Page 29 - Bihar

Nitish Kumar announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for Gagangir attack victims

The unidentified attackers struck as the labourers and other staff returned to their camp in Gund, Ganderbal, late in the evening

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Four Kanwariyas die after vehicle runs over them in Bihar's Banka district

At least four Kanwariyas died and several others were injured after a vehicle ran over them on Friday night in Bihar's Banka district, police said.All the Kanwariyas were heading to Jast Gaur Nath Mahadev temple after taking Ganga Jal from Sultanganj.The injured have been admitted to a hospital, police added.Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Bipin Bihari says, "Some Kanwariyas were hit by a vehicle...4 people have died. There was some law & order situation initially but the situation is normal. Police are present at the spot..."After the incident, irate villagers also set a police vehicle on fire.Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Avinash Kumar who reached the spot said, "We immediately reached the spot... Around 10-11 people have been injured in the incident and are undergoing treatment... 4 people have died. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. The situation is peaceful and the administration is cooperating fully... We will investigate the incident ..."Meanwhile, two ...

Ten more die after 'consuming illicit liquor' in Bihar, toll rises to 35

Ten more people died after allegedly consuming illicit liquor in Bihar's Siwan and Saran districts, taking the toll in the hooch tragedy to 35, an official said on Friday. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Saran range, Nilesh Kumar said on Friday that while Siwan accounted for 28 fatalities, seven deaths have been reported from Saran. "As many as 28 people in Maghar and Auriya panchayats in Siwan district have so far died after consuming suspected illicit liquor. Seven people in Ibrahimpur area under the jurisdiction of Mashrakh police station in Saran district also died after consuming suspected spurious liquor", the DIG told PTI on Friday. The suspected hooch tragedy has triggered a political blame game with opposition parties questioning the efficacy of the ban on sale and consumption of liquor, imposed by the Nitish Kumar government more than eight years ago. Locals in both districts claimed that people lost their lives after "consuming illicit liquor". On the condition

Bihar hooch tragedy: Culprits caught as government responds, says Manjhi

Describing the tragedy as "tragic," Jan Suraj Party chief Prashant Kishor said on Thursday that the state's liquor ban is not enforced anywhere, existing only in government files and political

Priyanka Gandhi slams Bihar govt on deaths, says trade of liquor rampant

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the NDA government over fatalities in Bihar's Siwan and Saran districts due to consumption of spurious liquor, saying liquor ban is in force in the state but illegal trade of spurious liquor is rampant. At least six people died and 14 others were hospitalised after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in dry Bihar's Siwan and Saran districts, officials said on Wednesday. Four deaths were reported in Siwan and two in Saran. In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The news of death of a number of people due to consumption of spurious liquor in Siwan and Saran districts of Bihar is extremely saddening. May God grant peace to the departed souls." "My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. A large number of people are admitted in the hospital, I pray for their speedy recovery," she said. "Liquor ban is in force in Bihar but illegal trade of spurious liquor is going on in full swing, due to which deaths occur every

Bihar CM conducts high-level review after spurious liquor deaths in state

BJP leader Nitin Nabin said that action would be taken by the state government against all those involved in the incident

Spurious liquor kills 20 people in Bihar's Siwan, 4 dead in Chapra

Legal action is being taken against the Bhagwanpur SHO and Prohibition ASI of the Bhagwanpur Police Station, as per the District Magistrate Mukul Kumar Gupta

Ex-Bihar minister 1998 murder case: SC rejects convicted former MLA's plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of convicted criminal-turned-politician Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla seeking time to surrender in the 1998 murder case of former Bihar minister and RJD leader Brij Bihari Prasad. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar and R Mahadevan was told by senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Shukla, that he needs 30 days' time on account of his wife's health issues and to manage the affairs. Dismissing Shukla's plea, the bench said that its October 3 order granted him sufficient time of 15 days and therefore no further indulgence can be granted. On October 3, the top court had convicted Shukla, a former MLA, and accused Mantu Tiwari in the murder case. The top court had partially set aside a Patna High Court order acquitting all accused in the case and asked Shukla and Tiwari to surrender within two weeks. Tiwari is the nephew of late Bhupendra Nath Dubey, who was the brother of Devendra Nath Dubey, a political rival of

Counting the cost of Bihar's liquor prohibition on state's revenue, others

The alcohol ban in the state, in force for nine years now, has not impacted education spending much, but literacy outcomes leave a lot to be desired

Mahagathbandhan demands official language status for Bhojpuri in Bihar

The demand for grant of official language status to Bhojpuri, arguably the most widely spoken dialect in Bihar, has intensified with the opposition Mahagathbandhan strongly coming out in support of it in the state. Senior leaders of the RJD, Congress and CPI(ML) Liberation, constituents of the Mahagathbandhan, said they would raise the issue in Parliament. The old demand got a fresh impetus after the Union Cabinet's recent decision to accord classical language status to five more languages - Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese. The number of such languages now is 11, since Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia got the tag earlier. CPI(ML) Liberation's Lok Sabha MP Sudama Prasad said, The language is spoken widely in districts such as Bhojpur, Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxar, Saran, East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan and Jehanabad in Bihar, and several parts of Jharkhand. Why is the Centre silent on inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the ...

Passengers of hit express train sent to Darbhanga by spl train: Railways

Passengers stranded due to the Darbhanga Bagmati express meeting with an accident at Kavaraipettai near here left for Dharbanga by a special train on Saturday, the southern railway said. The Train No.12578 Mysuru - Darbhanga Bagmati Express met with an accident around 8.30 pm on October 11 and the passengers were transported by buses to Ponneri and then to Chennai Central by two EMU specials, the railway said. "After all the passengers arrived, they were boarded onto the passenger special towards Darbhanga, via Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur," a release here said. The passengers were provided with food packets and water and the special train left at 4.45 am, it said. "It was not supposed to stop here (Kavarapettai station), so it was to pass through it. After leaving Chennai, green signals were given for this train. The driver was following the signals correctly, but the train should have taken the main line. Instead, it took the loop line at the switch, which is where the error ..

Bihar's new transfer policy prioritises govt teachers with health issues

On Monday, the Bihar government unveiled a new policy that prioritises people with severe illnesses and disabilities when it comes to the transfer and posting of govt school teachers in the state

Bihar performing well in basic indicators: NITI CEO Subrahmanyam

Bihar is performing well in basic indicators like education and health, and it is likely to catch up with the rest of the country in a couple of years, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said. Addressing a press conference in Gaya where a national conference on data-driven governance will begin on Tuesday, he said a number of aspirational blocks and districts of Bihar will become "inspirational" soon due to improved governance and service delivery. "Bihar will catch up with the rest of the country in a couple of years. The state is performing well in terms of basic indicators like education and health. A number of aspirational blocks and districts will move on to become inspirational blocks and districts in the very near future due to improved governance and service delivery," Subrahmanyam said on Monday. He said Bihar is the first state in the country to demonstrate an unprecedented level of AI-driven decision support system, which will help policymakers, mid-career officers and those

Bihar inks MoU with Nasscom with aim to promote state's IT policy

The Bihar government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) with an aim to promote the state's IT policy and investment opportunities. The MoU was signed in the presence of Bihar IT Minister Santosh Kumar Suman and Srikanth Srinivasan and Nirupam Choudhary, both NASSCOM vice presidents. According to a statement issued by the IT Department: With the support of NASSCOM, Bihar government will plan and organise roadshows in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. These roadshows will facilitate in linking Bihar government officials with potential investors and technology companies, increasing the potential for investment in the state. This partnership will also enable Bihar to participate in NASSCOM's national programmes, allowing the Department of Information Technology to showcase the emerging IT activities in the state, it said. Through these programs, Bihar's progress in IT infrastructure, ski

Bihar performing well in basic indicators like education: NITI Aayog CEO

Bihar is performing well in basic indicators like education and health, and it is likely to catch up with the rest of the country in a couple of years, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said on Monday. Addressing a press conference in Gaya where a national conference on data-driven governance will begin on Tuesday, he said a number of aspirational blocks and districts of Bihar will become "inspirational" soon due to improved governance and service delivery. "Bihar will catch up with the rest of the country in a couple of years. The state is performing well in terms of basic indicators like education and health. A number of aspirational blocks and districts will move on to become inspirational blocks and districts in the very near future due to improved governance and service delivery," Subrahmanyam said. He said Bihar is the first state in the country to demonstrate an unprecedented level of AI-driven decision support system, which will help policymakers, mid-career officers and those

Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party aims 130 seats in Bihar polls next year

Once worked behind the scenes to shape the political fortunes of others, Prashant Kishor is now ready for his second coming with the launch of Jan Suraaj Party.

Flood situation in Bihar grim with most rivers flowing above danger mark

The flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Saturday as many rivers were still flowing above the danger mark, officials said. In its bulletin, the Water Resources Department (WRD) said Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Budhi Gandak, and Ganga were flowing above the danger mark. It said that personnel were on alert and flood protection works were being carried out at vulnerable sites. Over 40 lakh people have been affected by the flood, which has hit 30 of the state's 38 districts since last month, officials said. Among the worst-affected districts were East and West Champaran, Araria, Kishanganj, Gopalganj, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Madhepura and Muzaffarpur, they said. The Disaster Management Department (DMD) said that in the third week of September, 28.34 lakh people were affected by the flood caused by the rise in the water level of the Ganga. "And in the second phase, a total of 16.68 lakh people were affected by the flood caused by the heavy discharge of water in the Gandak, Kosi,

Posters seeking Bharat Ratna for Nitish seen outside JD(U) office in Patna

Posters demanding the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were on Saturday put up by his Janata Dal (United) at several places in the state capital. One such poster was seen right next to the entrance gate of the JD(U) office at Birchand Patel Marg where, incidentally, the party supremo was attending its state executive meeting. A senior party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "We cannot say that demand for Bharat Ratna is the JD(U)'s official stand. Maybe, out of a sense of modesty, our leader would even frown upon such vehemence. But deep within every JD(U) worker believes that Nitish Kumar deserves the highest honour". Kumar is the longest-serving chief minister of the state, who has been in the highest seat of power since 2005, except for a few months when Jitan Ram Manjhi, now a Union minister, had occupied the post. Kumar, who is set to lead the NDA in the assembly polls due next year, had formerly enjoyed a successful sti

Bihar Floods: CM Nitish Kumar inspects flood-affected areas, relief works

In terms of material aid, Sen confirmed that over 20,000 polythene sheets have been dispatched to calamity-affected blocks, with plans for further distribution