Page 11 - Bihar Government

Bihar CM Nitish files his nomination for re-election to legislative council

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for re-election to the state legislative council. Kumar, who is running for a fourth consecutive term, filed his nomination papers in the presence of a host of senior leaders of the ruling NDA, including his deputies Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who belong to the BJP, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh "Lalan" whom he succeeded as the JD(U) national president. Besides Kumar, nomination papers were filed by his cabinet colleague Santosh Suman and JD(U) MLC Khalid Anwar. Suman's father Jitan Ram Manjhi, a former chief minister who heads Hindustani Awam Morcha, was also present. The Election Commission has announced biennial polls for 11 seats of the state legislative council, the terms of which would end in May. Of these, the JD(U) had held four, though following a diminution in its strength in the assembly, the party has given up its claim on two of the seats. Besides Kumar and Anwar, those from the JD(U) whos

PM to launch development projects worth over Rs 34,800 crore in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil development projects worth more than Rs 34,800 crore in Bihar on Saturday. Besides, the PM will unveil multiple projects in the oil and gas sector, worth about Rs 1.48 lakh crore, spread across various states from here, an official statement said. This will be Modi's first visit to Bihar since the BJP-led NDA got a shot in the arm with the return of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U). The PM will unveil multiple development projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Aurangabad around 2.30 pm. He will then travel to Begusarai where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth more than Rs 13,400, the statement said. From the function in Begusarai, he will unveil the oil and gas sector projects which are spread across Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Punjab and Karnataka along with the KG Basin. Modi will dedicate the 'first oil' from the KG Basin to the nation and will flag off the first crude oil tanker

PM Modi to unveil multiple development projects in West Bengal, Bihar today

At Krishnanagar, the Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of several development projects related to sectors like power, rail and road

ED raids premises of RJD MLA, husband in money laundering case in Bihar

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of RJD MLA Kiran Devi, her husband and former legislator Arun Yadav and some others as part of a money laundering probe linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets, official sources said. Kiran Devi is a sitting MLA of the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD). She represents the Sandesh constituency in Bhojpur district. Arun Yadav represented the seat from 2015 to 2020. According to the sources, when ED sleuths reached Kiran Devi's residence on Tuesday morning, the MLA was not there. Searches were also conducted at the premises linked to the MLA in Bhojpur's Agiaon. Despite several attempts by PTI, the RJD MLA was not available for comments on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action. The ED's money laundering case against Arun Yadav and Kiran Devi stems from a total of 16 FIRs filed by the Bihar Police at various police stations in Ara district. The agency filed a criminal case under the Prevention of Mone

Highlights: Car securing route for CM Yogi's cavalcade meets with accident

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Nitish Kumar maintained a record of turning back, says Tejashwi Yadav

"Nitish Kumar has maintained a record in turning back. At the same time, he called upon people to participate in the RJD rally organised in Patna on March 3."

Bihar govt, SIDBI join hands to collaborate on enhancing startup ecosystem

The Bihar government and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have signed an MoU in a bid to boost the startup ecosystem in the eastern state, officials said. The initiative is aimed at creating a conducive environment for startups and transforming Bihar into a startup hub, a SIDBI release said. "The Bihar Startup Fund Trust (BSFT) and SIDBI entered into an MoU to administer the Rs 50-crore Bihar Startup Scale-up Financing Fund' (BSSFF), it said. The BSFT is the nodal agency constituted by the Industries Department for implementation of the Bihar Startup Policy. Under the policy, the state government has set up the BSFT with an initial corpus of Rs 500 crore. Out of this, BSSFF has been established with an initial corpus of Rs 50 crore for scale-up funding support to startups, the release said.

Electricity will not be given for free: Nitish Kumar in state assembly

Pointing towards Bijendra Yadav (Energy Minister in Bihar Government), Nitish Kumar said that he is honest, listens to him. However, the opposition boycotted the budget speech

Can't provide free electricity to consumers in state, says Bihar CM

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday dismissed the opposition's demand for providing at least 200 units of free electricity to the poor and emphasised that electricity is already being supplied to consumers at highly subsidised rates. The CM made the remark in the assembly during a debate on budget allocation for the energy department for 2024-25. A budgetary proposal of Rs 11,422.67 crore of the department was passed by voice vote. "We can't provide free electricity to consumers. I have been saying this for years. We are already providing electricity to consumers at highly subsidised rates," the CM said, rejecting the demands of opposition members that at least 200 units of electricity be given free to 94 lakh families who earn less than Rs 6,000 a month. The demand was first raised by Sandeep Saurav, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation's MLA, during a debate on budget allocation for the energy department. State Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadv while

JD(U)'s Narendra Narayan Yadav elected as Bihar assembly deputy speaker

Senior JD(U) leader Narendra Narayan Yadav was on Friday elected unopposed as the deputy speaker of the Bihar assembly. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated him after he was elected for the post. The post fell vacant on Wednesday after the resignation of his party colleague Maheshwar Hazari. Yadav, a former state minister, has been representing the Alamnagar seat of Madhepura district since the 1990s. According to JD(U) sources, Hazari, who had been holding the post since 2021, is likely to be inducted into the cabinet or considered for a party ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Bihar achieves just 51.78% of mining revenue collection target till Feb 14

The Mines and Geology department of Bihar government has expressed concern over revenue collections falling short of the target and warned officials of strict disciplinary action if they fail to get their act together before the financial year comes to a close. Officials have managed to achieve just Rs 1,896.43 crore of its revenue target of Rs 3,662.39 crore for 2023-24 from the mining sector till February 14, 2024, according to documents. As per the latest review meeting chaired by the Director of Mines and Geology the department has achieved 51.78 per cent of the mining revenue collection target till February 14. In some districts such as Nalanda, Kaimur, Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Munger, Kishanganj, Banka, Bhagalpur and Saran the revenue collection is less than 50 per cent, it said. "If the revenue collection in these districts does not increase immediately, strict disciplinary action will be initiated against the concerned officials of these ...

Bihar extends benefits of Ayushman Bharat scheme to ration card holders

The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday decided to extend the benefits of free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year to all ration card holders of the state under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Talking to PTI, after a cabinet meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Samat Chaudhary, said, It's a major decision taken by the NDA government in Bihar. It will now extend the AB PM-JAY to all ration card holders of the state. At present, around 1.2 crore people in Bihar are availing the facility of the AB PM-JAY. Now, around 58 lakh people, who are beneficiaries under the National Food Security (NFS) Act, will also be covered under the scheme, he said.

LS polls: NDA will win all seats in Bihar, says deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary

When asked about giving a chance to Nitish Kumar again, Lalu Prasad Yadav on February 16 said, "Ab aayenge toh dekhenge, khula hi rehta hai darwaaza' (if he will we will see, door remains open)"

'Irregularities' took place when RJD was sharing power: CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asserted that he has come to know about many irregularities that took place when the RJD was sharing power with the JD(U) and these were now being investigated. He was responding to media queries about the Bihar government's order to review all decisions taken by the departments headed by former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and two RJD ministers Lalit Yadav and Ramanand Yadav in the previous 'Mahagathbandhan' government in the state. "Irregularities (Gadbadiyaan) have taken place ... we will not tolerate this. Things are being investigated", said the CM. In a letter, dated February 16, issued by the Cabinet Secretariat department, headed by the CM, officials of the Health, Road Construction, Urban Development and Housing and Rural Works departments have been asked to review the decisions taken during the previous grand alliance government in the state. These departments were headed by Tejashwi Yadav. Besides, the government has

Bihar govt to review functioning of dept held by former Dy CM Tejashwi

Nitish Kumar further asserted that the Bihar government worked for every section of the society

Legal guarantee for MSP if INDIA bloc wins in LS polls: Rahul in Bihar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party will accept long-pending demands of farmers in the country and ensure a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) of crops if the INDIA bloc comes to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the 'Kisan Nyay Panchayat', a gathering of farmers, in Bihar's Rohtas, as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', Gandhi claimed that "cultivators are not getting the remunerative prices for their crops". "If the INDIA bloc comes to power after the general elections, we will give a legal guarantee to MSP. Whenever farmers have asked for something from the Congress, it has been given to them. Be it loan waiver or MSP, we have always protected the interests of cultivators and will do so in future," Gandhi said. His comment comes at a time when Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a farmers' body, called for 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday to press the BJP-led central government to accept cultivators' demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum

Tejashwi Yadav joins Rahul Gandhi's 'Nyay Yatra' in Bihar's Sasaram

This will be the first time the RJD leader will be seen sharing the stage with Gandhi in Bihar since state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar severed his ties with INDIA bloc

BJP's Nand Kishore Yadav elected unopposed as Bihar Assembly Speaker

Veteran BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav was on Thursday elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav escorted the new speaker to the Chair. Kumar congratulated Nand Kishore Yadav and said he was an experienced leader. "You (Speaker) are an experienced leader. I congratulate you on your election. You have been supported by all MLAs. I am sure you will hear both sides, ruling as well as opposition". The Leader of the Opposition expressed hope that the new speaker will listen to the opposition also. "You are a very senior leader and I am sure that you will remain impartial and listen to the opposition also", Tejashwi Yadav said. Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha congratulated Yadav on being elected as the speaker of the state Assembly. "You are our senior leader and you come from the land of Guru Govind Singh Ji. We all are thankful to our central leadership for this

Rahul Gandhi led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' to resume with rally in Bihar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Thursday pick up the threads of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' with a public meeting in Bihar's Aurangabad district, about 150 km from the state capital. According to senior party leader and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is also likely to address the rally. "Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are likely to reach Gaya by flight and take a helicopter for Aurangabad. Thereafter, Gandhi will resume the Yatra", Mishra told PTI over phone. Notably, Gandhi was last seen in Bihar a fortnight ago when his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had covered four districts of the Seemanchal region. According to Mishra, after the rally, Gandhi is likely to interact with farmers in Tekari Vidhan Sabha area, which falls in Gaya district but is a part of the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency. "Gandhi will spend the night at Sasaram. On Friday he will travel to Kaimur district from where we will see him off into the adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh"

Bihar govt tables Rs 2.79 trillion Budget in Assembly for 2024-25 fiscal

The Bihar government on Tuesday tabled a Rs 2.79 lakh crore budget in the assembly for the financial year 2024-25. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, while presenting the budget, said the current 2023-24 financial year saw 2.5 crore people rising above the poverty line in the state. The state registered a growth rate of 10.64 per cent in the current fiscal, Choudhary, who holds the finance portfolio, said.