Page 40 - Bihar

Bihar achieves just 51.78% of mining revenue collection target till Feb 14

The Mines and Geology department of Bihar government has expressed concern over revenue collections falling short of the target and warned officials of strict disciplinary action if they fail to get their act together before the financial year comes to a close. Officials have managed to achieve just Rs 1,896.43 crore of its revenue target of Rs 3,662.39 crore for 2023-24 from the mining sector till February 14, 2024, according to documents. As per the latest review meeting chaired by the Director of Mines and Geology the department has achieved 51.78 per cent of the mining revenue collection target till February 14. In some districts such as Nalanda, Kaimur, Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Munger, Kishanganj, Banka, Bhagalpur and Saran the revenue collection is less than 50 per cent, it said. "If the revenue collection in these districts does not increase immediately, strict disciplinary action will be initiated against the concerned officials of these ...

76.4 million eligible to cast votes in Bihar in Lok Sabha polls: Chief EC

Rajiv Kumar informed at a press conference in Patna on Wednesday that there are 9.26 lakh first time voters in the age group of 18-19 in the state. There are 21, 680 voters above the age of 100 years

Tejashwi to embark on 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' across Bihar to win public trust

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday will embark on a whirlwind tour of Bihar, during which he is likely to cover all 38 districts of the state within a span of 11 days. Evocatively titled 'Jan Vishwas Yatra', a mass outreach programme aimed at winning "public trust", Yadav, who recently lost the deputy chief minister's post, will commence the tour from Muzaffarpur. He is scheduled to address two more public meetings, in Sitamarhi and Sheohar, before reaching Motihari, the town where East Champaran district is headquartered, for a night halt. On the eve of the commencement of the tour, Yadav went live on Facebook late on Monday evening when he called Chief Minister Nitish Kumar an "old-fashioned leader who would do well to give up his chair on his own". Yadav, who is the younger son and heir apparent of RJD president Lalu Prasad, also claimed that he was not distraught at his party losing power as a result of Kumar's latest volte-face. "But Bihar needs stability a

Bihar Congress stages protest over freezing of party's bank accounts

Congress workers in Bihar on Monday staged a protest here against freezing of the party's bank accounts by the Income Tax Department, a move they blamed on the ruling BJP at the Centre. Congress activists led by legislature party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan held the demonstration at the Income Tax roundabout in the city, carrying placards and raising slogans against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Talking to reporters on the occasion, Khan alleged that the BJP is "trying to squeeze the finances of opponents while ensuring that its own coffers overflowed, thanks to opaque things like electoral bonds". Notably, electoral bonds, through which a lion's share of funds is said to have gone to the BJP, were struck down by the Supreme Court last week. Khan also asked, "Why is it that only our accounts are being examined and no questions are being posed to the BJP, which has spent crores in the last five years on setting up offices in districts across the country? Its new headquart

LS polls: NDA will win all seats in Bihar, says deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary

When asked about giving a chance to Nitish Kumar again, Lalu Prasad Yadav on February 16 said, "Ab aayenge toh dekhenge, khula hi rehta hai darwaaza' (if he will we will see, door remains open)"

Jharkhand CM Champai Soren gives go-ahead for caste-based survey: Official

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren has given the go-ahead for a caste-based survey in the state on the lines of neighbouring Bihar, a senior official said on Sunday. The CM has directed the personnel department to prepare a draft (SoP for conducting the survey) and place it before the cabinet for approval, he said. If everything goes according to the plan, the exercise will begin after the Lok Sabha elections, the official said. Indicating the survey, the CM posted on X, "Jiski Jitni Sankhya Bhari, Uski Utni Hissedari (Bigger the population, bigger the share). Jharkhand is ready." Vinay Kumar Choubey, principal secretary to the CM, told PTI, "The personnel department will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to conduct the survey in Jharkhand. It will be placed before the cabinet for approval." The caste survey will be conducted on the pattern of neighouring Bihar, where data collection was conducted between January 7 and October 2 last year, he added.

Legal guarantee for MSP if INDIA bloc wins in LS polls: Rahul in Bihar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party will accept long-pending demands of farmers in the country and ensure a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) of crops if the INDIA bloc comes to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the 'Kisan Nyay Panchayat', a gathering of farmers, in Bihar's Rohtas, as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', Gandhi claimed that "cultivators are not getting the remunerative prices for their crops". "If the INDIA bloc comes to power after the general elections, we will give a legal guarantee to MSP. Whenever farmers have asked for something from the Congress, it has been given to them. Be it loan waiver or MSP, we have always protected the interests of cultivators and will do so in future," Gandhi said. His comment comes at a time when Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a farmers' body, called for 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday to press the BJP-led central government to accept cultivators' demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum

Highlights of the day: Farmers to go ahead with 'Delhi Chalo' march

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Bihar floor test: Nitish Kumar wins trust vote for NDA government

The floor test of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar concluded on Monday, with Kumar securing 129 votes in favour

Bihar floor test: Nitish Kumar confident of winning with NDA. Top updates

JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed confidence that he would win the trust vote in state Assembly today

Will not be a surprise if Nitish switches again, says BSP's Danish Ali

Nitish took the oath of office for a record ninth time after his stunning 'Ghar Wapsi' to the BJP-led NDA

BPSC TRE 2024: BPSC releases Bihar teacher recruitment notification

Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) released the third phase for Bihar teacher recruitment. Candidates can apply from February 10, check details here

Bihar's NDA govt will win trust vote, says JD(U) leader Vijay Chaudhary

A key aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asserted that the newly formed NDA government in the state will win the trust vote, defeating "mala fide intentions of scared detractors". The NDA government in Bihar is scheduled to face a vote of confidence on February 12. Talking to PTI, senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who has been retained as a minister in the new cabinet, said, "The NDA government will easily win the trust vote. It is very simple... we (NDA) have the majority. "Those (opposition leaders) who are scared of the NDA are spreading rumours about the trust vote. Their intentions are mala fide. What I am saying that the NDA government in the state will win the trust vote is bona fide," Chaudhary, a close confidante of the CM, said. Chaudhary has been a member of the Bihar Assembly since 1982, and is currently holding portfolios of six departments, including parliamentary affairs. "Floor test is basically a number game... and we have the numbers.

Cong reviews Bihar's political situation after Nitish's exit from alliance

Top Congress leaders on Saturday held a meeting to review political developments in Bihar after JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar moved out of the "Mahagathbandhan" government, party sources said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party incharge for Bihar Mohan Prakash, PCC chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh, party MLAs and other senior leaders attended the meeting held at the AICC headquarters here. During the meeting, the leaders reviewed the latest political developments in Bihar and discussed the future course of action with Kumar no longer part of the opposition INDIA bloc, the sources said. Kumar took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time on Sunday after a dramatic volte-face, ditching the 'Mahagathbandhan' and the INDIA bloc to form a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. His latest crossover, the fifth in a little over a decade, came as a big setback to opposition unity ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The inside story of two U-turns

The next battle in Bihar could be between Samrat Choudhary and Tejashwi Yadav

Andhra tops in creating ABHA ids for its population, Tamil Nadu at bottom

At 67 million, UP first in terms of absolute numbers of ABHA accounts

Rahul's car 'pelted with stones' during Congress yatra in Bengal: Adhir

A car in which Rahul Gandhi was travelling in West Bengal's Malda district as part of 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' was pelted with stones by unidentified persons on Wednesday, claimed state party chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The rear window pane of the vehicle was smashed in the incident but Gandhi did not suffer any injury. Television visuals showed Gandhi alighting from the vehicle after reaching a designated halt and inspecting the damaged windowpane. The attack took place in Malda's Harischandrapur area as the yatra re-entered West Bengal from Bihar. "The rear window pane of the vehicle Rahul Gandhi was travelling in was smashed after being pelted with stones... this is unacceptable," Chowdhury said.

In first reaction to Nitish's move, Rahul Gandhi recalls a joke on Bihar CM

Rahul Gandhi's reaction followed two days after Nitish Kumar severed ties with the INDIA bloc on Sunday, a major setback for the opposition's INDIA bloc of 28-non BJP parties

Land for jobs 'scam': Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family exchanged land for Railways jobs, says ED

Former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday appeared before the ED for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam.

LIVE: NTPC net profit rises 7.3% in Q3 FY24, revenue decreases 4%

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