| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Beltron ties up with Pune firm to implement e-security solutions
Patna/Pune: according to latest reports, Beltron Telecom, a Government undertaking of Bihar has signed an MoU with Bilcare Technologies, - a research and technology company focusing on creating next-generation anti-counterfeiting, security and brand protection solutions. The purpose of this tie up is to provide solutions for a secured e-governance in the state and non-Governmental projects [...] Read it Online - Bihar to setup PDS model similar to Chhatishgarh
Patna, Jun 28 (PTI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi today praised the existing Public Distribution System in Chhattisgarh and announced the government”s decision to implement a similar model in the state. “The system of procurement of paddy and PDS are very good in Chhattisgarh… even the planning commission has praised it. We have [...] Read it Online - UP bypasses Bihar in the labour workforce
LUCKNOW: According to key employment and unemployment indicators for the state, Uttar Pradesh registered an unemployment rate of 19 per 1000 persons between July 2009 and June 2010. This has been revealed in a data released by the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation through its National Sample Survey Office. The data is based [...] Read it Online - Abhayanand joins hands with NHELite for IITJEE preprations
PATNA: The selection test for the NHElite Super 30 programme for IITJEE would be held on July 10. Sanjay Kumar Singh, adviser, Business Development (North India), in a press release issued here on Monday, said that test centres would be located in major districts of Bihar and Jharkhand. He said that a large number of [...] Read it Online - Rail engine factories in Bihar gets further delayed
Indian Railways' already delayed plan to set up two engine-making plants in partnership with private companies, Indian and foreign, could be delayed further with the ministries of finance and railways differing on several aspects of the plan, including the price the companies can charge for their engines. The two projects--one to build electrical engines and [...] Read it Online
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Temperature: 27°C | 81°F, Current: Light rain, Wind: 0 kmph, Humidity: 89% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| | Current Weather in Patna
Temperature: 27°C | 81°F, Current: Light rain, Wind: 0 kmph, Humidity: 89% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Beltron ties up with Pune firm to implement e-security solutions Posted: 30 Jun 2011 02:51 AM PDT Patna/Pune: according to latest reports, Beltron Telecom, a Government undertaking of Bihar has signed an MoU with Bilcare Technologies, – a research and technology company focusing on creating next-generation anti-counterfeiting, security and brand protection solutions. The purpose of this tie up is to provide solutions for a secured e-governance in the state and non-Governmental projects taken up by Beltron Telecom in Bihar, Jharkhand and the North East. The tie up will allow Beltron Telecom to use Bilcare's unique nonClonableID™ technology in its e-governance and security projects. Ramesh Kumar, MD, Beltron Telecom, said 'Bilcare's nonClonableID technology is a path-breaking invention which has the potential business landscape of Rs 8,000 to 10,000 Crores in the security and secured e – governance space. We, at Beltron Telecom are very encouraged about the new business opportunity arising out of this very crucial strategic collaboration with Bilcare and we are very confident that this technology will translate into additional new business revenue of Rs.200-250 Crores in the next 2-3 years for Beltron Telecom and Bilcare.' Bilcare Technologies has pioneered the only one of its kind nonClonableID™ technology developed to successfully secure a wide range of items from automotive parts to museum artifacts and form Agro-chemicals to fool-proof ID cards including those used by the Delhi Police and by the special security force of a large Asian country. Dr. Praful Naik, Executive Director of Bilcare said 'The partnership with Beltron Telecom will see Bilcare's technology being used in a wide range of crucial projects under Beltron Telecom's leadership and we are confident that this partnership will help provide the best security solutions to Beltron Telecom's customers and facilitate accomplishment of Beltron Telecom's core objective of providing public utility services of immense value'. According to reports, Beltron Telecom carried out a detailed evaluation of the various technology solutions and concluded that whereas most of the anti-counterfeiting technologies had limitations. Being generic in nature, the counterfeiters are able to figure out such technologies within 9-12 months of use. It is claimed that Bilcare's nonClonableID™ fingerprints are distinctly exceptional as they cannot be duplicated, not even by Bilcare.   |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Bihar to setup PDS model similar to Chhatishgarh
Patna, Jun 28 (PTI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi today praised the existing Public Distribution System in Chhattisgarh and announced the government”s decision to implement a similar model in the state. “The system of procurement of paddy and PDS are very good in Chhattisgarh… even the planning commission has praised it. We have [...] Read it Online - UP bypasses Bihar in the labour workforce
LUCKNOW: According to key employment and unemployment indicators for the state, Uttar Pradesh registered an unemployment rate of 19 per 1000 persons between July 2009 and June 2010. This has been revealed in a data released by the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation through its National Sample Survey Office. The data is based [...] Read it Online - Abhayanand joins hands with NHELite for IITJEE preprations
PATNA: The selection test for the NHElite Super 30 programme for IITJEE would be held on July 10. Sanjay Kumar Singh, adviser, Business Development (North India), in a press release issued here on Monday, said that test centres would be located in major districts of Bihar and Jharkhand. He said that a large number of [...] Read it Online - Rail engine factories in Bihar gets further delayed
Indian Railways' already delayed plan to set up two engine-making plants in partnership with private companies, Indian and foreign, could be delayed further with the ministries of finance and railways differing on several aspects of the plan, including the price the companies can charge for their engines. The two projects--one to build electrical engines and [...] Read it Online - Bihar to be a forerunner in Second Green Revolution
PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar exuded confidence that Bihar would be among the Eastern India states to usher in a second green revolution in the country and said that the state fulfilled all requirements for agriculture boom ahead. Bihar will definitely be among the Eastern India states that will usher in a second green revolution [...] Read it Online
| Current Weather in Patna
Temperature: 28°C | 82°F, Current: Light drizzle, Wind: 8 kmph, Humidity: 90% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Bihar to setup PDS model similar to Chhatishgarh Posted: 29 Jun 2011 01:22 PM PDT Patna, Jun 28 (PTI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi today praised the existing Public Distribution System in Chhattisgarh and announced the government”s decision to implement a similar model in the state.
“The system of procurement of paddy and PDS are very good in Chhattisgarh… even the planning commission has praised it. We have also decided to implement similar arrangements in Bihar,” he told reporters here.
The government has decided to ensure purchase of paddy and wheat through Primary Agriculture Cooperatives (PACs) in the selected districts under a pilot project during the next Kharif season, said Modi.
The state government has also planned to equip 8500 PACs with computers and link them with the headquarters, which would ensure early survey of crops for purchase during the Kharif season.
“Every PAC will have a storage capacity of 200 tonnes of foodgrains and we have started work on 2,200 PACs at present,” he said.
Modi, who undertook a visit to the naxal-hit state of Chhattisgarh recently, said the state government would use vehicles for transportation of foodgrains directly to PDS shops and godowns and the message would be circulated to the people through SMS.
“All these steps will be taken to wipe out black marketing of the foodgrains,” he said, adding the state government had also decided not to allot public distribution work to an individual but to a PAC or self-help groups.
The Deputy Chief Minister criticised the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for its alleged apathy towards the purchase of foodgrains and their storage.   | | UP bypasses Bihar in the labour workforce Posted: 29 Jun 2011 11:21 AM PDT LUCKNOW: According to key employment and unemployment indicators for the state, Uttar Pradesh registered an unemployment rate of 19 per 1000 persons between July 2009 and June 2010. This has been revealed in a data released by the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation through its National Sample Survey Office. The data is based on information gathered during the 66th round of the national sample survey. The last such survey was held between July 2004 and June 2005. In UP, 8,933 households and 49,524 persons were surveyed for key employment and unemployment indicators. Across the country, trends that have been arrived at are based on a central sample of 1,00,957 households in urban and rural areas. The survey has defined lead indicators of Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), or the ratio of labour force to population, Workers Population Ratio (number of persons employed per 1000 persons), Proportion Unemployed and unemployment rate (ratio of unemployed to labour force. The survey findings, which were released on Friday, reported that UP registered a LFPR of 296 during the survey period. This was higher than Bihar where labour force participation rate was 276 for every 1000 persons. Workers population in UP was pegged at 291 (Bihar was 268), while the proportion of unemployed in UP stood at 6 for every 1000 persons. Here also, UP pipped Bihar, which stood marginally lower at 7 for every 1000 persons. On the unemployment rate parameter too, UP appears to have bettered Bihar, recording a rate of 19 unemployed persons against Bihar’s 27 for every 1000 persons. According to survey results, while Nagaland registered the highest number of proportion unemployed (per 1000) at 83, UP recorded among the lowest figures at 10. Only Karnataka (9), MP (8), Arunachal Pradesh (8), and Chhattisgarh and Sikkim at 8 each had lower unemployment levels in the 15-59 age group categories. Besides these indicators, the survey has revealed other important statistics relating to distribution of workers, on the basis of employment status, industry as well as on wage rates of persons receiving regular wages, salaries and casual labourers. On the whole, while the working population ratio (WPR) has been recorded at 37% at all India level, WPR in rural areas (37%) was found to be higher than urban areas, where it was recorded as 34%. In rural as well as urban centres, WPR for men was found to be significantly higher than female WPR; 54% WPR for men, in comparison to a paltry 20% for rural women and 12% for women in urban areas.
Similarly, unemployment ratio (UR) at all India level was found to be nearly 3%. In comparison to the UR in the rural areas (2%), UR in urban areas was higher at 4%. Unemployment among women in urban areas was the highest at nearly 7%, followed by urban male at 3%. In rural areas, unemployment rate among both men and women was nearly the same at 2%   | | Abhayanand joins hands with NHELite for IITJEE preprations Posted: 29 Jun 2011 06:02 AM PDT PATNA: The selection test for the NHElite Super 30 programme for IITJEE would be held on July 10. Sanjay Kumar Singh, adviser, Business Development (North India), in a press release issued here on Monday, said that test centres would be located in major districts of Bihar and Jharkhand. He said that a large number of students had already applied for the admission test. Singh said that senior IPS officer Abhyanand, who is the mentor of Super 30 programme for deserving and meritorious aspirants of IITJEE in Bihar, is famous at the national level for his guidance to students. He said that in order to provide an excellent academic and living environment to students, Abhyanand has joined hands with NHElite of the Shriram Group to run the Super 30 programme in Patna. He said that together, they would help meritorious students of Bihar and Jharkhand get a seat in IITs.   | | Rail engine factories in Bihar gets further delayed Posted: 29 Jun 2011 03:01 AM PDT Indian Railways' already delayed plan to set up two engine-making plants in partnership with private companies, Indian and foreign, could be delayed further with the ministries of finance and railways differing on several aspects of the plan, including the price the companies can charge for their engines. The two projects—one to build electrical engines and the other to build diesel ones—were announced by then railways minister Lalu Prasad in 2006. They were conceived as public-private partnerships (PPPs) with the railways holding 26% stake in each. The total estimated value of the contracts for 800 electric engines and 1,000 diesel ones is $13 billion. The electric locomotives will be manufactured at a factory in Madhepura and the diesel ones at Marora—both in Bihar. The value of the projects is based on the price of the engines, design costs and costs incurred towards establishing the proposed units. The difference between the two ministries is on the inflation-related price rise that the winning bidder can charge the railways for the engines. The railway ministry wants to make some changes in this, while the finance ministry says that since the projects were originally structured by the former, there is nothing to be gained by revisiting the structure. Mint couldn't immediately figure which structure would work out to be more cost-efficient from the perspective of the railways. Four companies—General Electric Co. (GE), Alstom SA, Bombardier Inc. and Siemens AG—are competing for the electric engine contract. A joint venture between GE and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is competing with Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. for the diesel engine contract. An empowered committee comprising top officials from the ministries of railways, finance and law, and the Planning Commission met on 21 June to consider the changes. Mint has reviewed a copy of the minutes of this meeting. According to the minutes of the meeting, a railway official, who attended the meeting, said the original bid documents had not accurately factored in cash flows from the projects and the impact of the pricing model agreed upon on costs including those incurred in maintaining the engines. The official described the contracts, that cover both maintenance and procurement, as "complex". The minutes also cite a second railway official present in the meeting saying the committee had the right to approve changes in the contracts based on concerns aired by the bidders, always keeping in mind the government's interests. The 21 June meeting remained inconclusive and a follow-up meeting scheduled for 23 June wasn't held. The government has to finalize the terms of the contract before the next pre-bid conference with the qualified bidders; the last such meeting for the electric engine project was held on 19 January. The last meeting for the diesel engine project was held in October. The Union cabinet had approved the two projects in principle in 2006, but took three more years to sign off on the details. The opening of price bids for the electric engine project has been deferred eight times and is now scheduled for 15 July. That for the diesel engine project has been put off six times and is now set for 29 July. Abhaya Agarwal, executive director and PPP leader at Ernst and Young, said such PPP deals were essential for the railways because they would help it leapfrog technologically. "Already, Indian Railways uses obsolete technology as compared to global standards. Any further delay in awarding such projects would put it back several years."   |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Bihar to be a forerunner in Second Green Revolution
PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar exuded confidence that Bihar would be among the Eastern India states to usher in a second green revolution in the country and said that the state fulfilled all requirements for agriculture boom ahead. Bihar will definitely be among the Eastern India states that will usher in a second green revolution [...] Read it Online - Rain in Nepal causes flood fear in Bihar
Gopalganj, June 25: Incessant downpour in Nepal for the last 24 hours has increased the threat of flood in the district. The rain has swollen the river Gandak and the water level has been increasing with each passing moment. Altogether two dozen houses at Gamhari village under Tengrahi panchayat have been inundated and eaten up [...] Read it Online - Amul to procure milk from Bihar
In order to keep pace with rising demand of milk in the country, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which owns and markets Amul brand of milk and milk products, is now increasingly looking beyond Gujarat for procuring milk. This year Amul has started milk procurement from farmers’ cooperative societies in Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar and [...] Read it Online - Bihar to offer driving licenses online
PATNA: The process of getting driving licence would get hassle-free soon; the state transport department has plans to make the process of getting driving licence online so as to put a check on touts. Uday Singh Kumawat, transport secretary, told TOI, “We are planning to launch a link on the transport department’s website, that would [...] Read it Online - Nirupama Pandey becomes first Bihari to climb Mount everest
PATNA: Squadron leader Nirupama Pandey, 30, who hails from village Jamo Jalalpur in Siwan district, has become the first person from Bihar to have scaled Mount Everest, unfurling the national tri-colour with much pride. Nirupama was a member of Indian Air Force’s mixed expedition team which was flagged off by Air Marshal J N Burma [...] Read it Online
| Current Weather in Patna
Temperature: 26°C | 79°F, Current: Moderate rain, Wind: 6 kmph, Humidity: 94% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Bihar to be a forerunner in Second Green Revolution Posted: 28 Jun 2011 07:56 AM PDT PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar exuded confidence that Bihar would be among the Eastern India states to usher in a second green revolution in the country and said that the state fulfilled all requirements for agriculture boom ahead. Bihar will definitely be among the Eastern India states that will usher in a second green revolution as it has fertile land, under-ground water and industrious farmers, he said at a function on the occasion of Swami Shahajanand Saraswati’s death anniversary here. There was a need for a concerted programme to hone technical skills of the farmers and enable them to use modern farm techniques to optimise food production, Kumar said adding that the state government had launched a number of programmes in this direction.   | | Rain in Nepal causes flood fear in Bihar Posted: 28 Jun 2011 06:24 AM PDT Gopalganj, June 25: Incessant downpour in Nepal for the last 24 hours has increased the threat of flood in the district. The rain has swollen the river Gandak and the water level has been increasing with each passing moment. Altogether two dozen houses at Gamhari village under Tengrahi panchayat have been inundated and eaten up by the swirling waters. Harendra Yadav, Vimal Yadav and Rajbali Chaudhry, along with other affected families, have taken shelter on the Vishnupur embankment. Land is getting eroded at Kisan Bhavan at Dharmpur village under Sadar block at a fast pace and till the filing of this report, it is feared that Kisan Bhavan will cease to exist within two more hours. The executive engineer of the flood control department, R.K. Jaiswal, told that last evening 56,000 cusecs of water was released through Balmiki Nagar barrage. The water level of Gandak was increasing continuously, swelling up the river. The threat of flood is looming large on the district. He said all the links have been demolished at Balmiki Nagar barrage owing to which it has become difficult to gauge the increase in water level. Efforts are being made to register the increase, he said. On the other hand, anti-erosion work at Semaria, Patraha and Dobha is going on war footing.   | | Amul to procure milk from Bihar Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:31 AM PDT In order to keep pace with rising demand of milk in the country, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which owns and markets Amul brand of milk and milk products, is now increasingly looking beyond Gujarat for procuring milk. This year Amul has started milk procurement from farmers’ cooperative societies in Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar and Orissa. The move is seen as a step towards increasing milk availability to cater to the country’s rising milk demand and spread the monetary benefits to the larger section of farmers and cattle breeders in the country. “The objective of procuring from out of Gujarat is to spread the benefits of brand ‘Amul’ to farmers in other states of the country. This has been a farmers’ brand so we believe that the benefits of this brand should reach to all the farmers in India,” said R S Sodhi, managing director, GCMMF.
So far, besides Gujarat, GCMMF had been procuring milk from Maharashtra and West Bengal. In the past 6-8 months, the federation has started procuring from four more states including Rajasthan, Haryana Bihar and Orissa. The milk procurement is pegged at around 700,000 litres per day (lpd). “The procurement from these states will improve prices for the farmers in these states. We give higher prices to the farmers than other cooperatives. So, these farmers will get Gujarat’s prices for their milk, which is a beneficial proposition for them,” Sodhi told Business Standard. Currently, GCMMF pays Rs 425 per kg fat, which is higher by about 20 per cent over the previous year. The move also assumes importance in the wake of dairying business getting a costlier affair. “In recent years, Indian dairy farmers have been facing soaring input costs which has adversely impacted viability of milk production as an economic activity. With declining return on investment, there is a possibility that farmers may simply lose interests in milk business and turn to other activities,” Parthi Bhatol, chairman, GCMMF, said in the federation’s annual general meeting speech last week. It may be mentioned here that cattle feed and fodder accounts for 70 per cent of milk production cost. “With fodder prices jumping two-fold due to lower production of cereals, milk production has become a costly business,” Bhatol added. Farmers are also reeling under the impact of steep rise in all major ingredients of cattle feed. The price of de-oiled rice bran, which constitutes 25 per cent to 35 per cent of cattle feed, has increased from Rs 3483 per metric tonne (MT) in 2005-06 to Rs 6618 per MT in 2011. The price of Molasses, which constitute 10 per cent to 12 per cent of total cattle feed has also surged from Rs 3400 per MTs to Rs 4300 per MTs, within last one month. GCMMF has been growing at a rapid pace and the demand for milk has also been rising. As many as 3 million farmers in Gujarat are currently associated with Amul brand. Now nearly 200,000 farmers from other states too have joined the federation. Overall, the total milk procurement by all the 13 member unions of GCMMF averaged at 9.45 million kgs per day during the year 2010-11, representing a growth of 1.88 per cent over 9.28 million kgs per day achieved during 2009-10.   | | Bihar to offer driving licenses online Posted: 28 Jun 2011 04:23 AM PDT PATNA: The process of getting driving licence would get hassle-free soon; the state transport department has plans to make the process of getting driving licence online so as to put a check on touts. Uday Singh Kumawat, transport secretary, told TOI, “We are planning to launch a link on the transport department’s website, that would allow the applicant to give driving licence written test online.” He added, “This link will be available on the state’s transport department’s website within a month.” The applicant will need to go to the state’s transport department’s website www.transport.bih.nic.in and click on the link for online licence, which would be available soon. After filling up the form available on the website, the applicant will have to give the online learner’s driving licence test. On passing the learner’s test, the department will notify the applicant when to come for collecting the learner’s driving licence. This would reduce the need of going to the RTO again and again. After one month from the date of issue of the learner’s licence, the holder can apply for his permanent driving licence.   | | Nirupama Pandey becomes first Bihari to climb Mount everest Posted: 28 Jun 2011 02:55 AM PDT  PATNA: Squadron leader Nirupama Pandey, 30, who hails from village Jamo Jalalpur in Siwan district, has become the first person from Bihar to have scaled Mount Everest, unfurling the national tri-colour with much pride.
Nirupama was a member of Indian Air Force’s mixed expedition team which was flagged off by Air Marshal J N Burma on April 13, 2011, in New Delhi. Currently, she is posted at Rajokri Air Force Station in New Delhi under the Western Air Force command. Talking to TOI on telephone from New Delhi, Nirupama said it was the most proud moment of her life when she hoisted national tri-colour atop Mount Everest summit on May 25, 2011. “My achievement has not only brought laurels to Indian Air Force, but also to Bihar as I hail from the state. I attribute my rare achievement to new emerging Bihar,” she said, adding Bihar has now joined the league of 14 states from where people have climbed Mt Everest so far. Nirupama, who preferred to climb from the south ridge route followed by Hillary and Tenzing in their first expedition in 1953, said she did so as she got permission easily from Nepal government. Otherwise, she would have preferred to climb Mount Everest from China side, from where climbing is less painstaking. “My next mission would be to climb Mount Everest from the east ridge route through which only a few people have climbed the Everest in the past,” she said.She got down from Mount Everest on June 5 along with other members of the expedition team. There were altogether 19 members in the team, including 11 women officers of the IAF.”Mountaineering and adventure have been a passion for me since early childhood. I started my mountaineering career in 2007 by undergoing rigorous training at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering located at Uttarkashi. My husband, Squadron leader Prakash Jha, who hails from Benipatti in Madhubani district, and other family members always supported me in my ventures,” she said. Nirupama got married to Prakash in August 2009. She said she did her schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya in Pune and graduation and MBA from Ness Wadia College, Pune. She joined Indian Air Force as flying officer in 2003 .   |
| Biharprabha News Inbox Edition |
| Good Morning,
We are here again with few interesting stories in Bihar. |
| - Two Bihari IITians enhancing the cultivation in the state
PATNA: Treading a path less travelled, two IITians have taken to agriculture after turning down lucrative job offers by MNCs and made a mark for themselves within a few months. Beginning their offbeat initiative in October 2010 in Vaishali district, their activities now span six districts in Bihar. Meet Shashank Kumar, an IIT-Delhi graduate (2004-2008 [...] Read it Online - The tale of a Bihari now living in Pakistan
Abu Khalid's family migrated from Muzaffarpur, Bihar to Karachi during Partition. Here he narrates his childhood memories of the city and the long journey that brought him to his new homeland. Khalid is retired and spends his time writing poetry, gardening and stock trading Family "I was born on May 6, 1936 in Chapra [...] Read it Online - Disaster Management will be part of compulsory studies in Schools
Patna, Jun 25 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said his government will introduce disaster management in school syllabus for building wider awareness on the issue. Addressing a meeting of state Disaster Management department, Kumar said, “We will introduce disaster management in school syllabus for the benefit of the common people, prone to natural [...] Read it Online - Bihar Inc expresses its discern over the recent fuel price hike
Patna, June 25: The central government's decision to increase the price of diesel by Rs 3 a litre has come in for sharp criticism from Bihar industry associations and chambers which have said that the decision would have "cascading effect" on the economy as a whole besides adversely affecting the industrialisation process in the state. [...] Read it Online - Bihar to declare the mystery disease as epidemic
With the casualty toll in the mysterious illness growing to 47 on Sunday, the Bihar administration is expected to declare it an outbreak. Under the epidemic Act, the health department will be empowered to obtain samples of brain tissues of the people suffering from the deadly illness. Around 6 demises have been registered in the [...] Read it Online
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Temperature: 28°C | 82°F, Current: Moderate or heavy rain shower, Wind: 19 kmph, Humidity: 84% | Have a nice day
The Biharprabha News Team | | | If you are unable to view this mail properly, click here | |
| Two Bihari IITians enhancing the cultivation in the state Posted: 27 Jun 2011 06:18 PM PDT PATNA: Treading a path less travelled, two IITians have taken to agriculture after turning down lucrative job offers by MNCs and made a mark for themselves within a few months. Beginning their offbeat initiative in October 2010 in Vaishali district, their activities now span six districts in Bihar. Meet Shashank Kumar, an IIT-Delhi graduate (2004-2008 batch), and Manish Kumar, an IIT-Kharagpur postgraduate (2005-10 batch), who have embarked on their mission to improve the lot of farmers in the backwaters of Bihar with the aim to empower them, much to the chagrin of their parents.
The two techies were old friends, having prepared together for engineering entrance tests, a couple of years back. In October 2010, they persuaded a group of 14 farmers in Vaishali district, 30km from here, to do scientific agriculture. “We suggested to farmers to cultivate ‘rajma’ instead of the conventional crop of wheat. But they ignored our suggestions outright,” said Manish. “We were at our wits’ end,” Manish recalled adding, “but we somehow persuaded 18 farmers to experiment on six acres of land. Luckily, it was a huge success.” “The farmers earned Rs 1000 per kattha with an investment of Rs 400. For wheat, they used to invest Rs 350 and reap 50kg produce per kattha, earning Rs 400 to 500,” said Manish, son of a retired clerk. In February 2011, they founded an NGO, ‘Farms n Farmers (FnF)’, which does everything from soil testing to providing a market to farmers. Its activities have now expanded to adjoining districts including Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Banka and Purnia. “Our focus is on maximizing returns from land through natural farming,” said Shashank. In Purnia district, where corn and potato are predominantly grown, farmers usually leave their land unused from June to September. “We advised farmers to sow baby corn. As baby corn is reaped within 50 to 60 days, farmers had a bumper harvest just before raising another crop,” said Manish, who hails from Chakdariya village in Vaishali district. Several Purnia farmers harvested 25kg baby corn per kattha of land and sold it for an average amount of Rs 750, earning more than Rs 300, he said. In Buxar, the farmers, facing water shortage, were advised to grow medicinal herbs, which need negligible irrigation. “We sell directly to food processing companies. It helps farmers earn more,” said Shashank. The FnF charges a nominal 10% of total sale value from farmers. The techies plan to lower this figure in future as more farmers join their initiative. “We want to create a large network of small and marginal but happy and prosperous farmers,” Shashank and Manish told TOI. Though they are currently not using organic methods of farming, they said “organic is best.” “Now that we have gained farmers’ faith, we have started to work on organic farming. We are advising farmers to avoid using chemical fertilizer,” they said. FnF, which has more than 150 farmers associated with it, has an eight-member advisory team which includes Prof P K Sinha from IIM-Ahmedabad, Prof R Singh and P B S Bhadoria from IIT-Kharagpur, and Dr Bimla Rai from RAU, Pusa. Manish and Shashank hold regular training programmes in different parts of Bihar.   | | The tale of a Bihari now living in Pakistan Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:23 PM PDT Abu Khalid's family migrated from Muzaffarpur, Bihar to Karachi during Partition. Here he narrates his childhood memories of the city and the long journey that brought him to his new homeland. Khalid is retired and spends his time writing poetry, gardening and stock trading Family "I was born on May 6, 1936 in Chapra which is north of river Ganga. My parents had seven children and I am fourth in number, with two older sisters and a brother and a younger sister and a brother. While I was growing up, several of my father's nieces and nephews and my mother's younger brothers lived with us on and off. We lived in Muzaffarpur where my father had a law practice but would often visit our ancestral village Khesrahi as well as Chapra, my mother's birthplace, on occasions like family weddings. Education "My grandfather, Abul Farah, was a munshi in a court and my father, Abu Mahmood, had earned his LLB degree from Calcutta University. My father was the first Muslim in Muzaffarpur to acquire a law degree in first division. My brothers and I went to Muslim High School which had predominantly Muslim students. We walked to our school that was about three miles away from home and I sometimes went alone if my brothers couldn't accompany me; one wasn't fearful of doing so at the time as one is now. My sisters also went to a girls' school — in strict purdah — but only for a couple of years. At home they were taught the Quran, Arabic and Urdu, as was the norm at that time but when they became older this kind of tutoring was halted. For us boys however, a salaried teacher was hired who then stayed with the family. This was a prevalent custom in Muslim families at the time. If the teacher was a college student his college fees were paid for by the employer's family and accommodation was also provided to him by giving him a room in the outhouse. "Our teacher's name was Badarul Islam who lived with us and taught me and my older brother. Islam was in the final year of his BA when he joined us. An extremely intelligent man, he was a mathematician, a poet, a calligraphist, a chess-player and an expert in traditional stick-fighting (lathi). He was not only responsible for overseeing our school education but also taught us things not covered in our syllabus. Beginning of tension "In 1946, Hindu-Muslim riots began in several parts of Bihar. Riots occurred in Zilaor district and around the localities of the capital of Bihar, Patna and even in my mother's home town, Chapra. In fact my maternal relatives' house was also attacked. Several of my mother's relatives lived in a neighbourhood called Kareemchak in Chapra which was surrounded by a Hindu population and one night a huge mob of Hindus descended on Kareemchak. One of my relatives fired his gun at the mob leader who died on the spot; pandemonium broke out, a few more shots were fired and some more Hindus got injured. Then the police arrived and gave the residents full protection. Soon after this incident all of my mother's family living in Chapra moved to Patna to live with my mother's maternal uncle. Decision to migrate "When it dawned on us that Pakistan indeed was going to be created, my father decided to visit East Bengal to ascertain where his family could settle down. In Bihar most Muslims were planning to migrate to Dhaka because it was nearer and the fare affordable, however, when my father inspected small towns around Calcutta and Dhaka he found them impoverished,
congested and very different from his home town. Then he visited Karachi; he found the city clean with a small population of people from diverse faiths. He liked it so much that he opened an account in one of the banks and decided that this would be the future home for his family. "In 1946 when riots took place in the outskirts of Patna, people decided to migrate. So the first group of Mohajirs from Patna arrived in Karachi in 1946 and took refuge in Mohajir Camp on Lawrence Road which was earlier known as Haji Camp from where pilgrims would go for Hajj. In this group were my maternal relatives who settled in the Camp. Later my elder brother, Abu Hamid, who had just finished his matriculation, was sent off to Karachi in 1947, just before Partition. I do not recall any debate taking place in my family about whether or not they should leave for the new country, perhaps because I was too young to be involved in those discussions. The Journey "Our preparations began as soon as it was declared that Pakistan had been created. It was planned that we would move from Muzaffarpur and go to Patna, Calcutta, Bombay and finally from Bombay to Karachi by boat. We embarked on our journey in September-October 1947 and it would be several months before we would reach the end. All of us moved to Patna, except my father who stayed back to sort out property matters and joined us later. In Patna, my mother's younger sister's family, my married sisters and more families joined us for the journey to Pakistan and this gathering took quite a while. We then set off to Calcutta, where we stayed at Maulvi Musafirkhana, a traveller's lodge, for about two to three weeks. Then we travelled to Bombay from where we booked tickets on the Dwarka steamship for Karachi. This took around 15 to 20 days and eventually we got the tickets on January 26 or 27. "On the day of the journey we all reached the port early but there were already thousands of people there, all bound for Karachi. We could only get a place on the deck as no room was available. It was a four-day trip from Bombay to Karachi. As we were nearing Karachi, on January 31, 1948, we heard the news that Gandhiji had been killed. That very same day our ship docked at Karachi port. My elder brother was waiting for us here. From Keamari, we hired a camel-carriage, which was the prevalent form of transportation in the city. We put all our belongings into the carriage and set off for our quarters. When we reached there was an empty ground on which there were 150 houses (quarters). The house, built on 80 square yards, had two rooms, a veranda, a toilet, a kitchen and a bathroom. Soon after, I took admission in Model High School near Burns road. "Thus we all began our new lives in a country which was a dream of Allama Iqbal, translated into reality by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It was still 1948 and I had started going to school when the Quaid passed away and was buried on the hill where the mausoleum was later built. As a child I went as close to the dug up grave as I could and saw Liaquat Ali Khan, Sir Zafarullah Khan, and Sardar Abdul Rab Nishter sitting on the ground with tears in every eye waiting for the final rites for the great man who had created a new home for the Muslims of the subcontinent." Adapted from:- http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/26/flashback-journey-of-a-lifetime.html   | | Disaster Management will be part of compulsory studies in Schools Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:18 PM PDT Patna, Jun 25 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said his government will introduce disaster management in school syllabus for building wider awareness on the issue. Addressing a meeting of state Disaster Management department, Kumar said, “We will introduce disaster management in school syllabus for the benefit of the common people, prone to natural calamities like flood and drought.”
Recalling the devastation caused in Japan, Chili and other places in the world due to natural calamities, he said it was necessary for people to know how to protect themselves at the time of disaster. He stressed on the need for construction of earthquake-resistant hospitals and schools in the areas prone to natural calamities. Later at a party programme, Kumar said the demand for a special category state for Bihar had become a demand of the common people. His party (JD-U) had obtained a signature of one crore people who supported this demand, he said, adding, this would be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next month. A delegation led by state JD(U) president Bashishtha Narayan Singh would be reaching New Delhi on July 10 to submit the signatures to the Prime Minister.   | | Bihar Inc expresses its discern over the recent fuel price hike Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:17 PM PDT Patna, June 25: The central government's decision to increase the price of diesel by Rs 3 a litre has come in for sharp criticism from Bihar industry associations and chambers which have said that the decision would have "cascading effect" on the economy as a whole besides adversely affecting the industrialisation process in the state. The Centre on Friday hiked the price of diesel by Rs 3 a litre, kerosene by Rs 2 a litre and a steep increase of Rs 50 on each liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder. The hike in prices became effective from Friday midnight. The industry has been crying foul over the increase in price of the diesel, which is the main input source for transportation of raw material and finished goods, as it has come as a "double blow" within a month. Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) had effected an average electricity tariff hike of 19 per cent besides imposing a fuel surcharge of Rs 1.35 per unit for March and April. The industrialists were critical of the government's decision and many of them were of the view that the move (price hike) would increase the inflation, which in turn, would hamper the industrial growth momentum in the state. "The Centre's decision will have big impact on the industries as on the one hand, the Reserve Bank of India, the central bank, has increased the interest rates for around 10 times in a year to curb credit to choke the general demand and on the other hand, it has increased the price of Rs 3 on diesel which will create inflationary pressure affecting the growth momentum," Bihar Industries Association (BIA) president Shailendra P Sinha told The Telegraph. Terming the hike as "unfortunate" and "bad signal" for industrial growth in the state, Sinha said: "The power cost is already high in Bihar. The decision of the state electricity board, which hiked tariff rate and imposed fuel surcharge, has further added to the woes of the state's traders and industrialists and the yesterday's hike given them a big blow again. It may squeeze the profit margin of the firms or many industries might go sick in the state." Bihar Chamber of Commerce (BCC) president O.P. Sah, who termed the decision as "unfortunate", said the Centre has taken the decision in haste. Sah told The Telegraph: "It will have an adverse impact on trade and industry. When the prices of crude oil have been witnessing a declining trend in the international market, the Centre should have waited before taking a decision. This single decision will affect everyone, right from the common man to the industrialist. The government should absorb the burden instead of passing it on the general people." Confederation of India Industry's (CII) eastern region vice-chairman and chief executive officer of Shakti Sudha, which processes and markets makhana, Satyajit Singh: "The move to effect a hike diesel price is highly condemnable as it will badly affect the industries and industrialisation process in the state. The reason is that diesel, which the major component for transportation across the country, serves as the lifeline of Indian industries." The entrepreneurs are facing the heat in the form of electricity tariff hike and fuel surcharge, Singh said and added that the move is completely negative step as it would hamper the growth. Industrialist K.P.S. Kesri, director of Amrapali Foods Ltd and ex-president of BIA, was expecting the move anytime given the fact that oil marketing companies were suffering. Kesri, however, said that increase in the cost of electricity coupled with diesel hike has dealt a big jolt to the industries and they might get sick.   | | Bihar to declare the mystery disease as epidemic Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:14 PM PDT With the casualty toll in the mysterious illness growing to 47 on Sunday, the Bihar administration is expected to declare it an outbreak. Under the epidemic Act, the health department will be empowered to obtain samples of brain tissues of the people suffering from the deadly illness. Around 6 demises have been registered in the last two days, comprising 5 at K D Kejriwal Maternity Hospital. The hospital declared 24 casualties till Sunday evening consisting of one on Sunday. About 17 kids are being treated at K D Kejriwal Maternity Hospital. Muzaffarpur’s administrative hospital, Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, announced one fatality in the past 48 hours. In addition, the doctors at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital have been looking after 8 patients. Around seven patients with the same disease have been admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital has. At the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and Rajendra Memorial Research Institute, Patna, 24 blood and cerebral spinal fluid samples have tested negative for Japanese encephalitis (JE). These institutes now want brain tissue samples to ascertain the disease that experts describe as a kind of viral encephalitis. Culex mosquitoes are suspected to carry virus from animals to humans. Muzaffarpur district magistrate suggested the state administration to declare Gandak catchment and suburban regions of Bochaha, Minapur, Mushahari, Kanti, Ahiyapur, Sahebganj and Paru as contagion region. The district administration has formed a five-member doctors’ team to direct line of treatment and help make an emergency plan. Dr. Arun Shah, one of the committee members, stated that Muzaffarpur cases required the same cure as Saharanpur encephalitis, which caused a large number of fatalities each year till 2000. “A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research concluded that a toxin from kasaundhi trees, being transmitted to humans through insects, caused the disease. The trees were cut and the disease subsided. Litchi trees and mosquitoes present in the region should be studied for this disease,” suggested Shah. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stated that regardless of blood sample examinations ruling out Japanese encephalitis, JE vaccine should be given to all kids under 15 years in affected regions.   | | Super 30 to conduct entrance test in Bhopal this time Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:33 AM PDT Bhopal: The Super 30 institute of Bihar will hold a selection exam in Bhopal this year. The institute provides free coaching for IIT-JEE exam to financially weak students. Anand Kumar, the founder of the institute, said that last year the entrance exam was organised in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and selected six students. This year it has been decided that the exam centres will be Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Bhopal. A total of 60 students will be selected. The examination will be held on July 2. The selected students will get free food, stay and tuition facilities.   |
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