Page 3 - Bihar

Nitish disburses ₹1,000 cr to one million women under employment scheme

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday disbursed Rs 1,000 crore among 10 lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, which is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among the state's women. Kumar, who was recently voted back to power for a record fifth consecutive term, gave away Rs 10,000 to each beneficiary, through the DBT system, from his official residence, in the presence of cabinet colleagues and top officials. Speaking to reporters after the function, Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar said, "A total of 1.56 crore women have received the money so far." "The beneficiaries are being encouraged to use the sum for self-employment. Those who do so demonstrably will in due course get further assistance of Rs 2 lakh each," he added. Notably, the scheme was launched in September, about a month before assembly polls were announced, at a function which was attended, in the virtual mode, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Money was disbursed among beneficiaries

Uranium traces found in breast milk in Bihar: New study raises concern

A study in Scientific Reports detected measurable uranium in breast milk samples from six Bihar districts, linking contamination to groundwater and soil exposure

New Bihar Cabinet holds first meeting, aims to give 10 mn jobs in 5 yrs

The newly formed Bihar Cabinet held its first meeting on Tuesday and decided to provide one crore jobs to the state's youth over the next five years. Addressing reporters after the meeting chaired by CM Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit said widespread employment generation and industrial development were the key focus in the discussion. "A defence corridor, semiconductor manufacturing park, global capacity centres, mega tech city, and fitness city will be established to make Bihar a 'tech hub' of eastern India," he said. Under the new-age economy, Bihar will be developed as "a back-end hub and global workplace over the next five years", he said. The chief secretary said that dedicated committees have been formed to achieve these targets. "A committee has also been formed to prepare plans for employment-oriented initiatives in the start-up domain to ensure livelihood opportunities for the talented, young entrepreneurs of the state," he said. The council of ministe

BJP may oust Bihar CM Nitish Kumar soon, says SP leader Mata Prasad Pandey

Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, on Saturday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may oust Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar from power in the near future. The senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader also charged that by focusing all its attention on the Hindutva agenda, the BJP wants to transform India into a nation where there is no equality. Speaking to reporters at a programme organised on the occasion of the birth anniversary of SP patriarch and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Pandey targeted the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. "The government's policies are not aimed at eliminating unemployment. Their only slogan is Hindutva. They want to run the government in the name of Hindutva and mislead the people by performing religious rituals," he said Responding to a question about BJP's Samrat Chaudhary (Deputy Chief Minister) getting the Home portfolio in Bihar, Pandey claimed that the BJP would dislodge its ally and JD(U) chi

CM Nitish Kumar gives Home to Dy CM Samrat Choudhary, JD(U) keeps Finance

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has handed the Home portfolio to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in a significant reshuffle, while JD(U) has retained the crucial Finance ministry

Bihar mandate rejects infiltrators, backs EC's voter list review: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the victory of the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar polls was a mandate against infiltrators in the country because citizens will never favour those parties that support such illegal immigrants. Shah said some political parties are opposing the ongoing SIR (special intensive revision) of the Election Commission as they want to make sure that names of infiltrators remain on the electoral rolls. He described the SIR as purification of voters' list. He was addressing the BSF Diamond Jubilee (61st Raising Day) celebrations in Bhuj, in Gujarat's Kutch district. Today, the BSF (Border Security Force) is engaged in preventing infiltration at all borders of the country. Stopping infiltration is not only essential for national security but also to protect the democratic system of the country from being polluted, he said. However, some political parties are trying to weaken the government's anti-infiltration campaign, he said. The Opposition, including t

New Nitish Kumar cabinet full of corrupts, criminals: Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Friday alleged that the new cabinet of the Nitish Kumar government was full of corrupt and criminal leaders. Speaking to reporters after a day-long silent fast at Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran, Kishor also said his party will launch the 'Bihar Navnirman Sankalp Yatra' on January 15, during which Jan Suraaj Party workers will visit all houses in the state. "The new cabinet of Nitish Kumar, which took oath on Thursday, is full of corrupts and criminals. I must say that this council of ministers is a slap on the face of the people of Bihar. It's like rubbing salt on the wound as several corrupt leaders were inducted," he alleged. Kishor claimed the leaders inducted into the cabinet indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Kumar are least concerned about Bihar.

Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar Chief Minister for record 10th time

Nitish Kumar began his 10th term as Bihar chief minister on Thursday, inducting a 26-member cabinet with broad caste representation

Bihar's double-engine govt to advance PM's development vision: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday extended greetings to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputies and all ministers on taking oath, and said this double-engine government will work with even more energy to realise the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a message posted on 'X', Shah expressed gratitude to the people of Bihar for expressing their faith in "the development and good governance" carried out by the NDA for the past 20 years. "Heartfelt best wishes to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ji, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary ji, Vijay Sinha ji, and all ministers of the Council of Ministers on taking the oath," he said. "This double-engine government will work with even more energy to realise the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's 'Developed Bihar' and to reach development works to all sections of society," Shah said. JD(U) president Nitish Kumar was on Thursday sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for a record 10th time at a grand ceremony, w

After Bihar defeat, Prashant Kishor undertakes silent fast at Gandhi Ashram

Chastened by the drubbing received by his Jan Suraaj Party in the recently held Bihar assembly polls, political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Monday undertook a day-long silent fast. Kishor visited the Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district, set up by Mahatma Gandhi about a century ago, for his "maun upvaas", according to a statement issued here by the Jan Suraaj Party. Notably, Kishor, who is known to have great admiration for Mahatma Gandhi, had chosen the same spot three years ago for launching a 3,500 km-long "pada yatra" that culminated in the formation of Jan Suraaj Party on Gandhi Jayanti last year. The 48-year-old, who was accompanied by party colleagues like state unit chief Manoj Bharti, paid floral tributes to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi before starting his "maun upvas".

Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar chief minister for record 10th time

Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar CM for the 10th time at Patna's Gandhi Maidan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top NDA leaders in attendance

'Bihar to begin new phase of growth': Nitish ahead of taking oath as CM

Janata Dal (United) shared a post on X earlier in the day asserting that "history is about to be made in Bihar" today, and the "moment will be a pride for all Biharis"

Bihar must rethink growth drivers as current model falls short: Report

A Kotak-ICRIER report says Bihar's development model has not delivered due to an unremunerative agriculture sector, urging diversification, rural infrastructure upgrades and institutional reforms

Samrat Choudhary named BJP leader in Bihar, Vijay Kumar Sinha named deputy

Both leaders, who served as deputy chief ministers in the outgoing government, were re-elected in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections

10th term for Nitish Kumar? The tough road ahead for the new government in Bihar | Bihar election

After a sweeping mandate in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, the focus is now on the formal government formation.

Bihar voters have spoken, the new government must now keep its promises

As things stand, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to lead the government again and, having been mostly at the helm since 2005, is well aware of where the state stands

Bihar election results HIGHLIGHTS: NDA leaders meet Nitish Kumar over govt formation

Bihar Assembly election results 2025 LIVE updates: The NDA has pulled ahead in the early trends, with the Mahagathbandhan trailing in second position, show data from ECI

Bihar election results: How NDA, Mahagathbandhan parties have performed

Bihar Assembly elections 2025: For the first time in a state election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the single largest party in Bihar, winning 89 seats

Bihar's poll map shows sharp vote share swings amid heavy turnout

JDU dominates with big jumps in vote share while AIMIM suffers sharp declines, even in seats it retained, as Bihar records a strong 66.9% voter turnout

The BJP will now look to become a dominant force in a post-Nitish Bihar

The outcome marks the end of Lalu as a political force. While Nitish's phase is a matter of time, the BJP has a hawk's eye. If only they could find some serious local leadership