Bihar is today considered the best state in implementing the Right to Information (RTI) Act. But some people seem to gloss over the state’s remarkable transformation in recent times. These “ill-informed” persons are eager to listen something bad about the state, it seems.
Many Bihari students seeking admission to a Pune-based law institute encountered embarrassing questions about their native state during the interview.
Students of Notre Dame Academy, St Joseph’s Convent High School, DAV BSEB Colony and St Michael’s High School are upset with the interview board’s “anti-Bihari” attitude. These students were not willing to be quoted because of the apprehension of losing their chance to get admission.
Last week, the interview board threw a volley of questions at Shalini (name changed), a Patna girl. “Do you agree that Bihar is the crime capital of India? People from Bihar come here with an intention to commit crime. Do you agree with MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s opinion about Bihar?”
The girl was shocked. She tried her best to convince the board that the law and order situation is now much better in the state. But even before she could finish her reply, the board fired another salvo, asking her about the “Biharis who come to Maharashtra with an intention to commit crime”. “I again tried to convince the board that people come here to earn their livelihood,” she said. Another student said he were baffled to hear such questions, but he maintained his cool.
Shubham (name changed) said: “I told the interview board that the Constitution does not deny us right to move anywhere in the country.”
Hearing about such “developments”, parents are a worried lot. “We are apprehensive of their future. They have cleared the all India entrance examination held in New Delhi. After clearing the written test, they appeared for group discussion on ‘Relevance of Gandhi Today’. But it was during the interview that they were asked such irrelevant questions,” said one of the parents.
Academics from Bihar have taken strong note of the “anti-Bihari” attitude.
“Such questions are ‘unpatriotic’ and ‘unethical’. It should be reported to the authorities concerned, including the P.M. and the Union HRD minister,” said noted educationist Shaileshwar Sati Prasad.
Prasad said the people of Bihar should request Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to bring it to the notice of the Maharashtra CM.
Noted Sociologist Hetukar Jha said: “We are treated like beggars outside because we have failed to develop our own educational institutions.
We have made our boys and girls dependent on other states. This is what we have to face time and again until we create and develop our own institutions. During 60s and 70s our own academic institutions- Patna college and Patna Science college were best in the country.” CPIML (Liberation) central committee member Dhirendra Jha said that Bihar government should appoint separate resident commissioners in states where Bihari students are being harassed and humiliated.
ML’s student outfit, All India Students Association (AISA), has decided to hold its national council meeting at Pune on July 4-5.
Several student leaders including JNUSU president Sandeep Singh will attend the meeting, Jha said.
The student delegation would also meet the heads of various Pune-based academic institutions to apprise them of the humiliation of Bihari students in Maharashtra. link
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Monday 8 June 2009
73 construction companies declared defaulters in Bihar
Under attack from the Opposition for alleged tardy pace of construction of roads in Bihar, state's NDA government has put 73 construction companies involved in road construction in the state, into the list of defaulters after their failure to complete projects on time.
State Road construction Minister Prem Kumar, while confirming this, today said these companies ignored the repeated warnings by the state government to speed up the work and failed to meet the deadlines.
Now onward, these companies will not be allowed to participate in any tenders for road construction in Bihar, Kumar said.
According to official sources, the 73 companies were engaged in construction of all types of roads including rural and state highways in Bihar.
The State Road Department had communicated to other departments, including Water Resources, Building Construction, Rural Development and Bridge Construction, about its decision and submitted the list of defaulters.
Till April 2009, out of the total length of 2,035 km of state highways, about 1,288 km have not only been improved but also upgraded to double lane. Bihar is striving to be the first state in the country to have all its state highways upgraded to double-lane roads, a state road official asserted.
State Road construction Minister Prem Kumar, while confirming this, today said these companies ignored the repeated warnings by the state government to speed up the work and failed to meet the deadlines.
Now onward, these companies will not be allowed to participate in any tenders for road construction in Bihar, Kumar said.
According to official sources, the 73 companies were engaged in construction of all types of roads including rural and state highways in Bihar.
The State Road Department had communicated to other departments, including Water Resources, Building Construction, Rural Development and Bridge Construction, about its decision and submitted the list of defaulters.
Till April 2009, out of the total length of 2,035 km of state highways, about 1,288 km have not only been improved but also upgraded to double lane. Bihar is striving to be the first state in the country to have all its state highways upgraded to double-lane roads, a state road official asserted.
Saturday 6 June 2009
Moral policing rankle couples in Patna
In yet another incident of moral policing, woman police officers publicly humiliated couples in Shahid Pir Ali Khan Park in Patna, Bihar.
A huge crowd, including women and children witnessed the scenes of female cops beating and pulling hair of young couples and insulting them ruthlessly.
"We saw police confine some couples in the park and also beating them. A scene was created in the park, which was not good. This should not happen, as this is a children park. Families with children come here to enjoy and this is not good for children to witness all this," said Sushil, a visitor in the park.
Those who watched it strongly disapproved the act. They felt that police should have shown some restraint, as families were also present in the park.
Following the incident, sub-Inspector Anita Gupta was suspended for insulting couples ruthlessly.link
A huge crowd, including women and children witnessed the scenes of female cops beating and pulling hair of young couples and insulting them ruthlessly.
"We saw police confine some couples in the park and also beating them. A scene was created in the park, which was not good. This should not happen, as this is a children park. Families with children come here to enjoy and this is not good for children to witness all this," said Sushil, a visitor in the park.
Those who watched it strongly disapproved the act. They felt that police should have shown some restraint, as families were also present in the park.
Following the incident, sub-Inspector Anita Gupta was suspended for insulting couples ruthlessly.link
District Magistrate Promotes Green Bihar to mark World Environment Day
Patna District Magistrate Jitendra Kumar Sinha in Patna on Friday inaugurated the social forestry program at Panchayat level to mark the World Environment Day at a seminar organized at the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir.
In his inaugural speech, Sinha said that for any development to take place, a healthy debate with varying opinions was a good sign. "Constructive ideas can from any corner of the society and for this, a good debate should always be welcomed, he said.
Emphasizing the need for plantation of more trees in both rural and urban areas, the District Magistrate said trees also generated employments in the region and could help attain the goals set under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
NREGA district Joint Development Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Singh, in his speech, also lamented the disappearing of trees in the last couple of decades.
"Our ancestors handed over a world that was green and beautiful but we, because of our selfish needs, destroyed it and pushed it to the brink of global warming. It is now our duty to leave this planet to our children in a condition that is better than what it was when it was handed over to us," Singh said.
In a Power Point presentation, Dr. Rajan Sinha, the Director of Center for Disaster Management, explained the need for a minimum of 22% of the earth's area to be green. "This number has dwindled to a meager 8% posing immense threat to the planet," Sinha said adding there was a need to plant nearly 7 billion trees on the earth to match the population of the world.
Similar events were held at Patna Planetarium, Sri Krishna Science Center, Shivam Educational and Welfare Association, College of Commerce, and other schools in Patna.link
In his inaugural speech, Sinha said that for any development to take place, a healthy debate with varying opinions was a good sign. "Constructive ideas can from any corner of the society and for this, a good debate should always be welcomed, he said.
Emphasizing the need for plantation of more trees in both rural and urban areas, the District Magistrate said trees also generated employments in the region and could help attain the goals set under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
NREGA district Joint Development Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Singh, in his speech, also lamented the disappearing of trees in the last couple of decades.
"Our ancestors handed over a world that was green and beautiful but we, because of our selfish needs, destroyed it and pushed it to the brink of global warming. It is now our duty to leave this planet to our children in a condition that is better than what it was when it was handed over to us," Singh said.
In a Power Point presentation, Dr. Rajan Sinha, the Director of Center for Disaster Management, explained the need for a minimum of 22% of the earth's area to be green. "This number has dwindled to a meager 8% posing immense threat to the planet," Sinha said adding there was a need to plant nearly 7 billion trees on the earth to match the population of the world.
Similar events were held at Patna Planetarium, Sri Krishna Science Center, Shivam Educational and Welfare Association, College of Commerce, and other schools in Patna.link
Friday 5 June 2009
Bihar to make 40,000 prisoners literate
The Bihar government will launch a special scheme to make 40,000 prisoners in different jails across the state literate, officials said.
'A six month course for illiterate prisoners, aged between 15 to 50, would be launched on August 9 this year to make them literate,' official sources in the state human resource department said.
An official said initially two centres would be set up in each jail. Each centre would cater to 50 prisoners, while two literate prisoners would serve as teachers at each centre. The 'teachers' would be paid Rs.150 each daily.
Over 44,000 prisoners are lodged in 54 jails - six central jails, 33 district jails and 15 sub-jails - in the state, which only have the capacity to accommodate 24,500 prisoners.link
'A six month course for illiterate prisoners, aged between 15 to 50, would be launched on August 9 this year to make them literate,' official sources in the state human resource department said.
An official said initially two centres would be set up in each jail. Each centre would cater to 50 prisoners, while two literate prisoners would serve as teachers at each centre. The 'teachers' would be paid Rs.150 each daily.
Over 44,000 prisoners are lodged in 54 jails - six central jails, 33 district jails and 15 sub-jails - in the state, which only have the capacity to accommodate 24,500 prisoners.link
Bihar denied chance to set up mega food parks
The Union food processing ministry has not included Bihar in the list of 10 states which would have mega food parks. The state has thus been denied the opportunity to establish two such parks at Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur.
Union food processing minister Subodh Kant Sahay, during his tenure as the junior Union minister in the department, had announced at a state potato conference held at Patna in the mid-2008 that two mega food parks would be set up at Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur with the support of the Centre.
The state NDA government had assigned the job of setting up two mega food parks to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) right from conceptualisation to commissioning.
The state government had framed its food processing policy in December 2008 with a pledge to develop at least two mini food parks at Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur. It had also announced a scheme for integrated development of the food processing sector.
In its food processing policy, the state government had said that the state has an excellent climate with fertile soil and abundant water for cultivation of a diverse range of food grains, fruits and vegetables. No wonder, the state is the largest producer of delicious litchi and nutritious makhana.
Sensing a political reason for non-inclusion of Bihar among the states to have mega food parks, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told that Bihar-born Subodh Kant Sahay was elected MP from Jharkhand and as a UPA minister, he included Jharkhand among the 10 states where mega food parks would be established.
Modi said that the Bihar government would renew its demand before the Centre for establishment of two mega food parks in the state.
IL&FS agronomist Amitabh Bhattacharya said the central scheme for setting up mega food parks was more lucrative as it had a provision for a grant of Rs 50 crore or 50 per cent of the total project, whichever is minimum, to the special purpose vehicle (SPV).
But the Bihar government, despite having less resources, has announced providing Rs 15 crore or 20 per cent of the total project cost, whichever is less, to the SPV under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode for setting up the mini food park.
At Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, a piece of land has been earmarked for setting up a mini food park, but Bihar Agro Products, which was selected as its SPV, does not have enough fund to go for it, Bhattacharya said.
On the other hand, land has not yet been made available at Muzaffarpur for the establishment of a mini food park, he said, adding that two industrialists engaged in food processing industry and K P S Keshri and Kedia brothers are interested in getting the job of the SPV, but they lack fund.
He said local entrepreneurs were initially urged to become SPV. Investors from other states would be interested only if the Centre includes Bihar under its lucrative grant for setting up mega food parks, he added. link
Union food processing minister Subodh Kant Sahay, during his tenure as the junior Union minister in the department, had announced at a state potato conference held at Patna in the mid-2008 that two mega food parks would be set up at Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur with the support of the Centre.
The state NDA government had assigned the job of setting up two mega food parks to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) right from conceptualisation to commissioning.
The state government had framed its food processing policy in December 2008 with a pledge to develop at least two mini food parks at Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur. It had also announced a scheme for integrated development of the food processing sector.
In its food processing policy, the state government had said that the state has an excellent climate with fertile soil and abundant water for cultivation of a diverse range of food grains, fruits and vegetables. No wonder, the state is the largest producer of delicious litchi and nutritious makhana.
Sensing a political reason for non-inclusion of Bihar among the states to have mega food parks, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told that Bihar-born Subodh Kant Sahay was elected MP from Jharkhand and as a UPA minister, he included Jharkhand among the 10 states where mega food parks would be established.
Modi said that the Bihar government would renew its demand before the Centre for establishment of two mega food parks in the state.
IL&FS agronomist Amitabh Bhattacharya said the central scheme for setting up mega food parks was more lucrative as it had a provision for a grant of Rs 50 crore or 50 per cent of the total project, whichever is minimum, to the special purpose vehicle (SPV).
But the Bihar government, despite having less resources, has announced providing Rs 15 crore or 20 per cent of the total project cost, whichever is less, to the SPV under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode for setting up the mini food park.
At Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, a piece of land has been earmarked for setting up a mini food park, but Bihar Agro Products, which was selected as its SPV, does not have enough fund to go for it, Bhattacharya said.
On the other hand, land has not yet been made available at Muzaffarpur for the establishment of a mini food park, he said, adding that two industrialists engaged in food processing industry and K P S Keshri and Kedia brothers are interested in getting the job of the SPV, but they lack fund.
He said local entrepreneurs were initially urged to become SPV. Investors from other states would be interested only if the Centre includes Bihar under its lucrative grant for setting up mega food parks, he added. link
Task-force in every Bihar district to tackle crime
Alarmed by the sudden spurt in criminal activities in Bihar, the state police headquarters is setting up a task-force in all the districts to prevent such incidents.
"We have decided to constitute a special task-force in each district in the wake of the spurt in the incidents of abduction for ransom, bank robbery, cash loot and petty crime", top state officials said.
Fully equipped with modern facilities, the task-force, comprising station house officers (SHO’s) and efficient police officers, would deal with criminal gangs perpetrating abduction, contract killing, bank dacoity and road robbery, they said.
The task-force would work under the purview of superintendent of police of the respective districts.
The deputy inspector general of police has been asked to identify the gangs operating in their respective zones and engage the task-force personnel to attain the desired results, they added.
The security personnel involved in the task-force would also keep watch on the activities of the gang-lords running a crime syndicate from behind the bars, they said.link
"We have decided to constitute a special task-force in each district in the wake of the spurt in the incidents of abduction for ransom, bank robbery, cash loot and petty crime", top state officials said.
Fully equipped with modern facilities, the task-force, comprising station house officers (SHO’s) and efficient police officers, would deal with criminal gangs perpetrating abduction, contract killing, bank dacoity and road robbery, they said.
The task-force would work under the purview of superintendent of police of the respective districts.
The deputy inspector general of police has been asked to identify the gangs operating in their respective zones and engage the task-force personnel to attain the desired results, they added.
The security personnel involved in the task-force would also keep watch on the activities of the gang-lords running a crime syndicate from behind the bars, they said.link
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