| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Patna to have World class International Convention Center
PATNA: The city’s North Gandhi Maidan stretch is likely to wear a different look in the near future with a world-class international convention centre slated to come up there. Awaiting a final go-ahead from the CM, this 250-crore centre will be a major boost to cultural, recreational and business activities in the state. Spread over [...] Read it Online - Patna Planetarium to be upgraded soon
PATNA: Nitish government seems to be pushing for generating popular interest in science in general and astronomy in particular, which is expected to create scientific outlook among people, specially schoolchildren and youths. The government is contemplating to upgrade the device used at Indira Gandhi Science and Planetarium Centre (IGSPC) here this year and set up two [...] Read it Online - Surya clinic to offer free services under Yukti scheme by govt
PATNA: Janani`s Surya clinic at Ara has been identified as one of the first three sites to offer free abortion care services to women under the `Yukti` scheme, launched by the state government. The `Yukti` scheme aims to reach comprehensive abortion care to the clients through the public and certified private sector centres. The facilities [...] Read it Online - Bihar to convert 2981 km roads to National highway
PATNA: Bihar government has proposed to the Centre to convert the state’s 36 roads, measuring nearly 2,691km, into national highways (NHs). State road construction department minister Nand Kishore Yadav plans to meet Union road transport and highways minister Kamalnath and his officials to push the demand. “Bihar has only 3.99km of NH for one lakh population [...] Read it Online - Free check-up of kids with heart defects
PATNA: Pediatric cardiologist Krishna Kumar would perform 2D-Echo on children with complex congenital heart defect free of cost at Jeevak Heart Hospital here on Saturday. City physicians and pediatricians have been urged to refer such children to Jeevak after 9am on April 30. After performing the 2D-Echo check, Dr Kumar would also give medical advice [...] Read it Online
| Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Patna to have World class International Convention Center Posted: 30 Apr 2011 06:11 PM PDT PATNA: The city’s North Gandhi Maidan stretch is likely to wear a different look in the near future with a world-class international convention centre slated to come up there. Awaiting a final go-ahead from the CM, this 250-crore centre will be a major boost to cultural, recreational and business activities in the state. Spread over 11 acres, this magnificent structure will come up at the site which at present houses the residences of city SP and district judge, MLA’s bungalow along with the division office of the building construction department. All these buildings will be demolished in phases and in their place will come up a grand structure with a capacity to accommodate 5,000 people at a time. This riverside centre will be a fusion of both modern and traditional Buddhist architectural features. In the final stage of conceptualisation, the centre will have it all – a plenary hall, cultural and media centres, VIP lounge, an entertainment corner, convention zone, concourse area with lifestyle shopping and a food court – an all-round entertainment for people of all hues and backgrounds. The issue was discussed in a meeting held under the chairmanship of advisor to deputy chairman, Planning Commission, Gajendra Haldea, on April 15 in New Delhi while reviewing the PPP programme in Bihar. Besides four officials of the Planning Commission, five senior Bihar government officials, including principal secretary, health, Amarjeet Sinha, attended the meeting. The meeting also felt that there was need to prepare a proper feasibility report by engaging a town planner or an architectural expert. Accordingly, as a starting point, it was decided either to engage a town planner of national/international repute to provide a report on the land use plan of Gardanibagh area or to undertake a detailed survey by the government department concerned to assess how much land of the area is available for development and measures required to vacate the area that has encroachments. The meeting also discussed three projects that are being considered by the state government for taking up in the PPP mode: a super-speciality hospital in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna; super-speciality hospital in the Jayaprabha trust hospital, Patna; a district hospital in one of the divisional headquarters. It was decided that after a decision is taken by the state on setting up three super-speciality hospitals, one greenfield pilot scheme on PPP mode could be undertaken. Proposals for power distribution in PPP mode in respect of two towns – Patna and Muzaffarpur – have been submitted by the Bihar State Electricity Board to the energy department. Similar proposals have been submitted for Darbhanga and Munger districts, as per the decision in a high-level meeting. The Delhi meeting felt that the proposed project for Patna may be taken up first and based on the model that emerges, other districts could be taken up. The Planning Commission, in a recent letter to Bihar chief secretary has requested him to arrange a meeting with CM Nitish Kumar early next month, wherein a detailed presentation on these issues could be made for giving a go-ahead signal.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Patna Planetarium to be upgraded soon Posted: 30 Apr 2011 12:22 PM PDT  PATNA: Nitish government seems to be pushing for generating popular interest in science in general and astronomy in particular, which is expected to create scientific outlook among people, specially schoolchildren and youths.
The government is contemplating to upgrade the device used at Indira Gandhi Science and Planetarium Centre (IGSPC) here this year and set up two other planetariums at Gaya and Darbhanga in the near future. “Yes, Bihar State Council of Science and Technology (BSCST) has already planned to upgrade the existing Indira Gandhi Science Planetarium in Patna. We also have a plan to establish two other planetariums, though not as large as the one in Patna. They would be at Gaya and Darbhanga,” said BSCST project director S A Mintu on Thursday. IGSPC, Patna, which became operative in 1993 and has since been attracting visitors in large numbers, is based on the projection of astronomical phenomena through “astro-vision device” for observation in a dome-shaped ceiling that simulates the starry skyline. The device used for projection of the astronomical phenomena, however, has become obsolete. Accordingly, as Mintu said, a new device, called Laser Digital Device (LDD), would be installed. He also said that Beltron was last year asked to make a detailed project for upgrading IGSPC. The project prepared was estimated to cost Rs 25 crore. Now, the estimate has been revised to Rs 30 crore. Besides, the DMs of Darbhanga and Gaya have been asked to provide around three acres of land each in the district town to facilitate preparation of project estimates and starting of construction work in right earnest. “Request letters have been sent to the DMs of the two districts,” Mintu said, adding “once land is acquired and made available to us, work on the project would start.” He added, “The upgraded IGSPC here and the two other planetariums would serve as definite pull centres for tourists. Already, people of all age groups, including women, children and youths, are making use of the planetarium in Patna. In the long run, these will certainly create a scientific outlook in the next generation, commensurate with 21st century.”  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Surya clinic to offer free services under Yukti scheme by govt Posted: 30 Apr 2011 12:18 PM PDT PATNA: Janani`s Surya clinic at Ara has been identified as one of the first three sites to offer free abortion care services to women under the `Yukti` scheme, launched by the state government. The `Yukti` scheme aims to reach comprehensive abortion care to the clients through the public and certified private sector centres. The facilities on offer are first tri-semester safe abortion services and treatment of post-abortion complications as well as incomplete or missed abortion cases. The first of its kind, the scheme highlights the importance of access to safe abortions as an important tool to ensure the health of women and the government`s commitment to it. Seven other Surya clinics would begin offering free abortion services as soon as they get accreditation under the scheme. Janani aims to offer the `Yukti` facilities from all its Surya clinics by the end of the year. Janani, through its network of Surya clinics across Bihar and Jharkhand, provides family planning and abortion care services to women. Janani is also setting up an institute to train abortion care providers.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Bihar to convert 2981 km roads to National highway Posted: 30 Apr 2011 12:05 PM PDT PATNA: Bihar government has proposed to the Centre to convert the state’s 36 roads, measuring nearly 2,691km, into national highways (NHs). State road construction department minister Nand Kishore Yadav plans to meet Union road transport and highways minister Kamalnath and his officials to push the demand. “Bihar has only 3.99km of NH for one lakh population against the national average of 6.17km,” Yadav said. 
The length of the NHs in the state is at present 3,734km. Between 1999 and early 2004, the length of NHs was only 2,362.3km which went up to 3,629km by the end of 2004. Another 105km was added in 2006, he said and added till 1998, the total length of NHs in Bihar was only 1,266.77km. The minister said the matter was taken up with the Centre with a plea to notify the new roads as NHs sometime back. But there has been no response. “I am seeking an appointment with the Union minister to discuss the matter as well as the dilapidated condition of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu with him. We will also plead afresh for the reimbursement of Rs 969.57 crore which the state government spent on the maintenance of NHs,” Yadav told TOI on Thursday. The 36 state highways and district roads, proposed to be upgraded as NHs, include 93km Araria-Galgalia (up to Bengal border), two roads in Darbhanga connecting the town with Kusheshwar Sthan and Begusarai, Mairwa-Kuchaikot road in Siwan and Gopalganj and four roads in Muzaffapur that link the town with Motipur, Kalynapur, Parsauni and Sheohar. The other such roads in north Bihar towns are in Saharsa, Supaul, Vaishali, Samastipur, Chhapra, Bettiah, Sitamarhi, Kishanganj and Purnia. In southern part, the roads include 97km Ara-Sasaram, 155km Buxar-Garke (UP border), 175km Barbigha-Deoghar, Gaya-Daudnagar, Sasaram-Chausa and Gaya-Aurangabad roads. Other stretches include Buxar-Dehri, Buxar-Bhabua, two roads linking Lakhisarai and Jamui, five roads linking Bhagalpur and Banka and two roads linking Gaya and Aurangabad. To bring the state’s NH average on a par with the national average, at least 2,000km of roads are needed to be upgraded as NH, Yadav said.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Free check-up of kids with heart defects Posted: 29 Apr 2011 11:31 PM PDT PATNA: Pediatric cardiologist Krishna Kumar would perform 2D-Echo on children with complex congenital heart defect free of cost at Jeevak Heart Hospital here on Saturday. City physicians and pediatricians have been urged to refer such children to Jeevak after 9am on April 30. After performing the 2D-Echo check, Dr Kumar would also give medical advice to the children, said Dr Ajit Pradhan of Jeevak. Dr Pradhan, who is organizing secretary of the two-day pediatric cardiology and cardiac conference opening at a city hotel on Saturday, said there would also be a live telecast of an open heart surgery on a patient with complex congenital heart defect at Jeevak. The surgery would be jointly performed by Dr Pradhan and Dr Shiva Prakash K. The third two-day pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery conference is being jointly organized by Pediatric Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery Society, Bihar in association with Indian Association of Pediatrics under the aegis of Pediatric Cardiac Society of India. Besides Dr Kumar and Dr Prakash K, Dr Jigar Surti from Mumbai would attend the conference along with cardiologists, pediatricians and cardiac surgeons based in the state. The conference would highlight the magnitude of the problem of congenital heart disease. According to Dr Pradhan, eight out of 1000 children are born with congenital heart disease. Of them, 75% need immediate surgical/non-surgical intervention as complex congenital heart disease is the single largest cause of mortality in the first year of life. But there are less than 30 cardiac surgeons capable of performing these complex surgeries in the country. The resources and facilities being limited, only few children get the treatment, Dr Pradhan told TOI.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  |
| Nepali encroachers grab Bihar land Posted: 29 Apr 2011 06:29 PM PDT New Delhi: It’s a land grab with International dimensions. Thousands of villagers in seven border districts of Bihar have lost their land and homes to encroachers from Nepal – triggering a significant rise in violence and conflict along the state’s border with the Himalayan Kingdom. The land grab, it appears, has its genesis in a warped century old border treaty. The Indian authorities’ inability to ensure pillars demarcating the border stay intact, making it worse.
Rashud Ansari, villager, said, “The land which should be part of Bihar is occupied by Nepal. But all the papers for that land are with India and are from India.”
People residing at the Indo-Nepal border have been crying foul for long. Slowly, the land on the Indian side is disappearing. Farmers here are losing their farm lands, their livelihood, rather everything. The local authorities are well aware about this issue but their hands seems tied down.
Though the 600 Km long open Indo-Nepal border is patrolled by the Sashatra Seema Bal or SSB, pillars demarcating the border are regularly uprooted. Intelligence estimates suggest that 716 International border pillars have disappeared along the Indo-Nepal border. 281, out of that number, are pillars which have been uprooted in Madhubani district, 116 pillars from East Champaran district, 61 pillars from West Champaran and 3 in Araria district.
The SSB agrees that the problem is serious and that it has been escalated to the Central government.
“Boundary has not been demarcated by both countries. Disputes exist in only 7 districts and we have already reported the matter to the Central government through our HQ. Many pillars have gone missing and the State government must look into it,” said Aditya Mishra, Inspector General, SSB.
Ironically, the very basis of setting up these pillars lies in a treaty signed by the British in 1816, declaring the river Mahakali as the border between the two countries. The Sugauli Treaty, as it is know, is meaningless as the river has changed course several times southwards into Indian land.
Suresh Mahto, Farmer, said, “Our village was first settled over there, then they uprooted it and settled it here. Alot of Fighting took place and even, guns were used. It was just too much but it was only after the fighting that they moved.”
With farmers turning landless, literally overnight, most try mass protests, but ultimately end up migrating to bigger towns or work as landless labourers.
“A lot of people here are leaving their homes and are going to other towns because of the amount of problem Nepal is creating in illegally occupying our land,” said Ramesh Kamgaar, a villager.
Though the Nitish Kumar government wrote to the Centre on the issue during its first tenure, the lack of pressure has now only meant continuing misery for Bihar’s border residents.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Bihar labourer gives life to three Posted: 29 Apr 2011 08:25 AM PDT CHENNAI: A migrant labourer from Bihar, who had a fall from the second floor of a building under construction and declared brain dead by the Government General Hospital, on Tuesday gave life to three persons. His two kidneys and a liver were donated to patients in different city hospitals. Rambabu, a 18-year-old migrant labourer comes from a family of eight members, including four sisters. He came to Chennai ten days ago, to join two of his relativeswho work in a construction firm. At the work site in Chromepet on Saturday, Rambabu fell from the second floor and lost consciousness. He was taken to the Government General Hospital. When the condition became critical, he was later shifted from casualty trauma to the Intensive Care Unit of Institute of Anesthesia on Monday, where he was declared brain dead by a panel of doctors. “As his organs were still working successfully, they were harvested with the consent of the family members,” said R Veena, a grief counsellor of Mohan Foundation which plays a major role in counselling victim’s family at the Government General Hospital.
Veena had a tough time with the family due to language problems. She called up students of Mohan Foundation, who had enrolled for a month’S programme on organ transplant. Pallavi and Bhavana from Delhi and Gujarat, who could speak Hindi, explained to Rambabu’s family the significance of organ donation and got their consent. “Though his family was initially reluctant, they obliged to donate all organs, save cornea,” Veena said. Due to non-availability of suitable recipients, Rambabu’s heart could not be transplanted. His heart valves were donated to Frontier Lifeline Hospital. “Irrespective of language, caste, creed and state, the family wholeheartedly agreed to donate his organs. It shows their kindness and sympathy even at the time of tragedy,” said Dr J Amalorpavanathan, convenor of the state organ transplant registry. Rambabu’s one kidney and liver were donated to Stanley Medical College Hospital, while another kidney was harvested by the Government General Hospital.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Ganga project worth Rs 7000 crore approved Posted: 29 Apr 2011 06:25 AM PDT NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved the project for the cleaning of River Ganga to be implemented by the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) at an estimated cost of Rs. 7000 crore. The share of the Government of India will be Rs 5100 crore and that of the State Governments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal will be Rs 1900 crore. The World Bank has agreed in-principle to provide a loan assistance of one billion dollars to the Government of India for the NGRBA project, which will form part of the central share of the project. The duration of the project will be eight years. NGRBA was constituted in February 2009 as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga River under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The objective of the authority, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, is to ensure conservation of the river Ganga and to maintain environmental flows by comprehensive planning and management, adopting a river basin approach. The project is envisaged as the first phase in a long-term programme of World Bank support to NGRBA. The project will support NGRBA’s objective of Mission Clean Ganga. The project has been designed keeping in view the lessons learnt from the previous Ganga Action Plan and International River clean-ups. The project will have three components relating to (a) institutional development for setting up dedicated institutions for implementing the NGRBA program, setting up Ganga Knowledge Centre , strengthening environmental regulators ( Pollution Control Boards )) and local institutions (b) infrastructure investments including for municipal sewage, industrial pollution, solid wastes and river front management, and (c) project implementation support.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | BSEB to get Rs 90 crore Monthly for electricity purchase Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:20 AM PDT Patna, Apr 27 (PTI) The state government today sanctioned a monthly grant of Rs 90 crore to the Bihar State Electricity Board (BESB) for purchase of electricity from the NTPC in the financial year 2011-12, according to the Principal Secretary (Cabinet coordination and secretariat) Ravikant. The decision to provide a monthly grant to the BSEB for electricity purchase from NTPC in 2011-12 was taken at a cabinet meeting presided by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he told reporters at a briefing. The BSEB will altogether receive a grant of Rs 1080 crore from the state government in this fiscal under non-plan expenditure head, Ravikant said. In another decision, the state government approved creation of a police circle in Raghopur area in Vaishali district and sanctioned 12 posts for the purpose, he said. PTI KDK  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Tigers migrated from Valmiki Reserve to beat the heat Posted: 29 Apr 2011 03:45 AM PDT As winters are at their end and the hot summers are just to enter, the precaution to preserve tigers has been started. To provide them cool and pleasing weather the tigers are being migrated from one Tiger preserve to another. The tigers of Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar's West Champaran are taken to the Royal Chitwan Tiger Reserve in Nepal, as it is the only Tiger Reserve in close proximity to the Bihar's Tiger Reserve. During the hot summer season, the tigers would slip inNepal's reserve, which is like a summer resort for them and thus they feel free to go in and come out with please.
In order to beat the heat this step has been taken as according to D S Srivastava, member of the Effective Evaluation Management East and North East of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Delhi. However, not all tigers are lucky as the tigers of Valmiki Tiger Reserve as such luxury is not available for the tigers of Palamu Reserve. The tigers would be staying in the Palamu Tiger Reserve during the bad hot summers. India is the only country where the endangered species are taken from the wildlife destinations of India to different parts across the border, however, when asked that whether this affects the number of tigers, the answer was positive.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | S K Puri Park to be renovated soon Posted: 28 Apr 2011 11:41 PM PDT atna, April 25: Parks are meant for kids to play in, elderly citizens to enjoy their evenings and for professionals as well as homemakers to unwind after a hard day at work. But unfortunately most of the green patches in the city have turned into dumpyards over the years. But the worst appears to be over. Patnaites will get back their rightful breathing space with the urban development department launching a drive for renovating the parks. The children's park at Sri Krishna (SK) Puri had been lying neglected for years. With no fencing and rides for kids, children of Boring Road and SK Puri areas hardly felt like visiting the park. Nor did their parents prefer to take a stroll along its broken walkways. The preferred destination of the morning-walkers of Boring Road and SK Puri areas was Patna zoo, around 2.5km away. The reasons were obvious — ditches and garbage in the neighbourhood park. But the scene has started changing. If all goes well, kids will be back to SK Puri Park. Elderly citizens have started revisiting the lungs of the locality with renovation work under way. The ditches have been filled with earth. Walkways have been repaired. A boundary wall has been erected. Garden lights, too, have been installed in places. Sprawling over 2 acres, Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam (BRPNN) is the caretaker of the park. According to sources, the nigam has outsourced the job of renovating the park to a private agency. The renovation is estimated to cost around Rs 2-2.5 crore. "As much as Rs 40 lakh has been spent for fencing and setting up benches. The lighting cost us Rs 30 lakh. The levelling of the park has been done and artificial grass will be grown after the rains. Saplings will also be planted at various spots," said a nigam official. After the renovation of the park is over, fresh tenders would be floated to invite private players to maintain the park. A nominal entry fee would also be introduced. "The entry fee of the park will be either Rs 2 or Rs 5. It will be decided later. There will be caretakers and a park in-charge. They will be under our supervision," the nigam official said. Morning-walkers expressed happiness over the changing face of the park. "This is the only park in the Boring Road-SK Puri area. For several years, it remained neglected and garbage was dumped here. Few people still came here for jogging but the experience was pathetic. I am happy that the government has finally woken up from its slumber and decided to do something about it. We need green lungs like these in an otherwise concrete jungle," said Neeraj Janvenu, a freelance writer. Chandrashekhar Kumar, a retired government employee, who was doing yoga in the park, said he was happy with the changes. But just the efforts of the nigam will not be enough to reclaim the park. The residents of the areas should actively participate in its upkeep. After all, it is their property.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Bihar to replicate Maharashtra education model for physically challenged
MUMBAI: Maharashtra is now being seen as a pioneer in special education for physically challenged students. The Bihar and Orissa government have approached the state to replicate the model of the education and training centre in Navi Mumbai, which has specialized in training physically challenged students. “The replication process has been initiated in Orissa,” said [...] Read it Online - Bihar Prisoners art to be showcased in an exhibition
PATNA: A first-of-its-kind exhibition to showcase paintings and sculptures made by prisoners from jails across the country will be held in Kolkata soon. This all-India exhibition will begin soon after the West Bengal polls at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. From Bihar alone, 20 art pieces have been sent to Kolkata. B D [...] Read it Online - Bihar to have a Task force to eliminate corruption
Patna, Apr 25 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today directed the state unit of NDA to set up a task force comprising ruling coalition members to help the state government in its drive against corruption in the state. Kumar gave the directive to the state unit NDA Convenor Nand Kishore Yadav during ‘Janata Darbar’ [...] Read it Online - Roads of Bihar to follow Mumbai model
You might be cursing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for bumpy roads every monsoon, but the Bihar government thinks otherwise. The Bihar government is impressed with the BMC's techinques and plans to replicate its road construction and maintenance technique. A delegation of officials from Bihar's state road construction department visited the city in December and [...] Read it Online - Bill to regulate private nursing home and clinics soon
Patna, April 24: Ara resident Radha Nandan Kumar, 80, was rushed to a private nursing home in the state capital after he suffered a heart attack three days ago. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). He was allegedly put on ventilator without consulting a cardiologist. When Radha's condition deteriorated, the nursing home [...] Read it Online
| Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Bihar to replicate Maharashtra education model for physically challenged Posted: 28 Apr 2011 05:37 PM PDT  MUMBAI: Maharashtra is now being seen as a pioneer in special education for physically challenged students. The Bihar and Orissa government have approached the state to replicate the model of the education and training centre in Navi Mumbai, which has specialized in training physically challenged students.
“The replication process has been initiated in Orissa,” said Vijay Nahata, director-general, information and public relations. Nahata, a state cadre Indian Administrative Service ( IAS) officer, was recently conferred the prime minister’s award for excellence in public administration. “The Bihar government wanted me to visit the state and explain the model, but I turned down the offer due to time constraints,” Nahata said. The PM’s award was presented to Nahata for his project of starting the centre for the betterment of children with physical disabilities, during his tenure as Navi Mumbai civic chief. “There were nearly 30 students when I started the project and the annual budgetary provision was Rs 10 lakh. Now, the centre has its own building and a budgetary provision of Rs 12 crore,” Nahata said. He added, “Teaching normal students needs patience. But teaching physically challenged students needs much more than that. We train parents too, so that it makes their job easy to handle the special children.” The centre at Navi Mumbai pays parents who attend classes along with their children Rs 50 per day. -  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Bihar Prisoners art to be showcased in an exhibition Posted: 28 Apr 2011 07:37 AM PDT PATNA: A first-of-its-kind exhibition to showcase paintings and sculptures made by prisoners from jails across the country will be held in Kolkata soon. This all-India exhibition will begin soon after the West Bengal polls at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. From Bihar alone, 20 art pieces have been sent to Kolkata. B D Sharma, IG, prisons, West Bengal told TOI over phone, “So much talent is hidden among the prisoners languishing in our prisons. This is an attempt to showcase their talent in a grand way. We are inviting officers from all over the country to see the creations,” he said, adding “the exhibition will be open for general public too”. “So far we have received entries from 15 states, including Goa and Jharkhand,” Sharma told TOI. From Bihar, 20 art pieces, including paintings and sculptures, have already been sent. Five entries have been sent from the city’s Beur Central Jail alone. Bihar IG, prisons, Ramesh Lal told TOI, “Anyone will be amazed to see the creativity of these inmates.” Lal has himself kept on display two beautiful paintings made by prisoners. While paintings were selected from Beur Central Jail, terracotta items and stone sculptures were brought in from Bhagalpur jail. A four-member committee was constituted to shortlist items for exhibition. Its members were IG, prisons, Bihar, superintendent of Beur jail, DG (provision) and a DIG-rank officer.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Bihar to have a Task force to eliminate corruption Posted: 28 Apr 2011 05:36 AM PDT Patna, Apr 25 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today directed the state unit of NDA to set up a task force comprising ruling coalition members to help the state government in its drive against corruption in the state. Kumar gave the directive to the state unit NDA Convenor Nand Kishore Yadav during ‘Janata Darbar’ at his residence, JD(U) Spokesman Sanjay Singh told reporters here. The task force comprising NDA activists would keep a watch over public servants against corruption, particularly in the schemes like Indira Awas Yojona, he said. The members would also advise the state government about various measures to root out corruption in the state, Singh said.The task force would further spread awareness among the people about various central and state welfare schemes so that they could seek benefit as a matter of right and without paying bribe to the officials for the same, the JD(U) leader said.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Roads of Bihar to follow Mumbai model Posted: 28 Apr 2011 03:32 AM PDT You might be cursing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for bumpy roads every monsoon, but the Bihar government thinks otherwise. The Bihar government is impressed with the BMC's techinques and plans to replicate its road construction and maintenance technique. A delegation of officials from Bihar's state road construction department visited the city in December and returned impressed, which was followed by the visit of an engineer from the civic body's roads department, Vishal Thombare, to Patna early this month. According to civic officials, the delegation was 'highly impressed' with one particular technique called the ultra white thin topping (UWTT). This technique is mainly used to repair asphalted roads. Officials said that the strength of this technique lies in the fact that roads can be repaired in a shorter duration and are more durable. "An asphalted road, which is repaired with this technique, will have no potholes at least for 10 years. The delegation from Bihar was very impressed with this technique," said a BMC official. Also, the level of the road would not increase. A senior member of the delegation said, "Yes, they told us that utility digging did result in potholes. However, we were very impressed, particularly the UWTT technique." The official even said that the state would replicate it soon. "Next time we work on roads in Patna, we will use this technology." RN Kulkarni, chief engineer, roads department said, "We are glad that they are impressed by our work."  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Bill to regulate private nursing home and clinics soon Posted: 28 Apr 2011 12:32 AM PDT Patna, April 24: Ara resident Radha Nandan Kumar, 80, was rushed to a private nursing home in the state capital after he suffered a heart attack three days ago. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). He was allegedly put on ventilator without consulting a cardiologist. When Radha's condition deteriorated, the nursing home authorities advised his relatives to fly him to Delhi. But they charged Radha's family members Rs 60,000 as ICU fee though the nursing home does not have an ICU for heart patients. "We did not know about it at the time of admission. Why did they admit him in the first place if they did not have the facility or the expert?" said a distraught relative of Radha. Sources said Radha's case is not an isolated one. Like the nursing home in Kankerbagh that fleeced Radha's relatives, a number of clinics and health hubs have come up in Patna. Most do not have proper infrastructure, equipment or medical professionals to provide healthcare services. At present, there is no law or regulatory body to check these nursing homes that do not even need a licence to open doors. "There are very few nursing homes in the city that provide quality healthcare. Most are out there to make money by cheating the patients," said Yaarpur resident Rajeev Agarwal. "Recently, a boy in my neighbourhood became unconscious in school. He was rushed to a private nursing home at Gandhi Maidan, where he was admitted in the ICU. Hours later, the doctors at the nursing home declared the boy dead. The nursing home authorities also charged his parents Rs 25,000. Later, in the post-mortem report, it emerged that the boy had been 'brought dead' to the nursing home. An FIR was lodged against the nursing home authorities but nothing has been done till date," said Agarwal. On being advised to take Radha to Delhi, his relatives arranged for an air ambulance from a super speciality clinic. But the doctor in the ambulance found Radha's condition not stable enough for him to fly — he had low blood pressure. He was then shifted to another hospital under the supervision of a cardiologist. His condition is still critical. On being asked what the state government is doing to regulate such nursing homes from duping patients and their families, Amarjeet Sinha, principal secretary, health department, said: "We are finalising the Clinical Establishment Act. The provisions of the act have been laid down. It will soon be presented before the cabinet for approval." The state government passed the bill in 2008 but the rules and norms are yet to be implemented. Doctors and medical professionals are, however, sceptical about how effective the act would be in enforcing quality healthcare delivery. Most of them believe it would lead to an "inspector raj". "When a government official is given the authority to issue licences or conduct inspections, there are chances of corruption. Therefore, a more comprehensive policy should be made," said Dr A.K. Agarwal, a neurologist. Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, general secretary, Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), said while they were in favour of the act, they also had reservations about some of its provisions. "We have reservations on some of the provisions of the act, like jail term for doctors if they violate the norms, supervision of healthcare by bureaucrats, regulations of fees by the state government and restricting nursing homes to commercial areas. BHSA and the Indian Medical Association should be taken into confidence before finalising the draft of the act," added Singh.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  | | Bihar first to set up agriculture cabinet for farmers Posted: 28 Apr 2011 12:29 AM PDT PATNA: Bihar has become the first state in the country to constitute an agriculture ‘cabinet’ with an aim to improve the agrarian sector and address the plight of the farmers. The new ‘cabinet’ is headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and will have in it ministers of 18 departments including water resources, irrigation, energy, rural works, sugarcane industry, animal husbandry and disaster management. “Agriculture sector is one way or another dependent on all these departments,” an official said. The chief minister’s agriculture advisor Mangal Rai, former director general Indian Council of Agriculture Research ( ICAR), is a special invitee to this cabinet. The first meeting of the agriculture cabinet is to take place Tuesday. “All these departments will work with a single goal to develop the agriculture sector,” the official said.  “It is not only a big news for the millions of farmers of Bihar, but beginning of turnaround for agriculture sector. This will help the state to achieve second green revolution,” state Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh told IANS.
Singh said the Bihar government has given highest priority to the agriculture sector and increased its budgetary allocation from Rs.25 crore to almost Rs.844 crore in 2011-12. The news of a cabinet exclusively for the agriculture sector was cheered by the farmers. “It appears that the Bihar government is turning its attention to agriculture sector,” Mahavir Mahto, a farmer near Patna, said. In the last five years, Nitish Kumar has repeatedly said that he wants to have one or two agriculture product from the state on the plate of every Indian in the coming years. The state government chalked out a roadmap for the agriculture sector in 2008. “Several steps, including promotion of modern techniques of farming, organic farming, use of improved seeds among others, have been taken in last two-three years but it is still a long way to go in developing the agriculture sector,” an official of agriculture department said. Atul Singh, an economist researcher in New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that Bihar’s agriculture growth instead of going up has shown declining trend. “It is a hard fact revealed by the government’s own economic survey,” Singh said. According to the official data, against the national productivity average of 2 tonnes of rice per hectare, the state’s rice productivity is about 1.5 tonnes per hectare. In case of wheat, the state’s productivity is 2.2 tonnes per hectare against the national average of 2.7 tonnes. The state government holds repeated droughts and floods responsible for this poor production. The state government admits on its official website that agriculture is the key to the overall development of the state economy. Agriculture is the backbone of Bihar’s economy, 81 percent of workforce, and generation of nearly 42 percent of the state domestic product, it says. “Barring maize and pulses, productivity of various farm produce in Bihar is much below the national average. Though the area under cultivation is shrinking, there is tremendous scope for income generation, by improving productivity. Adverse climatic condition, like draught and floods, do play a role in decreasing products,” the official website says.  Get growth and development stories of Bihar daily to your inbox  |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Saharsa to have a new IGNOU Center
Bihar, Apr 22 (IBNS) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has recently decided with the approval of Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai to establish two more regional centres in the country-Saharsa in Bihar and Deoghar in Jharkhand. According to the notification issued by the Registrar of the university U.S. Tolia, the Board of Management [...] Read it Online - Trial runs at Chhapra wheel factory likely by July
PATNA: Work on the wheel factory at Belapur, Chhapra, is going on in full swing. Railways has set the target for kicking off production in the factory sometime in October this year. The trial production will start in June/ July. It will be the first major railway factory to be made functional in Bihar at an [...] Read it Online - 57 New Fire Stations in Bihar soon
PATNA: With summer at hand, when there is a spurt in cases of breakout of fire, the state government has geared up to deal with any eventuality. It is beefing up the infrastructure for fire-fighting operations. “With the onset of summer, the chances of fire breakouts increase. Therefore, the government is expanding the network of fire [...] Read it Online - Bihar sets up special court for power theft cases
PATNA: At least 682 cases pertaining to supply and theft of power have been transferred to special courts, created at Patna, Gaya and Muzaffarpur for conducting speedy trial of such offences. Kamaldeo Singh helms the Patna court which has so far disposed of nine cases. Bihar State Electricity Board received Rs 7.05 lakh in these cases, [...] Read it Online - Govt launched program to provide abortion care to Women
PATNA: The state government on Saturday launched ‘Yukti’, a scheme to provide comprehensive abortion care services to women across the state. The scheme has been launched in association with Ipas, a global non-profit organization which works to increase women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right to safe abortion. Ipas would provide [...] Read it Online
| Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| | | | | |
