At least 39,000 passport applications are pending in Bihar because of acute shortage of manpower. On an average, the Patna passport office receives 16,000 applications per month of which 30 per cent of the applications are from the two districts of Siwan and Gopalganj.
Normally, it takes at least three months to issue passport to an individual.According to a rough estimate, the pending list has touched approximately 39,000 till November-end. Out of the total 90 sanctioned staff, only 45 are on the rolls here which has caused delay in issuing the passports. The existing sanctioned posts were allotted way back in 1997.
"Since then, the work load here in issuing passports has increased four fold," says newly appointed passport officer Anand Kumar.
Kumar, who is an Indian Railway Account Service (2000) cadre, joined as the new passport officer here only on Tuesday.
"There is also a lack of infrastructural facility here. We have only two existing passport printing machines out of the total requirement of four. We have already written to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to increase the number of machines," Kumar said.
He said the existing daily passport issuing capacity was only 450 as against the normal capacity of 700. "Right now we have only two passport issuing officials here as against the normal requirement of four," Kumar said.
Asked about the corrupt practises in issuing passports, Kumar said he would utilize his experiences in the railways in dealing it corrupt practices and touts. Kumar, who hails from Buxar district, had also worked in various various other centres including Ambala Cantt., Lucknow and Delhi for the railways prior to joining the passport office here.
"I am committed to check corrupt practises in the passport office. I'll certainly utilize my vast experiences in the railways to contain corruption. First, I will have to streamline my internal system," Kumar said.
The two districts of Siwan and Gopalganj still maintain their top position in applying for passports. "Out of the total 16,000 applications for passports per month, nearly 5,330 come from these two districts alone," he said.
For the issuing of Tatkal passports, "we normally take one week to deliver the passport. But most of the applicants do not provide the copy of identity card. It is now essential to provide a copy of I-card for issuing passport," Kumar said.link
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Bihar government may be hard put to explain starvation deaths
The Bihar government is likely to face trouble over a lawsuit alleging at least 100 people have died of hunger in the state in the last three years, as the Patna High Court has directed the petitioner to take it up with the state human rights commission.
Social activist Ramashray Singh, who had filed the public interest litigation (PIL), said he would approach the commission this week. Officials say the state government may not be in a position to answer all the questions asked by the commission.
An official appointed by the Supreme Court had said in October that at least 100 people have died of hunger in the past three years in Bihar. But the state government dismissed the claim.
"It is a hard fact that 100 people died of hunger in Bihar in the last three years due to the failure of food- and work-related government schemes," said Rupesh, state adviser to the commissioner of the Supreme Court to monitor the implementation of food-related schemes of the Bihar government.
Rupesh said he had submitted a report on hunger deaths in Bihar to the state government in August and another in October. The reports were also sent to the commissioner of Supreme Court N.C. Saxena.
Rupesh said the reports not only confirm the deaths due to hunger but "reveal the pathetic situation regarding implementation of food and social security schemes in Bihar".
These schemes include the Integrated Child Development Scheme, the Midday Meal Scheme, the public distribution system, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the National Maternity Benefit Scheme, the National Social Assistance Programme, the National Family Benefit Scheme and the Annapurna Yojana.
"Apart from major leakages and corruption, the coverage of government food schemes is so meagre that they leave huge holes in the social security net through which large numbers of most destitute women and men, girls and boys slip into starvation and hunger," said Rupesh.
The reports warned that the situation can worsen "if all possible action is not taken before it becomes uncontrollable".
Bihar has been hit very badly by drought and flood. As many as 26 districts are drought-affected. Nearly 40 percent of Bihar's 83 million people live below the poverty line, the highest in India, according to a World Bank report.
Rupesh said researchers led by him visited Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nalanda and Patna between June and August. These are the districts where starvation deaths have been reported by the media in the last two-three years.
Rupesh said that in Ratubigha village in Jehanabad district and Jhamawara village in Nalanda district, the block development officer (BDO) did not feel it necessary to send the body for postmortem or get a medical report after alleged starvation death.
In Tetua Tola Kharuna village in Gaya district, Murti Devi in her late 40s died Oct 10. Although the local administration denied that she died of hunger, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe.
In Ratubigha village in Jehanabad district, about 50 km from here, three starvation deaths took place over four days in August, Rupesh said.
Ajay Dome, the son of one of the victims, Chalitar, claimed that his father went without food for eight days before he died. Rupesh's report points out that Ajay and his wife Renu Kumari were not on the list of people below the poverty line, so they did not get subsidised food. Chalitar' unemployed son said the family was fighting for survival.link
Social activist Ramashray Singh, who had filed the public interest litigation (PIL), said he would approach the commission this week. Officials say the state government may not be in a position to answer all the questions asked by the commission.
An official appointed by the Supreme Court had said in October that at least 100 people have died of hunger in the past three years in Bihar. But the state government dismissed the claim.
"It is a hard fact that 100 people died of hunger in Bihar in the last three years due to the failure of food- and work-related government schemes," said Rupesh, state adviser to the commissioner of the Supreme Court to monitor the implementation of food-related schemes of the Bihar government.
Rupesh said he had submitted a report on hunger deaths in Bihar to the state government in August and another in October. The reports were also sent to the commissioner of Supreme Court N.C. Saxena.
Rupesh said the reports not only confirm the deaths due to hunger but "reveal the pathetic situation regarding implementation of food and social security schemes in Bihar".
These schemes include the Integrated Child Development Scheme, the Midday Meal Scheme, the public distribution system, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the National Maternity Benefit Scheme, the National Social Assistance Programme, the National Family Benefit Scheme and the Annapurna Yojana.
"Apart from major leakages and corruption, the coverage of government food schemes is so meagre that they leave huge holes in the social security net through which large numbers of most destitute women and men, girls and boys slip into starvation and hunger," said Rupesh.
The reports warned that the situation can worsen "if all possible action is not taken before it becomes uncontrollable".
Bihar has been hit very badly by drought and flood. As many as 26 districts are drought-affected. Nearly 40 percent of Bihar's 83 million people live below the poverty line, the highest in India, according to a World Bank report.
Rupesh said researchers led by him visited Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nalanda and Patna between June and August. These are the districts where starvation deaths have been reported by the media in the last two-three years.
Rupesh said that in Ratubigha village in Jehanabad district and Jhamawara village in Nalanda district, the block development officer (BDO) did not feel it necessary to send the body for postmortem or get a medical report after alleged starvation death.
In Tetua Tola Kharuna village in Gaya district, Murti Devi in her late 40s died Oct 10. Although the local administration denied that she died of hunger, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe.
In Ratubigha village in Jehanabad district, about 50 km from here, three starvation deaths took place over four days in August, Rupesh said.
Ajay Dome, the son of one of the victims, Chalitar, claimed that his father went without food for eight days before he died. Rupesh's report points out that Ajay and his wife Renu Kumari were not on the list of people below the poverty line, so they did not get subsidised food. Chalitar' unemployed son said the family was fighting for survival.link
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Free condoms at fair price shops
People in Bihar will soon get free condoms at fair price shops. The distribution of free condoms will be made through PDS (public distribution system) shops in the state, official sources said Tuesday.
Bihar State AIDS Control Society (BSACS) has decided to use PDS shops to distribute free condoms in the state. "BSACS plans to distribute condoms through PDS shops to promote their use so that the spread of HIV/AIDS can be prevented," director of BSACS Ravi Parmar said here.
The aim of distributing free condoms at PDS shops is to check and control people from HIV and AIDS, Parmar told IANS. "We want to create awareness about the use of condoms by putting it on the shelves of PDS shops."
Last year, BSACS launched a programme under which barbers were given condoms and asked to distribute them to their customers in order to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Bihar has distributed 1.4 million condoms this year. But the target is to distribute 28 million condoms during 2009-10. The state distributed 10.1 million condoms in 2007-08. The figure was 8.6 million in 2006-07 and 3.5 million in 2002-03.
Officials said most of the condoms were distributed through NGOs. BSACS has tied up with different NGOs and distributes condoms through social marketing at subsidised rates among target groups.
Experts regard Bihar as a highly vulnerable state in connection with HIV/AIDS. The total number of people in Bihar with HIV/AIDS is 24,835.
The condom distribution programme is also expected to aid family planning efforts. Bihar has a population growth rate of 4.1 percent, almost double the national average of 2.1 percent.
Bihar State AIDS Control Society (BSACS) has decided to use PDS shops to distribute free condoms in the state. "BSACS plans to distribute condoms through PDS shops to promote their use so that the spread of HIV/AIDS can be prevented," director of BSACS Ravi Parmar said here.
The aim of distributing free condoms at PDS shops is to check and control people from HIV and AIDS, Parmar told IANS. "We want to create awareness about the use of condoms by putting it on the shelves of PDS shops."
Last year, BSACS launched a programme under which barbers were given condoms and asked to distribute them to their customers in order to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Bihar has distributed 1.4 million condoms this year. But the target is to distribute 28 million condoms during 2009-10. The state distributed 10.1 million condoms in 2007-08. The figure was 8.6 million in 2006-07 and 3.5 million in 2002-03.
Officials said most of the condoms were distributed through NGOs. BSACS has tied up with different NGOs and distributes condoms through social marketing at subsidised rates among target groups.
Experts regard Bihar as a highly vulnerable state in connection with HIV/AIDS. The total number of people in Bihar with HIV/AIDS is 24,835.
The condom distribution programme is also expected to aid family planning efforts. Bihar has a population growth rate of 4.1 percent, almost double the national average of 2.1 percent.
595 fresh HIV positive cases are recorded every month in Bihar in 2009
About 595 fresh HIV positive cases are recorded every month in Bihar in 2009 as against zero in the state before 2001, according to the figures of NACO's Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC).
With 6550 fresh cases detected in the current year so far, the total number of HIV-infected now stands at 24,835 which is, however, far less than the estimated 82,000, the ICTC report said.
The rise in the positive cases has been registered despite crores of rupees being spent under the HIV Prevention and Treatment Programme.
On an average National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) spends about Rs22 crore every month in Bihar to contain the spread of the dreaded disease, NACO sources said.link
With 6550 fresh cases detected in the current year so far, the total number of HIV-infected now stands at 24,835 which is, however, far less than the estimated 82,000, the ICTC report said.
The rise in the positive cases has been registered despite crores of rupees being spent under the HIV Prevention and Treatment Programme.
On an average National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) spends about Rs22 crore every month in Bihar to contain the spread of the dreaded disease, NACO sources said.link
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Woman gives birth to son in train
A woman who gave birth in a running train in Bihar is so inspired by the former chief minister and railway minister Lalu Prasad that she named her newborn son after the politician.
Gayatri Devi, in her mid 20s, gave birth to a boy on Tuesday in Lohit Express at Desari railway station on the Hajipur-Bachabar rail section of East Central Railway.
"I named my son Lalu Prasad so that he becomes like Lalu Prasad. I like Lalu's style and his pro-poor talk," she said.
Railway official B Ram said Gayatri Devi, who was travelling in a sleeper coach, gave birth with the help of co-passengers. She and her child have been admitted to a private clinic.
Gayatri Devi boarded the train from Siliguri in West Bengal where her husband works. She was coming to Bihar to visit her native village.link
Gayatri Devi, in her mid 20s, gave birth to a boy on Tuesday in Lohit Express at Desari railway station on the Hajipur-Bachabar rail section of East Central Railway.
"I named my son Lalu Prasad so that he becomes like Lalu Prasad. I like Lalu's style and his pro-poor talk," she said.
Railway official B Ram said Gayatri Devi, who was travelling in a sleeper coach, gave birth with the help of co-passengers. She and her child have been admitted to a private clinic.
Gayatri Devi boarded the train from Siliguri in West Bengal where her husband works. She was coming to Bihar to visit her native village.link
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Woman ends life after being diagnosed with AIDS
A 25-year-old woman in Bihar ended her life by immolating herself in bathroom moments after being diagnosed with deadly AIDS, police said today.
Police said the victim, a resident of More Pashchimi under Mokama police station in Patna district, entered into her bathroom on Saturday night and immolated herself. She died on the spot.
Police said the victim had stuffed rags in her mouth to let cries of her pain not reach her neighbours.
According to reports, on the fateful day the victim had visited a local hospital to find out if she had the killer disease.
“She was tested HIV positive in the hospital report and the revelation shocked her so much that she committed suicide at night out of fear of being socially ostracised”, local villagers told the police.
According to an official report, there are 8,228 identified cases of HIV positive Bihar and more than 1,100 cases of full blown AIDS in Bihar.
The deadly disease has, so far, claimed 80 lives, including that of 13 children. link
Police said the victim, a resident of More Pashchimi under Mokama police station in Patna district, entered into her bathroom on Saturday night and immolated herself. She died on the spot.
Police said the victim had stuffed rags in her mouth to let cries of her pain not reach her neighbours.
According to reports, on the fateful day the victim had visited a local hospital to find out if she had the killer disease.
“She was tested HIV positive in the hospital report and the revelation shocked her so much that she committed suicide at night out of fear of being socially ostracised”, local villagers told the police.
According to an official report, there are 8,228 identified cases of HIV positive Bihar and more than 1,100 cases of full blown AIDS in Bihar.
The deadly disease has, so far, claimed 80 lives, including that of 13 children. link
IGNOU To Set Up 400 Training Centres In Bihar
Indira Gandhi National Open University has plans for developing 400 training centres in Bihar to improve educational facilities in the state and provide more vocational opportunities of the youths.
The IGNOU training centres "will be equipped with computer labs to provide distance education through information technology to the remotest parts of the state", said IGNOU.
In addition "it is estimated that during the year 2009-10, 25,000 government officials will be trained by the IGNOU”.
Despite the fact that the value of the Human Development Index has been constantly increasing, it is yet to reach the level of other states.
"These programmes will not only enable them become competitively skilled, on par with the workforce of other states, but also help Bihar to significantly improve its Human Development Index," the official said.
A deal has been signed between IGNOU and the state government of Bihar for the rolling out of projects, which are backed by government, called 'Samarth'.
The IGNOU training centres "will be equipped with computer labs to provide distance education through information technology to the remotest parts of the state", said IGNOU.
In addition "it is estimated that during the year 2009-10, 25,000 government officials will be trained by the IGNOU”.
Despite the fact that the value of the Human Development Index has been constantly increasing, it is yet to reach the level of other states.
"These programmes will not only enable them become competitively skilled, on par with the workforce of other states, but also help Bihar to significantly improve its Human Development Index," the official said.
A deal has been signed between IGNOU and the state government of Bihar for the rolling out of projects, which are backed by government, called 'Samarth'.
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