Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

MU officer fined for not complying to RTI guidelines

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 08:25 AM PDT

PATNA: State information commissioner P N Narayanan on Monday imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the examination controller, Magadh University, Bodh Gaya, for not providing information to an applicant, Chitranjan Sharma, besides not complying with the State Information Commission s directives.

As per a press release issued here by information and public relations department (IPRD), the examination controller has been directed to provide information to the applicant by July 31, 2011, and inform the Commission about it. A notice was issued to the examination controller through the Gaya DM. The next date of hearing has been fixed on August 8.

State information commissioner Shakeel Ahmad also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on public information officer cum- panchayat secretary, Sakraita, Phulwarisharif, for not providing information on time to an applicant, Pramod Kumar. The Commission has issued directives for deduction of the fine amount from his salary.

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Women empowerment-a great achievement of Bihar

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 06:23 AM PDT

Patna, Apr 5: Bihar certainly seems to be shaking off its yoke of extreme backwardness and poor developmental indices, which have defined the state, indeed, the region, for decades. The second term of the JDU government under Nitish Kumar has been widely perceived as a vote for development as opposed to the caste-equations and patterns of voting that this BIMARU state regularly showed up.

With massive efforts at building infrastructure like roads, cracking down on the anti-social, infact downright criminal elements which had the run of the land to softer areas of expanding the education system and addressing the special needs of the ‘Mahadalits’ are indeed laudable steps.

Behind this euphoria, this, the visionary leadership to create an environment to ‘make every Bihari proud’ lies the quiet support of a group which has no doubt been recognised but perhaps its criticality in the scheme of things been missed. This is the participation and support of women in the electoral process.

The turnout of women was in one word, stupendous. They broke all social barriers and norms to participate and we witnessed scenes of women voters queuing up in the six phase Assembly elections in Bihar. nterestingly in a state where the gender ratio is skewed in favour of men, it is the women who outnumbered men in the election process, with 54.85 per cent women as compared to 50.70 per cent men voting. This was the first time women of Bihar played such crucial role in forming a government in the state.

So what are the women saying, what are their aspirations, what is this collective consciousness at work which has been instrumental for returning the government to power? What would be a fascinating study not only to the psephologist but those connected to the politics of development is to understand the factors that made this happen. It was like a collective consciousness at work.

This is the time the state government returned to power is unfolding its agenda of ‘consolidation’ of development processes initiated in the first term. This is also the opportune time to address the issues, which made these women come out in large numbers to vote almost en masse.

This would lead not only ‘more development’ but also ‘more nuanced and responsive development’ which women as a participatory force could help define. Yes the women have voted as a reiteration of the positive developments that have taken place in the state but it goes beyond that. Now they are seeking a better deal in every sphere of political, social and economic activity. A new order is called for which will not only put Bihar securely on the map of development but also ensure a more enabling environment for women to participate in the development trajectory.

The scenario, notwithstanding the outpouring of support by women continues to be challenging. Age-old social practices and patriarchal patterns still prevail which keep women sidelined, notches below their male counterparts in all areas of life, be it access to education, health, participation in governance.

Early marriage is the bane of society still with girls being seen as ‘ burden’ on their parents to be thrown off at the earliest. According to the 2001 Census the total number of married girls less than 15 years old is 154899 while those between the ages 15-19 is also staggering, 1251950. This prevents girls from growing into mature adults who could carry out not only family responsibilities with aplomb but contribute to society more fully.

Consider this. The fertility rate in Bihar is high which directly impact the population figures, higher than the national rate. Child marriage can be seen as a major reason for this, a practice spawned by retrograde social norms.For a state on the move, under a dynamic leadership, an increasing population and limited resources is not a perfect formula for growth. Nor is it befitting to have girl children married and producing children rather than being in school and getting an education.

The level of education in Bihar is way behind the National level with female literacy at 33.1 per cent as against all-India figure of 53.7 per cent. This is the time then for the policy makers to take a good hard look at what they have inherited not only in terms of a thumping mandate but the plethora of problems they need to find solutions to.

Another prime area for concern is the lack of healthcare facilities. Remote areas of Bihar are still deprived basic healthcare facilities. The number of Primary Health Centres (PHC) is 1641 as against the required number of 2489, a shortfall of 848. In Sub Centres the shortfall is a stupendous 6101. The women in such areas can be equated with the most backward parts of Africa.

All of this does not make for a comforting situation for the government to be in. Rather it will now need to drastically cut through all the euphoria and praise and roll back its sleeves to get the work done. There is no other way for a society to move forward unless its entire people across caste-gender-regional lines are partners in progress.

It has to battle with the very real scenario of high mortality rates, of the mother and the infant. It has to face the specter of malnutrition, a huge challenge with Bihar’s 58 per cent children malnourished. All these require hard-nosed policies and programmes and allocation of resources.

There is no denying of the fact that the Nitish Kumar government, has enabled women to participate in governance more significantly than in the past. This has led to their empowerment. Reservation at the Panchayat level has had an impact on their increased role.

Of the 2, 60,000 representatives in Panchayats, a whopping 1, 20,000 are women. The Mukhyamantri Akshar Aanchal Yojna, aiming to make 40 lakh women literate in a year and providing bicycles to girls are populist moves, which have not only paid off but led to this sense of empowerment. In a way Nitish Kumar has loosened the constricting patterns that kept the state backward.

In the process, the Charkha Development Network feels, he has unleashed a wave of not only energy and participation but of aspirations and expectations of a better quality of life for those who have been marginalised. Now he and the government he leads has to learn to ride this tiger. By Rajiv Kumar

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Surat textile industry suffers setback after Bihari labourers

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:19 AM PDT

SURAT: The country’s biggest man-made fibre industry in the city is on the verge of losing skilled and experienced migrant workers, mainly from Orissa and Bihar who are in majority, with the textile processors going on an indefinite strike to oppose the rise in the prices of natural gas.

As per the official statistics of Orissa labour department, about 1.70 lakh skilled and experienced workers from Gujarat, mainly employed in the textile industry in Surat, have returned to their native places in Ganjam and Puri in the last two-and-a-half-months.

Three months ago, more than two lakh migrant workers, mainly from Orissa, had left for their home towns due to the extended agitation by the powerloom workers over the wage hike issue. Similar situation is taking shape for the migrant workers, both employed in the powerloom and the textile processing sectors.

The textile industry is fully dependent on migrant workers hailing from northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the eastern state of Orissa. The industry employs about eight lakh workers in the powerloom and processing sectors, out of which 80 per cent are migrant workers.

The Surat Oriya Welfare Association (SOWA), an organisation working for the uplift of Oriya workers in the city along with the government of Orissa, has presented an alarming picture of the migrant labourers working in the city’s textile sector.

“Surat in particular and Gujarat in general will lose the skilled hands from Orissa. About 1.70 lakh workers have permanently shifted to their villages in Orissa and more are likely to move out in the coming days,” said Subas Gantayat, chairman of SOWA.

Experts believe the indefinite strike by the textile processors will have a chain effect in the entire industry. The finishing of three crore metres of grey fabric per day manufactured by the powerloom weavers has come to a standstill with the textile processors going on an indefinite strike. The textile traders will not be able to get the delivery of the finished fabrics and thus there will be huge gap in the demand-supply ratio.

“Industry is facing 30 per cent labour shortage for the past one year. After the workers’ unrest in January-2011, most of the Oriya workers are yet to return,” said Mahesh Patel, a powerloom weaver operating at 50 per cent capacity.

K S Gill, deputy labour commissioner, told TOI, “The strikes and agitations in the industry are creating a big impact on the socio-economic status of the migrant workers. Most of them want to return to their native places in search of alternative jobs. We have warned the processors to disburse daily wages to the workers or else face stringent action.”

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Air-taxi proposal remains halted with government since 1 year

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 11:17 PM PDT

PATNA: The hopes of Bihar’s jet-setting denizens may take a long time to get wings. The state government is in a fix over the proposal from a private agency to allow it to fly air-taxi services within the state.

A private air-taxi provider, Spirit Air, had submitted a proposal (a copy of which is available with TOI) to CM Nitish Kumar about a year ago to allow it to operate air-taxis.

“We had made a request to the CM for allowing us to operate the first ever air-taxi services in Bihar,” said captain N Shivram of the Spirit Air Pvt Limited, which has operating permit from the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) and ministry of civil aviation, government of India.

“Its introduction will promote tourism; connect the state capital with different district headquarters; generate employment; and to top it all make Bihar the first state in India to have its district headquarters and tourist centers connected with air,” Suresh Prasad, a senior official of Spirit Air Pvt Limited said, quoting from a letter to CM.

The firm’s proposal to position air-taxi and set up an aircraft maintenance base at Muzaffarpur airfield will invite an investment of Rs 20 crore.

Spirit Air is a non-scheduled airline with its operational base at Bengaluru and Kolkata.

“We are flying air ambulance carrying serious patients from smaler places like Darbhanga to Kolkata and Mumbai for better medical treatment,” said Prasad.

“There is huge demand from groups, individuals, corporates and tourists for chartered flights,” said the chairman of finance committee of the North Bihar Chamber of Commerce, Ramesh Chandra Tikmani.

On March 30, 2009, the air service provider had written to the state chief secretary in this regard. Request letters were also sent to the chairman of Airports Authority of India and its regional office in Kolkata.

Bihar’s cabinet co-ordination principal secretary, Ravi Kant, who is also looking after the affairs of civil aviation, told TOI: “AAI has to provide parking space at the Patna airport for any additional air service. The government will have to consider every aspect of the plan, especially security, before allowing any air service within the state. The government, however, will look into the proposal.”

Patna airport director Arvind Dubey said: “There is strong need to provide full-proof security arrangements at various airfields located within the state before allowing any regular air services in Bihar.”

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