Page 24 - Nitish Kumar

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 .

Adani Group to make additional investment of Rs 8,700 crore in Bihar

The Adani Group on Thursday said it would make an additional investment of Rs 8,700 crore in Bihar in various sectors, including cement manufacturing, logistics and the agro-industry. The group is already present in Bihar, where it has invested Rs 850 crore, said Pranav Adani, Director, Adani Enterprises. He was speaking at the Bihar Business Connect-2023, a two-day global investors summit that concluded on Thursday. "Our group has decided to invest Rs 8,700 crore in additional sectors in Bihar. This will create direct or indirect employment for approximately 10,000 people in the state, Adani said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released the Bihar Logistics Policy 2023 and a coffee table book (of the state industries department) at the summit on Thursday. Kumar, however, did not address the gathering at the event. Bihar is now an attractive investment destination in the country. We are currently present in logistics, gas distribution, and agro-logistics, with an investment of

Eastern Zonal Council meet: Nitish demands for special status to Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday raised before Union Home Minister Amit Shah his long-standing demand for grant of special category status to the state. At the 26th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council here, chaired by Shah, Kumar also hoped that the Centre will consider the request for placing in the ninth schedule of the Constitution the state's recent legislations by which quotas for deprived castes were raised from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution includes a list of Central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts. In 1992, the Supreme Court capped reservations for the backward classes at 50 per cent. "The CM urged the Centre to accord special status to Bihar in the meeting. Bihar has been raising the issue of Special status to the state since 2010. The fresh demand was necessitated by findings of the caste survey carried out by the grand alliance government in the state," a CMO statement said. "The state government has ...

Bihar govt to provide up to Rs 1.25 lakh, 75% tax relief to promote EVs

The first 1,000 electric cars purchased for personal use will get the benefit of a Rs 1.25 lakh incentive. There is a similar scheme for the first 10,000 two-wheelers

Rescued worker from Bihar says CM did not send officials at tunnel site

A Bihar resident who was among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel complained on Wednesday that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not send his officials to the tunnel site to enquire about the workers from the state nor did he contact his relatives back home during their 16-day ordeal. The worker complained of this when Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met him at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur and asked how he was doing. "All other state governments sent their officials to the tunnel to enquire about the well-being of the trapped workers from their respective states. But our chief minister Nitish Kumar did not send anyone nor did he contact our relatives back home to say a word of sympathy. I do not know what mistake we committed," the worker told Dhami. He also expressed his gratitude to the Uttarakhand chief minister for the efforts made by various agencies under his leadership to secure their safe exit from the tunnel. Dhami had set up a ca

BJP accuses Nitish of appeasement after release of new school calendar

"Shame on the government that hates Sanatan for the vote bank," the post added

Nitish-led JDU to witness major split after January 15, says Chirag Paswan

Jamui MP and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has claimed that the Janata Dal (United) led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will witness a major split in the coming months.

Bihar urges Centre for 65% quota in 9th Schedule to seek legal shield

The Bihar government on Wednesday decided to urge the Centre to incorporate the hiked reservation for deprived castes from 50 to 65 per cent in state government jobs and educational institutions in the 9th schedule of the Constitution, so that it is guaranteed immunity from legal scrutiny, an official said. The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution includes a list of Central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts. In 1992, the Supreme Court capped reservations for the backward classes at 50 per cent. The Cabinet also increased the dearness allowance of government employees in Bihar by 4 per cent. They will get a DA of 46 per cent with effect from July 1 this year, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), S Siddharth, told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. The Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday issued gazette notifications for raising the quota for deprived castes to 65 per cent, after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar gave his assent to two bills, paving the

Bihar govt passes resolution for special status to state after caste survey

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar upped the ante on the Chief Minister's long-standing demand for grant of special status to the state with a resolution to the effect on Wednesday being passed by the cabinet. Kumar broke the news himself, announcing the development on social media, shortly after the cabinet meeting he chaired here was over. "The cabinet has passed a resolution (prastaav) requesting the Centre for grant of special category status to Bihar", Kumar wrote in a lengthy post in which he also said that the fresh demand was necessitated by findings of the caste survey his government carried out in the state. Kumar said that while the rise in percentage of population of the deprived castes has led to increase in the quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs from 50 to 65 per cent, his government also planned to undertake a number of welfare measures for the benefit of "94 lakh families", which according to the survey lived in abject poverty. "We intend to provide, in instalments, an

Bihar to set up permanent checkposts in a bid to curb illegal sand mining

The Bihar government has directed district authorities to construct permanent checkposts at sensitive locations to curb illegal sand mining in the state, an official said on Monday. The process for setting up such a surveillance infrastructure has already been initiated in Bhojpur, Jamui, Nawada, Rohtas, Aurangabad and Kaimur districts. The move comes after attacks on police personnel and officials of the Mines and Geology Department by the sand mafia were reported from several districts. "Instructions to construct checkposts were issued to district authorities in a recent meeting chaired by the director of the Mines and Geology Department of the state government," the official said. According to the minutes of the meeting, a copy of which is with PTI, four permanent checkposts will be built in Patna. "Officials have been directed to identify locations and construct checkposts in Banka, Saran, Kaimur, Gaya and Patna districts at the earliest. There are around 267 sand ghats in the

Chhath Puja: Security tightened, medical camps set up at ghats in Bihar

Elaborate arrangements have been made by the Bihar government across the state for the third day of the Chhath Puja on Sunday, when lakhs of devotees offer evening prayers to the Sun God, officials said. The Patna district administration has bolstered security at all the 100 ghats along river Ganga here and other places in the state to avert any untoward incident, they said. Besides, a number of medical camps have also been set up at the ghats, the officials said. Around 5,000 additional security personnel have been deployed in the state capital to manage the crowd. More than 300 disaster response force personnel are also present at the different ghats in the city, a senior police officer said. The four-day festival, in which worshippers fast and pay obeisance to the deity on the last two days, began on Friday. Devotees will offer evening arghya' (prayers) to the Sun God on Sunday. The festival will end on Monday, with worshippers offering morning arghya' to the rising sun.

Will launch movement if Bihar not given special category status: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced that he will launch a state-wide movement if the Centre does not grant special category status to the state at the earliest. The JD(U) leader, who has been demanding special status for many years, said the state needs this in order to move forward. If the Centre does not grant special status to Bihar at the earliest, we will launch a state-wide movement The demand for a special status will be heard in every nook and corner of the state during the movement, he said while speaking at a function here. Those who do not support the demand are not interested in the development of the state, Kumar said. He said the Bihar legislature recently cleared bills to hike the quota for deprived castes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent in government jobs and educational institutions, taking the overall reservation to 75 per cent, on the basis of the caste survey, conducted by the state government. We have planned a number of welfare initiatives

Bihar CM Kumar pays tribute to Maulana Azad on his birth anniversary

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday paid tribute to freedom fighter and India's first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, on his birth anniversary."Greetings on National Education Day. The birthday of the country's first Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, is celebrated as National Education Day. His significant contribution to the country will always be remembered. Respectful homage to him," Bihar CM Nitish Kumar posted on X in Hindi.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to the country's first Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, on his birth anniversary and said "Azad's commitment to education was commendable and his efforts in shaping modern India continue to guide many people""Remembering Maulana Azad on his birth anniversary. A profound scholar and a pillar of India's freedom struggle, his commitment to education was commendable. His efforts in shaping modern India continue to guide many people," PM Modi posted on X.Today is ...

Spoke like C-grade movie star: NCW on Bihar CM's remarks over birth control

She demanded that the Bihar CM's remarks be expunged from the Assembly's records