Page 14 - Bihar

Bihar failed to submit utilisation reports for ₹70,000 cr projects: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up the Bihar government for failing to submit utilisation certificates for projects worth Rs 70,877 crore. The report of the CAG on State Finances for the year 2023-24 was tabled in the state assembly on Thursday. "Despite the requirement of submitting UCs within the stipulated time period, 49,649 outstanding UCs of Rs 70,877.61 crore were not received by the Accountant General (Accounts & Entitlements), Bihar, as on March 31, 2024," it said. In the absence of UCs, there is no assurance that funds disbursed have been used for the intended purpose, the report said. "Moreover, high pendency of UCs is fraught with the risk of embezzlement, misappropriation and diversion of funds," it said. Of the total Rs 70,877.61 crore, Rs 14,452.38 crore pertained to the period up to 2016-17. The top five defaulting departments are Panchayati Raj (Rs 28,154.10 crore), Education (Rs 12,623.67 crore), Urban Development (Rs 11,065.50 crore), Rural

'Can't allow dead, migrants, or duplicates on voter rolls', says CEC Kumar

On the face of criticism from Opposition over Bihar voter roll revision, Chief Election Commissioner said that the EC cannot allow names of the deceased and migrants to remain on the voters list

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm following Oppn protests against SIR in Bihar

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday following Opposition protests over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. This is the fourth consecutive day that the Question Hour has been disrupted since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. As soon as the House met for the day, various Opposition members wanted to raise the issue of the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and also shouted slogans. Some of the members were in the Well of the House and also displayed placards. Speaker Om Birla asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and assured that as per rules they will be given opportunities to raise issues. He mentioned the name of senior Congress leader K C Venugopal and said it was not the culture of his party to indulge in sloganeering in the House. Birla repeatedly mentioned that sloganeering and display of placards is not in accordance with the dignity of the House and wondered what kind of message such actions will send out. As t

Over 100K Bihar voters can't be traced in electoral roll verification: EC

Over 100,000 voters in Bihar were found to be untraceable during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls, with millions found dead or relocated, according to the Election Commission of India

Bihar SIR: Over 5.2 mn voters not found at addresses; 1.8 mn found dead

During house-to-house visit in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Bihar, poll officials have so far found that more than 52 lakh voters were not present at their addresses and another 18 lakh have died. The Election Commission said on Tuesday that 26 lakh electors have shifted to different constituencies, while another seven lakh have enrolled at two places. Poll officials in the state have shared detailed lists of the 21.36 lakh electors whose enumeration forms have not been received so far and also of the nearly 52.30 lakh who are reportedly deceased or permanently shifted or have enrolled at multiple places. From August 1 -- when draft electoral rolls will be published -- to September 1, a full one-month will be available to any member of the public to file objections to any additions, deletions and rectification in the draft poll rolls. Functionaries said the 12 political parties which have been given a list of electors who have shifted, not foun

Oppn MPs protest against Bihar SIR; vow to press for PM's presence in House

Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday staged a protest in Parliament House complex against the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar. The opposition MPs gathered on the steps of Makar Dwar of Parliament and raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that it amounts to stealing elections. They also held placards like 'SIR: Stealing Indian Rights' and 'SIR: Subverting Indian Republic'. MPs of several parties, including the Congress, SP, RJD, TMC, DMK, JMM, among others participated in the protest. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took part in the protest. Earlier, a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders was held in the presence of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. During the meeting, the opposition decided to press for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the Hou

3 arrested in Patna hospital murder case following gunfight with police

Three persons, wanted in the murder of gangster Chandan Mishra at a hospital in Patna, were arrested in Bihar's Bhojpur district on Tuesday following a gunfight with the police, officials said. Those arrested were identified as Balwant Kumar, Raviranjan Kumar Singh and Abhisekh Kumar. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Special Task Force and district police around 5 am reached the Bihiyan area where they were hiding. Noticing the police personnel, they tried to escape by opening fire, officials said. The security personnel retaliated and overpowered them. Balwant Kumar and Raviranjan Kumar Singh sustained bullet injuries. No policemen were injured in the exchange of fire, officials said. Three pistols and two magazines with four cartridges were seized from their possession, they said. Kumar and Singh are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Ara, the district headquarters of Bhojpur. Mishra, a murder convict who was out on parole, was shot dead by gunmen inside

Tejashwi meets Bihar Assembly Speaker, seeks discussion on SIR in House

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday called on Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and requested that the House take up for discussion the controversial special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. The leader of the opposition in the assembly spoke to journalists after meeting the Speaker inside the latter's chamber, on the inaugural day of the monsoon session. "We requested that the matter be taken up for discussion in the House tomorrow. The assembly is the largest temple of democracy in Bihar... democracy is under attack in the state. An attempt is being made to rob the deprived sections of their right to vote. We will fight it out from the House to the streets (sadan se sadak tak)," Yadav said. However, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who spoke to journalists separately, said, "The fears are unfounded. Not a single genuine voter's name will be dropped. All will exercise their franchise in the upcoming assembly ...

Paras hospital firing case: Four accused sent to Patna on transit remand

All four of the accused have been arrested in Kolkata in connection with the murder of Chandan Mishra in a Patna hospital, said Patna SSP Kartikey K Sharma

Loco maker Wabtec looks to make Bihar unit key pillar of global chain

With over 700 locomotives already manufactured and an order pipeline till 2028, the company is drawing up plans to make the facility a mainstay in the Indian market

CEC stays firm amid political storm over Bihar electoral roll revision

Ever since CEC Gyanesh Kumar-led poll body has taken up the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the 61-year-old ex-bureaucrat is in the line of fire of the Opposition parties

A riddle in Election Commission's roll revision in Bihar: 'Missing' voters

As the SIR drive nears its end and a fresh electoral roll is set to be published, questions remain over the fate of millions of voters

Crimes committed by criminals: Bihar ADG apologises for 'farmers' remark

In a video posted on the official handle of Bihar Police on platform X, Krishnan stated that his comments were misrepresented and that he did not intend to associate farmers with crime

Over 4.2 mn Bihar voters not found at listed addresses during revision: EC

The Election Commission on Saturday said nearly 42 lakh Bihar electors were not found at their addresses while over 7.50 lakh were found to have enrolled themselves at multiple places. During the ongoing special intensive revision of the voters' list of the state, 95.92 per cent of the nearly 7.90 crore electors have been covered, with six more days still left for the exercise. The EC said it is making efforts to reach out to each voter with its booth-level officers and booth-level agents of political parties trying to ensure that no eligible elector is left out of the draft electoral roll to be published in August. With six more days to go for filling up of enumeration forms, the Election Commission said efforts are being made to ensure that the remaining nearly 32 lakh electors are added to the draft roll. Booth-level officers have already completed over three rounds of the house-to-house visits and have established contact with the electors. A concerted effort by the entire ...

Around 76,000 Indian startups are women-led: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

The Minister said that India's path to becoming a developed nation by 2047 will be led by empowered women and youth

Nearly 95% of Bihar voters covered in electoral roll revision exercise: ECI

According to the ECI, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will publish the draft Electoral Roll on Friday, August 1 and invite suggestions

Modi launches NDA poll campaign in Bihar, warns of opposition intent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sounded the poll bugle in Bihar, where assembly elections are due shortly, calling for "an NDA government, once again", which would protect the state from the "evil intentions" of the RJD-Congress combine. Modi also accused the RJD of seizing land from the poor on the false promise of jobs, in an apparent reference to the 'land-for-jobs' scam, and asserted that the 'viksit' (developed) Bihar is key for eastern India's development. Addressing a rally in Motihari town, the headquarters of East Champaran district, he said, "The people of the state had broken the shackles of RJD", but the younger generation "must be made aware of the despair in which Bihar was mired two decades ago". He also made an indirect reference to the land for jobs scam, on a day when the Supreme Court turned down a plea by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, a former railway minister and the prime accused, for a stay on trial. "Employment generation could have never taken place in Bi

Just over a quarter of Bihar's first-time voters have a birth certificate

Election Commission exercise has people scrambling for papers that are arduous to obtain

Lightning kills 19 in Bihar, CM Nitish Kumar announces ₹4,00,000 ex-gratia

The Bihar government has appealed to the public to stay indoors and stay safe during bad weather conditions

Bihar CM launches projects worth ₹21,406 cr to improve rural connectivity

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday launched projects worth Rs 21,406.36 crore under the Rural Works Department (RWD), marking a major step toward improving rural connectivity across the state. The projects include the construction of 11,346 roads and 730 small bridges. The CM virtually inaugurated the projects during a function held at his official residence at 1, Anne Marg, here. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), "It is worth noting that under the Rural Roads Strengthening and Management Programme, a new component, Mukhyamantri Gramin Sadak Unnayan Yojana, was launched in 2024. Under this programme, construction of 5,047 roads (total length of 8,893 km) commenced on Thursday, with a total approved cost of Rs 6,198 crore. Additionally, foundation stones were laid for 4,079 roads (total length of 6,484 km), with a total approved cost of Rs 5,627 crore". Through the Mukhyamantri Gramin Setu Yojana, the previously implemented Mukhyamantri