Page 22 - Bihar

Women farmers in Bihar turn to solar pumps, overcoming patriarchy, woes

Indu Devi, a 35-year-old widow from Suryahi village, knows the weight of despair all too well. When her husband was hanged over a land dispute, she was left with little more than a small patch of land and debts. But then, she heard about the concept of using solar pumps in fields for business. Despite her initial fears of how would she, a woman with no technical knowledge, operate a pump? She took the leap of faith. Today, she earns a steady income by supplying water to neighbouring fields. "It's just a switch on and off. But it has given me a way to survive," she said. In this area, Indu's story is inspirational but not unique. A number of women, as part of self-help groups (SHGs), have invested in solar pumps on their land for irrigation, transforming their lives and livelihoods. For decades, irrigation has been a major challenge in Bihar. With erratic rainfall, extreme summers amid climate change and unreliable electricity, farmers have struggled to grow crops. Diesel pumps we

NDA govt burden on Bihar, should be scrapped like old vehicles: Tejashwi

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday mocked the BJP-led NDA government in Bihar, asserting that time has come to change the two-decade-old dispensation, much like 15-year-old vehicles are banned in the state for spreading pollution. Yadav also said that the state government has now become a burden on the people of Bihar. The 20-year-old NDA government in Bihar, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has now turned into a rickety vehicle. There is a ban on vehicles that are more than 15 years old across Bihar as they emit too much smoke, increase pollution and are harmful to the public. Therefore, why should the 20-year-old rickety NDA government be allowed to operate in the state? This government has become a burden on the people of Bihar it must be changed, the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly said in a post on X. Yadav claimed that over the past 20 years, the Nitish Kumar-led government has spread the deadly pollution of poverty, unemployment, corruption, crime and ...

Bihar's economy has increased to Rs 8.54 trn in 2023-24: Dy CM Choudhary

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday said the size of the state's economy at current prices has increased 3.5 times, from Rs 2.47 lakh crore in 2011-12 to Rs 8.54 lakh crore in 2023-24. Choudhary who holds the Finance portfolio tabled the Bihar Economic Survey report for 2024-25 in the state assembly on the opening day of the budget session on Friday. "Bihar has witnessed significant economic growth over the last two decades, resulting in notable improvements in several socio-economic indicators. The size of Bihar's economy at current prices has increased 3.5 times, rising from Rs 2.47 lakh crore in 2011-12 to Rs 8.54 lakh crore in 2023-24", he said. "According to the latest available estimates, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Bihar for the year 2023-24 is estimated to be Rs 8,54,429 crore at current prices and Rs 4,64,540 crore at constant (2011-12) prices. In the fiscal year 2023-24, tax revenue amounted to Rs 1,61,965 crore, making it the most ...

SHG Plus model helping Bihar's rural women build homes, educate children

Kiran Kumari of Bihar's Muzaffarpur remembers a time when borrowing money at exorbitant rates was the norm for her. Now, a unique community loan system designed to empower rural women has not only provided her with an escape from the debt trap but also a way to secure her family's future. Women in Bihar who once struggled to make ends meet are now growing strawberries, building homes and investing in their children's education through SHG Plus -- an evolution of the traditional self-help group (SHG) model that is designed to empower rural women through financial inclusion, transparency and collective strength. The system's evolution was dreamed up by the women themselves. The model was developed with help from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India. "We used to borrow money from lenders at 60 per cent interest. It's only 2 per cent under SHG Plus," Kiran Kumari says. "Now, we don't need to borrow from outside." In the villages of Muzaffarpur, Kiran Kumari's journey is not ...

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expands Cabinet, inducts seven new faces from BJP

At a ceremony held in the Raj Bhavan here, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office to the new inductees who raised the strength of the Cabinet to 36

Punishment for breach of privileges must be proportionate to misconduct: SC

The judgment also outlined a few guiding principles for courts to consider while scrutinising the proportionality of actions taken by the House against its member(s)

PM Modi to release 19th installment of PM KISAN in Bihar's Bhagalpur today

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will accompany the Prime Minister, and the rally is expected to witness the participation of around 500,000 farmers

Why hasn't Bihar been given Special Category Status as promised: Cong to PM

The Congress on Monday posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Bihar, asking why hasn't the state been granted Special Category Status as promised and why are so many essential projects lying incomplete there. Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bihar, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed four questions for him. "Where are the promised airports for Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, and Purnea," Ramesh asked in his post on X. "The PM promised an airport in Purnea on 18th August, 2015. Six years and three Nitish Kumar U-turns later, his government is yet to fulfil the promise," Ramesh said. In a 2019 rally, Modi promised to open Patahi Airport in Muzaffarpur and in 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah also pledged to kickstart operations at the Patahi airport, while the BJP promised a fully operational airport by Diwali 2023, he said. "However, an AAI ground team from March 2024 found that the land plot has broken boundary walls, and buffaloes roam t

Bihar at the bottom: Tejashwi slams PM's visit, accuses govt of betrayal

Speaking to ANI, he noted that there will be no other elections in Bihar this year, pointing to the already concluded Delhi elections

Bihar to appoint 140 officers for women affected by domestic violence

The Bihar government has decided to appoint 140 full-time 'protection officers' across the state to support women affected by domestic violence more effectively. The Social Welfare Department has decided to create a separate cadre under which sub-division, district and state-level protection officers will be appointed. The decision has been taken in view of the rising number of domestic violence cases in the state. Speaking to PTI, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, additional chief secretary of the Social Welfare Department and chairman cum MD of Bihar Women and Child Development Corporation, said, "The department has decided to appoint full-time POs to effectively deal with cases of domestic violence." "The process will start soon. A separate cadre will be created for the purpose... More than 140 POs will be appointed across the state. Of them, 101 will be appointed at the sub-division level and 38 at the district level. A state-level PO will also be appointed," she added. The decision has be

PM on 3-day visit to MP, Bihar, Assam, to inaugurate development projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a three-day visit to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Assam from Sunday to attend several development initiatives, including the global investors summit in Bhopal and the release of 19th instalment of cash assistance to farmers in Bhagalpur. In Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, Modi will lay the foundation stone of Bageshwar Dham Medical and Science Research Institute in Chhatarpur and inaugurate the investors summit on Monday, a statement said. He will release the 19th instalment of 'PM KISAN' scheme at an event in Bhagalpur on Monday and also inaugurate various development projects in Bihar before travelling to Assam. He will attend the 'Jhumoir Binandini' on Monday evening and inaugurate the investment and infrastructure summit the next day. Modi will inaugurate Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit in Guwahati on Tuesday. The PMO said the two-day Global Investors Summit (GIS) in Bhopal will serve as an important platform to establish

Hydropower firm SJVN to expand its lone coal project in Bihar: Chairman

The company is looking to add another 800 megawatts at its Buxar project in the state of Bihar, in addition to the 1,320 megawatts being built, Chaudhary said in an interview

Bihar govt's X handle hacked, renamed as German president's account

Hackers hijacked Bihar govt's X handle, renamed it as the German president's account, and posted controversial content

BPSC Mains exam date 2025: Timetable out at official website, details here

The BPSC has officially declared the 70th Combined Main (Written) Competitive examination dates. The exam will be held from April 25 to April 30, 2025, at assigned exam centres in Patna

After Delhi-NCR, earthquake with magnitude of 4 hits Siwan in Bihar

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck Siwan, Bihar at 08:02 IST with a depth of 10 Km, following a similar magnitude quake in Delhi-NCR at 5:38 am

Bihar govt approves rural road projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore

Rural road construction in Bihar is all set to receive a major boost with projects worth more than Rs 17,000 crore getting the cabinet nod, a top official said. Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat Department, S Siddharth, on Thursday said approval was given for 37 projects of the rural works division, covering as many districts of the state. "These projects include construction and maintenance of 11,251 roads, the total length of which would be 19,876 km. An expenditure of Rs 17,266 crore was approved for the purpose," said Siddharth. A district-wise break-up showed that the maximum number of 706 roads, with a total length of 1,237 km, are to be built in Madhubani, at a cost of Rs 1,221 crore. However, it is Aurangabad that will have the largest length of roads (1,252 km), the total number being 576, at a cost of Rs 1,125 crore. Another district with a significant number of 629 roads is

No state has been ignored: Nirmala Sitharaman defends Budget in Rajya Sabha

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman counters Opposition claims that the Budget favoured BJP-ruled states, especially poll-bound Bihar

Investment worth Rs 95,566 cr being made for railways in Bihar: Vaishnaw

Highlighting the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi electrification in Bihar, Vaishnaw said that reconstruction work for 98 stations was ongoing

There won't be any impact of Delhi poll results in Bihar, says Tejashwi

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday dismissed suggestions that the BJP's stupendous victory in the Delhi assembly polls will have an impact in Bihar where elections are due later this year. The former deputy chief minister of Bihar also said that a return to power "after nearly 26 years" made it incumbent upon the BJP to fulfil the promises made to the people of Delhi. Yadav, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, briefly replied to questions from journalists about the verdict in Delhi where INDIA bloc partner Aam Aadmi Party was voted out of power. "In a democracy, the people are supreme (janta maalik hai). The BJP has been voted to power after nearly 26 years. Hopefully, promises made to the people will be fulfilled and there will not be empty rhetoric (jumlebaazi)," Yadav said. The RJD leader, whose party has won the highest number of seats in the last two assembly polls in Bihar, was also asked about the claim of the BJP and its allies that upcoming ...

Backward classes form majority of Telangana's population: Caste survey

The survey reveals that Scheduled Castes make up 17.43 per cent of Telangana's population, while Scheduled Tribes account for 10.45 per cent