Page 39 - Bihar

New Vande Bharat Express trains among multiple projects unveiled in Bihar

Bihar on Tuesday got two new Vande Bharat Express trains as Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled multiple railway projects in the state, officials said. These were among the projects worth Rs 85,000 crore unveiled by the PM through video conference from Ahmedabad, they said. Governor Rajendra V Arlekar, Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav and BJP MP Ravishankar Prasad were among those present at a programme organised at the Patna Junction railway station to mark the unveiling. The two new Vande Bharat Express trains will be operated on the Patna-Gomti Nagar and Patna-New Jalpaiguri routes, officials said. The Patna-Gomti Nagar Vande Bharat will have halts at the pilgrim towns of Varanasi and Ayodhya Dham, while a third Vande Bharat, which was also flagged off, will stop at Gaya on the way to Varanasi from Ranchi. The PM laid the foundation stone of a washing pit cum coaching complex at Narkatiaganj and also inaugurated the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor's N

Rabri Devi files nomination for legislative council polls on last day

Former Bihar CM Rabri Devi on Monday filed nomination papers for election to the state legislative council, besides three other candidates of her RJD and one of alliance partner CPI(ML) Liberation. Three candidates of the BJP, including former minister and state unit chief Mangal Pandey, also filed their nomination papers. Rabri Devi reached the Vidhan Sabha secretariat along with her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, and sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. The other RJD candidates who filed nomination papers were Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Syed Faisal Ali and Urmila Thakur. CPI(ML) Liberation's Shashi Yadav also filed nomination papers. Tejashwi Yadav, a former Deputy CM and the leader of multi-party Mahagathbandhan, told reporters, "It is a matter of delight that our coalition has fielded three women." While Yadav's mother is seeking re-election to the upper house for a third consecutive term, Siddiqui, a veteran leader, has had a three-year-long stint in the council in th

Indian envoy to UK, other dignitaries meet Bihar CM Nitish in London

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is currently in London, was on Sunday paid a visit by Vikram K Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Others who came to meet Kumar, who has been abroad for about a week, included Baba Mohinder Singh, the Jathedar of UK Seva Dal, a body of Sikhs, and a number of people from Bihar settled in Britain. According to the office of the chief minister, during the "courtesy call" from Doraiswami, Kumar shared with the envoy his impressions about the renowned science museum in London, which he had visited a few days ago. Kumar also told Doraiswami that a "science city" was coming up in Patna, and it has been named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam. The science city would, among other things, "highlight the contributions in science of ancient India", including the city of Pataliputra, the name by which Patna was known in the distant past. Kumar was greatly impressed with the water management techniques adopted in Scotland,

Amit Shah to visit Bihar today, address public meeting of BJP's OBC morcha

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be in Bihar on Saturday to inaugurate the memorial of a veteran BJP leader and address a public meeting of the party's OBC Morcha. According to state BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma, upon arrival here, Shah will go to the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) on the outskirts of Patna. "A park named after late Kailashpati Mishra has been developed on two acres of land donated by ATARI. The home minister will inaugurate the park and unveil a statue of the late leader," said the BJP spokesman. Mishra was a senior leader of the Jana Sangh who served as a minister in the Bihar government headed by Karpoori Thakur, and later, became the BJP's first state president. After the function, Shah will leave for Paliganj where he will address a public meeting to be organised by the BJP OBC Morcha. The party's OBC Morcha president K Laxman said the programme at Paliganj is part of the "10,000 samajik sammelans" that the organisation will

Bihar govt for amicable resolution with Raj Bhavan over univ jurisdictions

Seeking to downplay the stand-off between the Bihar education department and Raj Bhavan over their jurisdiction in state universities, the Nitish Kumar government on Thursday called for an amicable resolution to issues that might have cropped up. All stakeholders are determined to keep improving the academic atmosphere in the state-run academic institutions in Bihar, Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said. "Everything is normal and smooth. If any issue crops up, it should be resolved amicably. All are working to create an environment conducive to academic growth by ensuring full utilisation of the existing infrastructural resources," he told PTI. The minister also said that the recent order to freeze bank accounts of all state-run universities has been put on hold. The development came after vice-chancellors did not attend a review meeting called by the education department on February 9. Earlier this month, the Raj Bhavan had also written to banks to overrule that order. Th

PM Modi unveils projects worth Rs 12,800 cr in Bihar's Champaran district

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled projects worth Rs 12,800 crore in Bihar's West Champaran district. Speaking on the occasion, he said the biggest beneficiaries of the projects would be the youths who are looking for employment. The PM unveiled the projects at a function, Viksit Bharat-Viksit Bihar', in Bettiah, the district headquarters of West Champaran. Governor Rajendra V Arlekar, Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and state minister and JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary were among those present at the programme. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was, however, not present at the event. The PM laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple infrastructure projects related to rail, road, petroleum and natural gas. He noted that all the rail lines being laid or trains being flagged off in the country are completely made in India, thereby creating employment. PM Modi stated that the modern rail engine manufacturing factories in Bihar ha

BPSC BAO 2024: Answer key released at official website of the commission

BPSC has declared answer keys for Bihar Agriculture Department recruitment exams conducted from March 1 to 4. Applicants can download it from official website of the commission

On second Bihar tour, PM Modi to unveil projects worth Rs 12,800 cr

Amid a soaring political temperature in Bihar in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday set foot in the state for the second time in less than a week. Modi is scheduled to visit Bettiah town, the headquarters of the West Champaran district, in the afternoon and unveil projects worth Rs 12,800 crore. Former state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal, who is the local MP, came out with a video message, urging the people to "turn up in large numbers and welcome the dearest member of our family". Jaiswal's refrain of "humaare parivaar ke sabse pyaare sadasya" came in the backdrop of the BJP's "Modi ka Parivaar" campaign, in response to a jibe of RJD president Lalu Prasad at a rally in Patna on Sunday. Prasad, whose three children, including heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, are in politics, had taken potshots at Modi, taunting him for having no family of his own. The RJD leader was apparently sore over Modi's speeches at back-to-back rallies in Aurangabad

Land-for-job case: Delhi court extends Amit Katyal's bail till Mar 12

Katyal is a businessman who is accused in the alleged land-for-jobs money laundering case, along with former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi.

Nitish to file nomination on Tuesday for re-election to legislative council

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is seeking re-election to the state legislative council, will file his nomination papers on Tuesday, a senior JD(U) leader said. Kumar, who heads the JD(U), will be contesting for a fourth consecutive term in the Upper House, to which he first got elected in 2006, a few months after becoming the chief minister. The JD(U) president's current term ends in May. However, the Election Commission recently announced biennial polls for 11 seats of the Bihar Vidhan Parishad, including the one held by the chief minister. Of the 11 seats, the JD(U) held four, the largest number for any single party. However, in view of its diminished tally in the assembly, the party is conceding two seats to ally BJP which has grown numerically stronger. JD(U) leaders said that sitting MLC Khalid Anwar was likely to be considered for a second consecutive term. The BJP is yet to announce its candidates, though Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who is also the party's state ...

Bihar Raj Bhavan directs banks to de-freeze accounts of state-run varsities

Bihar Raj Bhavan on Sunday wrote to banks to overrule an education department order that had frozen the accounts of state-run universities, barring one. This comes after vice-chancellors of the universities allegedly failed to attend a recent review meeting convened by the education department. Meanwhile, the standoff between the Raj Bhavan and the education department seemed to worsen with the authorities lodging a police complaint against at least one of the VCs on Sunday. Robert L Chongthu, principal secretary to the governor (who is also the chancellor of state universities), directed the banks to de-freeze the accounts of the universities immediately. The letter stated, "The chancellor (governor) has ordered that the orders of the education department stands withdrawn." The a copy of the letter is with PTI. Earlier, the education department had ordered the freezing of bank accounts of all state-run universities, except one, and withheld salaries of their vice-chancellors for

He should stick to his word: Tejashwi slams Nitish on frequent flip-flops

"We wish him (Nitish Kumar) all the best. This time he said that he would remain where he is. At least this time he should stick to his word." said RJD leader Tejshwi Yadav

I will remain with NDA forever: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar assures PM Modi

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would remain with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forever. Speaking on the occasion of unveiling function of the projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Aurangabad district by Modi, Kumar said, I am confident that the NDA coalition will win more than 400 seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls. I assure the PM that now I will remain in NDA forever. Kumar dumped the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and returned to his old ally BJP last month. We welcome you (the PM) in Bihar. Lots of developments are taking place in Bihar. I am confident that now things will move faster and Bihar will reach new heights of development. People of Bihar will now feel economically more empowered, said Kumar.

PM Modi unveils development projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled development projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Bihar's Aurangabad district on Saturday. The PM unveiled the projects at an official function in Ratanwa village. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Governor Rajendra V Arlekar, Deputy CMs Samat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and several Union ministers were among those present at the programme. This is Modi's first visit to Bihar since the BJP-led NDA returned to power in the state after CM Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), dumped the Mahagathbandhan. Addressing the programme, Kumar told the prime minister that he would remain in the NDA forever. Modi unveiled national highway projects worth over Rs 18,000 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for a six-lane bridge over the Ganga, which will be constructed parallel to the existing JP Ganga Setu. He dedicated to the nation three railway projects, which include the doubling of the Pataliputra-Pahleja line and a 26-km-long new line between Bandhua a

PM Modi to begin tour to Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar today. Full schedule

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a two-day visit to Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Bihar today to launch several development projects

Bihar traders offered 'one-time settlement' for pre-GST era tax liabilities

The NDA government in Bihar on Thursday came out with a 'one-time settlement' initiative for the benefit of traders with tax liabilities dating back to the pre-GST era. The Bihar Tax Disputes Settlement Bill, 2024 was tabled in the state assembly by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio. The Bill was passed in the assembly through voice vote, and, according to Choudhary, once notified, "it will bring great relief to traders with pre-GST tax liabilities". "The Bill provides traders with an opportunity to settle their pre-GST tax liabilities through the one-time settlement scheme. It would require traders to pay 10 per cent of the penalty and the remaining 90 per cent will be waived. In addition, traders will have to pay 35 per cent of the disputed tax amount to get a waiver of the remaining 65 per cent," said Choudhary. "Traders will have to pay both 10 per cent of the interest and penalty and 35 per cent of the disputed tax to avail this ...

PM to lay foundation stone for redevelopment of 28 stations in 3 states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday lay the foundation stone for redevelopment of 28 stations in the Eastern Railway jurisdiction in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar under the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme', a senior official said. These are among the over 550 railway stations for which the PM will lay the foundation stone for improvement of facilities under the scheme, he said. Of the 28 stations, 17 are in West Bengal, seven in Jharkhand and four in Bihar. As part of the scheme, PM Modi will, through the virtual mode, lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 28 stations in the Eastern Railway jurisdiction in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar, the official said. The redevelopment of the 28 stations will entail an estimated cost of Rs 704 crore, he said. On the occasion, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose will attend a programme at Bandel station, which will get the single largest chunk of finance with major redevelopment work to transform it into a world-class ..

200 times increase in dog bite incidents in Bihar: Economic Survey

Bihar has witnessed a more than 200 times increase in dog bite cases compared with the previous year, according to data released by the state's latest economic survey. The Bihar Economic Survey (2023-24) released by the state government has identified dog bite as the most prevalent disease in the state. According to the report, a total of 2,07,181 people suffered dog bite in the year 2022-23 whereas the total number was just 9,809 in the year 2021-22. Analysis of the data reveals that on average 600 people become victim of dog bite in Bihar every day. The second most prevalent disease, as per the report, was cases of malaria in the state. The state witnessed 45,532 cases of malaria in 2022-23, the report said. The report, however, did not mention the number of rabies cases usually transmitted by a bite from an infected animal, including dogs. According to the World Health Organisation report, "Dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99 per cent of all .

Nitish return backfired, BJP knows temple not enough to win Bihar: CPI(ML)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's move to return to the National Democratic Alliance has "backfired" and the BJP's keenness to get the JD(U) back shows they realised Ram temple was not enough to win the state, CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya has said. In an interview with PTI, he claimed that since an alternative agenda centred around poverty and livelihood issues was shaping up in Bihar with the Mahagathbandhan in power, the BJP got scared and pushed to break the alliance. The CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary also sought to downplay the impact of Ram temple consecration in Bihar's electoral politics, saying people saw that the event was "politicised". Bhattacharya claimed that people have been saying that if Lord Ram was enough to win the polls then the BJP would not have needed Nitish Kumar. "Obviously the BJP knows this is not enough." "Ram Mandir will awe people... But the same people devoted to Lord Ram didn't like the politicisation of Ram temple at all,

Can't provide free electricity to consumers in state, says Bihar CM

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday dismissed the opposition's demand for providing at least 200 units of free electricity to the poor and emphasised that electricity is already being supplied to consumers at highly subsidised rates. The CM made the remark in the assembly during a debate on budget allocation for the energy department for 2024-25. A budgetary proposal of Rs 11,422.67 crore of the department was passed by voice vote. "We can't provide free electricity to consumers. I have been saying this for years. We are already providing electricity to consumers at highly subsidised rates," the CM said, rejecting the demands of opposition members that at least 200 units of electricity be given free to 94 lakh families who earn less than Rs 6,000 a month. The demand was first raised by Sandeep Saurav, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation's MLA, during a debate on budget allocation for the energy department. State Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadv while