Page 30 - Nitish Kumar

Hooch tragedy: Nitish makes U-turn, announces ex-gratia for victims' kin

Making a U-turn on paying compensation to the victims of hooch tragedies in dry Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced conditional payment of an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died after drinking spurious liquor. The death toll at Motihari in East Champaran district rose to 26 on Monday, with four more people losing their lives after consuming the illicit liquor, police said. We have decided to provide ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. But, the amount will only be given if their family members say in writing to the district magistrate concerned that the death took place after consuming illicit liquor. They will have to disclose the source from where the alcohol was procured, too, Kumar told reporters. This is a reversal of his earlier stand that the family members of those who died after drinking hooch would be paid no compensation by his government. After 26 people died in a hooch tragedy in December 2022,

Caste census will be beneficial for all sections of society: CM Nitish

Supporting the Congress' demand for an up-to-date caste census in the country, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said it would be beneficial for all sections of the society. The survey report would help the government in better implementation of welfare schemes for the socially and economically disadvantaged groups, the chief minister said. We have been in favour of the caste census right from the very beginning. When the central government refused to do so, we decided to conduct the caste survey on our own. It is going on in the state. The exercise will provide data to the government for carrying out works for the benefit of weaker sections of the society, Kumar told reporters here. The month-long second phase of caste headcount is underway in Bihar from April 15 to May 15. The enumeration exercise, which started from January 7, will be completed by May. The Congress is the alliance partner of the Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) government in Bihar. Congress presiden

Bihar hooch tragedy: Nitish announces aid of Rs 4 lakh each to next of kin

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he is deeply pained over the deaths in the suspected hooch tragedy at Motihari in East Champaran district, and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. The death toll rose to 26 on Monday, with four more people losing their lives after consuming the spurious liquor, police said. I am deeply pained at what happened in Motihari I know that the majority of people who die in such incidents belong to the economically weaker sections Despite our best attempts, hooch incidents are taking place in the state and people are dying after consuming spurious liquor, Kumar told reporters. We have decided to provide ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. But, the amount will only be given if their family members give in writing to the district magistrate concerned that the death took place after consuming illicit liquor. They will have to disclose the source from where the alcohol was ...

Toll rises to 22 in hooch tragedy, BJP accuses Nitish govt of 'mass murder'

As the death toll in a suspected hooch tragedy in Bihar's East Champaran district rose to 22 on Sunday, the opposition BJP alleged that the incident was a "mass murder by the Nitish Kumar government". Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, accused the state administration of "protecting liquor mafias who are associated with the ruling JD(U) and the RJD". The party will approach the National Human Rights Commission and other such central bodies to conduct a "probe into the hooch tragedy", former state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal said. Twenty-two people in Turkauliya, Harsiddhi, Sugauli and Paharpur villages of Motihari have so far died after allegedly consuming illicit liquor, the East Champaran district police said in a statement. At least twenty-nine others are battling for their lives at Sadar and different hospitals in the district. Condition of four patients is reported to be critical," it said. A team of BJP leaders visited some of the villages in the ...

Nitish Kumar reprises role played by George Fernandes in formation of NDA

After the successful meeting with opposition leaders in Delhi, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is turning out to be the biggest challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 elections

6 dead after consuming spurious liquor, CM Nitish calls it sad incident

Reacting to the hooch tragedy in Motihari, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said that it's a sad incident and asked for all information related to it

Nitish Kumar backs Kejriwal over CBI summon, says people respect him

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar termed the CBI summon to his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in connection with the Delhi excise policy case as 'wrong'

A big test for Opposition unity

Nitish Kumar's efforts in Bihar were hindered by the lack of a grand vision for state-building, but now with the Congress' blessings, he has the opportunity to create something new

Those who will vote for BJP in 2024 LS polls will bring destruction: Nitish

Launching a veiled attack on the BJP-led NDA, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said those who will vote for them in the next year's Lok Sabha elections will bring destruction on themselves. Kumar, who dumped the BJP in August last year and formed the Mahagathbandhan government, claimed that he has been working to forge opposition unity. I am working towards forging opposition unity...but I am not a claimant for the prime minister's post. All opposition parties are united over forming an alliance against the BJP-led government at the Centre before the 2024 general elections," the JD(U) supremo said. He was addressing party workers at a JD(U) office here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution. "I must tell one thing that those who will vote for them (BJP) in the coming general elections will bring destruction on themselves and the country and those who will vote for us will ensure the well-being of themselves, t

As Nitish tries to bring Opposition together, here's a look at his journey

The Bihar CM met with Congress leadership on Wednesday and indicated he would work towards bringing the Opposition together ahead of the 2024 General Elections

Opposition leaders united on forming pre-poll alliance, talks on: Nitish

Asserting that leaders of most opposition parties are united on forging a pre-poll alliance against the BJP-led NDA before the 2024 general elections, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said "talks are on". He told newspersons after arriving at Patna's Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport, that he had held talks with several opposition leaders on the issue during his recent Delhi visit. I met several opposition leaders during my stay in Delhi Sab log ek paksh mein hin bol rahein hain (All are speaking in one voice), he said. "We are working to forge an alliance against the BJP-led NDA before the 2024 general elections. Talks are on with other non-BJP leadersit will continue in future too, Kumar elaborated. He added that most leaders had conveyed to him that they were willing to join hands to fight BJP unitedly. This is not the first time I met non-BJP leaders in Delhi. Talks with other non-BJP leaders are onThey (leaders of opposition parties) have also ...

BJP spokesperson takes a dig at Kejriwal, calls him 'Natwarlal of politics'

The BJP on Thursday called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the "Natwarlal of Indian politics" and said he has given the biggest example of "political conversion" by deciding to ally with the coalition of corrupts. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said he can understand the "political helplessness" of Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar to forge an alliance with the Congress and the RJD, but he failed to understand why Kejriwal, a "political pinocchio", decided to make a U-turn on corruption. On Wednesday, Kejriwal met Kumar and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav at his residence in New Delhi. The meeting came hours after the Bihar leaders met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi as part of Kumar's initiative to forge an alliance of opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "We understand Nitish ji's political helplessness. But what is the political compulsion and helplessness of Arvind Kejriwal, who was born to fight against ...

Nitish Kumar should know PM post for 2024 not vacant: Giriraj Singh

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday took a swipe at Nitish Kumar a day after the Bihar chief minister met with Congress leaders Mallikarkun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi

Nitish meets Cong, AAP in attempt for Oppn unity for 2024; BJP hits back

Anurag Thakur took a swipe at the opposition parties over their efforts to forge unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 elections and said these parties were coming together for 'Maha thug Bandhan'

Owasi targets Nitish Kumar govt again over communal violence in Bihar

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday stepped up his attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after the police there reportedly said the violence during Ram Navami was pre-planned, saying as to why the state government "was sleeping". This comes a few days after the Hyderabad MP had slammed the Bihar and West Bengal governments over the processions during festivities leading to violence on Ram Navami. "I had said earlier that it was pre-planned. When it was pre-planned, why were you people sleeping?... It is the failure of the Nitish Kumar-RJD government. They proved to be a failure in stopping this violence," he told reporters here. The authorities gave permission for a procession and the police remained a mute spectator when a madrasa is burnt in front of them, Owaisi alleged. "When such a major violence takes place, the government so far does not talk about giving compensation. You (Bihar government) don't suspend those policemen. Instead of that, you do 'Iftar', eating .

Nitish blames Centre for 'not supplying' adequate Covid vaccines to Bihar

With Covid-19 cases once again increasing in the country, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alleged on Monday that the Central government is not supplying adequate Covid vaccines to the state

Bihar cabinet approves rules for hiring school teachers, 4% DA hike

The Bihar Cabinet on Monday approved new rules under which the state government will constitute a Commission for recruiting teachers in government schools. It was also decided at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that the government will increase the dearness allowance (DA) of the state employees and pensioners by four per cent. Earlier, the recruitment of teachers was held at panchayat, block and district levels... Under the new rule, the government will appoint teachers through a Commission, S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. According to a senior education department official, around 1.5 lakh teachers from primary to senior secondary stages will now be appointed on the basis of the revised guidelines. Around 9,350 upgraded higher secondary schools in the state are facing an acute shortage of teachers. Under the new rule, appointments will not be made on a contractual basis. Those ...

Bihar CM Nitish urges Centre to provide fresh Covid-19 vaccine stocks

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday urged the Centre to provide fresh stocks of COVID vaccine vials so that administering of jabs, which is currently on hold, could be resumed. Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of a function, he also asserted that his government was "alert" in view of rising incidence of COVID cases in some parts of the country, though Bihar was not one of them. "Our testing rate is much higher than the national average, which is six lakh tests per one million people. We are conducting eight lakh tests. Bihar accounts for about one fourth of the total number of tests conducted across the country", claimed Kumar. He underscored that the current spike was noticed in those parts of the country which were the worst affected when the coronavirus had caused a global pandemic. "In Bihar cases are very few but we are alert, nonetheless. In places like hospitals wearing of masks is being reinforced. We were also carrying out vaccination till our supply drie

Bihar riots were orchestrated, culprits will be exposed soon: CM Nitish

With dust settling on communal disturbances in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday rejected charges of administrative laxity and vented spleen against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP, vowing to expose those who had orchestrated the riots. The JD(U) leader also lambasted AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, calling him an agent of the BJP. He was replying to queries from journalists on the sidelines of a function organised on the occasion of birth anniversary of former deputy prime minister and dalit stalwart Babu Jagjeevan Ram. Kumar's remarks come a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the BJP was bringing in goons to create riots in her state. The Bihar CM taunted Shah over the much-publicised rioters will be hung upside down if BJP comes to power in Bihar remark at a rally in Nawada district on Sunday, and reminded him of riots in 2017 when our government had to arrest the son of a BJP leader". The allusion was to the riots that broke

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has lost his will to govern Bihar: BJP

The BJP on Monday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for communal violence in the state, saying he seems to have lost his will to govern and asked him to "stop dreaming about becoming prime minister and instead take care of the state". While former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned Kumar's willingness to handle the situation, former Bihar deputy CM and MP Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at the state's ruling alliance leaders for blaming the BJP and right wing organisations for violence wondering as to why the government has then not then exposed such a conspiracy. "If it is a BJP conspiracy, then why did you not expose it? Lakhs of people who participated in Ram Navami processions across the state are not BJP members but belong to the Hindu society. They can be from any party. For the first time in his over 17 years tenure as CM, Nitish Kumar has been unable to control such a situation even after so many days," Modi said. Prasad said no incident was reported last year a