Page 45 - Bihar

PIL challenges hike in Bihar quotas, JD(U) prez suspects 'BJP hand'

JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh "Lalan" on Monday said that he saw "a BJP hand" behind a petition filed in the Patna High Court against the recent hike in quotas for socially deprived castes. Lalan made the statement reacting to reports that a Public Interest Litigation was filed last week which will come up for hearing in due course. "It is all the BJP's doing. The party is anti-reservations. It had got its supporters to challenge quotas for extremely backward classes in local body polls. But the design was foiled and municipal elections were held with seats reserved for EBCs," he told reporters here. "The BJP was again at work when attempts were made to derail the caste survey ordered by the Nitish Kumar government. When petitions filed by BJP supporters could not stand on merit, the Centre chipped in and the Solicitor General of India opposed the survey in the Supreme Court," he added. The JD(U) chief expressed confidence that the recently passed legislations raising the quan

Army recruitment rallies in different parts of Bihar and Jharkhand

Army recruitment rallies are being conducted in the Danapur Army recruitment zone to recruit Junior commissioned officers in different categories from November 23

Minister Giriraj Singh writes to Bihar CM, advocates ban on halal products

Union minister Giriraj Singh has written to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying halal business is a "treason" in a secular democracy like India and advocating a ban on production, storage, distribution and sale of food products with halal certification in Bihar like in Uttar Pradesh. In the letter to the Bihar CM, the BJP MP and Rural Development minister said, "Things which have no connection with Islam are being Islamised. Some institutions have become self-proclaimed in giving halal certificate and are giving halal certificate to companies manufacturing goods by paying huge sums of money". There is a need to impose a ban against the kind of 'jihad' going on in the name of halal products even in a big state like Bihar, he said. It has been learnt that halal trade of many food items and other essential items like edible oil, snacks, dry fruits, sweets, cosmetics, medicines and medical equipment is going on in Bihar, whereas for certification related to such items is only done by ..

Bihar govt to launch programme for 2.5 mn academically weak school children

The Bihar government will launch a programme in December for nearly 25 lakh children lagging woefully behind their peers in schools with some of them incapable of reading simple Hindi words despite having reached upper primary classes, officials said on Thursday. As part of the programme, 'Mission Daksh', the state Education Department has directed teachers to intensively mentor such students, in batches of not more than five, with the "warning" that any laxity will cause them to face action. Additional Chief Secretary of Education KK Pathak wrote to all the district magistrates (DMs) on November 21, requesting them to supervise the progress of the programme in their areas on a daily basis from December 1. District-wise monitoring committees, headed by DMs, would be formed for the effective execution of 'Mission Daksh', it said. During the regular inspection and monitoring by the DMs that started in July, it was found that there is a considerable number of academically weak student

Bihar govt passes resolution for special status to state after caste survey

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar upped the ante on the Chief Minister's long-standing demand for grant of special status to the state with a resolution to the effect on Wednesday being passed by the cabinet. Kumar broke the news himself, announcing the development on social media, shortly after the cabinet meeting he chaired here was over. "The cabinet has passed a resolution (prastaav) requesting the Centre for grant of special category status to Bihar", Kumar wrote in a lengthy post in which he also said that the fresh demand was necessitated by findings of the caste survey his government carried out in the state. Kumar said that while the rise in percentage of population of the deprived castes has led to increase in the quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs from 50 to 65 per cent, his government also planned to undertake a number of welfare measures for the benefit of "94 lakh families", which according to the survey lived in abject poverty. "We intend to provide, in instalments, an

Chhath Puja: Security tightened, medical camps set up at ghats in Bihar

Elaborate arrangements have been made by the Bihar government across the state for the third day of the Chhath Puja on Sunday, when lakhs of devotees offer evening prayers to the Sun God, officials said. The Patna district administration has bolstered security at all the 100 ghats along river Ganga here and other places in the state to avert any untoward incident, they said. Besides, a number of medical camps have also been set up at the ghats, the officials said. Around 5,000 additional security personnel have been deployed in the state capital to manage the crowd. More than 300 disaster response force personnel are also present at the different ghats in the city, a senior police officer said. The four-day festival, in which worshippers fast and pay obeisance to the deity on the last two days, began on Friday. Devotees will offer evening arghya' (prayers) to the Sun God on Sunday. The festival will end on Monday, with worshippers offering morning arghya' to the rising sun.

Three dead, one hospitalised after drinking 'spurious' liquor in Bihar

Three persons died and one was admitted to hospital after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, police said. Three persons have been arrested so far on charges of selling fake liquor, they said. "Following a tip-off that two persons were undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sitamarhi after drinking spurious liquor, police reached the spot in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. However, by the time they arrived at the hospital, one person identified as Awadesh Kumar had died. The exact cause of death can only be ascertained after post-mortem," a police statement said. Another person identified as Roshan Rai is undergoing treatment at the hospital and police are in touch with his family members, it said. During the course of investigation, police came to know that two more persons had died in the area after drinking spurious liquor. "Villagers informed police about the death of two more in the area. However, their bodies were cremated

Chhath Puja 2023: History, Significance, 20 best wishes, messages to share

Chhath Puja is an auspicious Hindu festival celebrated wholeheartedly in several Indian states. The festival will begin on November 17 and will end on November 20

Will launch movement if Bihar not given special category status: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced that he will launch a state-wide movement if the Centre does not grant special category status to the state at the earliest. The JD(U) leader, who has been demanding special status for many years, said the state needs this in order to move forward. If the Centre does not grant special status to Bihar at the earliest, we will launch a state-wide movement The demand for a special status will be heard in every nook and corner of the state during the movement, he said while speaking at a function here. Those who do not support the demand are not interested in the development of the state, Kumar said. He said the Bihar legislature recently cleared bills to hike the quota for deprived castes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent in government jobs and educational institutions, taking the overall reservation to 75 per cent, on the basis of the caste survey, conducted by the state government. We have planned a number of welfare initiatives

Towards a more equal India

Caste-based reservations may still be required but cannot be the primary approach to ensuring equity

To check pollution, Bihar to 'name and shame' farmers who burn crop residue

Amid rising air pollution caused by the burning of crop residue, the Bihar government has decided to identify farmers who are indulging in this practice and put up their names at the block offices, officials said on Saturday. Besides naming and shaming, directions have also been given to initiate action against such farmers under CrPC section 133 that deals with unlawful obstruction or nuisance, they said. "The state government has banned crop residue burning to check air pollution, and protect the fertility of the soil. It has issued a strict warning to farmers that if they indulge in stubble burning, financial assistance and subsidies under government schemes would be denied," Agriculture Minister Kumar Sarvjeet told PTI. "The state offers electricity to farmers at a cheaper rate, and diesel at subsidised prices, among others. Therefore, farmers must take the matter seriously for the benefit of the people and also the environment," he added. It was also decided at a meeting chair

Spoke like C-grade movie star: NCW on Bihar CM's remarks over birth control

She demanded that the Bihar CM's remarks be expunged from the Assembly's records

Bihar Assembly approves raising caste quota in govt jobs, education to 65%

The new reservation quota includes 20% for SCs, 2% for STs, 18% for OBCs, and 25% for EBCs

Population remark row: Ally NCP defends Nitish Kumar as BJP mounts attack

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) Spokesperson Clyde Crasto attacked the BJP saying it should also talk about its own people who use derogatory words against women.

Bihar state assembly passes Appropriation Bill for 2023-24 fiscal year

The Bihar Appropriation Bill, 2023, was passed by the state assembly on Wednesday with the House approving Rs 26,086.35 crore as additional expenditure for various projects. While presenting the bill in the House, the state's Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the education department will be allocated Rs 7,672 crore, urban development and housing Rs 4,276.05 crore, panchayati raj Rs 3,340.61 crore and rural development Rs 1,500 crore for the projects in the 2023-24 fiscal. The Centre has stopped releasing its share for various programmes in social, education and infrastructure sectors in Bihar. For a majority of centrally sponsored schemes, the state is paying the Union government's share from its own coffers," he claimed. The bill was passed by voice vote amid a walkout by BJP legislators over Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent remarks in the state legislature on the importance of women's education to control population growth. Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister

Bihar's poverty problem

Condition will not improve by increasing reservations

Nitish apologises for comment on women amid Oppn, social media protest

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday apologised in both Houses of the legislature, as well as outside, for remarks made a day before on the importance of women's education to control population growth. The septuagenarian leader, upon his arrival on the Vidhan Sabha premises, was greeted by a posse of MLAs, all belonging to the opposition BJP, carrying placards denouncing his utterances and demanding his resignation. Kumar, the longest serving chief minister of the state, stood frozen at the entrance gate for a few minutes, before marching towards a make-shift podium erected nearby, where leaders address journalists while the House is in session. "I have come to know today that something I had said yesterday has not gone down well with many people. My intent was to highlight my government's thrust on women's empowerment and the role improved literacy among women plays in population control. Though if anybody's sentiments have been hurt, I seek an apology and take back my ..

Nitish Kumar in soup over his 'birth control lessons' in Bihar Assembly

A day after his remarks on educated women and family planning sparked controversy, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday apologised for his statement

Bihar assembly adjourned till 2 pm as oppn demands resignation of Nitish

The Bihar Assembly was on Wednesday adjourned till 2 pm, soon after the commencement of proceedings, as the opposition BJP kept demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over remarks he had made on the previous day about women. As soon as the House had assembled at 11 am, Leader of the Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha rose in his seat alleging that Kumar had become a "mental" case, was unfit to govern the state and should resign. The chief minister, who was present in the House, rose to offer his explanation and said "I have expressed my regret while talking to journalists outside the House. I am ready to do so again. If my words have caused any hurt, I condemn myself (main apni ninda karta hoon)". The septuagenarian added "the context in which I had made the remarks must not be lost sight of. I have always been a strong votary of women's education and it was a eureka moment for me when I saw a direct correlation between education levels among women and fertility ...

Bihar caste survey: Here's what it reveals about poverty, jobs in the state

Bihar caste survey: Around 99.49% of people belonging to the SC category in the state have no access to laptops