| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Railways to introduce eco-friendly toilets
PATNA: The Indian Railways recently signed an MoU with the Defence Research and Development Organization ( DRDO) to develop environ-ment-friendly toilet system to improve further hygienic condition in toilets on running trains across the country. According to a Railway Board official, the design of the proposed new toilet system has been developed by the DRDO. The railways [...] Read it Online - Bihar keen to setup Eastern economic corridor
PATNA: Bihar has pitched for the creation of an Eastern Economic Corridor from Raxaul to Paradeep port through the upcoming bridge on the Ganga at Bakhtiarpur saying it will provide a big boost to the economy of not only Bihar, but also of Jharkhand and Orissa. Bihar’s demand note urges the Planning Commission to seriously consider this [...] Read it Online - Businesses eager to setup units in Bihar
Balram Singh Yadav, 46, the Mumbai-based Managing Director of Godrej Agrovet, has toured Bihar on business six times in the last seven years. Each time he visits, he finds the overall atmosphere has improved over the last time. On his early visits, the road from Patna airport to his hotel used to be potholed and [...] Read it Online - Bihar to increase milk output by 50 percent
PATNA: To meet the growing demand for milk from Bihar and outside, Sudha Dairy, owned by Bihar State Milk Co-operative Producers Federation Limited (Compfed), is currently working on a plan to increase its milk output by over 50% by the end of 2011-12 fiscal. According to official sources, at present, Compfed has 14 dairies with [...] Read it Online - Bihar police use Dugdugi to make criminals surrender
Patna: It’s worse than a Harry Potter ‘howler’ – voice letters that rebuke offenders publicly and self destruct. Police in Bihar have hit upon a novel idea to smoke out criminals evading arrest by sending out marching bands playing the folk instrument ‘dugdugi’ and publicly shaming the offender. The rural justice system is an instant [...] Read it Online
| Current Weather in Patna
Temperature: 27°C | 81°F, Current: Partly Cloudy , Wind: 6 kmph, Humidity: 79% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Railways to introduce eco-friendly toilets Posted: 31 May 2011 08:14 AM PDT PATNA: The Indian Railways recently signed an MoU with the Defence Research and Development Organization ( DRDO) to develop environ-ment-friendly toilet system to improve further hygienic condition in toilets on running trains across the country. According to a Railway Board official, the design of the proposed new toilet system has been developed by the DRDO. The railways has decided to manufacture two rakes fitted with eco-friendly toilet system. The rail-ways would first put these rakes on trial and then the newly developed technology would be gradually introduced in superfast trains, he said. The Board official said that the objective behind introducing the new system is to maintain zero discharge toilet system ( ZDTS) on running trains. The Research Design and Standard Organization (RSDO) and IIT, Kanpur, have jointly developed its design. This system was put on trial on one bogie of a train recently, he said. The Board official maintained that the railways greatest concern is to provide homely comforts to passengers on running trains. The concept of providing green toilets on running trains has been the pilot project of the railways. It will be introduced gradually in most of mail and express trains in different zones of the railways, he said. During the trial of the new system, it was observed that the response of passengers travelling by Bundlekhand-Varanasi Express was good. The railways would manufacture more such new bogies fitted with eco-friendly toilets soon, the sources said.   | | Bihar keen to setup Eastern economic corridor Posted: 31 May 2011 06:20 AM PDT PATNA: Bihar has pitched for the creation of an Eastern Economic Corridor from Raxaul to Paradeep port through the upcoming bridge on the Ganga at Bakhtiarpur saying it will provide a big boost to the economy of not only Bihar, but also of Jharkhand and Orissa. Bihar’s demand note urges the Planning Commission to seriously consider this issue and said that the state requires a dedicated port for import, movement of coal and other material for its power plants. “Bihar is ready to invest in building such a port in one of eastern coastal states,” it said. Briefing mediapersons about the deliberations at the first session of the Commission’s regional consultation with the state governments and other stakeholders on the approach paper to the 12th Five Year Plan on Monday, principal secretary, planning and development, government of Bihar, Vijoy Prakash said that representatives of all the five participating states stressed that Central schemes should be minimized and regional schemes be allowed in the social sector. While demanding special category status, CM Nitish Kumar said that the proliferation of Centrally-sponsored schemes, now over 147, is not rationale since these are resources which belong to the states and should devolve in them to select their most optimum use. “Many far reaching decisions are taken by the Central government, which impinge on the resources and autonomy of states. We need to build on best international practice for making our polity a truly working federalism,” said Nitish. He also stressed on the need for a permanent National Poverty Commission to define, update and adapt the approach on poverty amelioration and identify the persons living below the poverty line. The CM pointed out that per capita power consumption in Bihar is only 100 units against national average of over 700 and demanded that 50 percent of the power allocated from existing Central investments in Bihar should be allocated to the state, all the thermal power plants be assured coal linkage and initiatives be made with Bhutan on hydel energy. Bihar has demanded about Rs 43,000 crore for implementation of the Right to Education saying the share of Central and state should be 90:10 under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). A special package has been demanded to meet the additional requirement of about three lakh classrooms in the existing schools. It has been urged that the state government’s scheme of distributing bicycles to boys and girls studying in Class IX and uniforms to all boys and girls from Class III to XII be made part of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. The CM suggested the Plan panel for entitlement-based and habitation-based planning and per capita expenditure brought on par with the national standard, a rainbow revolution for holistic development of the entire agrobased production system, direct cash transfer modalities to enable the poor people to purchase grains as per their requirements and Centre’s special plan for revival or merger of sick PSUs. In his concluding remarks, Nitish said, “Achieving a 9.5 percent rate of growth cannot in itself be acceptable if income equalities and regional divides are not bridged. The slogan, `inclusive growth’, must be translated into a coherent action plan.”   | | Businesses eager to setup units in Bihar Posted: 31 May 2011 04:07 AM PDT Balram Singh Yadav, 46, the Mumbai-based Managing Director of Godrej Agrovet, has toured Bihar on business six times in the last seven years. Each time he visits, he finds the overall atmosphere has improved over the last time. On his early visits, the road from Patna airport to his hotel used to be potholed and dusty. He never dared venture out of his hotel in the evenings for fear of being mugged. That is all history now. “A fruit seller can stay on the street till as late as 10 p.m. if he wants to,” he says, describing the new Bihar. “Rickshaws freely ply late into the night.” Not surprisingly he is keen his company take advantage of the transformation. Godrej Agrovet is setting up a Rs 70-crore cattle and poultry feed mill at Hajipur, across the Ganga river from Patna. “Bihar will emerge as the next growth engine for eastern India,” he says. Hajipur, too, is the destination of biscuit major Britannia, which is setting up a 50,000-tonne bakery there. “Bihar represents a large and growing market opportunity and therefore we decided to create a manufacturing unit closer to the market,” says a company spokesman, declining to give any more details. Ruchi Soya, the Mumbai based $2.6 billion (Rs 11,700 crore) FMCG group, best known for its edible oils, is pumping Rs 200 crore into setting up agro-processing centres at Kaimur, 170 km northwest of Patna, near the Uttar Pradesh border. West Coast Paper, promoted by Shree Digvijay Cement Company and later taken over by SK Bangur Group, has plans for a board unit at Rohtas, 140 km southeast of Patna, while infrastructure giant Jaypee Associates is working towards a fly ash-based cement factory at Motipur, part of Muzaffarpur district. 
Bihar, home to 104 million people, according to provisional estimates in the 2011 census and ranked third by population behind Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, was always a draw for industry, but until the Nitish Kumar-led government took charge in November 2005, the abysmal law and order situation and poor infrastructure kept investors away. But now, with both policing and connectivity having improved dramatically, industry sees no reason to be diffident. “Over 40 per cent of the country’s population resides in the east and the north-eastern region,” points out Dinesh Shahra, Managing Director of the Ruchi Soya Group. “Bihar provides a huge opportunity for upgrading consumers from loose and poor quality oil to packaged refined edible oil.” And consumption is rising rapidly. The state’s gross domestic product has been rising by more than 10 per cent annually for the last five years, compared to an average of 3.5 per cent per year between 2000 and 2004, when the Rabri Devi-led Rashtriya Janata Dal government was in power. Manufacturing and services have both shown substantial increases: the contribution of manufacturing to the state’s income has increased from 10.5 per cent in 1999/2000 to 16.61 per cent a decade later, while that of services has gone up from 50.50 per cent to 61.65 per cent in the same period. Agriculture’s share may have consequently declined; even so agricultural growth in 2009/10 was 8.85 per cent. In a reflection of the frenzied construction activity in the state, Bihar is now the fastest growing cement market in the country – 28 per cent growth in the past year against a national average of nine per cent. With better roads and little fear of attracting the attention of car thieves or kidnappers, people are buying cars: leading auto maker Maruti Suzuki reported a 30 per cent rise in sales in Bihar between April and December 2010. Government figures show that the number of vehicles in the state has grown four times, from around 80,000 in 2005/06 to 3.19 lakh in 2009/10. Many more people are visiting the state, as revealed by the amount of aircraft movement: in 2004/05, a total of 3,814 aircraft landed or took off from the state’s airports; five years later the figure was 10,726. Telephone connections – landlines and mobiles taken together – have risen 10-fold in five years, from 4.2 million in 2005/06 to 41.5 million until March this year. With growing incomes, people are buying more: FMCG major Samsung’s sales grew by 25 to 30 per cent between April and December last year. No doubt problems remain, land availability being primary among them. Godrej Agrovet needs just 10 acres to set up its 84,000-tonne facility, but it has not got it yet. “I’m yet to hear any positive news,” says Yadav. “Industry needs faster acquisition of land for developing new, modern industrial parks,” says an industrialist who is scouting for a suitable site in the state. “They should provide land where industry wants to go. The industrial agenda should precede the political agenda.” Unable to secure land, the state cabinet in January approved new rules relating to the conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural, which effectively absolves the government of responsibility in getting land for industry. These rules leave buyers free to purchase agricultural and other land directly from farmers at market rates and use it for industrial purposes, after paying a conversion fee. But the decision is unlikely to set industry rejoicing, since it is looking for land not just anywhere, but in places where the infrastructure it needs is already available or can be easily set up. In particular, it is eyeing the old industrial estates around some towns in Tirhut division such as Hajipur and Muzaffarpur as well as Bhagalpur and Gaya, where it is still the government that controls the limited land available. “The government has to take the initiative,” says Yadav. Other major stumbling blocks are the lack of reliable power supply, the frequent occurrence of floods and droughts and the absence of skilled manpower. Bihar is a power deficient state with a total generating capacity of less than 600 MW against a peak demand of 3,000 MW. “We haven’t seen big projects rolling out,” says a CEO unwilling to be named. But the state machinery says power projects have a long gestation period. In April, the state cabinet gave its nod to a 1,320 MW coalbased power plant to be built at a cost of Rs 7,280 crore by the Kolkata-based India Power Corporation. “There are many more projects in the pipeline,” assures Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister. Gautam Adani, Chairman of the $5.6 billion (Rs 25,000 crore) Adani Group, is also looking out for opportunities in the power sector. “We could look at power, mining and agro-based industries in Bihar,” says Adani. Currently, the majority of industrial projects headed for Bihar are agro-based. But the state has the geographical advantage of two mineral rich neighbours, Jharkhand and Orissa, which makes it an ideal location for power, cement and other non-agro industries as well. Overall, industrialists remain hopeful, being particularly impressed by the attitude of the bureaucracy. “We found bureaucrats very accommodating, cooperative and determined to bring development to the state,” says Shahra of Ruchi Soya. If Bihar can overcome the land and power bottlenecks, the entry of Indian business houses will only accelerate in future.   | | Bihar to increase milk output by 50 percent Posted: 31 May 2011 02:13 AM PDT PATNA: To meet the growing demand for milk from Bihar and outside, Sudha Dairy, owned by Bihar State Milk Co-operative Producers Federation Limited (Compfed), is currently working on a plan to increase its milk output by over 50% by the end of 2011-12 fiscal. According to official sources, at present, Compfed has 14 dairies with a daily production of 14 lakh litres. This is sought to be increased to 22 lakh litres by the end of current financial year. With this objective, Compfed is setting up several new dairies and expanding the capacities of many old ones. Sources said that three new dairies are likely to be commissioned by this fiscal at Biharsharif, Dehri-On-Sone and Jamui. While Biharsharif dairy will have a capacity of 4 lakh litres per day, Dehri-On-Sone will produce 1 lakh litres of milk daily and Jamui dairy 10,000 litres daily. Besides, the capacity of Samastipur Dairy is being expanded to 5 lakh litres from 2.5 lakh litres daily and of Muzaffarpur dairy to 2.5 lakh litres daily from the present 1.5 lakh litres. The capacities of Compfed’s other dairies at Ara, Gaya, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Darbhanga, Kaimur and Bokaro are also being expanded. Meanwhile, demand for Sudha Dairy’s milk from within Bihar and outside Bihar remains buoyant. Said an official, “We are currently supplying milk to Delhi, UP, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Assam. There is demand from Andhra Pradesh and other areas too. On the other hand, local demand, too, has gone up.” Sudha Dairy is geared up to meet this demand, he said.   | | Bihar police use Dugdugi to make criminals surrender Posted: 30 May 2011 10:07 PM PDT Patna: It’s worse than a Harry Potter ‘howler’ – voice letters that rebuke offenders publicly and self destruct. Police in Bihar have hit upon a novel idea to smoke out criminals evading arrest by sending out marching bands playing the folk instrument ‘dugdugi’ and publicly shaming the offender.
The rural justice system is an instant hit among residents as the drummers go about the city lanes, calling out the names of the proclaimed offenders. The ‘dugdugi’ players exhort the offenders to surrender and warn them that their immovable property will be auctioned if they fail to turn up on court dates.
According to local news reports, police have apparently shamed nearly a hundred offenders to surrender. Once a person is declared a proclaimed offender, his or her property is attached.
The ‘dugdugi’ drive which has kick started in Patna district will be replicated in other districts as neighbours and family members help catch fugitives.
The police authorities have hired local people to sound ‘dugdugi’ in the entire district apparently in a bid to ask people to cooperate with the police in tracing absconding criminals, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Alok Kumar told reporters.
The use of dugdugi has helped the police in arresting 96 fugitive criminals and eight others have surrendered before the course since the novel method of catching the criminals got underway, the police official said.
Justifying the use of dugdugi, Kumar said it was obviously to solicit help of the people in nabbing those criminals who have taken refuse elsewhere after committing crime or have taken to other profession to hide their identity.
The people were also cooperating with the police and giving information about the criminals from their locality and even far off areas, he said, adding that the remaining criminals evading the long arms of the law will be caught soon. (With additional information from IANS)   |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Bihar takes remarkable steps to fight corruption
In a unique move to curb corruption in the PDS system, the Bihar government will for the first time hold camps and video-record entire process of coupon distribution for 1.45 crore BPL families. The camps will be held at panchayat and block levels from June 1 to June 15. There is an instruction in place [...] Read it Online - Bhojpuri Actor Anil Samrat held for attempt to murder
Enraged at not finding the studio owner who owed him money, Anil Samrat fired a round in the air to scare the studio staffers Bhojpuri actor Anil Samrat, who was associated with Lalu Prasad’s RJD for around 10 years and ran a liquor business in his home district Aara in Bihar before taking up a [...] Read it Online - Another first, Bihar to introduce Lok Prahari
PATNA: Even though the panchayat elections have been held on non-party line, the NDA has expressed satisfaction over the results claiming majority of the victorious people are either members or supporters of the ruling alliance. The NDA workers from Kosi belt, who gathered here on Monday, expressed confidence that this would help further strengthen the [...] Read it Online - The incredible story of Change in Bihar
By: KP Narayana Kumar/Forbes India Nitish Kumar cracks the whip on corrupt babus WHY WE DID THE STORY: Bihar was once considered the most corrupt state in the country. When Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister and made noises about cleaning up the system, not many took him seriously. But during his first term, [...] Read it Online - Railway introduces Rail Bandhu-An on board rail magazine
PATNA: The railways has launched a new magazine, Rail Bandhu, on the pattern of Air India and Indian Airlines’ magazines, for passengers travelling by its premier Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains across the country. According to a Railway Board official, the monthly magazine is meant for free distribution among passengers journeying by these trains. To start [...] Read it Online
| Current Weather in Patna
Temperature: 31°C | 88°F, Current: Sunny, Wind: 14 kmph, Humidity: 57% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Bihar takes remarkable steps to fight corruption Posted: 30 May 2011 06:05 PM PDT In a unique move to curb corruption in the PDS system, the Bihar government will for the first time hold camps and video-record entire process of coupon distribution for 1.45 crore BPL families. The camps will be held at panchayat and block levels from June 1 to June 15. There is an instruction in place to sack any errant official right on-the-spot "without being served usual show-cause notice". The government believes video-recording will work like CCTV cameras at bank ATMs and its video-grab can be referred to ensure veracity of a ration card holder. The Food and Civil Supplies Ministry accepted that the camps were being held amidst rampant allegations of PDS coupon sale, right from block development officers to marketing officers to dealers and panchayat sevaks. Earlier, marketing officers would hand over ration coupons to dealers and panchayat sevaks for sale. The coupons for the entire year are sold sometime in May-June every year. Bihar Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shyam Rajak said, "The most common complaint from people is about not getting the coupons. We are determined to stop illegal sale right at the distribution level." The minister said the coupons, bar-coded from this time to help avoid duplicity, would be distributed at block and panchayat levels involving down-level village workers like tola sevaks, vikas mitras and panchayat sevaks. "The process will be duly advertised well in advance. Every ration card holder having photographs of entire family on the card will produce his/ her card before receiving the PDS coupons for the entire year by signing or putting thumb impression on government registers," said Rajak adding that video-cameras will focus mainly on distributors and coupon recipients and work like CCTV cameras at bank ATMs. There will be also surprise checks by BDOs, district supply officers and other senior officials of Food and Civil Supplies departments at camps, added the minister. Rajak claimed that no other state had so far even held camps, let alone video-record the process, to distribute PDS coupons. "We have also issued a circular till down levels making it clear that any official found selling coupons to wrong persons would be sacked right on the spot. The officials in-charge of respective camps will be also held responsible for any such slip-ups," said the minister. Rajak said in case of any complaint, video-grab of panchayat concerned would be studied. The government will engage over 1,500 trained video-graphers for its camps. The government has already introduced bar-coded coupons from this year to help curb corruption in PDS system by stopping duplicate coupons in circulation. A bar code on PDS coupons will be mix of customer card, unique coupon, dealer shop and customer BPL numbers. Though coupons will be sold to card holders for full-year quota by marketing officers, it will be now district supply officers (DSOs) who will control and check veracity of coupons against customer complaints, on doubts or even run random checks through decoding machines. Earlier, complaints were dealt with at block levels. There are over 45,000 PDS shops across the state. For 5,000-odd remaining shops, the government has also invited primary agriculture cooperative and credit societies (PACCS) and NGOs besides usual dealers.   | | Bhojpuri Actor Anil Samrat held for attempt to murder Posted: 29 May 2011 10:25 PM PDT Enraged at not finding the studio owner who owed him money, Anil Samrat fired a round in the air to scare the studio staffers  Bhojpuri actor Anil Samrat, who was associated with Lalu Prasad’s RJD for around 10 years and ran a liquor business in his home district Aara in Bihar before taking up a career in acting, opened fire at a city film studio while asking for whereabouts of the owner who had taken a loan from him. Acting on a complaint filed by studio owner Krushankumar Gupta, the police detained the actor for questioning yesterday morning and charged him with illegal possession of arms and attempt to murder.
Mayhem
Samrat allegedly opened fire from his Mausar pistol, sans licence, to scare Gupta’s staff who pleaded ignorance about the whereabouts of the owner of the studio. Assistant Sub Inspector Rajendra Kane of Amboli police station said the incident took place at 10.30 pm on Tuesday when Samrat went to the Krishna Audio Vision Studio located at Skytek building in Amboli seeking repayment of the Rs 1 lakh loan that he claims to have given to Gupta. “When he did not find the owner there, he started threatening his staff members who were present at the spot and shot a round in the air,” said Kane. When Samrat left the spot in a huff, the scared staff members called Gupta and narrated the incident to him. Gupta soon approached the police and registered a case of attempt to murder against the actor. The police officers have recorded the statements of Gupta and his employees present at the spot. “Gupta had taken Rs 1 lakh as loan from Samrat and had paid only half the amount. Gupta was to still pay Samrat around Rs 40,000 that led to the incident”, added Kane. MiD DAY spoke to one of his country cousins who said that there had been no major criminal records against him. But he confirmed the actor used to be associated with people with criminal bac grounds as he ran a theka in Aara. He added that Samrat contested the assembly polls from Aara as an Independent candidate as the actor severed ties with Lalu and his party. He lost the election by 1,200 votes. Though Samrat shifted to Mumbai to make a career in films three years ago, his family still stays in Aara.   |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Another first, Bihar to introduce Lok Prahari
PATNA: Even though the panchayat elections have been held on non-party line, the NDA has expressed satisfaction over the results claiming majority of the victorious people are either members or supporters of the ruling alliance. The NDA workers from Kosi belt, who gathered here on Monday, expressed confidence that this would help further strengthen the [...] Read it Online - The incredible story of Change in Bihar
By: KP Narayana Kumar/Forbes India Nitish Kumar cracks the whip on corrupt babus WHY WE DID THE STORY: Bihar was once considered the most corrupt state in the country. When Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister and made noises about cleaning up the system, not many took him seriously. But during his first term, [...] Read it Online - Railway introduces Rail Bandhu-An on board rail magazine
PATNA: The railways has launched a new magazine, Rail Bandhu, on the pattern of Air India and Indian Airlines’ magazines, for passengers travelling by its premier Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains across the country. According to a Railway Board official, the monthly magazine is meant for free distribution among passengers journeying by these trains. To start [...] Read it Online - Dr H C Verma to lead Physicists for increasing awareness in Science
PATNA: With a view to reversing the recent trend of declining interest in pure sciences amongst the GenNext and to making the science teaching more attractive and interesting, a group of dedicated physics teachers from across the country, led by H C Verma of IIT, Kanpur, shall be holding an interactive session from June 4 [...] Read it Online - Retired College teachers to get revised Pension
PATNA: The college and university teachers of Bihar, who retired prior to or after January, 2006, would get their pension (or family pension) at a revised rate with effect from March, 2011. The benefit of merger of 50 percent dearness relief would also be given while revising the existing pension in the light of the Sixth [...] Read it Online
| Current Weather in Patna
Temperature: 29°C | 84°F, Current: Sunny, Wind: 11 kmph, Humidity: 75% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Another first, Bihar to introduce Lok Prahari Posted: 29 May 2011 06:15 PM PDT PATNA: Even though the panchayat elections have been held on non-party line, the NDA has expressed satisfaction over the results claiming majority of the victorious people are either members or supporters of the ruling alliance. The NDA workers from Kosi belt, who gathered here on Monday, expressed confidence that this would help further strengthen the organizational base of the JD(U) and the BJP and expand the network of the two parties at grassroot level. Taking a cue from their views, chief minister Nitish Kumar announced the formation of Lok Prahari to have an effective check and balance on the elected representatives of panchayats and local bodies which will be empowered to hear complaints against them and take action. The constitution of Lok Prahari is on the lines of Lokayukta and Lok Pal. Bihar will be the first state to have such a regulatory authority.   | | The incredible story of Change in Bihar Posted: 29 May 2011 08:20 AM PDT By: KP Narayana Kumar/Forbes India Nitish Kumar cracks the whip on corrupt babus WHY WE DID THE STORY: Bihar was once considered the most corrupt state in the country. When Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister and made noises about cleaning up the system, not many took him seriously. But during his first term, he locked up more than 55,000 criminals to make Bihar almost crime-free. In his second stint, Kumar is aiming for a systemic overhaul. It's a remarkable case study of a state, once known to be the worst-governed in the country, showing the way to more advanced states on innovative means to tackle corruption. It's not easy to crack the whip on Bihar's bureaucracy as the babus have been masters for several decades now. However, Kumar seems to be relentless in making the government servants accountable. He has also lent his support to Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade. Hazare had praised Kumar for the steps taken to make governance transparent, which has improved the quality of life in rural areas. It's history in the making and that's why we did the story. WHERE THE STORY STANDS: Nitish Kumar's attempts at reining in corruption have made a tremendous impact on the state's administration. In 2009, special courts were set up to try corruption cases. Now, the state has made it compulsory for government servants to declare their assets. In March, the state government warned more than 70,000 officials that their salaries would be withheld till they submitted their declaration forms. More than 85% of over 4.5 lakh government officials, including Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers in Bihar, have submitted details of their assets. Kumar and his ministers have also put up their declaration forms on the state's Web site. There is now palpable fear among government officers as they know that the government is in a proactive mode to tackle corruption. "It's very clear that the administration means business and so the officers know that the pressure on the anti-corruption front would be relentless. One after the other, people are giving details of their assets," says a government officer.   | | Railway introduces Rail Bandhu-An on board rail magazine Posted: 29 May 2011 04:13 AM PDT PATNA: The railways has launched a new magazine, Rail Bandhu, on the pattern of Air India and Indian Airlines’ magazines, for passengers travelling by its premier Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains across the country. According to a Railway Board official, the monthly magazine is meant for free distribution among passengers journeying by these trains. To start with, 50,000 copies of the inaugural issue have been published. However, the number of copies would be increased in future for its distribution in every zone of railways. “The magazine is of 60 pages, of which 30 contain news items,” the official said and added the inaugural issue features interesting articles about Rabindranath Tagore, Ruskin Bond stories and success stories of railways’ sportspersons. “The magazine will provide a variety of interesting and informative stories about development and achievements of Indian Railways at the country level,” he said.   | | Dr H C Verma to lead Physicists for increasing awareness in Science Posted: 29 May 2011 12:10 AM PDT PATNA: With a view to reversing the recent trend of declining interest in pure sciences amongst the GenNext and to making the science teaching more attractive and interesting, a group of dedicated physics teachers from across the country, led by H C Verma of IIT, Kanpur, shall be holding an interactive session from June 4 to 6 at the Patna Science College physics department. “This group of enthusiastic physics teachers is dedicated to the development of science education in general and physics education in particular in the country. The forthcoming meet will be the third in the series, the two previous meets were held at Agra and Chandigarh,” said convener Amarendra Narayan and co-convener Rakesh Kumar Singh. The group, popularly known as ‘Utsahi Physics Teachers’ Group’, advocates experiment-assisted physics teaching for revitalizing physics education. As many as 15 senior resource persons drawn from different parts of the country conduct workshops for teachers as well as students to inspire basic science teaching and research through innovative methods.   | | Retired College teachers to get revised Pension Posted: 29 May 2011 12:09 AM PDT PATNA: The college and university teachers of Bihar, who retired prior to or after January, 2006, would get their pension (or family pension) at a revised rate with effect from March, 2011. The benefit of merger of 50 percent dearness relief would also be given while revising the existing pension in the light of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. Giving this assurance to a delegation of the Federation of Retired University Teachers’ Associations of Bihar (FRUTAB) on Tuesday, HRD minister P K Shahi said that a government circular to this effect would be issued to all the universities shortly. Federation general secretary Ram Pravesh Singhsaid that the minister further assured the delegation that the universities would be asked to send their detailed requirement of additional fund for pension revision. On receipt of the same, the government would immediately release the requisite funds to the universities to start payment at the revised rate with effect from March, 2011. Regarding payment of arrears of revised pension, the delegation was assured that necessary steps would be taken by the government for the release of arrear amount. The FRUTAB delegation consisted of Ghanshyam Prasad Singh, Ram Pravesh Singh, N K P Sinha, Rajeshwar Prasad Sinha, Abdus Sami, Arjun Prasad, K K Sinha, Birendra Prasad Sinha, Umesh Prasad, B P Sinha, Mohd Alam and others. The minister was assisted by principal secretary, HRD, Anjani Kumar Singh and others.   | | Watch Rajan-Sajan Mishra live at Ravindra Bhawan today Posted: 28 May 2011 10:06 PM PDT  PATNA: Navras School of Performing Arts has organized a Hindustani classical vocal concert byPandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra here at Rabindra Bhawan on Sunday evening.
Dr. Ajit Pradhan, noted cardiac surgeon and secretary of the institution, said the school’s endeavour has been to promote Hindustani classical music – something which is slowly fading away. And, with that as goal, in the last six months Navras has organized four highly successful concerts, which had huge attendance. Entry to all these concerts was free. The first programme was by Hindustani classical vocalists, Gauri Pathare and Vijay Sardeshmukh, followed by Padma Bhushan Pandit Channulal Mishra’s concert. The third one was that of noted Pakistani tabla player Ustad Tari Khan. The fourth concert was a Sufi songs programme in March this year. Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra are the topmost Hindustani classical vocalists. “When we sing, we are one soul singing, even though we are in two bodies,” say Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra duo, born into the family of great maestros of Banaras gharana. They have delighted audiences all over the world. They have been conferred the Padma Bhushan Award, Sangeet Natak Academy award by the President and several other awards. Patna Saheb MP Shatrughan Sinha will be the chief guest at the concert. Bihar’s HRD minister PK Shahi and A K Dutt, executive director, Dena Bank, will be the guests of honour. M D Prasad, COO, Idea Cellular, will be the distinguished guest, Dr Pradhan told TOI.   |
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We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Bihar boy tops IGNOU exams, secures Gold Medal
PATNA: Mohammad Hidayat Ali was awarded gold medal for securing 77% marks in Post-Graduate Diploma in Environment and Sustainable Development at the 23rd convocation of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Patna regional centre here on Wednesday. A total of 3915 students were successful this year at the IGNOU’s Patna regional centre. Out of the total, as [...] Read it Online - BSEB gets joint toppers for Class 10
PATNA: If you find the ‘girls-outshine-boys’ headlines hackneyed even if that has been the fact in most of the competitions and examinations, here’s something different: Only 12 girls as against 29 boys made it to the merit list of 15 top scorers in the Class X exam conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board ( BSEB). Here’s [...] Read it Online - Patna zoo welcomes newly born baby Rhino
PATNA: It’s time to rejoice at Patna zoo. Soon after the birth of a baby giraffe, the zoo welcomed another member, a baby rhinoceros, on Wednesday at 12.50pm. Born to Hartali and Kancha, the calf at the zoo is around 65kg and is about three feet tall. Its gender has not been identified yet as it [...] Read it Online - Govt to present mangoes from Bihar to President
BHAGALPUR: Besides bringing accolades for the region, the mouthwatering Jardaalu variety of mango (botanical name Mangifera indica) has come handy for the state government in promoting diplomacy and the ‘Brand Bihar’. The juicy Jardaalu, a unique species of mango fruit cultivated in this region, is being readied for presenting to the President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil, [...] Read it Online - Central agencies delaying Road Construction in Bihar
PATNA: Had the central agencies completed all the road projects allotted to them, Bihar, by now, would have enjoyed a big network of rural roads. But this could not be done and the state government puts the responsibility for it at the doorsteps of the central agencies. It also blames them for ignoring the maintenance [...] Read it Online
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| Bihar boy tops IGNOU exams, secures Gold Medal Posted: 28 May 2011 06:03 PM PDT PATNA: Mohammad Hidayat Ali was awarded gold medal for securing 77% marks in Post-Graduate Diploma in Environment and Sustainable Development at the 23rd convocation of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Patna regional centre here on Wednesday. A total of 3915 students were successful this year at the IGNOU’s Patna regional centre. Out of the total, as many as 775 students received their Master’s degree and Post-Graduate Diploma at the convocation held at Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir. Imtiyaz Ahmed, director, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, who was the chief guest on this occasion, said that IGNOU has been doing a commendable job in distance learning by imparting knowledge and skills. The director of Patna regional centre of IGNOU, Q Haider, said, “At present, Patna regional centre is offering as many as 46 courses, and soon we are planning to start online examination process. He added, “IGNOU has certainly succeeded in raising the standards of higher education in the country and preparing human resource.” “More than 11 lakh professionals of the country are IGNOU pass-outs and we have more than 90% of rural coverage by now. Our aim is to provide an intelligent and flexible system of education to meet the challenges of access and equity, and work towards development of a knowledge society,” Haider told students. The ceremony concluded with presentation of mementos to guests by the director of IGNOU’s Patna regional centre.   | | BSEB gets joint toppers for Class 10 Posted: 28 May 2011 07:58 AM PDT PATNA: If you find the ‘girls-outshine-boys’ headlines hackneyed even if that has been the fact in most of the competitions and examinations, here’s something different: Only 12 girls as against 29 boys made it to the merit list of 15 top scorers in the Class X exam conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board ( BSEB). Here’s more: the unsuccessful students included 1.56 lakh girls as against only 1.43 lakh boys. But then 5.32 lakh boys as against 3.99 lakh girls took the exam. Thus, the girls’ pass percentage is better than that of the boys. A boy and a girl scored 460/500 each to share the topper’s slot. They are Kundan Kumar of Janata High School-Sitamarhi and Shalini Yadav of Ghanshyam Balika High School-Khagaul. Shekhar Suman of Adsar (Jamui) ranked 2nd with 455 while Sanjeet Kumar, Mohd Gufran Alam and Himanshu Kumar of Hajipur, Rosera and Samastipur respectively had to be content with third position with 454 each. State HRD minister P K Shahi released the merit list on Wednesday. Of the 9.31 lakh students, 6.21 lakh passed. “The overall pass percentage is thus a little over 67,” the minister said. The first divisioners numbered 1,43,864 lakh while 3,04,385 lakh and 1,72,971 lakh students secured second and third division respectively. Magadh division came out with flying colours with 74.11% of the students from the division passing the exam followed by Munger division (73.03%). The pass percentage of Patna division is 66.86, Purnia 56.26, Bhagalpur 55.16, Kosi 61.35, Tirhut 64.17%, Darbhanga 65.9 and that of Saran division is 70.54. Shahi expressed pleasure over the stellar performance of students belonging to obscure, remote areas. “This betrays the success of the state government’s schemes such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in spreading awareness about education,” he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Boy-girl-on-top-in-BSEB-exam/articleshow/8573698.cms   | | Patna zoo welcomes newly born baby Rhino Posted: 28 May 2011 05:59 AM PDT PATNA: It’s time to rejoice at Patna zoo. Soon after the birth of a baby giraffe, the zoo welcomed another member, a baby rhinoceros, on Wednesday at 12.50pm. Born to Hartali and Kancha, the calf at the zoo is around 65kg and is about three feet tall. Its gender has not been identified yet as it is under the strict protection of its mother. With the birth of this baby calf, the total number of rhinoceros in the zoo has gone up to 13, with five male and seven female rhinos. “It is a normal delivery and the baby and mother are fine,” said Abhay Kumar, director, Patna zoo, adding, “At present it is on mother’s feed only and for another two months it will stay on that.” Hartali is mother of eight more calves. She was born at Patna zoo in 1988. Kancha was brought from Guwahati in 1979. Two more rhinoceros at the zoo are expecting. One is likely to have its delivery in third week of June and the other in August. The gestation period of rhinoceros is 16 months.   | | Govt to present mangoes from Bihar to President Posted: 28 May 2011 05:57 AM PDT BHAGALPUR: Besides bringing accolades for the region, the mouthwatering Jardaalu variety of mango (botanical name Mangifera indica) has come handy for the state government in promoting diplomacy and the ‘Brand Bihar’. The juicy Jardaalu, a unique species of mango fruit cultivated in this region, is being readied for presenting to the President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil, vice-President M Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries of the country by the state government. The Jardaalu variety of mango has unique aroma, flavor and sweetness that linger long on the taste buds of persons, whoever savors it. In view of its uniqueness and specialty, the state government asked the district administration and the agriculture department to procure the special variety of mango so that it can be gifted to the country’s dignitaries. Altogether 400-450 packets of Jardaalu mangoes are being readied for transshipment to the state headquarters and thereby to the country’s capital for presenting it to the dignitaries. Each packet will contain nearly five kilograms (20-24 pieces) of delicious mangoes. Interestingly, since 2007 the unique variety of Jardaalu was selected from the mango orchard of Ashok Chowdhary, a horticulturist of Mahesi village under Sultanganj block of this district. The mangoes of Chowdhary’s orchard were found to be best on all counts on earlier occasions, said agriculture department sources. District Agriculture Officer (DAO) Dinesh Kumar Singh said that we are proud that Jardaalu mangoes of Bhagalpur have secured a place on the dining tables of Indian dignitaries. “We are on the process of procuring for the best of mango and apart from Ashok Chowdhary’s orchard we are also looking for Bihar Agriculture College (Sabour) orchard, etc so that it can be send to the dignitaries in the first week of June 2011, said DAO. Orchard owner Ashok Chowdhary, when contacted, said that Jardaalu mangoes are not be just mangoes to be consumed by the dignitaries, but it carries our (Bhagalpur and Bihar’s) positive image also. It is immaterial from which orchard it is procured, added he. “Yeh hamaray liye garv ki baat hai” (it is a matter of pride for us), said Mukutdhari Agarwal, president of Eastern Bihar Industries Association (EBIA). It has created a brand image for Bhagalpur and Bihar, said he adding it would be great if the dignitaries visit here and see for themselves how the people of this region make effort in growing sweet mangoes, commercial activities et-al despite odds.   | | Central agencies delaying Road Construction in Bihar Posted: 28 May 2011 03:54 AM PDT PATNA: Had the central agencies completed all the road projects allotted to them, Bihar, by now, would have enjoyed a big network of rural roads. But this could not be done and the state government puts the responsibility for it at the doorsteps of the central agencies. It also blames them for ignoring the maintenance of the roads constructed by them even though the state government has already paid them for this. At least five central agencies had been allotted work to construct 3,590 rural roads under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), but, till date, only 1,639 roads could be completed. Rural works department, under which rural roads come, is anything but impressed. Hundreds of road projects are still on paper. “Enough is enough,” lamented rural works minister Bhim Singh. “Several hundred roads for which contracts were given to these agencies are nowhere to be seen,” he alleged. Singh said his department was extremely unhappy with the pace as well as the quality of work. The agencies responsible for construction of rural roads are CPWD, IRCON, NBCC, NHPC and NPCC. “Out of road projects of 18,908km under the PMGSY, central agencies have completed construction of only 8,690km,” Singh said. He told TOI that the government had asked the agencies to speed up work and ensure a time-frame for the completion of incomplete and untouched projects. Furthermore, the minister has sought assurance on the quality of roads. “They have sought 15 days’ time to provide us time-frame to complete the work,” said Singh. The government has also sought assurance from the central agencies about the maintenance of the constructed roads and they have promised to provide time-frame for this in seven days. The minister said, “Under the tripartite agreement among the Centre, state and construction agencies, an agency on completion of a road project has to maintain and repair it for five years with the state government footing the bill.” “The state government has already paid Rs 31 crore to these agencies but they have not utilized a single paisa on maintenance and repair,” the minister complained. “Nor have they submitted utilization certificate,” he added. “For the bad condition of the roads, we face public ire as well as the wrath of our peoples’ representatives, who blame us for the non-maintenance and non-repair. We are blamed for no fault of ours,” Singh asserted. The state government has, however, limited powers to press the central agencies for meeting deadline and maintaining quality of works. As per the provision, there could be an investigation by a joint team if the construction quality is found below the standard. But in this three-member team, there are two members of the construction agencies and only one representative of the state government. “We can only indicate the bad quality and irregularity, but the sole responsibility of correction lies on construction agencies,” the minister said. This is not the first time the central agencies have been reminded about tardy pace of work and substandard quality. Officials said the state government had on a number of occasions urged the Centre to allot the work under PMGSY to the state agencies, but to no avail. A total of 1.05 lakh km roads are being constructed in the state, of which 88,000km come under the rural works department and the rest under the road construction department.   | | Lively and historic Gandhi Maidan-a brief history Posted: 27 May 2011 09:50 PM PDT PATNA: Lively and ticking whole day long, the sprawling Gandhi Maidan, which used to be known as Patna lawns or Bankipore Maidan in pre-independence days, is that part of the city that never sleeps. It has long been witness to historic events, some cherished, some long forgotten. In recent times, from melas, exhibitions, theatre festivals, book fairs to political rallies, it’s been the centre-stage of activities. It can best be described as a home for paupers, a bazaar for vendors, a haven for lovers, a haunt for revellers, a playground for sports lovers, a hope for beggars and a den for drug peddlers. During the British era, the maidan was a centre for polo sports, and hardly any political rallies were allowed here. But during the Indian freedom struggle, several movements, including the Champaran movement and the Quit India Movement, were launched in Bihar from this Maidan. In 1938, the Muslim League was revived from this historic ground, with Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the then president of the league, delivering a strident speech against the Congress from this platform. After the formation of Forward Bloc (1939), Subhas Chandra Bose’s speech here invited the wrath of Congressmen, who hurled stones and shoes at him. He is said to have gathered these in his shawl and later met Rajendra Prasad at Sadaquat Ashram, recalled noted Gandhian Razi Ahmad. Gandhiji, during his long political movement, held a number of prayer meetings at this historic ground. During 1947, he even collected funds for Muslim refugees after riots broke out during partition, said Vijay Kumar, director, Bihar state archives. On August 15, 1947, when India became independent, common masses assembled here, where Mahamaya Prasad Sinha, the then Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president, unfurled the tri-colour, said P K Sandilya, who actively participated in Bihar’s 1974 movement. According to Ahmad, in 1946 JP was given a grand reception at the Maidan after his release from Amritsar jail. In post-independence history, another unforgettable moment is of June 5, 1974 when the Maidan reverberated with chants of ‘Sampoorna kranti ab nara hai, bhavi itihas hamara hai’, a slogan given by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. The call for ‘Total Revolution’ culminated in the ouster of Congress from the government both in the state and the Centre in 1977.   |
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