and Kayan Mohammed to gather digital evidence related to the fraudulent account’s creation, login activities, and content uploads. Collaborating with Meta Platforms, crucial details about the account and its associated IP addresses were obtained.
Through continuous surveillance, the offender was identified and located. A strategic trap was set, resulting in the successful apprehension of the suspect on September 3, 2024. During interrogation, the offender confessed to uploading the explicit photographs with the intention of humiliating the victim.
The entire investigation was conducted under the direct supervision of Shri. Lakshay Pandey, DANIPS, DySP (Cyber Crime) under the overall supervision of Shri. Manjeet Sheoran, IPS, Superintendent of Police, CID.
For any assistance, information or enquiry please contact: Cyber Crime Police Station, A&N Islands over national Helpline No. 1930 and A&N Police Helpline No. 9531856083 or visit www.cybercrime.gov.in

 

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Sept. 01: With reiteration of his earlier advocacy for setting up BSNL Towers in the outlying areas/villages under Diglipur Tehsil, Mr. Dipankar Mistry, Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti, Diglipur has again demanded for the same.

According to information, there has been a constant demand from the residents of outlying villages under Diglipur Tehsil that BSNL Towers are erected in these areas and residents are facilitated with the access of telephone and internet services.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Mr. Dipankar Mistry, Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti, Diglipur said that he was apprised of a number of hurdles being faced by the denizens residing in these far flung areas owing to non-availability of telephone/internet services.
In a letter, the Pramukh further apprised Mr. Ankit Yadav, IAS, the then Deputy Commissioner, N & M Andaman a year ago of the threats and inconveniences the villagers of these peripheral areas- such as, Coffee Dera, Ganeshnagar-2, Beach Dera, Hamber Char, Bish Family, Nariya Tikrey, Burma Char and Bandah Nallah face in absence of telephone and internet services. Mr. Mistry had said in his letter that in the event of sighting of Myanmarese poachers in the areas, the dwellers can’t inform the Police or other agencies as they aren’t accessed to telephone and internet services in their remote areas. Besides, the denizens in these areas often have to face the belligerent behaviour of the Myanmarese poachers who reportedly turn hostile when confronted; and on several other occasions, these Myanmarese poachers purloin the dinghies of these residents and flee when they are chased by the Police personnel, the Pramukh claimed. Thus, in one hand, the feelings of insecurity continue to haunt these villagers, and on the other hand, they can’t pass on the information of the presence/infiltration of Myanmarese poachers on Indian soil to the Police owing to non-existence of telephone towers and services, the Pramukh had argued in his letter.
The Pramukh is now urging the Administration to take initiatives to this effect so as to erect BSNL Towers in these outlying areas in the larger interests of the residents as well as national security, Mr. Dipankar Mistry further stated.

 

Port Blair, Sep 02: It’s indeed a proud moment for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as seven more chess players from the islands viz ACM Darshan, T Sathiya Moorthy, P Anand Rao, B Lalith, ACM Tanisha Raj, G Disha Meenakshi, and K Venkatesh have achieved their international chess ratings, as per the latest International Rating list published on 31st August 2024 by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
These chess players recently participated in the ‘AICF Chess For Everyone’ 2ndAll-India FIDE Rated Open Chess Tournament 2024 held in Port Blair from 14.08.2024 to 18.08.2024and performed pretty well that led them to open the International Rating.
Achieving a FIDE rating is a significant milestone in a player’s chess career, marking their entry into the global arena of chess.The Andaman Nicobar Chess Association (ANCA) extends its heartfelt congratulations to these players for their remarkable achievement and wishes them continued success in their future chess endeavors.

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Sept. 01: The general public have come up with the demand of construction of a larger building for the Sub-Post Office, Diglipur.
According to information, Diglipur’s Sub-Post Office which was constructed a couple years ago is now plagued with problems owing to its tiny size. There is hardly any space for the people to stand inside the post office as the building is so small, the people visiting the post office decried.
There is no veranda or even a shed at the out side of the post office under which people may stand and get their job done. Pointing to the area of land of the Postal Department, the general public further said that, despite having sufficient area of land in its possession, the Postal Department is not showing any initiative construct a bigger building for its Sub-Post Office in commensurate with the strength of its customers in Diglipur, and it is really unfortunate, they said.
When posed questions to the Officials of the Sub-Post Office, Diglipur on the matter, they said that they are seized of the matter; and even they reportedly face difficulties in arranging the bags of dak which is reportedly huge in quantity as Diglipur is very large in terms of population, and the Sub- Post Office, Diglipur is flooded with dak, the officials said.
At times they have to face severe inconveniences to accommodate the sacks of parcels and dak containers/boxes inside the Post Office as it is reportedly challenged by its space, they even can’t properly stand or move freely in it, they said. However, the construction of a large building is in the hands of the higher authorities of the Postal Department and they can’t say anything about it, they said.

Port Blair, Sept. 01: The Hindu Seva Sangh has requested an update from the Andaman & Nicobar Administration regarding the status of the household survey conducted as part of the decadal review of Other Backward Classes (OBC) status.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the Convenor of Hindu Seva Sangh, Mr. Abhay Kumar, expressed concerns about the progress of the survey, which aims to assess the socio-economic and educational status of various communities, including Pre-1942 settlers such as Local Borns, Bathus, Moplas, and Karens, as well as post-1942 Bengali settlers.
The letter references Public Notice No. 8-3(1) 2017/TW/OBC/747 dated 28th August 2018, which was published in the government run newspaper, indicating the intent to conduct the survey in two phases: house listing and a door-to-door survey of OBC households.
Mr. Abhay Kumar demanded clarity on whether the survey has been conducted, whether any reports or findings have been published, and if there are any future plans for the release of the survey results. The Hindu Seva Sangh has requested a prompt response from the administration, emphasizing the importance of transparency and timely updates on the matter.
The letter concluded with a request for the information to be provided via email, highlighting the Sangh’s commitment to staying informed on issues that impact the OBC communities in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.