Page 53 - Bihar

Notices to over 60 govt doctors in Bihar missing from duty for years

The Bihar state health department has issued notices to over 60 government doctors across the state for being on unauthorised leave for at least a year or more, officials said on Thursday. A notice containing names of such doctors of different health centers and hospitals in this regard was uploaded on the department's website, they said. The department directed all the 62 doctors in the list to submit an explanation for their unauthorised absence within 15 days or face strict disciplinary action. If no reply is received from the individuals within the stipulated time, it will be construed that he/she has no explanation to offer. In that case the department has the power to initiate disciplinary action against them," said a senior official of the department. "Unauthorised absenteeism invites action, including dismissal, under the provisions of government servant conduct rules, he said. The doctors, who were served the notices, have been abstaining from their duty for a minimum of

Quarrel in Bihar's Darbhanga BJP: One MLA files FIR against other's son

All is not well in the BJP in Bihar as one of its MLAs has lodged an FIR against the son of another legislator from the party, an official said on Thursday

Bihar cabinet approves change in Prohibition and Excise Act: Official

The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday approved a change in the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022 which will allow authorities concerned to release vehicles carrying liquor in the dry state on payment of a far lower rate of penalty than that stipulated earlier, an official said. The authorities can now release vehicles carrying liquor after payment of either 10 percent of the insured value of the vehicle or Rs five lakh as penalty by the legal owner after consulting the judicial authority, additional chief secretary S Siddharth said. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had imposed total prohibition in Bihar in 2016. The modified section will be notified soon by the government department concerned after completing mandatory formalities, he said. The owner of a vehicle seized in Bihar for carrying liquor is at present is at present required to pay 50 percent of its insured value for its release after the Court's .

Chamaeleon in mid-day meal: 45 pupils fall sick, 5 critical in Bihar

The incident occurred at government middle school located in Thudi village under Bhimpur police station in the district

Demolition of old Patna Collectorate was a mistake, says Bihar BJP MP

The demolition of the centuries-old Patna Collectorate to make way for a new complex was a "mistake" and the historic landmark should have been preserved and conserved for future generations, BJP MP from Bihar, Sushil Kumar Singh said. Citing the example of the new Sansad Bhawan which was built without harming the old Parliament building, the Lok Sabha member said the Nitish Kumar government "could have built the new Patna Collectorate complex elsewhere" while saving the heritage structures of the old one. Singh, a four-time MP from Aurangabad, made the remarks during an interaction in Delhi, soon after attending the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday amid a boycott by several opposition parties, including Kumar's JD(U) and its ally the RJD. The Bihar chief minister on Saturday asserted that there was "no need" for a new Parliament building and had dubbed the function as an attempt to "change history by those who had made no ...

Opposition parties' meeting in Patna likely to take place on June 12

The much-awaited meeting of parties opposed to the BJP may be held here on June 12, according to hints that have emanated from a meeting of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) here on Sunday. While no significant office bearer confirmed or denied the same, many present at the meeting said on condition of anonymity that the disclosure was made by the chief minister himself. Kumar, the JD(U)'s supreme leader, has been pitching for "opposition unity" ever since he snapped ties with the BJP in August last year, following accusations that the ally was trying to create fissures in his party and diminish his standing. Kumar, who is now heading an alliance government in Bihar which includes RJD, Congress and the Left, has reached out to leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, all of whom are opposed to BJP but not very comfortable with the grand old party either. In fact, the idea of hosting a meeting of opposition leaders in Patna was floated by Banerjee, who

17,000 extra SIM cards of subscribers beyond 9 connections deactivated

Altogether 17,000 of the 21,800 SIM cards found to be issued in excess of the permissible limit of nine mobile connections for one subscriber were deactivated in Bihar and Jharkhand in April and May so far, an official said on Sunday. Such a move was taken by the Department of Telecommunication through an analysis using artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition technology, he said. "The artificial intelligence and facial recognition-powered solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification (ASTR) analysis by the DoT in April and May revealed that at least 21,800 mobile connections were issued violating the permissible limit of nine numbers for one subscriber in Bihar and Jharkhand. "Around 17,000 such numbers have been disconnected. Further analysis is going on to identify such numbers," a senior official of the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licensed Service Areas-LSA-Bihar) Office told PTI. Jharkhand also comes under the jurisdiction of LSA (Bihar). According

BJP slams RJD for comparing new Parliament building design with coffin

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday likened the architecture of the new Parliament building to a coffin, drawing a sharp response from the BJP which said people will bury the Bihar party in such a coffin in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. As the new building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ruling party in Bihar put out a tweet that showed a coffin and the new legislature building side by side and asked, "What is this?" Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "People of the country will bury you in the same coffin in 2024 and will not give you the opportunity to enter the new temple of democracy. It is decided that the parliament building belongs to the country and the coffin to you." Bhatia said the inauguration marked a historic moment and parties such as the RJD will keep crying hoarse.

100 students fall sick after snake found in mid-day meal in Bihar's Araria

Around 100 students at a government school in Bihar's Araria district fell sick after consuming a mid-day meal in which a dead snake was found on Saturday

What is the need for new Parliament building, asks Bihar CM Nitish

Amid Opposition's call for boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Saturday asserted that there is "no need" for a new Parliament building. The new Parliament building is an attempt to write a new history by those who had no contribution in the freedom struggle, he told reporters here. Kumar also expressed dismay over President Droupadi and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, who is also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, not being invited to the function. JD(U), of which he is a senior leader, has announced that it will boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday. The party will observe a day-long fast here on the day to protest the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "There is no need for a new Parliament building... Those who had no contribution to the country's fight for independence are trying to distort history. It is quite surprising that the President of India and the

Nitish Kumar should stop 'daydreaming' about becoming PM, says BJP

The BJP on Sunday took a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar following his meeting with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, saying he should pay attention to his state which is being pushed into "anarchy" instead of daydreaming about becoming the prime minister. Kumar has been meeting opposition leaders in a bid to forge an alliance of non-BJP parties and threw his weight behind Kejriwal over the Delhi chief minister's protest against the ordinance brought in by the Centre on the issue of authority over transfers and postings of government officers in the national capital. Prem Shukla, the BJP's national spokesperson, said meeting other leaders is Kumar's right but he has not been paying attention to his own state. "He is daydreaming to become prime minister. Instead, he should discharge his duties as Bihar chief minister, his constitutional responsibility," he said. Sanjay Mayukh, a BJP MLC in Bihar, said Kumar should come out of his "dream world" as there is no vacancy

Nitish Kumar declines to reveal next steps on Bihar's caste survey

The Bihar government has completed 80 per cent of the caste based cum economic survey and it has an option to pass a law and complete the survey

CBI or ED may include my name in supplementary charge sheet: Tejashwi Yadav

The ED questioned Rabri Devi for six hours on Thursday

SC refuses to stay Patna High Court order halting caste survey in Bihar

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the Patna High Court order which halted the caste survey being conducting by the Bihar government. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Rajesh Bindal said it would have to examine if the exercise being carried out is a census in garb of survey. "We are making it clear, this is not a case where we can grant you interim relief," the bench said. The apex court noted that the high court had posted the hearing of the main petition on July 3. "We direct that this petition be listed on July 14. If for any reason, the hearing of the writ petition does not commence before the next date, we will hear further submission canvassed by the senior counsel for the petitioner (Bihar)," the bench said. In an appeal filed before the top court against the May 4 order of the high court, the Bihar government had said the stay will adversely affect the entire exercise. The state government said the collection of caste-based data is a constitutional mandate u

Land-for-jobs PMLA case: Rabri Devi appears before ED for questioning

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam, official sources said. The 68-year-old Devi, wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, is recording her statement in this case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Rabri Devi's children, including Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and MP daughter Misa Bharti, have been questioned by the federal agency in this case in the recent past. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR. The ED had carried out searches in this case sometime back and seized "unaccounted cash" of Rs 1 crore and detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Lalu Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged by the agencies that during the period 2004-09, various persons were appointed to Group D positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in

JD(U) threatens legal action against Bihar BJP president for liquor remark

The JD(U) on Tuesday threatened legal action against the Bihar BJP chief for alleging that liquor was served at a feast organised by the ruling party's national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, notwithstanding the state's stringent prohibition law. At a meeting chaired by state JD(U) chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha, a "ninda prastav" (censure resolution) was passed against Samrat Choudhary, the Bihar BJP president, who had on Monday made the allegation. Lalan had organised a feast on Sunday at Munger, his Lok Sabha constituency, where the guests were treated to a sumptuous lunch of rice and mutton curry. However, the number of visitors had reportedly far exceeded expectations, and security personnel had to step in and shove many people away to maintain order at the venue. Choudhary had sneered at the episode and alleged that even liquor was on offer, in an obvious bid to put on the spot Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U)'s supreme leader, who, though not present at the feas

Bihar govt orders officials to release PMAY-G fund to beneficiaries

The Bihar government has warned officials of strict action for delay in releasing the third instalment of funds to PMAY-G beneficiaries who have already completed construction work of their houses, a minister said on Sunday. At least 37,974 of over 35.5 lakh beneficiaries, who have completed their houses till April 13, are waiting for the third tranche of funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin in the state, Rural Development Minister Sharvan Kumar told PTI. The department will initiate action against officials concerned if they fail to release the third instalment of funds within a week to PMAY-G beneficiaries who finished the construction work of their houses under the scheme. I have instructed officials concerned in all 38 districts of the state that strict departmental action will be taken against them if they fail to release the second or third instalment of funds within a week to the beneficiaries, who have already constructed their housing units, under the ...

Telecom Dept deactivates 225,000 mobile numbers in Bihar and Jharkhand

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has deactivated more than 2.25 lakh mobile phone numbers in Bihar and Jharkhand in the month of April as majority of the SIM cards were allegedly procured through forged documents. The Telecom Service Providers have also blacklisted 517 Point of Sales (PoS) who have been prima facie found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards. According to a statement issued by the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licensed Service Areas-LSA-Bihar) here, "In the month of April 2023 itself, more than 2.25 lakh mobile numbers have been deactivated in both states. The majority of the SIM cards were procured through illegal/unethical means. "Besides, 517 PoS have been blacklisted as they were found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards. The Telecom Service Providers are further initiating legal proceedings against the fraudulent PoS as well as subscribers". Jharkhand also comes under

Power Minister lays foundation for Powergrid's substation to add capacity

Union Power Minister RK Singh on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for Powergrid's substation in Bihar to expand capacity, an official statement said. "The augmentation of the 220/132 kV Ara sub-station will increase the total transformation capacity of the sub-station to 560 MVA. The scheme would facilitate meeting the demand for electricity for the next 10 years in Ara (Bihar). Uninterrupted power supply will lead to the industrial and commercial development of the area and also improve power availability in Bhojpur, Buxar and Rohtas districts," Powergrid said in a statement. Powergrid Chairman and Managing Director K Sreekant and Director Personnel VK Singh were also present during the event. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited is India's largest electric power transmission utility.

Caste-based survey: HC rejects Bihar government plea for early hearing

The Patna High Court on Tuesday rejected the Bihar government's plea, seeking early hearing of its interim stay on caste-based survey in the state. The court said the hearing will take place on July 3, the date fixed earlier, and the stay will remain in effect till then. It had on May 4 put a stay on the caste-based survey in its interim order, while hearing a batch of petitions. The division bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Prasad had fixed July 3 as the next date of hearing. Later, an interlocutory application was filed in the high court on behalf of the Bihar government, urging for an early hearing in the matter. In its May 4 order, the court had termed the caste-based survey as virtually a census by another name, and "prima facie unconstitutional" as it "impinges on the legislative powers of Parliament". "The state government has no right to conduct such a caste census in Bihar, the court said. The bench had held that the Bihar government's "inten