Saturday, 30 July 2011

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

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

Bihar implementing Right to Service Act by this Independence Day

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 11:20 AM PDT

Come Independence Day, August 15, and government officials who do not perform the common man’s jobs within a stipulated timeframe will face a fine that can go up to Rs.5,000

With the implementation of the Right to Service Act, people will no longer have to run around government offices to get their work done, a minister said.

To check rampant corruption and red-tapism in Bihar, the state assembly had in March passed a bill that provides for fines on government officials who do not do common the man’s work within a stipulated timeframe.

The move follows Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s commitment to hasten the delivery of services like issuance of caste certificates, mutation, police verification for passports and installing new electricity connection to ration card holders and others services within a stipulated timeframe.

“Once the bill is implemented, it will provide a big relief to people who run from pillar to post and are forced to pay bribes to get their work done in government offices,” state Bihar Water Resources Development Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary told IANS.

According to the bill, it will be mandatory for state officials to get the work of the people done within a stipulated timeframe or face a penalty of Rs.250 that can go up to Rs.5,000.

In various speeches over the past two months, Nitish Kumar said the bill would help government weed out corruption from the grassroots level to the top.

The chief minister said if a government official failed to deliver a service within a given timeframe, he or she will be held personally responsible and the government will impose a fine for the delay.

Bihar simplifies the rules for compensation to victims

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 11:19 AM PDT

Now on wards in Bihar, compensation will be paid for loss of life, rape and serious injury even if the perpetrators are not identified, the state government decided on Tuesday.

The proposal for the Bihar Victims’ Compensation Scheme, 2011 was sanctioned at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Principal Secretary Ravikant told reporters.

Under the scheme Rs one lakh for loss of life, Rs 50,000 in the case of rape, Rs 25,000 for grievous hurt, Rs 25,000 for injuries after an acid attack, and Rs 25,000 for mental torture would be provided.

This will be given even if the perpetrators are not identified, he said.

The setting up of 30 new exclusive police stations in the state for tackling cases registered under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 was also agreed upon.

The new police stations would be in addition to the existing ten, he said, adding that 510 posts would be created for meeting the manpower needs for them.

Bihar hearing RTI complaints using video conferencing

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 11:16 AM PDT

BSIC -Bihar State Information Commission launched today a video conferencing system for quicker hearing and disposal of complaints related to the Right To Information (RTI) Act, officials said.

State Chief Information Commissioner ( CIC) A.K. Choudhary said the SIC will help dispose complaints against principal information officers for denying information under the RTI Act to people.

Complaints from all over the state will be heard in Patna through video conferencing, saving three days.

The move comes after the success of SIC’s information call centre — the Jankari. A brainchild of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Jankari enables people living in the remotest corners of the state to submit applications for information under RTI on the phone.

Oppositions size decreasing in Bihar assembly

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 11:08 AM PDT

Patna: The opposition is usually considered as a watchdog which keeps the ruling party in a democracy on its toes. But in Bihar, the party is fast losing out.
Their ranks are dwindling fast and the reason behind it is that there is a virtual scramble among lawmakers to join the ruling party to enjoy power.
This trend has given a free run to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is now in the thick of a controversy involving allotment of prime industrial plots to the kin of ministers, lawmakers and bureaucrats.
In the past five days, at least two parties in the Opposition have merged with the ruling Janata Dal (United) whereas two prominent leaders of the main Opposition, Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have quit.
Key portfolio
While RJD leader Ram Bachan Rai has joined the ruling JD-U, Dr Shakeel Ahmad Khan who held key portfolios in the previous RJD government looks headed for Kumar’s party.
The fast-shrinking opposition suffered the third consecutive jot on Monday evening when the three-member LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) Legislature Party in the Legislative Council merged with the JD-U in the presence of the chief minister.
Later, council chairman Tarakant Jha formally recognised the three MLCs (Members of the Legislative Council) as members of the JD-U. This has virtually ended the existence of Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP party in the Upper House.
In the past week, Shibu Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) ceased to exist in the Bihar assembly when its lone member, Sumit Kumar Singh, was officially inducted into the JD-U.
With the merger, the combined strength of the opposition in the Assembly or Lower House has come down to 36, while in 75-member State Council or Upper House, their combined strength has come down to a mere 12 seats.
This has literally left the opposition voiceless, thus ending their relevance in the state politics.
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