Page 18 - Bihar

Lalu Yadav expels son Tej Pratap from party over 'long-time partner' post

The move came a day after a post on Tej Pratap Yadav's Facebook account said he was 'in a relationship' with a woman for 12 years. Yadav later claimed his account was hacked

Social media war between RJD, NDA ahead of Bihar's electoral battle

The NDA and the RJD, the two main rivals in politics of Bihar, where assembly polls are due in a few months, on Saturday made the use of social media and animation technology to pin each other down. On its X handle, the RJD, which hopes that its young leader Tejashwi Yadav will rise to power, trained its guns at Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar. In an animated video, with a background commentary rendered like a "rap" number, Kumar has been called "paltu" (a turncoat) whose "baate hain faltu" (talks nonsense). Notably, the longest-serving CM of Bihar has also had two short-lived alliances with the RJD, headed by his arch rival Lalu Prasad, and Yadav, the latter's younger son and heir apparent, occupied the post of deputy chief minister on both occasions. Now in the opposition, the RJD minced no words in voicing its frustration, as it wondered whether the septuagenarian had allegedly applied "fevicol" to his seat of power, to retain it despite "political ...

Bihar cabinet approves renaming of Gaya town to 'Gaya Ji' citing sentiment

Additional chief secretary S Siddharth said the renaming of Gaya to 'Gaya Ji' was based on local sentiments and the town's historical and religious importance, as decided in a state cabinet meeting

Nitish Kumar-led Bihar govt hikes DA for its employees, pensioners to 55%

The Bihar government announced a 2 percentage points increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees and pensioners on Friday. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. With this hike, employees and pensioners in the pay scale of the 7th Pay Commission will get DA and Dearness Relief (DR) of 55 per cent, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddharth said. "A hike of 6 percentage points has been approved for those in the pay scale of the 6th Pay Commission. This will raise their DA and DR to 252 per cent. For those in the pay scale of the 5th Pay Commission, the DA and DR have been raised by 11 percentage points to 466 per cent," he said. The hike will benefit more than 5 lakh employees and over 6 lakh pensioners, officials said. It will be effective from January 1, 2025, they said.

Bihar: LoP Rahul Gandhi to launch 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad' in Darbhanga today

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar said that the Congress will launch a state-wide 'Nyay Samvad' across Bihar starting on May 15

Over 650K calls received on SC, ST atrocities helpline since 2021; UP leads

Over 6.5 lakh calls have been received by the National Helpline Against Atrocities (NHAA) regarding the atrocities against SCs and STs since the launch of the helpline in December 2021, with nearly half of the total calls originating from Uttar Pradesh, official data showed. Of the calls, 7,135 grievances have been officially registered, and 4,314 have been resolved. The helpline, aimed at empowering members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), is operational round the clock in Hindi, English and regional languages to ensure proper implementation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. These complaints range from incidents of assault, social boycotts, caste-based abuse, land grabbing and denial of access to public spaces to allegations of police inaction in atrocity cases. "Many of the calls received on the helpline are related to inquiries, requests for legal guidance or reports lacking sufficient details to be registered

Teacher exam aspirants protest near Bihar CM's home, police disperse crowd

Chaos erupted near the official residence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday when police baton-charged aspirants who had staged a sit-in demanding the release of supplementary results of a teacher recruitment exam. The demonstrators, demanding the release of the Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE-3) supplementary result, staged the demonstration outside the gates of the CM's residence on 1 Anne Marg. The entire area is a high-security zone and no such protest is allowed. A large number of protesters, carrying placards, raised slogans against the state government and the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), which conducted the exam. Anu Kumari, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Sachiwalay-1, requested the protesters to immediately vacate the area as such activities are restricted there. When the protesters refused to budge, police resorted to baton-charge to disperse the aspirants. The SDPO, however, refused to speak to reporters. Protesters claimed that sev

Caste Census: Tejashwi Yadav urges PM Modi to review reservation policies

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him for a "comprehensive review of the social protection and reservation policies" once the exercise to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census is completed. Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly, shared the letter on X on Saturday. It was written on Friday. "Conducting the caste census is merely the first step of the long journey towards social justice. The census data must lead to a comprehensive review of social protection and reservation policies. The arbitrary cap on reservations will also have to be reconsidered," the letter said. The upcoming delimitation exercise should reflect the social realities uncovered by the census, ensuring proportional political representation for marginalised groups, it read. "The redrawing of constituencies should be sensitive to and reflective of the census data," Yadav wrote to the PM. Special provisions must be there for adequate politica

Snake found in mid-day meal: Over 100 kids ill in Bihar, NHRC orders probe

Over 100 students fell ill after eating a mid-day meal allegedly contaminated by a dead snake in Mokama, Bihar, prompting an NHRC probe and demand for a report

Path to forming strong govt in Delhi runs through UP, Bihar: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Congress party wants to form a strong government at the Centre, and the path to it goes from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Addressing party office bearers and workers of the Sareni assembly constituency in Raebareli district, Rahul Gandhi said, "The Congress party wants to form a strong (coalition) government in Delhi...with 200-300 seats. Its path passes through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar." He added, "Until we are strong in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, a strong government cannot come to Delhi. Our target is to form an INDIA alliance government first in Bihar and then in Uttar Pradesh." Asserting that in the next UP Assembly election, the BJP will be wiped out, the Rae Bareli MP said, "INDIA alliance government will be formed. (And) wherever our government is going to be formed, whether in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, it will be formed by listening to the voices of our workers." Referring to the recent terror attack on tourists in .

Bihar govt ensures departure of all Pak nationals ahead of Apr 27 deadline

The Bihar government has said that all Pakistani nationals, who had been to the state in the recent past, have left well ahead of the April 27 deadline. A total of 19 Pakistani nationals, who came to different districts of Bihar on visit visas and tourist visas left the state on April 25 or before that, as per data provided by the state government. The details pertain to those Pakistani nationals who visited the state after January 2025. "The districts have reported that no more Pakistani nationals are left in the state who are yet to return. Only those Pakistani nationals who are on medical visas and long-term visas (LTVs) are currently staying in Bihar. The medical visas are valid till April 29," Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary told PTI on Saturday. The Bihar government had on Friday directed the officials concerned to ensure that no Pakistani citizen stays in India beyond the deadline set by the Centre. "In continuation of the decisions taken

PM Modi flags off 4 trains, launches projects worth Rs 13,500 cr for Bihar

The four new trains are Amrit Bharat express between Saharsa and Mumbai, Namo Bharat Rapid rail between Jaynagar and Patna and trains between Pipra and Saharsa and Saharsa and Samastipur

Nation united in fight on terrorism, says Nitish Kumar on Pahalgam attack

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday condemned the attack in Pahalgam, emphasising that the entire country stands united in the fight against terrorism. Speaking at a government function in Madhubani in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar also reaffirmed his political alignment, saying, "I made a mistake in the past, but I will stay with the NDA forever." "The attack at Pahalgam left the entire nation devastated. It was a heinous act. We all condemn it. The entire country is united in the fight against terrorism," he said. Terrorists struck at a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others. Stating that he had "made mistakes" in the past by joining hands with the Opposition, the Bihar CM said, "I will stay with NDA forever. I went 'idhar udhar' in the past. But now, I am with the NDA and will remain with the alliance forever". Kumar added that he had requested the

PM Modi to visit Bihar today; to inaugurate key projects worth ₹13,480 cr

Prime Minister will also participate in a programme marking National Panchayati Raj Day and address a gathering in Madhubani, Bihar

A below-par monsoon could imperil Bihar's agri sector, Assembly elections

If rainfall is below average this year, too, it would mark it as the fourth consecutive year that the agriculturally important state would get lesser rains from the Southwest monsoon

Campa Cola to open new bottling plant in Bihar with ₹1,000 cr investment

Campa Cola, the soft drinks brand owned by Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, the FMCG arm of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, will open a new bottling plant in Bihar. According to reports, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL)-owned brand will have a new plant on 35 acres of land in the Begusarai district of Bihar, where it will invest around Rs 1,000 crore. Confirming the development, the state government's agency, Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) through a post on social media platform 'X' informed that the plot has been allotted to EPIC Agro Product Ltd, a company that produces and distributes Campa Cola. The upcoming facility will integrate both bottling and manufacturing operations. This marks a significant milestone in Campa Cola's aggressive growth strategy, with a sharp focus on expanding its footprint in eastern and northeastern India. The move comes just two months after the launch of a similar plant in Assam. This year in February, RCPL inaugurate

JD(U) must take 'serious note' of Haryana CM's statement on Bihar: Tejashwi

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) to "take serious note" of a remark by Haryana counterpart Naib Singh Saini allegedly indicating that BJP will not let him enjoy another term in office. Yadav spoke to PTI Video at Raghopur, his assembly constituency in Vaishali district, where he was asked about the cryptic remark made by Saini at a function in Delhi on Sunday. Saini was sharing the stage with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. A portion of his speech is being flashed by news channels. Saini can be heard as saying, "Our victory march that saw the BJP return to power in Haryana must continue in Bihar. I am sure the upcoming elections will be won by the BJP under the leadership of Samrat Choudhary". When Yadav's attention was drawn to the remark, he said, "The JD(U) must take serious note of the comment. Saini is a member of the BJP national executive. He appears to have revealed what the party's top leadership has decided,

Committed to welfare of Dalits, upper castes alike: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Speaking at an event organised by JD(U) on the eve of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Nitish Kumar urged people from all communities to foster unity

Nitish Kumar failed to check migration, growing unemployment: Sachin Pilot

Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday slammed the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government for allegedly failing to curb migration of labourers and tackling rising unemployment in the state. Pilot, the former deputy CM of Rajasthan, told reporters, "The Nitish Kumar-led government has miserably failed to stop the migration of labourers from Bihar to other parts of the country. It has also failed to provide jobs to the youth. Kumar, who has been Chief Minister for several years, must take responsibility for the growing unemployment in the state." Pilot further alleged that the recruitment process in Bihar lacks transparency. "There are hardly any examinations that are conducted fairly and without controversy. This government is unable to provide jobs to the youth. The NDA government in the state is anti-poor and anti-youth," he said. "Congress is the only party that works for the uplift and betterment of the socially marginalised and economically weaker sections. We are equally ...

Over 50 dead in rain-related incidents across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

UP and and Bihar have an announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh for the kin of the deceased