The Super 30 coaching institute here has witnessed complete success for the second consecutive year with all 30 of its students clearing the highly competitive Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE), the institute announced Monday.
"Everyone is in a celebratory mood. We distributed lots of sweets," said Nagendra Ram, a Super 30 student.
The institute selects talented students from poor families and provides them with free coaching, food and accommodation so that they can focus on passing the IIT-JEE exam.
"Hard work, proper guidance and supervision are the secrets of our success," Anand Kumar, director of Super 30, told IANS.
Santosh Kumar, another Super 30 student, said the facilities and encouragement from the faculty made it possible for him to crack the tough exam.
In 2003, the first year of the institute, 18 students made it to the prestigious IITs. The number rose to 22 in 2004 and 26 in 2005. In 2007 and 2006, 28 students made it through ITT-JEE.
"We were sure of positive results as we teach them to eat, sleep, walk and talk only IIT," reiterated Anand.
He said the institute is supported by the income generated from his Ramanujam School of Mathematics, which has students who can afford to pay fees.
Super 30 was started by Anand along with Bihar's Additional Director General of Police Abhyanand. But last year Abhyanand dissociated himself from the institute.
The success story of Super 30 was telecast by the Discovery Channel in March this year.
"Super 30 is an amazing initiative and it needs to be taken to maximum people around the globe," said Christopher Mitchell, whose film for Discovery also bagged the Audience Choice Award at the sixth Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
Two years ago, Norika Fujiwara, a former Japanese beauty queen and actress, made a documentary film on Super 30 for its innovative and successful attempt to send poor children to India's top engineering colleges.link
Monday 25 May 2009
Naxalites gun down wanted dacoit in Bihar
Naxalites gunned down a wanted dacoit in Bihar's East Champaran district for allegedly extorting money from people posing as a Maoist, police said on Monday.
"Bihkara Prasad (35) was shot dead by Naxals at Bihsunpur village in the district yesterday. After killing him the rebels fled, leaving behind leaflets saying those trying to malign the organisation would also face the same consequence," DSP (Pakridayal sub division) M K Anand told reporters here.
Prasad was wanted in a case of dacoity, he said, adding that efforts were on to arrest the criminals.link
"Bihkara Prasad (35) was shot dead by Naxals at Bihsunpur village in the district yesterday. After killing him the rebels fled, leaving behind leaflets saying those trying to malign the organisation would also face the same consequence," DSP (Pakridayal sub division) M K Anand told reporters here.
Prasad was wanted in a case of dacoity, he said, adding that efforts were on to arrest the criminals.link
Saturday 23 May 2009
Poor representation of Bihar in the Union cabinet
The wheel has turned a full circle in almost 18 long years. After the 1991 parliamentary election only one minister from Bihar, Krishna Shahi, was inducted into the Narasimha Rao cabinet. She was minister of state for industry. In 2009 only Meira Kumar found her place. Like Shahi she also comes from the family of old Congressman. She is the daughter of former deputy Prime Minister, Jagjiwan Ram. Meira was the minister of state in the outgoing cabinet too.
While Shahi comes from Bhumihar caste Meira, who incidentally got the cabinet rank this time, is a Dalit. While in 1991 Congress won only one seat this time it got two, thus there is a scope for one more ministry in the future. However, unlike 1991-96 there is no scope of Congress later getting any minister from the Rajya Sabha quota as there is no member in the Upper House from the party nor can there be any in the near future as the party has only nine MLAs in the Bihar assembly.
So once again it is the era of poor representation of Bihar in the Union cabinet. Between June 1, 1996 when Deve Gowda took over as the Prime Minister to May 16, 2009 Bihar had a great time so far representation in the cabinet is concerned. At times there used to be 10 to 11 ministers from the state. Be it Gowda, Gujral, Vajpayee or Manmohan cabinet, ministers from Bihar always got good portfolios such as Railways, Finance, Defence, Rural Development, Civil Aviation, Steel and Fertilizer, Communication etc.
After 13 long years Bihar has lost its bargaining position. Howsoever, critical one may be of Lalu Yadav-Ram Vilas Paswan duo one can not deny that it was due to them that Bihar got some mega projects in the last few years. Be it the number of trains, zonal headquarters (at Hajipur), engine factories, steel plants or IIT and central university the two leaders did make some efforts. In November last year they shared dais with the chief minister Nitish Kumar in the function organized for the revival of the sick fertilsier plant in Barauni. However, it is also true that some of the projects started by them failed to become operational till yet.
Before them the 11-strong ministers from Bihar in the Vajpayee cabinet also made their own contributions. Nitish Kumar brought railway projects such as bridges over Ganga in Patna and Munger and Kosi at one place, workshop at Harnaut, doubling and electrification of railway tracks etc. Besides, it was due to his efforts that the NTPC plant came to Barh. It is other thing that due to political considerations work is going on at snail’s pace in these projects. Now it is feared that these projects may get delayed further.
It needs to be mentioned that before 1990 Bihar was a neglected state. Same party government in the Centre and state was being attributed to the absence of investment. The state Congress leaders did not have the guts to ask for more help even though the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in the late 1980s announced Rs 5,700 crore package for Bihar––though it is alleged that it remained only on paper.
In the early 1990s this phenomenon continued. The state got embroiled in the Mandal-Mandir controversy. Lalu Yadav was more interested in empowering the backward castes and Dalits. However, as the chief minister he called for the better royalty on coal and other minerals from the state and removal of freight equalization policy which hit Bihar and other mineral rich states very hard. He also called for the implementation of Gadgil formula for state’s share. However, there was no one to push these demands of Bihar in the Centre.
After 1996 the situation did change a little. Be it Ram Vilas Paswan between 1996 and 1998 and Nitish Kumar and others after 1998 they all thought that if they want to counter the growing influence of Lalu Yadav they would have to adopt some different approach. Though Paswan was in the same party in which Lalu was (then Janata Dal) he wanted to develop his own separate constituency. The development works he initiated was largely meant to accommodate his own men and give them contracts. Unlike Lalu, who was then the chief minister of Bihar for over six long years, he had no other option to keep his flock together. Nitish and other ministers from Bihar also adopted the same strategy later.
Though this investment story had an abrupt start it at least helped Bihar grow. After Bokaro Steel Plant of early 1960s––it is now in Jharkhand––Bihar had never seen so much investment in such a short time. Lalit Narayan Mishra did bring some trains in the early 1970s but he was then assassinated. Strangely the catalyst for change was none else but Lalu Yadav. Thus there was gradual shift in the state politics.
Bihar lost the mineral rich portion of Jharkhand in November 2000. The state assembly resolution of Rs 1,79,000 crore special package as compensation was never accepted, yet during the Vajpayee government and then again under Manmohan Singh government, investments of more than Rs one lakh crore came to Bihar, most of them once again in railways. However, several mega power and road projects too were taken up by the Centre. Investments also came in the field of rural roads, rural electrification, communication etc.
A decade and a half later Bihar, it is feared, will be back to where it was in the early 1990s. The state Congress leaders simply do not have the courage to espouse the cause of Bihar. They do not have even the nuisance value. Now much depends on the maneuvering skill of the chief minister, Nitish Kumar. But the establishment in Delhi is too thick-skinned to feel and too deaf to listen. Let us see how it works now.link
While Shahi comes from Bhumihar caste Meira, who incidentally got the cabinet rank this time, is a Dalit. While in 1991 Congress won only one seat this time it got two, thus there is a scope for one more ministry in the future. However, unlike 1991-96 there is no scope of Congress later getting any minister from the Rajya Sabha quota as there is no member in the Upper House from the party nor can there be any in the near future as the party has only nine MLAs in the Bihar assembly.
So once again it is the era of poor representation of Bihar in the Union cabinet. Between June 1, 1996 when Deve Gowda took over as the Prime Minister to May 16, 2009 Bihar had a great time so far representation in the cabinet is concerned. At times there used to be 10 to 11 ministers from the state. Be it Gowda, Gujral, Vajpayee or Manmohan cabinet, ministers from Bihar always got good portfolios such as Railways, Finance, Defence, Rural Development, Civil Aviation, Steel and Fertilizer, Communication etc.
After 13 long years Bihar has lost its bargaining position. Howsoever, critical one may be of Lalu Yadav-Ram Vilas Paswan duo one can not deny that it was due to them that Bihar got some mega projects in the last few years. Be it the number of trains, zonal headquarters (at Hajipur), engine factories, steel plants or IIT and central university the two leaders did make some efforts. In November last year they shared dais with the chief minister Nitish Kumar in the function organized for the revival of the sick fertilsier plant in Barauni. However, it is also true that some of the projects started by them failed to become operational till yet.
Before them the 11-strong ministers from Bihar in the Vajpayee cabinet also made their own contributions. Nitish Kumar brought railway projects such as bridges over Ganga in Patna and Munger and Kosi at one place, workshop at Harnaut, doubling and electrification of railway tracks etc. Besides, it was due to his efforts that the NTPC plant came to Barh. It is other thing that due to political considerations work is going on at snail’s pace in these projects. Now it is feared that these projects may get delayed further.
It needs to be mentioned that before 1990 Bihar was a neglected state. Same party government in the Centre and state was being attributed to the absence of investment. The state Congress leaders did not have the guts to ask for more help even though the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in the late 1980s announced Rs 5,700 crore package for Bihar––though it is alleged that it remained only on paper.
In the early 1990s this phenomenon continued. The state got embroiled in the Mandal-Mandir controversy. Lalu Yadav was more interested in empowering the backward castes and Dalits. However, as the chief minister he called for the better royalty on coal and other minerals from the state and removal of freight equalization policy which hit Bihar and other mineral rich states very hard. He also called for the implementation of Gadgil formula for state’s share. However, there was no one to push these demands of Bihar in the Centre.
After 1996 the situation did change a little. Be it Ram Vilas Paswan between 1996 and 1998 and Nitish Kumar and others after 1998 they all thought that if they want to counter the growing influence of Lalu Yadav they would have to adopt some different approach. Though Paswan was in the same party in which Lalu was (then Janata Dal) he wanted to develop his own separate constituency. The development works he initiated was largely meant to accommodate his own men and give them contracts. Unlike Lalu, who was then the chief minister of Bihar for over six long years, he had no other option to keep his flock together. Nitish and other ministers from Bihar also adopted the same strategy later.
Though this investment story had an abrupt start it at least helped Bihar grow. After Bokaro Steel Plant of early 1960s––it is now in Jharkhand––Bihar had never seen so much investment in such a short time. Lalit Narayan Mishra did bring some trains in the early 1970s but he was then assassinated. Strangely the catalyst for change was none else but Lalu Yadav. Thus there was gradual shift in the state politics.
Bihar lost the mineral rich portion of Jharkhand in November 2000. The state assembly resolution of Rs 1,79,000 crore special package as compensation was never accepted, yet during the Vajpayee government and then again under Manmohan Singh government, investments of more than Rs one lakh crore came to Bihar, most of them once again in railways. However, several mega power and road projects too were taken up by the Centre. Investments also came in the field of rural roads, rural electrification, communication etc.
A decade and a half later Bihar, it is feared, will be back to where it was in the early 1990s. The state Congress leaders simply do not have the courage to espouse the cause of Bihar. They do not have even the nuisance value. Now much depends on the maneuvering skill of the chief minister, Nitish Kumar. But the establishment in Delhi is too thick-skinned to feel and too deaf to listen. Let us see how it works now.link
Villagers bar headmaster for stealing students' lunch
After he was caught stealing rice meant for schoolchildren's lunch, the headmaster of a primary school in Bihar's Begusarai district has been banned from the school by irate villagers, police said Saturday.
Pitambar Pathak, headmaster of a government-run school in Puwari Tola village under Teghra block of the district, 126 km from state capital Patna, was caught selling rice to a local trader Monday by the villagers, police officers said.
The rice was meant for the Mid Day Meal scheme that aims to attract children to school and improve their nutrition levels too.
On being caught, Pathak admitted to his crime before the villagers and publicly apologised for it. The villagers fined him before he was allowed to leave the village.
However, Pathak Tuesday lodged a case of extortion against the villagers at the local police station. This angered the villagers and the school remained closed for the next three days.
When the school re-opened Friday, the villagers announced Pathak would not be allowed to enter the premises until strict action was initiated against him. Some villagers demanded his arrest also.
Officials of the district education department have lodged a case against Pathak.
This is not the first case when a teacher in the state was caught selling food meant for the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. In the last one year, rice and other foodgrains meant for the scheme were found in the house of teachers and several cases of irregularities were reported in the schools, in which teachers were allegedly involved.
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is the world's largest nutritional programme, covering more than one million schools across India. Under it, students in government-run schools are given freen lunch. It was launched in July 1995 to tackle the twin problems of dropout rates in primary schools and nutrition among children from poor families.link
Pitambar Pathak, headmaster of a government-run school in Puwari Tola village under Teghra block of the district, 126 km from state capital Patna, was caught selling rice to a local trader Monday by the villagers, police officers said.
The rice was meant for the Mid Day Meal scheme that aims to attract children to school and improve their nutrition levels too.
On being caught, Pathak admitted to his crime before the villagers and publicly apologised for it. The villagers fined him before he was allowed to leave the village.
However, Pathak Tuesday lodged a case of extortion against the villagers at the local police station. This angered the villagers and the school remained closed for the next three days.
When the school re-opened Friday, the villagers announced Pathak would not be allowed to enter the premises until strict action was initiated against him. Some villagers demanded his arrest also.
Officials of the district education department have lodged a case against Pathak.
This is not the first case when a teacher in the state was caught selling food meant for the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. In the last one year, rice and other foodgrains meant for the scheme were found in the house of teachers and several cases of irregularities were reported in the schools, in which teachers were allegedly involved.
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is the world's largest nutritional programme, covering more than one million schools across India. Under it, students in government-run schools are given freen lunch. It was launched in July 1995 to tackle the twin problems of dropout rates in primary schools and nutrition among children from poor families.link
Patna College to hold alumni meet
Patna College, the oldest institution of higher education in Bihar, is going to publish its Alumni's Who's Who soon. The publication would include the full details of all its alumni located at different places and occupying positions of eminence in public life.
College principal Ras Bihari Prasad Singh told here on Friday that the college would be holding its alumni meet on May 31 after a lapse of over 12 years. The last alumni meet was held in 1996. Former Lt General and governor S K Sinha, former director of higher education Damodar Thakur and several other distinguished alumni are likely to grace the occasion, he added.
Meanwhile, the teachers and students of the college, at a meeting held here on Friday under the presidentship of the principal, expressed their deep sense of shock over the sudden demise of former head of philosophy department, PU, P N Bhagat. Patna University Teachers' Association president Dharm Prakash and general secretary Randhir Kumar Singh and PU dean of students' welfare K N Paswan also attended the meeting. link
College principal Ras Bihari Prasad Singh told here on Friday that the college would be holding its alumni meet on May 31 after a lapse of over 12 years. The last alumni meet was held in 1996. Former Lt General and governor S K Sinha, former director of higher education Damodar Thakur and several other distinguished alumni are likely to grace the occasion, he added.
Meanwhile, the teachers and students of the college, at a meeting held here on Friday under the presidentship of the principal, expressed their deep sense of shock over the sudden demise of former head of philosophy department, PU, P N Bhagat. Patna University Teachers' Association president Dharm Prakash and general secretary Randhir Kumar Singh and PU dean of students' welfare K N Paswan also attended the meeting. link
Friday 22 May 2009
Some relief for Bihar’s arsenic hit villages
High levels of arsenic in the groundwater pose the threat of cancer to people in many Bihar villages, but the state government has finally moved to bring safe drinking water from the Ganga river to some of these areas.
‘Multi-village water supply projects’ have been given the green signal in 200 arsenic-affected villages in three districts.
“The multivillage water supply projects would be launched soon and completed under a timeframe,” said Public Health Engineering Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey.
The projects will cover 130 arsenic-affected villages of Simri block in Buxar district, 45 villages of Bidupur block in Vaishali district and 25 villages of Maner block in Patna district.
D.S. Mishra, an official in the department, said the government would provide safe drinking water from the Ganga to villages affected by arsenic.
“First, the surface water (in the river) will be treated to remove harmful substances and then it will be supplied,” Mishra said. He said the treatment of groundwater containing arsenic was costly and not sustainable.
The state government admitted early this year that high levels of arsenic have been found in the groundwater of 15 Bihar districts on either side of the Ganga river, posing the threat of cancer, an official said.
“A total of 57 blocks on both sides of the Ganga are affected by high levels of arsenic in the groundwater,” he said.
Arsenic causes cancer of the intestines, liver, kidneys and bladder as well as gangrene. People in several villages are suffering from bone deformation and a variety of skin problems.
“In some affected villages, people have complained of weakening and bending of the bones and dreadful rashes and lumps on the skin,” a health expert said.
Arsenic, an odourless and tasteless semi-metal element, occurs naturally in the environment and sometimes as a by-product of agriculture and industry.
An official said the worst affected districts are Bhojpur, Buxar, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Samastipur, Khagaria, Katihar, Chapra, Munger and Darbhanga and Patna.link
Among these, Harail Chapar, a village in Samastipur district, recorded the highest levels of arsenic - 2,100 parts per billion (ppb) - in groundwater, the official added. The World Health Organisation guideline for a safe limit is 10 ppb, while the Indian government’s guideline is 50 ppb.
The official said a survey conducted in the arsenic affected districts reveals that the deeper aquifers lying below 80 metres were free of arsenic.
Last year, a state government report based on a survey of water samples collected at random from 19,961 tubewells in 398 villages found that arsenic concentration was above 10 ppb in 310 villages and above 50 ppb in 235 villages.
‘Multi-village water supply projects’ have been given the green signal in 200 arsenic-affected villages in three districts.
“The multivillage water supply projects would be launched soon and completed under a timeframe,” said Public Health Engineering Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey.
The projects will cover 130 arsenic-affected villages of Simri block in Buxar district, 45 villages of Bidupur block in Vaishali district and 25 villages of Maner block in Patna district.
D.S. Mishra, an official in the department, said the government would provide safe drinking water from the Ganga to villages affected by arsenic.
“First, the surface water (in the river) will be treated to remove harmful substances and then it will be supplied,” Mishra said. He said the treatment of groundwater containing arsenic was costly and not sustainable.
The state government admitted early this year that high levels of arsenic have been found in the groundwater of 15 Bihar districts on either side of the Ganga river, posing the threat of cancer, an official said.
“A total of 57 blocks on both sides of the Ganga are affected by high levels of arsenic in the groundwater,” he said.
Arsenic causes cancer of the intestines, liver, kidneys and bladder as well as gangrene. People in several villages are suffering from bone deformation and a variety of skin problems.
“In some affected villages, people have complained of weakening and bending of the bones and dreadful rashes and lumps on the skin,” a health expert said.
Arsenic, an odourless and tasteless semi-metal element, occurs naturally in the environment and sometimes as a by-product of agriculture and industry.
An official said the worst affected districts are Bhojpur, Buxar, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Samastipur, Khagaria, Katihar, Chapra, Munger and Darbhanga and Patna.link
Among these, Harail Chapar, a village in Samastipur district, recorded the highest levels of arsenic - 2,100 parts per billion (ppb) - in groundwater, the official added. The World Health Organisation guideline for a safe limit is 10 ppb, while the Indian government’s guideline is 50 ppb.
The official said a survey conducted in the arsenic affected districts reveals that the deeper aquifers lying below 80 metres were free of arsenic.
Last year, a state government report based on a survey of water samples collected at random from 19,961 tubewells in 398 villages found that arsenic concentration was above 10 ppb in 310 villages and above 50 ppb in 235 villages.
Thursday 21 May 2009
Illegal constructions around Sher Shah tomb
Several constructions, including Bihar government's teachers training college, have come up in the restricted zone around the mausoleum of Sher Shah at Sasaram in blatant violation of the Archaeological Monuments Special Repair Act, 1992. The illegal constructions have taken place in the centrally-protected area of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Incidentally, the area falling in the radius of 100 metres of the monument has been declared the restricted zone.
Two private school buildings have also come up in recent years in the restricted area. These include Duttatreya Public School (on the north-east corner of the mausoleum) and Chaukhandi High School (on the north).
These are just a few examples of illegal constructions in the protected area. More than 200 such structures have come up in recent times.
In a recent communication to the Rohtas DM and SP, the acting superintending archaeologist, ASI, Patna circle, N G Nikose, made a fresh request to them to stop and remove illegal construction in the protected zone.
Nikose said such requests had been made to the district administration on several occasions earlier too. "Despite numerous reminders to district officials concerned, nothing concrete has been done by the administration so far," said an ASI official. Incidentally, ASI has already issued notices to those responsible for illegal structures in the protected area. On several occasions, local goons even threatened ASI officials of dire consequences for this.
Incidentally, ASI has been raising the issue since 1990. All former superintendent archaeologists of ASI -- Mohammed K K, Urmila Sant and P K Mishra -- raised this issue right from the Rajbbhavan to the DM level.
Sher Shah's mausoleum is undoubtedly the finest mediaeval tomb architecture in the Indian sub-continent. "Efforts have been made to get this monument listed in UNESCO's list of world heritage sites, but it cannot not find an entry there unless the illegal constructions are removed," said an official.link
Two private school buildings have also come up in recent years in the restricted area. These include Duttatreya Public School (on the north-east corner of the mausoleum) and Chaukhandi High School (on the north).
These are just a few examples of illegal constructions in the protected area. More than 200 such structures have come up in recent times.
In a recent communication to the Rohtas DM and SP, the acting superintending archaeologist, ASI, Patna circle, N G Nikose, made a fresh request to them to stop and remove illegal construction in the protected zone.
Nikose said such requests had been made to the district administration on several occasions earlier too. "Despite numerous reminders to district officials concerned, nothing concrete has been done by the administration so far," said an ASI official. Incidentally, ASI has already issued notices to those responsible for illegal structures in the protected area. On several occasions, local goons even threatened ASI officials of dire consequences for this.
Incidentally, ASI has been raising the issue since 1990. All former superintendent archaeologists of ASI -- Mohammed K K, Urmila Sant and P K Mishra -- raised this issue right from the Rajbbhavan to the DM level.
Sher Shah's mausoleum is undoubtedly the finest mediaeval tomb architecture in the Indian sub-continent. "Efforts have been made to get this monument listed in UNESCO's list of world heritage sites, but it cannot not find an entry there unless the illegal constructions are removed," said an official.link
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