Page 31 - Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar presents Rs 2.61 trillion Budget, affirms confidence in Bihar

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Tuesday presented a Rs 2.61 lakh crore budget, asserting that the state's finances were in a good shape as evident from markers like the fiscal deficit being under the prescribed conditional limit. Tabling the budget before the state assembly, Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary also flagged concerns like a drop in grants in aid received from the Centre, compared to the previous year, though Bihar's share in central taxes saw a rise. The total proposed budget expenditure of Rs 2,61,885.40 crore, for the year 2023-24, was Rs 24,194.21 crore more than the previous financial year. The state government also cited fiscal achievements like the fiscal deficit remaining at 3.78 per cent of the SGDP, which is under the prescribed conditional limit of 4.5 per cent. The budget pointed out that the grants in aid expected from the Centre for the current fiscal was estimated at Rs 53,377.92 crore, which was Rs 4,623.37 crore less" than what was received

People in Bihar upset with the old political leadership: Chirag Paswan

He also added that the people are looking towards young leaders to take the state to new heights with a fresh vision

Jungle Raj prevailing in Bihar, people fed up with govt: Dinesh Sharma

The people of Bihar are fed up with the Nitish Kumar government as "jungle raj" (lawlessness) prevails in the state, BJP leader Dinesh Sharma said on Sunday. He alleged that anti-social elements have been roaming freely in Bihar ever since Kumar joined hands with the RJD. "Nitish-Tejashwi-free Bihar has become the voice of people of the state," the former deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh told reporters here. Terming Nitish Kumar "the biggest opportunist", Sharma said the Bihar chief minister's statements against the BJP are just desperate acts. About the BSP and Samajwadi party's demand for a caste survey, he said these parties never made such a move while in power. "They raised the issue since they have so far not succeeded in dividing people based on caste and religion," the BJP leader alleged.

BJP has closed its door forever for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, says Amit Shah

During the UPA government, the Centre had granted Rs 50,000 crore to Bihar while the Narendra Modi government has provided a grant of Rs 1.09 lakh crore since 2014

Upendra Kushwaha to launch 'Virasat Bachao Naman Yatra' on Feb 28

After forming a new political party in Bihar, Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday said that he will start the Virasat Bachao Naman Yatra in the state from February 28

Nitish Kumar will not give the CM's chair to Tejashwi, says BJP leader

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council Samrat Chaudhary claimed that CM Nitish Kumar is fooling coalition partner RJD, and will not hand over his post to his deputy Tejashwi Yadav

JD(U) rebel leader Kushwaha likely to address 5,000 supporters today

Upendra Kushwaha and state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have been at loggerheads ever since the latter announced that Tejashwi Yadav will lead the Mahagathbandhan in the 2025 Assembly election

RJD MLA writes angry letter to Nitish Kumar, shares it on social media

RJD MLA Sudhaker Singh, whose insolence had cost him his cabinet berth, on Saturday shot off an angry letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alleging that the veteran leader had "lost trust of the people". The legislator, on whom the party had recently slapped a show cause notice but stopped short of disciplinary action, shared his letter, running into three pages, on social media. The first-term MLA appeared to have taken to heart the CM's assertion the day before that his outbursts over farmers' woes in Bihar betrayed ignorance of the government's achievements in agriculture, a portfolio he had held for barely a couple of months. Singh, whose father Jagadanand Singh is the RJD's state president and a confidant of party supremo Lalu Prasad, signed off, tauntingly, as an "MLA with zero knowledge". In his lengthy note, Singh sought to rubbish the longest-serving CM's claims of agricultural growth, adding: "you seem to have developed a fondness for living in delusions. It may not affe

Concept of 'Hindu Rashtra' against Mahatma Gandhi's ideals: Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday frowned upon the Sangh Parivar's concept of India as a Hindu nation, underscoring that this militated against what Mahatma Gandhi stood for. The veteran socialist leader, who ended his long alliance with the BJP last year, was responding to queries from journalists about the Hindu rashtra clamour, which was openly endorsed earlier this week by his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath. We must not listen to anything that goes against what Bapu stood for. In this country, people of all religions live together. Bapu stood for unity and this was the reason for his assassination, said Kumar, who draws inspiration from the Mahatma's views in formulating his ideas of governance. The chief minister also warned that any deviation from Gandhi's insistence on secularism could lead to perversions (jo isse kuchh alag karna chahta hai, vo ulta pulta karna chahta hai). A product of the Bihar movement of 1974, Kumar had aligned with the BJP way back

Nitish Kumar: The one-man army with a strong focus on Opposition unity

He may have named Tejashwi Yadav as his deputy in government. But he has not announced a successor in the JD(U). Hopefuls like Upendra Kushwaha are voicing their displeasure

Nitish Kumar working on someone else's behest: Upendra Kushwaha

Notably, Upendra Kushwaha has convened two days open session of his supporter in Patna on February 19-20 to discuss the prevailing situation in JDU

JD(U) suffered after allying with BJP in 2017, says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asserted that the JD(U)'s realignment with the BJP half a decade ago, which came to an abrupt end last year, had been to the detriment of his party. The JD(U) leader was replying to queries from journalists in Banka district, which he visited as part of the Samadhan Yatra' mass outreach programme. He was asked about the open letter to the party cadre from disgruntled parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha, who has convened a two-day meeting next week to discuss the gradual erosion of support base of the JD(U) and anxieties over a rumoured deal with the RJD, its current ally. A visibly peeved Kumar sought to remind Kushwaha that the latter has been always rewarded by the party despite having ditched it repeatedly and if he keeps airing his grievances in public then it will be construed as he has other plans for himself. When asked whether he thought Kushwaha was forcing his hand at the BJP's behest, Kumar replied cryptically, You can d

Nitish should stop making people of Bihar suffer: Ravi Shankar Prasad

"The people of Bihar have decided to vote for BJP, and riding on that we will win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 2025 Vidhan Sabha elections by big margins," he added

Would rather die than forming alliance with BJP, says Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asserted that he would choose death over any alliance with BJP its former ally

I will rather die than join hands with BJP again, says Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday ruled out the possibility of a realignment with the BJP, asserting that he will "rather die than join hands" with his former ally. The JD(U) leader also reminded the saffron party that while in alliance it used to get votes of all his supporters, including Muslims who have always been "wary" of the BJP's Hindutva ideology. He also scoffed at the BJP's claim that it would win 36 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state next year. Kumar reiterated that his return to the NDA in 2017, following "baseless" corruption cases against his deputy Tejashwi Yadav and the latter's father Lalu Prasad, was a "mistake".

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Nitish asks Upendra Kushwaha to quit amid rumors of being in touch with BJP

Kushwaha retorted saying that he could not leave the party without his share in the 'paternal property'

Ganga water scheme to soon meet drinking water needs in Nawada: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that his government, under its Ganga Water Supply Scheme (GWSS), will soon provide treated flood waters to households of Nawada district. Talking to reporters here, during his ongoing 'Samadhan Yatra', Kumar said the project will meet the drinking water needs of the district. "Work to provide treated flood waters of river Ganga to households in Nawada district is underway on a war footing. It will be completed in the next few months. People of Nawada will soon get sacred Ganga water at home," he underlined. Notably, the CM had launched the scheme, worth Rs 4,175 crore, in Gaya and Rajgir in November last year. The scheme was approved in a special cabinet meeting held in Gaya in December 2019.

Akhilesh Yadav lauds Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on initiating caste survey

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday lauded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for initiating the caste survey saying that the British too had thought in 1931 about the move, which alone could ensure the development of all castes. Talking to reporters at Janeshwar Mishra Park, named after the party member and former MP, Yadav said, "The caste survey is not made today. The British had thought that a caste survey should be done in 1931. The rights of the constitution can be given to different castes and communities only when their count is known." "I appreciate and congratulate Bihar Chief Minister for this," he said, after paying his tributes to Mishra. He said that his party has been demanding such a survey for long, and that he too had during his election rallies promised to initiate it within three months of formation of government. About his recent Telengana visit, Yadav said he had gone there at the invitation of Telangana Chief Minister, who had invited several other

Steps being taken for sustainable devpt of fisheries sector in Bihar: CM

Interacting with reporters during his Sadbhavna Yatra in Kulharia block in Bhojpur district, he said Bihar is working towards achieving self-sufficiency in fish cultivation