Page 22 - Nitish Kumar

Political turmoil in Bihar, Chirag Paswan postpones his R-Day programmes

As the speculations ran rife over a rift in the ruling Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) went into a huddle at state headquarters

Will he, won't he? Buzz on Nitish Kumar's BJP return amid INDIA rift

Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself sounded more open to such a possibility in a recent interview

Bharat Ratna for Karpoori Thakur: All you need to know about 'Jan Nayak'

Karpoori Thakur, who is considered to be the fountainhead of OBC politics in Bihar, served as the state's CM for two short tenures

Bharat Ratna: 'Jannayak' Karpoori Thakur, mentor to likes of Lalu, Nitish

Former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, who has been chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, is remembered as a stalwart of social justice and an inspiring figure in Indian politics. Hailing from the extremely backward class Nai (barber), Thakur was born in an impoverished family in Samastipur district but went on to make giant strides in politics that earned him the epithet Jannayak (people's leader). The official announcement which came a day ahead of Thakur's birth anniversary, hailed the socialist leader's lifelong dedication to the upliftment of the underprivileged sections of society and his relentless fight for social Justice. Born in 1924, Thakur went on to become the Chief Minister in the 1970s and his tenure is best remembered for introducing reservations for the backward classes, besides the state's first brush with prohibition. He died in 1988. Leaders of the current era like JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD head L

'Nyay Yatra' to enter Bihar on Jan 29, Nitish may share stage with Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will enter Bihar on January 29 and cover four districts in three days during which top INDIA bloc leaders may join him for public meetings, the party announced here on Monday. Addressing a press conference at the historical Sadaqat Ashram, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters, senior leader and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said that Gandhi will reach Kishanganj district from Siliguri in West Bengal, and after interacting with the public and a night halts, leave for Purnea a day later. "In Purnea, a big rally has been planned. Invites have been sent to our alliance partners like Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has agreed to come. In the event of his getting caught up elsewhere, the JD(U) president has assured that a senior leader will be sent to represent his party," said Mishra. An invitation has been extended to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, a staunch ally of the Congress, "who may attend the rally in Purnea, or at Katihar

CM Nitish Kumar reshuffles portfolios of 3 RJD ministers in Bihar govt

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reshuffled his cabinet on Saturday night, in which portfolios of three ministers of his ally RJD were changed. Education Minister Chandra Shekhar, who has been hitting the headlines for different reasons, was made the Sugarcane Industries Miniter. Alok Mehta, who held the Sugarcane Industries and Revenue and Land Resources portfolio, was made the new Education Minister of the state, according to a notification. The Revenue and Land Resources Department was assigned to Lalit Kumar Yadav, who will continue with his existing responsibility of the Public Health and Engineering Department. Besides making controversial statements on different issues, Chandra Shekhar was reportedly involved in a tiff with the Education Department's Additional Chief Secretary KK Pathak.

Cong turns to civil groups to train cadre; allies hesitant to join Rahul

The BJA, a union of activists and civil society outfits, is currently assisting the Congress in organising the Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Bihar govt to begin study to analyse air pollution in Gaya, Muzaffarpur

The Bihar government has decided to conduct a real-time apportionment study in Muzaffarpur and Gaya to identify sources of air pollution in these two cities of the state, an official said on Monday. The decision was taken as Muzaffarpur, Gaya and the state capital Patna are among the 122 non-attainment cities in terms of air pollution trends. The study in Muzaffarpur and Gaya will be conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi and Patna). The Bihar State Pollution Control Board will soon sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in this regard, which are being finalised," BSPCB Chairman Devendra Kumar Shukla told PTI. The study will identify the "seasonal mass concentration level of PM2.5 and PM10 in ambient air" of the extended urban areas of both cities, he said. PM 2.5 and PM 10 are minute particles present in the air, and exposure to these is harmful to health. Real-time source apportionment studies help identify factors, such as vehicles, dust, biomass burning, and ..

Will exceed target of creating 1 million govt jobs in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asserted that his government was looking forward to not just achieving but "exceeding" the target of creating 10 lakh government jobs in the state. Speaking at a function organised here for the distribution of appointment letters to newly recruited teachers, Kumar said his government provided appointment letters to 96,823 newly recruited teachers at all district headquarters in the state during the day. "Here at Gandhi Maidan, a total of 26,935 newly recruited teachers are getting their appointment letters. We have so far provided government jobs to 3.63 lakh people in the state," he claimed. "We will soon achieve the target of providing 10 lakh government jobs to youths of the state. Let me make it very clear that we will not just achieve the target but exceed it... the state government is working in that direction," the CM said. Besides, five lakh employment opportunities have been created for the state's youths, and around 3.68 lakh

Railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case: ED files charge sheet

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed its first charge sheet in the railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case, naming former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her MP daughter Misa Bharti. An alleged "close associate" of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's family Amit Katyal, some other individuals and companies have been named in the prosecution complaint (charge sheet), they said. The charge sheet has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi and the court has listed the matter to be heard on January 16, the sources said. Katyal was arrested in this case by the ED in November last year while Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav were summoned by the agency but they have not yet deposed. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group "D" positions in various zones of th

'He should be sacked': Paswan on Bihar minister's remark on Ram temple

Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar sparked off controversy by saying that if the people fall sick or get injured they will seek medical attention rather than visit a temple

18,000 workers, dismissed on account of strike, to be reinstated: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said services of more than 18,000 anganwadi workers, terminated on account of their taking part in a state-wide strike, will be restored. Kumar gave the assurance to a delegation of anganwadi workers, which called on him at his official residence, requesting that the government consider raising the stipend paid to Sevikas' and Sahaayikas'. The CM told them that his government has been raising stipends of angangwadi workers from time to time, and in view of your request a respectable hike will be made soon. As per the social welfare department, the Sevikas' get a stipend of Rs 6,500 per month, while the amount is Rs 5,900 for Sahaayikas'. He also told the delegation that anganwadi workers who had been relieved of services last year, for going on a strike which continued for more than two years, will be reinstated. According to the Chief Minister's Office, the number of anganwadi Sevikas' who would be reinstated was 10,203, in addition t

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar may become INDIA convenor with Congress help

Has Congress' backing for appointment as bloc's convenor

Cows, gold rings, treadmill in Nitish's list of assets worth Rs 1.64 crore

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar owns assets worth Rs 1.64 crore, according to his latest public disclosure. According to details of the assets of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues posted on the Cabinet Secretariat Department's website on Sunday evening, Kumar has Rs 22,552 in cash, and deposits of Rs 49,202 in different bank accounts. He also has a Ford Ecosport car worth Rs 11.32 lakh, two gold rings and a silver ring worth Rs 1.28 lakh, and other movable assets such as 13 cows and 10 calfs worth Rs 1.45 lakh, a treadmill, an exercise cycle and a microwave oven. The only immovable property that he has is an apartment in Dwarka in New Delhi, which cost him Rs 13.78 lakh in 2004, and is now worth Rs 1.48 crore. Last year, Kumar had declared total assets of Rs 75.53 lakh. A comparison of the two disclosures showed that the jump in the value of assets was primarily due to the rise in the worth of his Delhi apartment. Kumar's government has made it mandatory for all cabi

Lalan Singh vows to sue media for alleging he plotted against Nitish Kumar

Former JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan' on Saturday vowed to sue media outfits carrying reports that he had plotted a rebellion against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in favour of the latter's deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. Lalan issued a statement to the effect a day after he stepped down from the top party post, following which his proposal that Kumar take over as the national president was unanimously accepted. The strongly worded statement alleged that reports carried in "one major newspaper and some news channels" were "completely misleading, false and aimed at tarnishing my reputation". He pointed out that contrary to the claim made in these reports that on December 20 he had attended a meeting of a handful of JD(U) MLAs at a Bihar minister's residence, "I was in Delhi, to attend the meeting of INDIA bloc, along with the honourable CM. I even attended a meeting of party MPs at his Delhi residence later in the evening". Lalan, whose friendship with Nitish .

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar takes over as new JD(U) president; Lalan Singh quits

Lalan Singh had earlier denied that he was going to step down from the JD(U) 's top post

Nitish Kumar ducks queries on rumoured organisational change in JD (U)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday ducked queries about rumours of major organisational change in his Janta Dal (U) ahead of a crucial two-day party conclave which will begin in Delhi later in the day. The JD (U) supremo in a brief interaction with journalists before boarding his flight to Delhi asserted that the party meet in Delhi was 'normal'. "These meetings take place every year. It's normalthere is nothing specific at all. These are routine meetings", said the CM when journalists sought his views on rumours of major organisational change in JD(U) during the two-day party conclave. His remark came in the backdrop of rumours that Kumar's key aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' has told the former that he wanted to step down as JD(U) national president. The CM evaded a direct reply when asked whether Lalan was likely to make a formal offer of his resignation at the JD(U)'s crucial meetings scheduled in Delhi on December 29. The CM also evaded questions about rumours of h

Day after Nitish's assurance, rumours swirl around JD(U) prez's resignation

Rumours were afloat in Bihar on Tuesday that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's key aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan' has told the former he wanted to step down as JD(U) national president. At the state headquarters of the party here, leaders had a tough time fending off queries of journalists, who also wanted to know whether speculations of a rift between Kumar and Lalan, on account of growing proximity of the latter towards RJD president Lalu Prasad, had a grain of truth. "You speak of fissures in the JD(U). I say there is not even a scratch, asserted state minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who had turned up at the party office on his weekly round. Chaudhary also blamed the rumours surrounding Lalan in the media, saying, "We, in the party, have heard nothing of that sort, but you people give things whatever spin you wish and then drop it when it suits your news cycle". He evaded a direct reply when asked whether Lalan was likely to make a formal offer of his resignation at the JD(U)'s meet

Nitish Kumar is 'mistaken', has no chance of becoming PM: Sushil Modi

Criticism comes after reports stated that the INDIA bloc has backed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for the post of PM

On day of INDIA meet, posters in Patna demand pivotal role for Nitish

Posters calling for assigning Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a big role in national politics were seen in several parts of the state capital on Tuesday when the JD(U) leader was away in Delhi to attend a crucial meeting of INDIA bloc. The JD(U) came out with a quick clarification that it had nothing to do with the posters, wary of upsetting the supreme leader who has been at pains to assert that his efforts at forging opposition unity were not guided by personal ambitions. Ally RJD, on its part, made it clear that the primary goal was to defeat BJP in Lok Sabha polls and if, in the process, the CM landed the top job, it would be "a matter of pride for Bihar". "It is not known who has put out the posters. But its message of 'nishchay' (resolve) is something none can find fault with", said JD(U) chief spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar. He was reacting to the posters with two images of Kumar, one taken from the side and the other from behind with a pithy Hindi slogan "agar sach mein .