Page 51 - Bihar

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

Shah to address rally in Bihar today, days after oppn meeting in Patna

The minister further said that Amit Shah will reach Patna where party leaders will welcome him at the airport then he will go to Lakhisarai by Chopper

No domicile-based reservation for teaching jobs in Bihar govt schools

The Nitish Kumar Cabinet on Tuesday announced that eligible persons from any Indian state can apply for teaching jobs in Bihar government schools. The decision to this effect was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here on Tuesday. This proposal was mooted before the cabinet by the state Education department. Earlier, there was a provision to recruit only Bihar residents as teachers in state government-run schools under the new service conditions. "Now, there will be no domicile-based reservation for recruitment of teachers in state government run-schools. Any Indian citizen can apply for government teachers jobs and it is not binding that he or she should have a state domicile. This decision was taken by the state cabinet today", S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary, (Cabinet Secretariat), told reporters after the cabinet meeting. The state cabinet on May 2 this year had cleared the proposal to recruit 1.78 lakh teachers for primary, middle, and

NIA arrests fourth accused in CPI (Maoist) revival case in Bihar's Magadh

The NIA has arrested one person in the CPI (Maoist) terror funding case in connection with efforts being made to revive the banned outfit in the Magadh zone of Bihar, an agency official said on Monday. The arrested accused, Anandi Paswan (46), has more than five criminal cases registered against him at various police stations of Bihar, a spokesperson for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said. The NIA said raids conducted on the premises of Paswan, a resident of Nirakhpur village in the Kinjar area of Arwal district, led to the seizure of illegal arms and ammunition on February 12 last year. Paswan is the fourth person to be arrested in the case, registered in 2021, related to the terror financing network being jointly operated by CPI (Maoist) cadres and overground workers (OGWs) in the Magadh region. The NIA had earlier nabbed Tarun Kumar, Pradyuman Sharma and Abhinav alias Gaurav. The agency chargesheeted two accused in the case on January 20. "NIA investigations so far ha

Bihar govt plans to initiate measures to boost education sector: Circular

The Bihar government will initiate a slew of measures to strengthen the education sector such as carrying out regular inspection of government schools and deduction of a day's salary for teachers found absent during the exercise, a circular said. Officials of the department will need permission directly from the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) even if they travel outside their district headquarters for appearing before a court. District Magistrates were urged to ensure inspection of all schools, at least twice every week, and take steps for deduction of a day's salary for teachers found absent during the inspection. According to a circular issued by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) on June 24, all officials and other staff at the SCERT have been asked to report for work at 9.30 in the morning and continue till 8 pm on weekdays. The offices will function till 6 pm on Saturdays. The new work schedule will be effective from June 26. All officials would

1 killed, over 30 admitted to hospital after inhaling ammonia gas in Bihar

According to the fire department, several fire tenders rushed to the spot after receiving the information and the situation was brought under control later

Another under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar's Khagaria district

Barely three weeks after an under-construction bridge over the Ganga collapsed in Bihar's Khagaria district, a portion of another bridge in Kishanganj district caved-in on Saturday, an official said. In the incident, which took place around 400 km from state capital Patna, a pillar of the bridge over river Mechi collapsed, said Arvind Kumar, project director of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). "The under-construction bridge on NH-327E would have linked Kishanganj and Katihar upon completion", the official said. Claiming that nobody was injured in the accident, the official said "a five-member team" of experts has been constituted to investigate the cause. "Prima facie it seems to be an instance of human error during the piling process," the official said. On June 4, an under-construction bridge, which was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, had collapsed. The incident, which claimed the life of a security guard, had evoked a huge outcry since despite

Set aside differences, if we win Bihar we will win country: Kharge to Cong

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged party workers to set aside their differences and fight the 2024 general elections unitedly, asserting that "if we win in Bihar, we will win the country". Addressing party workers and leaders at the Congress office here, Kharge lauded Rahul Gandhi for undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Bihar can never leave our ideology. If we win Bihar we will win in the country. Put aside all differences and stay united to save the country," he asserted. He added, "We thought of speaking with leaders of all parties to take a step forward. We, therefore, are here for the meeting.

Bihar Guv Arlekar inaugurates G20 labour engagement group meet in Patna

Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar inaugurated a labour engagement group meeting of G20 here on Thursday. Altogether 173 delegates from 28 countries are participating in the conference. Apart from the G20 countries, India, as part of its presidency, has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates to join the meeting. Welcoming the delegates, the governor said, I am proud to see you in Bihar. The dignitaries present here represent around 75 per cent of the total population, which is a moment of pride for Bihar. He also highlighted the historical significance of the eastern state. The history of Bihar goes back thousands of years. It is a land of knowledgewhere students from different nationalities used to seek knowledge at Nalanda University. Vaishali too is considered as the mother of democracy," he said. Addressing the gathering, Labour-20 (L-20) chairman Hiranmay Pandya said, I want to assure you that L20 will not

Mandaviya to review heatwave preparedness with affected states today

A team of experts from the Union Health Ministry, ICMR, IMD and NDMA will visit the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to support them in public health response measures to address heat-related illness

Central team to be deployed in UP, Bihar to aid in heatwave response

This was directed by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday as he chaired a high-level meeting related to public health preparedness for heatwave management across the country

Smallpox spreads in Bihar village, locals allege medical negligence

More than 100 people from 35 families have been infected with smallpox in a village in Bihar's Supaul district, an official said

Oppn uneasy over presence of Congress in Patna meet ahead of 2024 LS polls

A strong sense of unease seems to be emerging in opposition parties over the presence of Congress, ahead of the Patna conclave of non-BJP parties

Ask Nitish Kumar about corruption in Bihar: Anurag Thakur on Oppn meet

"They should also say who is the leader of their alliance," he added

Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM announces withdrawal of support to Nitish govt

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) on Monday announced withdrawal of its support to the Nitish Kumar government. Manjhi's son Santosh Suman, the party's national president, said an appointment has been sought with Governor Rajendra Arlekar for handing over the letter of withdrawal of support. Suman, who had resigned from the cabinet last week alleging pressure from Nitish Kumar's JD(U) to merge his party, was addressing a press conference after the national executive body of HAM "authorised" him to take a decision on future course of action. Suman said he will visit Delhi later in the day to "explore options" and he is "willing to consider" an invitation from the NDA if the same is extended by the BJP-led coalition. "We are also keeping the option open for setting up a third front", said the HAM president whose party has switched allies many times since it was founded eight years ago. He also ducked queries about unconfirmed reports of a ..

Manjhi to decide his next plan in today's national executive committee meet

The national executive committee meeting of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is scheduled to be held in Patna on Monday where Jitan Ram Manjhi will decide the future course of action

Bihar Congress to extend 'historic welcome' to Rahul Gandhi on June 23

The Congress in Bihar would extend a "historic" welcome to Rahul Gandhi when he visits the state later this week, for the first time since making waves with 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the party's state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said on Sunday. Talking to reporters, Singh said Gandhi will be accompanied by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary in-charge of organisation K C Venugopal and they will make a stopover at Sadaqat Ashram, the BPCC headquarters, before attending the meeting of opposition leaders convened by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "Gandhi will drive straight to Sadaqat Ashram from the airport and will be accorded a historic welcome all through the route. It is a special occasion for us since he is visiting Bihar for the first time since his Bharat Jodo Yatra", said the Bihar Congress chief. He said Gandhi will spend about an hour at Sadaqat Ashram where "a huge marquee, spread across 70,000 square feet" was being put up for the occasion. "He will addre