Page 68 - Bihar

11 dead in Bihar after lightning, thunderstorm; Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for kin

Eleven people died due to lightning and thunderstorms in various parts of Bihar on Monday, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the family members of each of the victims. The CM, in a statement issued during the day, said four people each died in Purnea and Araria and 3 in Supaul due to thunderstorm and lightning. "My deepest condolences to the affected families. An ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh will be given immediately to the next of kin of all the deceased," he said. The CM also appealed to people to take be vigilant in bad weather and follow the suggestions issued by the Disaster Management Department to avoid mishaps. "Stay at home and stay safe in bad weather," he added.

Mahagathbandhan to counter Amit Shah through rallies in Bihar's Seemanchal

In a bid to counter the rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Mahagathbandhan leaders have decided to organise four rallies in the Seemanchal region of Bihar

5 cops injured as miscreants pelt stones during patrol in Bihar's Siwan

Five police personnel sustained injuries after they were attacked by suspected liquor smugglers in the Mandrapali village of Bihar's Siwan district

BJP responsible for fertiliser crisis: Bihar Agri Minister Sudhakar Singh

Bihar Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh on Saturday squarely blamed the BJP for the fertiliser crisis in the state, and alleged that the saffron party leaders were protecting those indulged in hoarding and black marketing of fertilisers. The RJD leader, while speaking to reporters, alleged that the BJP leaders at the Centre and those who were part of the previous NDA government in the state were responsible for the crisis. "The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government came to power in Bihar barely a month ago. BJP leaders who had earlier held the Agriculture portfolio allowed hoarding and black marketing of fertilisers in the state," he said, referring to his predecessor Amrendra Pratap Singh. Farmers in certain districts of Bihar including Khagaria, Katihar, Saharsa, Madhepura, Supaul, Purnea, Araria, Rohtas, Darbhanga, Buxar and Patna have been facing a shortage of fertilisers for quite some time due to its unavailability at designated fertiliser dealer shops, a senior offici

1 killed, 11 critically injured as gunmen open fire in Bihar's Begusarai

One person was killed and 11 others critically injured as two motorcycle-borne gunmen went on a rampage in Bihar's Begusarai district, firing indiscriminately at people in crowded areas, police said. The assailants are yet to be identified, they said. The gunmen opened fire at Malhipur Chowk in Begusarai town on Tuesday evening, targeting shops in the busy area, a police officer said. Panicked people started running for their lives, while shopkeepers fled leaving shops open. The miscreants then went to Barauni Thermal Chowk, Barauni, Teghra, Bachwara and Rajendra Bridge, and continued firing at people, he said. A 30-year-old man, Chandan Kumar, was killed and 11 others were critically injured in the mayhem, Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar told reporters. Some of the injured were admitted to the government hospital in Begusarai, while others were sent to Patna for better treatment, he said. Security has been beefed up in the district, and all the entry points have been ..

Women trafficking rife in Bihar's Seemanchal; locals says problem endemic

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bihar reported 111 human trafficking cases in 2021, an increase from 75 cases in 2020

Women in Jharkhand village start campaign to stop tipplers from Bihar

The liquor ban in Bihar has become a bane for many villages in Jharkhand

Two gunmen go on random shooting spree in Begusarai, kill 1, injure 10

The attackers started indiscriminate firing on NH 31 and then headed towards NH 28 and the eyewitnesses have said that they have entered Barauni city

Admit cards show photos of PM, Bihar Guv and Dhoni; varsity orders probe

Photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, star cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan have been found on admit cards issued by a university in the state. The examinees happen to be BA part III students of colleges based at Madhubani, Samastipur and Begusarai districts, all affiliated to the Lalit Narayan Mithila University headquartered in Darbhanga. "A serious note has been taken of the anomalies which have come to light through social media. An inquiry has been ordered and the students concerned have been issued show cause notices. An FIR may also be lodged," said Mushtaq Ahmed, the university's registrar. He said admit cards were issued online, to be downloaded by respective students, all of whom had been provided with unique login details. "Students were supposed to upload photographs and other details which were processed by our data centre for preparing admit cards. Some of them seem to have engaged in irresponsible mischief," said the ...

Amid liquor ban, Bihar funds women to make bangles from seized bottles

Bihar, a dry state, is encouraging rural women to make glass bangles from seized liquor bottles in an effort to reduce waste and also provide them livelihood. The Prohibition Department of the state government has sanctioned Rs 1 crore as seed money for setting up bangle manufacturing units with women linked to the rural livelihood programme 'JEEViKA' at the helm. Large quantities of alcohol are seized every year in the state and the authorities often find it difficult to dispose of the confiscated bottles, Prohibition and Excise Minister Sunil Kumar told PTI. "Seized liquor bottles are crushed using earthmovers resulting in colossal waste. As a part of this initiative, the department will now provide the crushed bottles as raw materials to JEEViKA workers for manufacturing glass bangles. A group of JEEViKA workers is being trained for making glass bangles by the Rural Development Department," he said. "A comprehensive feasibility report is being made for its further expansion. ...

Age catching up with Nitish: Prashant Kishor hits back at Bihar CM

Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor hit back at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, a day after the JD(U) supremo accused him of trying to help BJP and not knowing "ABC" of politics and governance. Kishor, who has launched "Jan Suraaj", a campaign that is likely to evolve into a political party, said it was "laughable" for Kumar to issue "certificates" given that he was with the BJP till a month ago. "Age is catching up with him. If he has divined that I want to help the BJP, it is his intellectual greatness (vidvata)," Kishor told reporters here sarcastically. "Nitish Kumar must be the only educated person around to have said people like me do not know ABC. He knows from A to Z. He should share the knowledge with NITI Aayog which keeps counting Bihar among the least-developed states," the IPAC founder said, tongue in cheek. Kishor also said that if Kumar was able to deliver on his promise of creating 10 lakh jobs, which he made after ruling the state fo

There is Janta Raj, not Jungle Raj in Bihar: Nitish rubbishes BJP's claim

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday rubbished the BJP's jibe that 'Jungle Raj' (lawlessness) has returned to Bihar with the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government coming to power, and asserted that there is 'Janta Raj' (people's rule) in the state. "Stray incidents are not a reflection of the overall law and order situation in the state. What Jungle Raj? Maintaining law and order has been the priority of our government. There is Janta Raj," Kumar said when asked about the saffron party's jibe. Attacking senior BJP leaders in the state, he said such comments do not affect the government as it is committed to working for the people of Bihar. "If Sushil Modi (former deputy CM) or Sanjay Jaiswal (state BJP chief) criticise me, they may get plum posts in the party or the central government," he said. On his recent meetings with opposition leaders in Delhi, Kumar said, "My focus is on bringing together all opposition parties in the country. My meetings with opposition leaders we

Phulwari Sharif case: NIA conducts searches at multiple locations in Bihar

The raids were being held in connection with its probe into a suspected terror module allegedly linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI)

After midnight checks, Tejashwi seeks overhaul of Bihar health system

Tejashwi was angry after seeing dogs inside the wards of PMCH. He also found that doctors and medical staff were unavailable at that time in the PMCH

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar meets CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya in Delhi

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya here on Wednesday, as the JD(U) leader continues his efforts to unite Opposition parties after severing ties with the BJP. Kumar is in the national capital on a four-day visit. He has been meeting Opposition leaders with an aim to forge unity among them for a joint fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He had met Left leaders -- CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja -- on Tuesday. There are 16 MLAs of Left parties in the Bihar Assembly supporting the Nitish government from outside, these include 12 of CPI-ML (L), two each of CPI and CPM.

BJP leaders scared of Nitish Kumar's popularity: Bihar minister

Bihar Cabinet minister Shravan Kumar on Wednesday said that the BJP leaders are rattled with the growing popularity of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the country.

Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav conducts surprise checks at govt hospitals

Doctors at government hospitals in the Bihar capital were left in a daze when they realised that a young man knocking at their doors past midnight was none other than Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. The young leader spent the day, on Tuesday, demonstrating that he was very much in charge of the administration while his boss Nitish Kumar was away in Delhi to do some political heavy lifting. Yadav holds key portfolios like health, road construction and urban development and he has proudly announced on his Twitter handle his "pahal" (initiative) to end the strike by Patna Municipal Corporation sweepers which has, in the past few days, buried the city's streets under heaps of trash. However, youngsters may be more impressed with his late night "raids" on hospitals, clips of which are being run by media outlets likening the 33-year-old to the protagonist of 'Nayak', an Anil Kapoor starrer who shakes up the system as a hands-on chief minister. The hospitals where the .

Nitish 'neither claimant nor desirous' for PM post, calls for united Oppn

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said he is neither a claimant for the prime minister's post nor desirous of it, his assertion coming amid speculation that his visit to Delhi is to claim leadership of the opposition parties. It is time for the Left parties, the Congress and all regional parties to come together to form a united opposition, Kumar told reporters after meeting CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja at their respective party offices. The Janata Dal (United) leader, who severed his party's ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last month, is in the capital to meet key opposition leaders. "I have had a long association with the CPI(M) from my younger days. You all have not seen me, but whenever I used to come to Delhi, I used to come to this office. We were separated but today, all of us are together again. Our entire focus is to unite all the Left parties, the regional parties and the Congress. This will b

CM Nitish Kumar to visit Delhi today, likely to meet Opposition leaders

Meanwhile, various posters of Nitish Kumar projecting him as a prime ministerial candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election were seen in Patna on Thursday

Boat carrying 55 people sinks in Bihar's Danapur; search operation underway

All the persons on board hailed from the Daudpur area of Patna