Page 24 - Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar in soup over his 'birth control lessons' in Bihar Assembly

A day after his remarks on educated women and family planning sparked controversy, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday apologised for his statement

Bihar assembly adjourned till 2 pm as oppn demands resignation of Nitish

The Bihar Assembly was on Wednesday adjourned till 2 pm, soon after the commencement of proceedings, as the opposition BJP kept demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over remarks he had made on the previous day about women. As soon as the House had assembled at 11 am, Leader of the Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha rose in his seat alleging that Kumar had become a "mental" case, was unfit to govern the state and should resign. The chief minister, who was present in the House, rose to offer his explanation and said "I have expressed my regret while talking to journalists outside the House. I am ready to do so again. If my words have caused any hurt, I condemn myself (main apni ninda karta hoon)". The septuagenarian added "the context in which I had made the remarks must not be lost sight of. I have always been a strong votary of women's education and it was a eureka moment for me when I saw a direct correlation between education levels among women and fertility ...

Nitish's comment on women's education to control population triggers row

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's comment on the importance of women's education to control the population raised a storm on Tuesday with the opposition BJP tearing into him. Emphasising the importance of education among women to control the population, Kumar put forward a vivid description in the assembly of how an educated woman can restrain her husband during sexual intercourse. "The husband's acts led to more births. However, with education, a woman knows how to restrain him... this is the reason the numbers (of births) are coming down," he said in a rustic style. "You, journalists also understand it well. Earlier it (fertility rate) was 4.3, but it has now reached 2.9. And, soon we will reach 2," he added. The opposition BJP charged Kumar with "bringing shame" to the state's women by speaking of the procreation process in detail. BJP MLAs Gayatri Devi and Sweety Hembram told reporters that "age has caught up with the chief minister who seems to have lost all sense of ...

A third of Bihar's 29.7 mn families survive for less than Rs 200 a day

Nitish says Bill soon to increase quota to 65%

MP election LIVE: PM Modi addresses voters of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023 Live Updates: Catch all the latest updates of Madhya Pradesh elections 2023 here

Not much progress in INDIA, Cong more interested in state polls: Bihar CM

'The Congress seems to be more interested in the upcoming state Assembly elections,' said Nitish Kumar on Thursday

Madhya Pradesh election LIVE: Kamal Nath files nomination from Chhindwara

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023 Live Updates: Catch all the latest updates of Madhya Pradesh elections 2023 here

Madhya Pradesh polls: Nitish Kumar's JD(U) announces list of 5 candidates

JD(U) is the third non-Congress party of the INDIA bloc after the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to announce candidates for the MP polls

North East Express train derails In Bihar; Over 100 injured

At least four people were killed and around 100 others injured after the North East Express train derailed in Bihar on October 11. Watch the video to know more.

Data collected during caste survey to be tabled in Bihar Assembly: CM

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said details collected as part of the caste survey, including the economic condition of households, will be tabled before the state assembly. He was responding to queries from journalists, on the sidelines of a function organised here to mark the birth anniversary of legendary socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan, by whom he had been inspired, as an engineering student in the 1970s, to take the political plunge. "What we have accomplished is being talked about across the country. Now, as the next step, we will place on record details like the economic condition of households which will give a clearer picture. This will be done in the next session of the assembly," the chief minister said. The JD(U) leader, however, ducked queries as to whether the survey, which has shown OBCs and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) to be nearly two-thirds of the population, would be followed by a rise in quotas to ensure proportionate representation. "It

SC won't stop Bihar from publishing caste survey data. Here's why

The bench sought a response from the Bihar government over the matter within four weeks

Rahul Gandhi's call for 'jitni abadi, utna haq' will kill India: Rijiju

Slamming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said that the former is playing with fire

Assam govt to conduct socio-economic assessment of Muslim communities

The Assam government on Tuesday said that it will conduct a socio-economic survey of the state's five indigenous Muslim communities so that measures can be taken for their upliftment. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with senior officials at the state secretariat regarding it. "In a meeting held at Janata Bhawan, HCM Dr @himantabiswa directed the officials concerned to carry out a socio-economic assessment of Assam's Indigenous Muslim communities (Goria, Moria, Deshi, Syed & Jolha)," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) posted on X. The findings of the assessment will guide the state government to take suitable measures, aimed at comprehensive socio-political and educational upliftment of the indigenous minorities, it said. The development comes a day after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released findings of its much-awaited caste survey, months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute 63 per cent of the state's total .

Bihar caste census: 63% people from backward, extremely backward classes

According to the survey, 27.1 per cent of Bihar's population is from Backward Classes while 36 per cent of the population is from Extremely Backward Classes (EBC)

OBCs, EBCs comprise more than 63% of Bihar's population: Caste survey

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Monday released findings of its much-awaited caste survey, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 per cent of the state's total population. According to the data released here by Development Commissioner Vivek Singh, the state's total population stood at a little over 13.07 crore, out of which, the Extremely Backward Classes (36 per cent) were the largest social segment followed by the Other Backward Classes at 27.13 per cent. The survey also stated that Yadavs, the OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, were the largest in terms of population, accounting for 14.27 per cent of the total. Notably, the survey was ordered last year after the Narendra Modi government at the Centre made it clear that it would not be able to undertake a headcount of castes other than SCs and STs as part of the census.

Bihar govt promoting cultivation of aromatic, medicinal plants: Minister

To encourage farmers to diversify from traditional paddy cultivation to commercially viable farming, the Bihar government has come out with several incentives and subsidies for planting aromatic and medicinal plants in the state. The state agriculture department has come out with several incentives for farmers to promote cultivation of 'lemongrass', 'palmarosa', 'shatavari', 'tulsi', mulberry', 'khas', 'gooseberry', 'bael', 'tamarind', 'jackfruit', and lemon plants. Bihar Agriculture Minister Kumar Sarvjeet told PTI on Saturday that, "The government is coming out with several incentives and subsidies to farmers to help cultivate aromatic and medicinal plants in the state. The growing health awareness has created a lot of opportunities for innovation in the agriculture sector and the government is helping farmers to exploit this opportunity. This is the time Bihar farmers must opt from traditional paddy cultivation to commercially viable farming". This scheme will be implemented main

Main aim is to strengthen INDIA: Nitish on speculations of return to NDA

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday rubbished speculations in a section of the media about his party JD(U)'s return to the BJP-led NDA, with which it snapped ties around a year ago, and said his prime concern was to strengthen opposition INDIA bloc. Responding to reporters' queries on the speculations, Kumar said, "Kya faltu baat hai" (what rubbish!). The JD(U) leader, who is a key figure in the anti-BJP INDIA coalition, also voiced his disapproval of party colleagues talking about him having "all qualities for making a good PM". "I have already told my party colleagues not to make such statements. My only wish is to strengthen the unity of the INDIA alliance. I am working only in this direction," he said. Bihar Assembly Deputy Speaker and senior JD(U) leader Maheshwar Hazari had said that no one is more capable of becoming the PM candidate of the INDIA alliance than Nitish Kumar. On a question on possibility of cabinet expansion, Kumar put the ball in his deputy Tejashwi

Delayed for 1st time, census should begin immediately: Bihar CM Nitish

A day after the Centre asserted that the census would begin soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said the enumeration exercise should commence "immediately". The JD(U) supreme leader also said the census should have been completed in 2021, claiming that the "decadal census has been delayed in the country for the first time". Why wait for the 2024 Lok Sabha pollswhy not now? The decadal census should begin immediately. The Centre should start the enumeration exercise immediately," Kumar told reporters here when asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement on the census. Shah on Wednesday asserted that the census would begin soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "The enumeration exercise should have been completed in 2021. This is for the first time, the decadal census has been delayed in the country. There is no need to delay it further. We wanted a caste-based headcount along with the census but the Centre did not agree. ...

Have been vocal for women's quota since I was MP: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asserted that he was in support of women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies though there must be provisions for adequate representation of SCs, STs, OBCs and EBCs. Speaking to reporters, he urged the Centre to move fast on implementing the proposals in the women's reservation bill by conducting the census, and consider his long-standing demand for a caste census. "I have been in support of women's reservation. Why should they not be assured representation? My speeches during the days I was a member of parliament bear testimony to my stand that remains unchanged," said Kumar. "We have ensured adequate representation of women wherever it is possible. In panchayats, urban local bodies, government jobs, including the police force, the representation of women in Bihar is highest for any state in the country," he added. Kumar said it must also be ensured that there is a provision for ensuring that women from SCs, STs, OBCs and

Hum taiyyar hai, says Nitish on possibility of LS polls being advanced

, Claiming the ruling BJP at the Centre was planning to bring forward Lok Sabha elections, Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar on Monday said, "'Humlog har samay taiyyar hai (We are always ready)". The JD (U) leader, who had snapped ties with BJP a year ago and has played an instrumental role in bringing various opposition parties together in forming the INDIA bloc, also asserted that the multi-party alliance was 'intact', dispelling apprehensions of internal rift. I have been saying that the NDA government at the Centre is planning to hold early Lok Sabha polls. Humlog Har Samai Tayyar Hai (We are always ready) ... Let them hold it early, Kumar told reporters here. The CM made the remark here in reply to questions from journalists who sought his views on the possibility of advancing Lok Sabha polls by the Center. Kumar said, We all are united and intact. We have been working for the people and will continue to serve people. We have done a lot of developmental work in Bihar. From ..