Bihar govt to extend Hunar for Muslim girls

Buoyed over by electoral success and Muslims support in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, the ruling JD(U) has decided to extend the ‘Hunar’ scheme aiming to make uneducated Muslim girls self-dependent.

The Bihar government has decided to continue it next year with around 50,000 Muslim girls enrolled in the project.

“After the success of Hunar scheme which was started on an experimental basis in the state July last year, the state government has decided to extended it for another one year,” National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) chairman Dinesh Singh Bisht told reporters here today.

The central-funded NIOS, a partner in the scheme, provide vocational training to girls.

Under the scheme, candidates who successfully complete the one year training is given Rs 2,000 as grant to purchase equipment of their choice to start their own business.

The girls are trained in tailoring, cutting and dress-making, beauticians, jute production, bakery and confectionery, gram sakhi and taking care of new born babies.

From this session, bee-keeping, mushroom production, computer hardware, drawing, DTP and embroidery have been added, Bisht said.link

Being dad's replica won't be good for my career: Luv Sinha

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha's son is all set to debut with director Raj Kanwar's "Sadiyaan". Luv is naturally a fan of his dad and has seen all his films, but says he will never copy his style.

"I love his style. But I won't even dare to copy him. Being called my dad's replica is the worst thing that can happen to my career. I love my dad's performance in 'Kalicharan', 'Vishwanath', 'Khudgarz', 'Kala Patthar' and 'Kalka'. I also freak out on Amit uncle's (Amitabh Bachchan) cinema," Luv told.

Luv will be seen as Rekha's son in cross-border drama "Sadiyaan", which also stars Hema Malini.

If all had gone according to plan, Shatrughan Sinha's twins, Luv and Kush, would have made their simultaneous debut in a home production. But the scarcity of good script to accommodate the twins prompted Luv to sign a film away from the family.

"Not surprisingly I'm very very close to my twin brother. We aren't identical twins. But if you see us together the resemblance is uncanny. The thought of being cast together did cross our family's mind. But what can we do together? A comedy with both the brothers falling in love with the same girl? Nah... Too common.

"We must be the only twin actors in the whole world. When we come together the vehicle has to be just right," said Luv, who walked straight into acting.

Brother Kush has taken the long winding road - he learnt acting and direction in New York, assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali on "Saawariya" and then decided to be an actor.

"Sadiyaan" is complete and ready for release but it was delayed by the revenue-sharing row between producers and multiplex owners, which however ended last week.

"Please don't ask me when it will be released. But I'm not worried. This is what comes from being born in a family where cinema is a given. You've seen your dad go through so many ups and downs; a little bit of delay in your first film's release causes no concern," he said.

Luv says shooting "Sadiyaan" was a cakewalk.

"Hema (Malini) aunty, who's like a member, and Rekha-ji... (yes, it's Hema aunty and Rekha-ji for me, I don't call her aunty) really looked after me, pampered me and made me feel totally at home. I guess it comes from being who I am," he said.

The film is set in the 1970s and Luv says he had to get familiar with the 70s style for his role.

"This was when I wasn't even a passing thought in my parents' mind. A long way from being born. So I had to get familiar with the fashion, lingo, etc. It was a challenge. But you must remember both my parents are actors," he said.

Talk veers to sister Sonakshi and he said: "She's more interested in modelling at the moment than acting. Let's see."

The whole Sinha family was in Patna a little while ago to support the patriarch during the assembly elections. Sinha Senior defeated actor and Congress candidate Shekhar Suman in the Lok Sabha polls from Bihar's Patna Saheb parliamentary constituency.

"Actually my dad didn't need us to get the votes. We just wanted to be with him for support. The best thing about being Shatrughan Sinha's son is you feel a positive pride from within. Beyond that, he has made sure to let me make my way in the industry on my own. My father has never worked with Raj Kanwar-ji. I got 'Sadiyaan' on my own," he said. link

Tiger numbers drop in Bihar reserve, only 13 left

Here is some bad news for wildlife lovers. Bihar's Valmiki National Park, the State's sole tiger reserve, has just 13 tigers left, down from the 56 big cats it had seven years ago, a survey said.

"Hardly 13 tigers exist in the Valmiki National Park," said the survey recently submitted by Dehradun's Wildlife Institute of India.

A forest official associated with the reserve said the latest survey showed that the tiger population has come down to 13 — a sharp dip from 30 tigers in 2005, and over 50 tigers till 2002-2003.

"The population of tigers has come down like never before," the official said.

According to a wildlife department official, the tiger numbers decreased drastically in the last eight years in the park, located in West Champaran district near the Nepal border.

According to a recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), at least 23 big cats disappeared from the reserve in the last three years. The CAG report said that the number of tigers had declined to 33 in 2005 from 56 in 2002.

Neither the officials of the Valmiki National Park nor the state government has any information about the missing tigers.

The Valmiki National Park is regarded as one of the best-maintained tiger reserves in the country. But of late the reserve has become a haven for poachers.

Top officials of the wildlife department are tightlipped and refuse to say anything about the number of tigers in the reserve.

The National Tiger Conservation in 2007 had asked Bihar to constitute a Tiger Protection Force. "A dedicated protection force was to be set up with retired army personnel to stop poaching at the Valmiki National Park but it is still on paper," an official said.link

Patna students face ‘anti-Bihar taunt’ in Pune

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

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.

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

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