Page 51 - Bihar

Nitish not angry, asserts JD(U) prez who accompanied him to Bengaluru

JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', who accompanied Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the trip to Bengaluru, on Wednesday strongly denied reports of the latter's displeasure with the way things went at the opposition meet. Talking to reporters here, Lalan described as "dushprachar" (canard) of the BJP-led NDA reports of Kumar being unhappy with the acronym 'INDIA' and going into a sulk over not being made convener of the new coalition. "This is all dushprachar and rumour mongering on the part of the NDA led by the country's honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The name INDIA bore the stamp of approval from all leaders present at the opposition meet", said Lalan. About the speculations around Nitish Kumar being made the convener, the JD(U) chief said "This was not on the agenda of yesterday's meeting. It may be thought about when the next meeting takes place in Mumbai". He alleged that BJP leaders like former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi who have claimed that Kumar ...

BJP team meets injured workers in Patna, seeks inquiry into police action

The BJP on Saturday asserted that the state-sponsored and brutal police action on its procession in the Bihar capital earlier this week warranted a judicial inquiry and intervention of the National Human Rights Commission. A four-member fact-finding team constituted by BJP national president J P Nadda stated this here, as it met several party activists, who sustained injuries in the police action on June 13 and are undergoing treatment at hospitals. The team members also include former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das and Members of Parliament Manoj Tiwari, Sunita Duggal and Vishnu Dayal Ram. Duggal alleged that women BJP workers were hit with lathis on their chests and heads by male police personnel on Thursday when the party was staging a Vidhan Sabha march in protest against the Nitish Kumar government's teacher recruitment policy. Tiwari, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Delhi, but has his roots in Bihar, claimed 771 BJP workers were injured in the incident and some of them were

BJP forms panel to probe party leader death in police lathi charge in Patna

The four-member inquiry committee includes former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das, and three MPs - Manoj Tiwari, Vishnu Dayal Ram and Sunita Duggal

BJP leader dies during protest in Patna, party alleges police brutality

BJP leaders were arrested as demonstrations, against the Bihar government's teacher recruitment policy, turned violent

Bihar cancels leaves of teachers amid BJP protest over recruitment policy

The Bihar government cancelled the leaves of all teachers for a week, according to an official document. The Education Department also asked the district magistrates to inspect all state-run schools on Thursday to check the attendance of teachers. "The attendance/presence of teachers in all government schools must be 100 per cent on July 13... Strict departmental action, including suspension, should be taken against those teachers who are found absent during inspection on July 13," said the letter by KK Pathak, the additional chief secretary (ACS-Education), on Wednesday. The department also asked district education officers to cancel the leaves of all teaching staff for a week. "Only in emergency situations, permission (of leave) can be taken directly from the ACS only," said the letter, which was also issued on Wednesday. The reasons behind the directives were not specified by the department in the letters. However, the opposition BJP claimed that the directions were given to .

BJP disrupts assembly proceedings in Bihar demanding Tejashwi's resignation

The Bihar Assembly was on Tuesday adjourned till 2 pm amid uproar by members of the opposition BJP who entered the well demanding Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav's resignation following a CBI chargesheet. The proceedings began at 11 am, when BJP members rose in their seats and trooped into the well, pressing the demand for the resignation of the RJD leader who is named in a land-for-jobs scam which is being investigated by the CBI. Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary tried to conduct the proceedings amid the bedlam but gave up in less than 10 minutes as his pleas for orderly behaviour had little effect. "Your behaviour is a blot on the history of this august House. You are impeding the Question Hour, even though many issues you wished to raise are listed for the day," the Speaker said, before announcing that the House would reassemble at 2 pm, after lunch hour. The case pertains to people allegedly given employment in the railways, during the tenure of Lalu Prasad as the Railway ..

Five-day long monsoon session of the Bihar legislature to begin Monday

The five-day Monsoon Session of the Bihar legislature will begin on Monday. The monsoon session of the assembly and state legislative council, which will continue till July 14, is likely to be stormy as the opposition led by BJP has decided to take on the state government on various issues including the government's alleged failure to provide 10 lakh government jobs to youths, recent amendments in the school teachers' recruitment rules and withdrawal of the domicile policy for fresh recruitment of school teachers. Besides, opposition members are also expected to raise the issue of the recent charge sheet filed by the CBI against state Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, in the land-for-job scam in the railways. The CBI had on July 3 filed a fresh charge sheet against Tejashwi, his father and former Railway minister Lalu Prasad, mother and former state CM Rabri Devi, and others in connection with the case. The BJP will also take out a march from Gandhi Maidan to the state assembly cornering th

Tejashwi slams BJP, rejects speculations of unrest in Mahagathbandhan

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday alleged that the CBI's chargesheet against him was a part of the BJP's tactics" to tarnish the reputation of its opponents. Talking to reporters upon return from a long vacation, Yadav also rubbished speculations of a rift within the state's ruling Mahagathbandhan, which he blamed on media outlets acting as spokespersons of the BJP. Yadav spoke at the airport here, with his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad by his side who chose to stay silent, letting the son and heir apparent do the talking. The BJP has been jittery since the day Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and we joined hands. The case against me has no substance. All of us understand the game well. The BJP will get a befitting response in the Lok Sabha elections next year, Yadav said. He was abroad when the Central Bureau of Investigation last week came out with a fresh chargesheet in the land-for-jobs scam, with his name among the accused, alongside his father and mother Ra

Bihar police seek ban on over 100 gambling, gaming and illegal loan apps

Bihar police has approached the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) seeking a ban on more than 100 gambling/gaming and loan lending apps that are allegedly engaged in money laundering and pose a threat to the financial security of the country. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police recently approached MeitY urging it to ban more than 100 such apps, Nayyar Hasnain Khan, Additional Director General (ADG) of EOU (Bihar police) told PTI on Saturday. "The decision was taken after confirming that these apps attract Section 69 of the Information Technology (IT) Act as they contain materials which is prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India. Several complaints had been received of extortion and harassment from people who had borrowed very small amounts through such loan lending apps," Khan said. Section 69A of IT Act empowers the government to restrict access to any online content to protect the interest of sovereignty and integrity of the natio

Bihar overtakes Tamil Nadu to become biggest MFI market in India

Bihar has overtaken Tamil Nadu to emerge as the state with the highest microlending borrowings as of March 2023, a report said on Wednesday. Bihar achieved the growth courtesy of a 13.5 per cent growth in the gross lending portfolio in the March quarter as compared with the preceding quarter, the report by a credit information company said. The report by Crif High Mark has put the overall Microfinance (MFI) borrowings in Bihar at Rs 48,900 crore as of March, which represents 14.5 per cent of the overall portfolio, while the same in Tamil Nadu stood at Rs 46,300 crore, representing 13.7 per cent of the overall outstanding. The overall MFI portfolio outstanding grew by 17.9 per cent to Rs 3.37 lakh crore at the end of March, the report said, adding that there was an improvement in the asset quality as well. The proportion of MFI loans overdue for over 90 days came down to 1.1 per cent as of March 2023, as against 2 per cent in December 2022, the report said. The top ten states now .

Centre on political 'witch hunt' against Tejashwi, says JD(U) president

A day after the CBI filed a chargesheet against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Tuesday accused the BJP-led central government of running a "witch-hunt" against the RJD leader. The second chargesheet of the CBI in this case was filed without a shred of evidence against Yadav. The CBI had earlier said there was no proof against him. But when the RJD and JD(U) along with other parties formed the grand alliance government in Bihar in August 2022, the Centre started using its 'parrot' (CBI) and other federal probe agencies against the deputy CM, Singh said in a video message. The CBI on Monday filed a chargesheet against Yadav, his father and former railways minister Lalu Prasad and mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with the land-for-jobs scam in a competent court in New Delhi. The chargesheet, which also named 14 others, is the second in the case. CBI

Land for job scam: CBI files charge sheet against Tejashwi, Lalu, Rabri

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, his father and former railways minister Lalu Prasad and mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with the land for jobs scam case, officials said Monday. The charge sheet, which also names 14 others, is the second charge sheet in the case. It has been filed on the basis of documents and evidence that surfaced after the first charge sheet was submitted in the case, they said. Besides members of the Yadav clan, the CBI has also named AK Infosystems and several middlemen in the case, they said. The charge sheet was filed in a special CBI court. The officials said the second charge sheet was filed as the alleged roles of the accused could not be completed by the time the initial report was filed. The CBI has alleged that favourite candidates were appointed in the railways in violation of norms and procedures, without any advertisement or public notice. during Lalu Prasad's tenure as .

Amid rumours, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar holds meetings with party legislators

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi said Kumar was nervous as the JD(U) would soon disintegrate

1 killed, 12 injured as bus with devotees from Bihar overturns in Jharkhand

One person was killed and 12 others were injured after a bus overturned and fell in a roadside ditch in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Sunday, police said. The bus was on the way to the Chhinnamasta temple in Rajrappa in Ramgarh district from Jehanabad in Bihar with devotees when the accident happened on National Highway 2 near Pipra village in Chouparan police station area, they said. Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said the driver of the bus lost control, following which it overturned and fell in a roadside ditch. One person was killed and 12 others were injured, he said. The deceased person was identified as Sikandar Kumar Yadav, he added. Among those injured, the conditions of two persons were critical and they were sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for treatment, Chothe said. The others were undergoing treatment at the Community Health Centre in Chouparan. The body of the deceased was sent to the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical Colle

Bihar govt asks GSI for detailed exploration for gold reserves in Jamui

Bihar's Department of Mines and Geology has asked the Geological Survey of India to carry out a detailed exploration to trace gold reserves in Sono area of Jamui district, days after the state government decided to allow auction of nine mineral blocks, officials said. The department has also asked the competent authority to extend the exploration work to identify more coal-bearing areas in Batesarthan-Kasri-Jagarnathpur area in Bhagalpur district. Geophysical work has to be completed before taking up drilling and exploration for the presence of gold reserves in Sono. The G4 stage exploration (preliminary survey) is required to find out the presence of any gold reserve in the area. The DMG has requested the GSI to carry out a detailed analysis/exploration in this regard, Md Nayyer Iqubal, Director (Mines), Bihar, told PTI. There are four stages of exploration for mineral deposits - reconnaissance survey (G4), preliminary exploration (G3), general exploration (G2) and detailed ...

Protests jolt Patna as govt opens teaching jobs for other states' people

The Bihar capital was on Saturday rocked by protests against the state government's controversial decision to allow those from other provinces to compete for teachers' jobs. A massive demonstration was staged by young men and women at the Dak Bungalow crossing in the heart of Patna, creating traffic snarls, even as police took recourse to use of force for dispersal and rounded up quite a few who they found most unruly. The demonstration is being staged without any permission from the administration. We are trying to explain to the protesters that what they are doing is illegal. Use of force has been a last resort," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Law and Order, Patna, Nurul Haq, told reporters. Asked about the number of people, both men and women, who have been taken into custody, the Deputy SP said, "At present, we are not in a position to give the figures. We will work it out and let details be known once we are through with maintaining order in the affected area. However, the .

Flood-like situation in many low-lying areas of Bihar after heavy rain

Torrential rain and waterlogging on Friday triggered a flood-like situation in several low-lying areas of Bihar, officials said. Many places in Araria, Purnea, Madhepura, Saharsa, Jamui, Katihar and Banka districts witnessed water accumulation following heavy rainfall, they said. State capital Patna received 53.45 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Raniganj recorded 90.8 mm, Purnea (77.5 mm), Madhepura (75 mm), Sharsha (68.8 mm), Jamui (67.3 mm), Purnea (67 mm), Katihar (64.5 mm) and Banka (56 mm), according to Met Department data. The weather office has issued an alert for light to moderate thunderstorms accompanied with rain in districts such as Arwal, Bhojpur, Buxar, Gaya, Jamui, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Patna, Rohtas, Saran and Vaishali. Meanwhile, the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) claimed that rainwater was drained in the shortest time possible despite heavy rain in the last two days. Efforts are underway to drain water in other low-lying areas of t

UCC will bring contentment instead of few sections' appeasement: Choubey

Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Thursday asserted that a uniform civil code will bring about contentment in society in place of appeasement of a few sections. The senior BJP leader also expressed hope that the Narendra Modi government will bring the common civil code at the earliest. "Uniform civil code will lead to 'santishtikaran' (contentment) instead of 'tushtikaran' (appeasement), as the Prime Minister has put so eloquently", said Choubey, referring to PM's speech in Bhopal earlier this week. The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Environment, Forest and Climate Change said "uniform civil code will satisfy all sections of the society since all want to live together in peace and make progress". He also brushed aside allegations of parties opposed to the BJP that the PM had raised the issue to communally polarize society and reap electoral dividends. "They are opposing it just for the sake of opposition", he quipped. Choubey,

Everyone is free to come to Bihar: Nitish Kumar on Amit Shah's visit

Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Lakhisarai on Thursday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said everybody is free to visit the state. Shah's visit to the state later during the day will be the first by any top BJP leader after the June 23 meeting here of opposition parties which was held to discuss and chart out a path ahead of the 2024 general election. Kumar, who was speaking to reporters here, however, evaded questions on the Modi government's strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code. Everyone is free to come here. Everyone has the right to visit Bihar, the chief minister said to questions on Shah's proposed visit to Lakhisarai later in the day. Asked for his comment on the Opposition parties' meeting here, which was hosted by him, Kumar said, The meeting is over We will speak later on this. Shah is slated to arrive at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport here this afternoon and leave for Lakhisarai in Munger district, about 150 km away, in a helicopt

Bihar education department bans wearing jeans, T-shirts at workplaces

The Bihar government has asked staffers of the state education department not to wear casual outfits such as jeans and T-shirts in the office as the ongoing practice goes against the culture at workplaces. The director (administration) of the education department, in an order issued on Wednesday, has taken exception to employees coming to offices in T-shirts and jeans. It has been noticed that officials and employees of the department are coming to offices in attires which are contrary to the office culture. Wearing casuals in the office by officials or other employees is against the work culture in the office. Therefore, all officials and employees should come to education department offices in formal dresses only. No casual dresses, especially jeans and T-shirts, are allowed in the offices of the education department with immediate effect, says the order which is in the possession of PTI. Despite repeated attempts, Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar could not be reached for