Bihar to focus on electronics equipment manufacturing

After success in food processing, the information technology (IT) and telecom hardware manufacturing has caught the eyes of Bihar government. The state has now decided to give special attention to this sector and plans to declare it as a "thrust area".

"We may have missed the BPO bus," said Naveen Verma, principal secretary of the Industries Department, "but we do not want to miss this opportunity. The central government has already announced, in its National Policy on Electronics, that use of locally made component will be encouraged. The policy makes the use of local component mandatory for electronics manufacturers. It is a huge opportunity for us as the policy offers fiscal incentives." The policy, which was introduced last year, aims to boost indigenous manufacturing of electronic goods, so that it can fill the gap between domestic demand and supply in electronics goods.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajpaksa arrives at Bodh Gaya

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajpaksa, accompanied by his wife Shiranthi Rajpaksa and a 70-member delegation, on Friday arrived at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya for pilgrimage.

Rajpaksa was received at the Gaya International Airport by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Education Minister PK Shahi and senior state government civil and police officials, official sources said. He was accorded a guard of honour by the state police.

From the airport, the cavalcade of the Sri Lankan President and members of his delegation drove straight to the Mahabodhi temple where they will perform religious rituals, the sources said.

Rajpaksa would meditate before a peepal tree where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment and visit the Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihar in the temple town. The Chief Minister will host a lunch for the Sri Lankan President and his delegation, the sources said.

Meanwhile, CPI(M-L) Liberation workers raised slogans against the Sri Lankan President from some distance as his cavalcade drove towards the Mahabodhi temple.

The protesters, who had mingled in the crowd that gathered to welcome the visiting dignitaries, shouted slogans like the 'Killer of Tamils go back'. Two of the protesters have been detained for questioning, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and Order), Rakesh Kumar Dube said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Bodh Gaya town in view of the Sri Lankan president's visit, police sources said.

Rapist gets death sentence within four days of trial at fast-track court

A rapist at Katihar has been sentenced to death within four days of being produced before a fast-track court. The accused had been charged with raping his 3-year-old niece. He had also allegedly strangled her to death.

Police provided the court with evidence within 24 hours of arresting the man, speeding up the process further. However, his lawyer says he will take up the matter to high court.

"We are going to appeal the decision in the high court because the sentence has been given based only on circumstantial evidence. There are no witnesses," defence lawyer, DK Jha said.

The accused raped his niece on January 24 and also threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Within four days of the hearing the district and sessions court judge sentenced the accused to be hanged on the basis of the evidence.

Agriculture to go hi-tech in Bihar

But now the Government has awakened to the occasion by putting its machinery in top gear to improve productivity of the land and also to tackle the problem of labour crisis in the farm sector effectively.

Numbers themselves speak volume of the State Government’s intentions as 6,338 tractors were given to farmers, several of them small and medium scale tillers during 2012-13, enjoying benefit of huge subsidy. The Government has fixed the target of distributing 9,000 tractors among farmers during 2013-14.

The State Government has made a special mention about the farm mechanisation in its ambitious Agriculture Road Map (2012-17) too, spelling out targets to be achieved during the period.

Since small and marginal farmers constitute a huge number in the State’s farm sector, farm mechanisation suitable for small holding agriculture will be promoted. Gender friendly farm machinery will also be encouraged to reduce the drudgery in agriculture, states Agriculture Road Map document.

President Pranav Mukherjee had launched the Agriculture Road Map during his visit to the State in October last year.

State Agriculture Director M Saravanan told The Pioneer that the State Government has taken the farm mechanisation in the right earnest for varieties of reasons including enhancing the productivity of the land.

The number of power tillers distributed among farmers during 2012-13 was 5387 while 136 combined harvesters, several of them already started operating in the paddy growing areas of Rohtas and other adjoining districts in the State. The State Government grants subsidy up to `3.5 lakh to farmers for the purchase of combined harvesters.

Earlier, combined harvesters used to come from places like Varanasi and even from far away places like Haryana but now the scenario in the agricultural fields is changing for better with a comprehensive farm mechanisation drive in the State.

Bartan boy' Subodh Gupta shines at India Art Fair

The shine of a large miror and the collective gleam of bright steel utensils arranged with an artistic purpose catch visitors eye at the ongoing India Art Fair here. And, by now, the artist behind the work is a familiar enough name.

Subodh Gupta, internationally renowned artist known for fashioning signature installation art out of mundane steel and kitchen utensils is presenting another iconic art bearing his trademark. There are three other works by him showcased at the four-day fair which opened to public viewing today after a special VIP preview yesterday.

Titled, "Mirror Stage", and carried by an Italian gallery has been priced at 275,000 euros. The exhibit made out of steel glasses, bowls and cutlery juxtaposed vertically over a flat mirror, and visitors were seen admiring their reflection in it.

Asked if he'd created it especially for the fair, the artist said he doesn't work just for the fair but this is just one aspect of his creative pursuits.

"I don't work just for a fair. I have other works on which I continuously work on and art fairs like these only display a part of my collective oeuvre which is much deeper than what people see here," Gupta told.

The 49-year-old artist who is known to produce large oil painting works has exhibited smaller canvases with incidentally a Victorian frame running around it.

Two smaller-scale oil paintings depicting a breakfast table with china and cutlery, a half-sipped tea in a cup, also adorn the wall at the Galleria Continua's space at the India Art Fair, being held at the NSIC complex here.

The 'Hungry God' famed artist said he's working to develop the work into a full series.

"Yes, I'm working on this idea, the glimpse of which I have shown here but I'm doing a series soon," Gupta told.

"Subodh works with oil has always been on large scale and his choice of the Victorian frame is very deliberate to give throwback to the classic painting that were framed that way. But, if you see his subject here, its trademark Gupta," said Ananjay Bhushan, a Patna-based gallery owner and a long-time associate of Gupta.

"While the installation is priced at 275,000 euros, the two oil paintings are euros 50,000 each," Mylene Ferrand from Galleria Continua said.

Subodh's other works are being displayed by the city-based Nature Morte gallery where two of his classic steel wonders, "Still Life" and "Family Portraits" are up for sale.

Eight architectural companies keen to design Nalanda University

Eight architectural companies, including six from abroad, have shown interest in designing the upcoming Nalanda University in Bihar, the vice chancellor said Friday.

"We are happy that eight companies, including two Indian companies, have submitted their proposals for a global competition to finalize the design for the university," Gopa Sabharwal said here.

She said the short-listed firms would be called to make their presentation either this month or next month.

The university is set to come up on 446 acres in Rajgir, 10 km from the site of the ancient university in Nalanda district, southeast of Patna.

The university will be fully residential, like the ancient Nalanda university. It will offer courses in science, philosophy and spiritualism along with social sciences.

The project took shape in 2006 at the initiative of then president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The ancient university at Nalanda was home to over 10,000 students and nearly 2,000 teachers.

It existed until 1197 and attracted students and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia (now Iran) and Turkey.

Bihar exceeds procurement of foodgrains target by Jan end

The Bihar government has exceeded the target set up for procurement of foodgrains from farmers by by purchasing 3.43 lakh tonnes of grains till January end.

The government had set a target to purchase 3 lakh tonne of grains during the period.

A total of 2.75 lakh tonnes of grains was procured by the government by January end in 2011-12 fiscal, state Food Minister Shyam Rajak said.

The Nitish Kumar government has set a target to procure 30 lakh tonne of foodgrains by April this year.

The process of purchase of produce from the farmers have picked up with the easing of winter when grains are not in good condition due to moisture.

"We will achieve the procurement target within time," Rajak said.

The official figures reveal that procurement by the end of January was maximum in Magadh region comprising Gaya, Jehanabad, Arwal, Nawada and Aurangabad with lifting of 68,928 tonne of grains against the target of 42,800 tonne.

The minister said as part of efforts to augment storage capacity for foodgrains the state government has sanctioned creation of 500 tonne capacity godown in all the blocks of the state.

A total of 423 godowns would be established across the state of which 300 have already been achieved, he said.

Rajak said the department was taking effective steps for strengthening distribution of subsidised foodgrains through 42,000 ration shops in the state.

To streamline the PDS functioning, the government has ordered observation of "Foodgrains diwas (day)" across the state during last three days of every month.

Though the Union government is providing ration to 65 lakh BPL and APL beneficiaries in Bihar, the state government is providing subsidised ration to 80 lakh more people from its own kitty as according to its count, on the basis of Saxena committee and Tendulkar committee, there are 1.45 crore eligible people for subsidised ration in the state.