Senior RJD leader Shakuni Choudhry was on Thursday unanimously elected the Deputy Speaker of the Bihar assembly.
Speaker Udai Narain Choudhry, who announced the unanimous election of the Tarapur MLA as Deputy Speaker during the post lunch session, asked him to conduct the business on the last day of the session, which was later adjourned sine-die.
The name of Choudhry was proposed by deputy leader of the House and RJD MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan and seconded by another member Abdul Bari Siddiqui and accepted unanimously.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, legislature party leaders of the Congress, Lok Janshakti Party, CPI, CPI-M, CPI-ML, BSP and independents congratulated Choudhry on being elected as the Deputy Speaker.
They assured Choudhry of full cooperation in running the business of the house.link
Thursday 30 July 2009
Blind businessman stars as Bollywood film hero
A blind Indian businessman is playing the role of a gunman who fights tigers and jumps off burning cars in a new Bollywood film to be released in August.
Naseer Khan, the 36-year-old hero of the film "Shadow," lost his sight when he was in school. Unlike in real life, Khan can see everything in the film, an idea that struck him during a visit to a film shooting a few years ago.
He invested $5.3 million from his own pocket to make the film, a thriller about a gunman sought by police after a series of killings.
"I am making this film, if for nothing else, than to show that I can do everything that anyone else can," Khan, who has a leather goods business.link
Naseer Khan, the 36-year-old hero of the film "Shadow," lost his sight when he was in school. Unlike in real life, Khan can see everything in the film, an idea that struck him during a visit to a film shooting a few years ago.
He invested $5.3 million from his own pocket to make the film, a thriller about a gunman sought by police after a series of killings.
"I am making this film, if for nothing else, than to show that I can do everything that anyone else can," Khan, who has a leather goods business.link
Bihar to set up Land Tribunal
The Bihar government is determined to ensure speedy disposal of land related disputes. To secure this objective, a Bihar Land Tribunal would be set up. A bill to this effect was passed by the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, July 29. At present, all cases related to land disputes ultimately reach the civil and high court. Land reform legislations are immune to constitutional review because such legislations have been put under Schedule IX of the Indian Constitution. This immunity however, does not prevent the High Court from trying cases under the Land Reforms Laws.
Over a period of time, such cases have piled up in the High Court. At present, 458 cases under the Land Ceiling Act 1961 are pending in the Patna High Court and 16 in the Supreme Court.
Similarly, cases relating to the Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950, Bihar Tenancy Act, 1885, Bihar Prevention of Fragmentation of Land Act, 1956, Bihar Bhoodan Act, 1954, Bihar Privileged Persons Homestead Tenancy Act, 1947, are pending before the Supreme Court. Needless to say, this delay defeats the very purpose of the land reforms. The demand for setting up this tribunal has been made earlier, but it had not been realised due to some reason or the other.
The tribunal will consist of one chairman and four members. The chairman will either be a serving or a retired high court judge whereas the members would be of the rank of district judge. One administrative member will be a retired IAS of principal or secretary rank. All cases related to land disputes shall be transferred to it within a specified period of time. It is being hoped that the setting up of this tribunal would accelerate the pace of disposal of such cases, the pendency of which is a bane to land reforms measures.link
Over a period of time, such cases have piled up in the High Court. At present, 458 cases under the Land Ceiling Act 1961 are pending in the Patna High Court and 16 in the Supreme Court.
Similarly, cases relating to the Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950, Bihar Tenancy Act, 1885, Bihar Prevention of Fragmentation of Land Act, 1956, Bihar Bhoodan Act, 1954, Bihar Privileged Persons Homestead Tenancy Act, 1947, are pending before the Supreme Court. Needless to say, this delay defeats the very purpose of the land reforms. The demand for setting up this tribunal has been made earlier, but it had not been realised due to some reason or the other.
The tribunal will consist of one chairman and four members. The chairman will either be a serving or a retired high court judge whereas the members would be of the rank of district judge. One administrative member will be a retired IAS of principal or secretary rank. All cases related to land disputes shall be transferred to it within a specified period of time. It is being hoped that the setting up of this tribunal would accelerate the pace of disposal of such cases, the pendency of which is a bane to land reforms measures.link
Mahatma Gandhi's dream schools in Bihar set for revival
After years of neglect, the 391 schools that were set up in Bihar to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream that one day all Indian children will have access to basic education are set to get a new lease of life.
State Human Resources Development Minister Hari Narain Singh told that the government has decided to spend Rs.50 crore to improve the infrastructure of the Buniyadi Vidyalayas (basic schools), about six of which were set up by the father of the nation himself.
The schools were set up to impart basic education to boys and girls in rural areas. They were also meant to provide vocational training in spinning, carpentry, farming and weaving.
The first Buniyadi Vidyalaya was established by the Mahatma in 1939 at Brindavan in Bihar's West Champaran district.
Singh said the government will spend Rs.50 lakh each on 100 basic schools during the current financial year as part of the first phase of the revival plan. In the next two financial years, the government would spend money on the other 291 schools.
"The government will not allow the dream schools of Mahatma Gandhi to die. All the basic schools will be revived in phased manner to provide opportunity to the younger generation to realise the dream of the father of the nation," said Singh.
Official sources said the basic schools or "Mahatma ke school" as they are popularly called in Bihar, are struggling for survival. They suffer from a shortage of teachers and funds. In many case, land meant for the Buniyadi Vidyalayas is in illegal possession of others.
Successive state governments have allowed the schools to languish. Even the central government has not made any attempt to breathe life into them.
A few years ago, the Supreme Court took serious note of the plight of the basic schools in West Champaran district.
The court had then issued notices to the centre, the state government, the district administration of West Champaran and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to ensure proper functioning of the schools and preservation of the Gandhian heritage. link
State Human Resources Development Minister Hari Narain Singh told that the government has decided to spend Rs.50 crore to improve the infrastructure of the Buniyadi Vidyalayas (basic schools), about six of which were set up by the father of the nation himself.
The schools were set up to impart basic education to boys and girls in rural areas. They were also meant to provide vocational training in spinning, carpentry, farming and weaving.
The first Buniyadi Vidyalaya was established by the Mahatma in 1939 at Brindavan in Bihar's West Champaran district.
Singh said the government will spend Rs.50 lakh each on 100 basic schools during the current financial year as part of the first phase of the revival plan. In the next two financial years, the government would spend money on the other 291 schools.
"The government will not allow the dream schools of Mahatma Gandhi to die. All the basic schools will be revived in phased manner to provide opportunity to the younger generation to realise the dream of the father of the nation," said Singh.
Official sources said the basic schools or "Mahatma ke school" as they are popularly called in Bihar, are struggling for survival. They suffer from a shortage of teachers and funds. In many case, land meant for the Buniyadi Vidyalayas is in illegal possession of others.
Successive state governments have allowed the schools to languish. Even the central government has not made any attempt to breathe life into them.
A few years ago, the Supreme Court took serious note of the plight of the basic schools in West Champaran district.
The court had then issued notices to the centre, the state government, the district administration of West Champaran and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to ensure proper functioning of the schools and preservation of the Gandhian heritage. link
Wednesday 29 July 2009
New wave' directors make a splash in Bollywood
India's Hindi-language film industry has traditionally been a tight-knit affair, with generations of actors, producers and directors forging careers in what was effectively a family business.
But a number of 'new wave' directors are now breaking the mould, making their mark on audiences despite not having the benefit of an established 'name' behind them.
Among them is Imtiaz Ali, who was an unknown when he came to India's entertainment capital, Mumbai, from northern Bihar state to study film directing in 1995.
Others include R. Balakrishnan, a former advertising executive known as 'Balki", and Anurag Kashyap, the son of a state electricity worker.
Balki is working on his second film, 'Pa", with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, while fellow newcomer Anurag Basu, famous for the dark 'Life... in a Metro", is directing 'Kites' starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Moi.
Ali's third film, 'Love Aaj Kal' (Love Today), hits screens on Friday, with expectations that it will eclipse the success of his 'Jab We Met' (When We Met), which came out two years ago.
The 38-year-old has broken through, despite the continued dominance of powerful Bollywood clans like the Bachchans, the Dutts, the Khans and the Kapoors. Yet he denies the industry is a closed shop.
'Our film industry has always been open to outsiders. You are welcome and it does not matter who you are if you have the talent,' he said.
'After all, many of the big directors of today were outsiders in the industry when they began their career.'
Directors like himself who have shunned the traditional song and dance 'masala' movie format for more experimental, lower-budget movies, are not doing anything radically different from others in previous generations, he added.
'If you look at the history of our film industry, you will find that every decade a group of new directors came and shook the industry with their new kind of films,' he said.
'In the 1970s, it was Ramesh Sippy with 'Sholay' then in the 1990s it was Aditya Chopra with 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' making a love story.'
He added: 'You can say we are following that trend. The most important point is that you need to be convincing enough. Producers need to be convinced that when they put their money in they will get it back from your film.'
Kashyap landed in Mumbai in 1993, starting his career as a scriptwriter before moving into directing, fulfilling an ambition that began when he saw the classic Italian film 'The Bicycle Thieves' as a child.
The 37-year-old's first film in 2004, 'Black Friday", was about the 1993 serial bomb attacks in Mumbai. It was one of a number at the time to shun romance, music and fantasy to tackle more contemporary issues.
His follow-up, 'No Smoking", flopped but 'Dev D", his remake of the classic Indian novel and film 'Devdas", about an obsessive lover, stormed to the top of the box office rankings earlier this year.
With Bollywood suffering the fall-out of the global economic downturn and recovering from a damaging producers' boycott of multiplex cinemas, Kashyap is optimistic that there will be a raft of more innovative movies.
'I firmly believe that this year will be the golden year of Bollywood. The new wave cinema will go mainstream and you will see the change for sure,' he said.link
But a number of 'new wave' directors are now breaking the mould, making their mark on audiences despite not having the benefit of an established 'name' behind them.
Among them is Imtiaz Ali, who was an unknown when he came to India's entertainment capital, Mumbai, from northern Bihar state to study film directing in 1995.
Others include R. Balakrishnan, a former advertising executive known as 'Balki", and Anurag Kashyap, the son of a state electricity worker.
Balki is working on his second film, 'Pa", with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, while fellow newcomer Anurag Basu, famous for the dark 'Life... in a Metro", is directing 'Kites' starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Moi.
Ali's third film, 'Love Aaj Kal' (Love Today), hits screens on Friday, with expectations that it will eclipse the success of his 'Jab We Met' (When We Met), which came out two years ago.
The 38-year-old has broken through, despite the continued dominance of powerful Bollywood clans like the Bachchans, the Dutts, the Khans and the Kapoors. Yet he denies the industry is a closed shop.
'Our film industry has always been open to outsiders. You are welcome and it does not matter who you are if you have the talent,' he said.
'After all, many of the big directors of today were outsiders in the industry when they began their career.'
Directors like himself who have shunned the traditional song and dance 'masala' movie format for more experimental, lower-budget movies, are not doing anything radically different from others in previous generations, he added.
'If you look at the history of our film industry, you will find that every decade a group of new directors came and shook the industry with their new kind of films,' he said.
'In the 1970s, it was Ramesh Sippy with 'Sholay' then in the 1990s it was Aditya Chopra with 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' making a love story.'
He added: 'You can say we are following that trend. The most important point is that you need to be convincing enough. Producers need to be convinced that when they put their money in they will get it back from your film.'
Kashyap landed in Mumbai in 1993, starting his career as a scriptwriter before moving into directing, fulfilling an ambition that began when he saw the classic Italian film 'The Bicycle Thieves' as a child.
The 37-year-old's first film in 2004, 'Black Friday", was about the 1993 serial bomb attacks in Mumbai. It was one of a number at the time to shun romance, music and fantasy to tackle more contemporary issues.
His follow-up, 'No Smoking", flopped but 'Dev D", his remake of the classic Indian novel and film 'Devdas", about an obsessive lover, stormed to the top of the box office rankings earlier this year.
With Bollywood suffering the fall-out of the global economic downturn and recovering from a damaging producers' boycott of multiplex cinemas, Kashyap is optimistic that there will be a raft of more innovative movies.
'I firmly believe that this year will be the golden year of Bollywood. The new wave cinema will go mainstream and you will see the change for sure,' he said.link
Govt gears up to promote Bihari food products
Chief minister Nitish Kumar has a dream that Bihari food products should find place on every dinning table of the country. This was stated by principal secretary of industry A K Sinha at the `International Summit-cum-Exhibition on Food Processing and Agribusiness' being held at New Delhi.
While interacting with the participants, Sinha said that the government has geared up to achieve that. He said that the industry department has so far undertaken five road shows in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Kolkata for highlighting the strong areas of food processing to different investors.
Sinha mentioned the new schemes launched by the Bihar government and stressed that the National Commission for Farmers has dubbed Bihar the `sleeping giant' of Indian agriculture. He said that Bihar produces 50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and 20 lakh metric tonnes of maize. He also pointed out that Bihar was the third largest producer of vegetables and seventh largest producer of fruits. He said that 75 per cent of the litchi is produced in Bihar and there are 10 lakh metric tonnes of banana and 20 lakh metric tonnes of `makhana' produced in the state.
Sinha said that Bihar has massive opportunities for rice-based industry like modern rice milling and husk-based power plants and it is the largest market for milled rice. He also pointed towards the potentiality of maize-based industry such as starch, poultry feed, corn oil and flakes and flour units. He said that the state has decided to develop two integrated food zones and food parks and would set up 100 rural agribusiness centres.
He also spoke about the enabling factors -- Bihar is the first state in the country to prepare a vision document and has come out with a very attractive policy package. He said that the state has launched two major schemes for investment in food processing sector. The first provides capital grant up to 40 per cent of the project cost, the maximum being Rs 10 crore. The second scheme for food parks provides a capital grant up to 20 per cent, maximum Rs 15 crore.link
While interacting with the participants, Sinha said that the government has geared up to achieve that. He said that the industry department has so far undertaken five road shows in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Kolkata for highlighting the strong areas of food processing to different investors.
Sinha mentioned the new schemes launched by the Bihar government and stressed that the National Commission for Farmers has dubbed Bihar the `sleeping giant' of Indian agriculture. He said that Bihar produces 50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and 20 lakh metric tonnes of maize. He also pointed out that Bihar was the third largest producer of vegetables and seventh largest producer of fruits. He said that 75 per cent of the litchi is produced in Bihar and there are 10 lakh metric tonnes of banana and 20 lakh metric tonnes of `makhana' produced in the state.
Sinha said that Bihar has massive opportunities for rice-based industry like modern rice milling and husk-based power plants and it is the largest market for milled rice. He also pointed towards the potentiality of maize-based industry such as starch, poultry feed, corn oil and flakes and flour units. He said that the state has decided to develop two integrated food zones and food parks and would set up 100 rural agribusiness centres.
He also spoke about the enabling factors -- Bihar is the first state in the country to prepare a vision document and has come out with a very attractive policy package. He said that the state has launched two major schemes for investment in food processing sector. The first provides capital grant up to 40 per cent of the project cost, the maximum being Rs 10 crore. The second scheme for food parks provides a capital grant up to 20 per cent, maximum Rs 15 crore.link
Police Academy to come up at Rajgir
The Bihar government on Tuesday decided to transfer 136 acres of land acquired in Rajgir to police department for construction of Bihar Police Academy for imparting training to police official appointed in junior grade, sources said.
In another decision, the state cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar last evening, raised the diesel subsidy to Rs 450 per hectare from Rs 350 per hectare as announced earlier in the wake of drought-like situation.
The cabinet also earmarked Rs 50 crore for seeds subsidy in view of the drought situation.
The government also decided to impose four per cent vat on Makhana and one per cent on Rajma.link
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