Page 5 - Bihar

SC to hear on January 9 plea seeking SIT probe into Bihar hooch tragedy

The Supreme Court said on Tuesday a petition seeking an independent probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the last month's hooch tragedy in Bihar which claimed many lives will be heard on January 9. The plea about the tragedy in Saran district, where at least 30 people lost their lives after consuming illicit liquor, has also sought a direction to the state government to adequately compensate the victim families. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha. "It will come up next Monday," the bench told advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak who mentioned the matter. Bihar's Nitish Kumar government imposed a complete prohibition in April 2016 and has rejected the demand for compensation to the families of those who died after consuming spurious liquor. The petition, filed in the apex court by Bihar-based Aryavarta Mahasabha Foundation, has arrayed the Centre and the state of Bihar as respondents.

JP Nadda to visit Bihar, address party workers in Vaishali today

BJP president J P Nadda will visit Bihar on Tuesday to take stock of the party's organisation as it prepares for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, state party chief Sanjay Jaiswal said. This will be Nadda's first visit to the state after the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) ditched the BJP to form a government with the RJD and Congress. Nadda will land at Patna airport around 11.30 am and go by road to Goraul block in Vaishali district, where he will address party workers around 12.30 pm, he said. The BJP president will then visit Harihar Nath temple in Sonepur before returning to Patna. He is expected to chair a meeting with state BJP leaders in the evening before leaving for Delhi, Jaiswal added. Jaiswal will receive the BJP president at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna , while scores of party workers will line up along the roads outside the premises with party flags to welcome Nadda. Taking a dig at the BJP, the Congress state president Akhilesh Singh said, "Nadda's visit

RJD MLA Sudhakar Singh courts controversy statement against Nitish Kumar

Senior RJD leader Sudhakar Singh has courted controversy by making objectionable remarks against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Interacting with reporters on Monday, Singh, the son of RJD state president Jagadanand Singh, compared Kumar to 'Shikhandi' a eunuch character in Mahabharata and said he has no standing of his own. The former state agriculture minister demanded that Kumar should immediately step down and offer the CM's post to Tejashwi Yadav. "People will not remember him (Nitish) once he steps down. Nitish has done nothing great for the statethere are people like former CMs -- late Krishna Sinha and Karpoori Thakur -- who will always be remembered by the people of Bihar for their contribution. "Same is the case with our leader and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad ji, who has done a lot for the state...but Nitish Kumar's name will not be there in history. He will not be remembered at all. He is like 'Shikhandi', who has no standing of his own," he said. Singh had resigned as

Election Commission appoints Maithili Thakur as Bihar's state icon

Folk singer Maithili Thakur was on Monday appointed the state icon for Bihar by the Election Commission. Thakur, trained in Indian classical and folk music, was recently selected for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of the Sangeet Natak Akademi for her contribution to the folk music of Bihar for 2021. The ECI has approved the proposal of appointment of Maithili Thakur, folk singer as State Icon of Bihar, the letter sent to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar by the poll panel said. The singer will create awareness among the voters for their participation in the electoral process, a senior official of the state election commission said. The singer's father, Ramesh Thakur, told PTI, We are grateful to the EC and the Bihar government. At the same time, this recognition will give her (Maithili) more impetus to spread Bihar's folk music across continents and generate awareness about the importance of participating in the electoral process. Maithili, born in Bihar's Madhubani ..

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar owns movable, immovable assets worth Rs 75.53 lakh

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar owns movable and immovable assets worth Rs 75.53 lakh, a marginal rise of around Rs. 18,000 from a year ago, according to his latest disclosure of assets. According to details of assets of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues uploaded on the Bihar government website on December 31, Kumar has Rs 28,135 in cash and nearly Rs 51,856 deposited in different banks. The Bihar chief minister and his cabinet colleagues on Saturday declared their personal assets and liabilities. The Nitish Kumar government has made it mandatory for all cabinet ministers to disclose their assets and liabilities on the last day of every calendar year. As per the disclosures, several ministers are richer than the CM. According to the disclosures made by the CM on the website of the Cabinet Secretariat Department, Kumar has total movable properties worth around Rs 16.68 lakh, while he has immovable assets worth Rs 58.85 lakh. The CM has only one residential flat at a ...

Mastermind of Bihar liquor tragedy that claimed 73 lives arrested in Delhi

Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested a man wanted in the cases related to the spurious liquor tragedy in Bihar's Saran which claimed the lives of 73 people, an official said on Saturday

BJP claims candidates supported by it swept Bihar Urban Local Body polls

The BJP on Friday claimed that most candidates supported by it have emerged victorious in the urban local bodies (ULBs) polls in Bihar, results of which began coming out on Friday. Nominees considered to have been backed by the ruling Mahagathbandhan also won in several posts. The ULB elections were not held on political party lines in the state and the win of an individual candidate cannot be declared as that of a political outfit, the RJD said. While the counting of votes was still on for many places, Sita Sahu returned as the Mayor of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), officials said. The BJP-backed candidate defeated her nearest rival Majzabi by a margin of 18,529 votes. Another candidate Chandravanshi won the post of deputy mayor by defeating Anjana Gandhi by a margin of 5,251 votes. This time the election for the post of mayor and deputy mayor was done directly by the votes of the general public. Earlier, people were elected to these two posts by the votes of ward ...

Counting of votes begins at 68 centres across Bihar for municipal polls

Counting of votes for the Bihar municipal polls began on Friday morning amid tight security arrangements, a senior official said. Voting to seal the political fate of 11,127 candidates in 23 districts of the state had taken place on Wednesday. The counting of votes of 17 municipal corporations, including Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), two nagar parishads and 49 nagar panchayats began at 8 am across 68 counting centers, the official of the Bihar State Election Commission said. These centers are under multi-layered security cover. The result is expected to be out in the afternoon, he said. Stray incidents of violence had marred polling for the urban local bodies in the state, with 57.17 per cent of the nearly 62 lakh voters exercising their franchise.

Nitish Kumar trapped in Lalu Yadav's 'chakravyuh': Bihar LoP Vijay K Sinha

Opposition leader in Bihar Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha has slammed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said that he was trapped in the 'chakravyuh' of his party ally RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav

Police looking for Chinese woman suspected to be a spy in Bihar's Gaya

Police in Bihar's Gaya are looking for a Chinese woman suspected to be a spy and had also been illegally residing in various parts of the country, including Bodh Gaya.

Bihar minister slams Pradhan, says BJP wants to change country's history

A day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the history of the country is wrongly written, Bihar Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary slammed him

Rise in active Covid-19 cases in Bihar; no need for panic, says expert

Bihar has witnessed a more than ten-fold rise in active COVID-19 cases, since last weekend, according to figures released by the state health department. The state, which had zero active case till Sunday, now has 14, with Gaya accounting for 12 of these. Notably, Gaya is witnessing an influx of pilgrims from abroad who are heading for Bodh Gaya, less than 20 km away, to attend the discourses of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader is in Bihar after a gap of two years. On Monday, the international Buddhist pilgrimage centre had reported five COVID-19 cases, all of them foreign nationals. In addition, one person each has tested positive for coronavirus in Darbhanga and Patna. Meanwhile, Dr Gopal Krushna Pal, the Executive Director of AIIMS, Patna, said in a statement "there is no need to panic over rumours of an impending fourth wave. Though it would be prudent if people avoided going to crowded places and wore masks while venturing out". He asserted that the hospital was

Over 12 school students of Bihar injured as bus overturns in Jharkhand

More than 12 students of a school in Bihar were injured on Sunday after their bus overturned in Jharkhand's Ranchi district, police said. The accident occurred in the afternoon in the Sikadari area, around 50 km from the Jharkhand capital Ranchi, when the driver lost control over the bus and the vehicle overturned, a senior officer said. The bus with 64 students and teachers onboard was on its way to Ranchi's Hundru Falls, Sikidari police station in-charge Satya Prakash Ravi told PTI. The students and teachers are of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Barachatti, in Bihar's Gaya district, "Steering of the bus somehow got locked near Doctor More in Sikadari and the driver lost control over the passenger vehicle. It overturned leaving over a dozen students injured, the police officer said. The students and teachers earlier visited the Bhadrakali temple in Chatra district. Those who suffered minor injuries were treated at a primary health centre, while one was sent to Ranchi's Rajendra Institu

Bihar on alert, daily testing on large scale: CM Nitish Kumar on Covid-19

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that every day almost 45,000-50,000 COVID-19 tests are being conducted in the state.While talking to the media, Kumar said, "We are conducting COVID tests and administering vaccines. Every day almost 45,000-50,000 tests are being conducted."Bihar is on alert, and patients are being provided treatment. The Centre is also careful. We have to be careful with those coming from outside," he added.Earlier on Saturday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) wrote to all the States and Union Territories of the country and directed them to ensure a functional and regular supply of medical oxygen for Covid-19 pandemic management.In its letter, the Ministry emphasised the importance of medical oxygen and vital resource in all clinical settings, particularly during the pandemic.A reliable oxygen supply is critical for saving lives during patient care and COVID-19 management, it said.Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on ...

PM expresses grief at deaths in Bihar brick kiln blast, announces ex-gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief at the loss of lives following explosion at a brick kiln in Bihar's Motihari and announced ex-gratia compensation for the victims' families. At least six persons were killed and 10 injured in the explosion in East Champaran district on Friday evening. The toll could go up as some of the injured were in critical condition, officials said. The PMO tweeted quoting Modi, "Pained by the loss of lives due to a mishap at a brick kiln in Motihari. Condolences to the bereaved families. Prayers with the injured. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.

Death toll of brick kiln blast in Bihar's Ramgarhwa raises up to 9

The brick kiln blast took place on Friday evening in the East Champaran district of Bihar, where the rescue operation was paused in the night

Five accused including mastermind arrested in Chhapra hooch tragedy

Police said the arrested people used to manufacture spurious liquor from chemicals and sugar in homoeopathic medicines

'Mastermind' among 5 arrested in Bihar's Saran hooch tragedy case

In a major breakthrough, the Bihar Police on Friday arrested five people, including the main accused, in the Saran hooch tragedy case, a senior officer said. A special investigation team, constituted by the state police in the incident, apprehended a homoeopathy compounder, allegedly the mastermind of the hooch tragedy that claimed 38 lives, Saran Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar said. "Police seized a vehicle, used for transporting chemicals from Uttar Pradesh and supplying liquors in and around Masrakh in Saran. Empty bottles of chemicals that were used in manufacturing spurious liquor were also recovered, the SP said. The SIT had earlier arrested nine people in connection with the case. "The preliminary investigation revealed that the mastermind with the help of his associates used to manufacture spurious liquor by mixing homoeopathy medicine and sugar. They (accused) used to supply illicit liquor in several areas of Saran district through their vendors or associates," he

Bihar fully prepared to handle new Covid surge: Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday asserted that the state government is fully prepared to handle a surge in COVID-19 cases. Yadav, who holds the health portfolio, reviewed the COVID situation in the state with health officials, civil surgeons, and directors of medical colleges, asking them to gear up in case of an outbreak of the new variant of the coronavirus. Hospitals are fully prepared, and testing and vaccination are underway in full swing. The medical establishments are equipped with medicines and adequate oxygen supply. People must also take safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the health minister said. Dr Manish Mandal, the deputy director of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, considered to be a premier medical establishment in the state, said the hospital can handle at least 500 patients.

Goyal withdraws remark on Bihar, says no intention to insult state, people

Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday withdrew his remark to RJD leader Manoj Jha that his party would one day turn the entire "country into Bihar" if they have their way, saying he had no intention of insulting the state or its people. At the start of Rajya Sabha proceedings on Thursday, Jha, who had on Wednesday shot off a letter to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar about the minister's "demeaning" remark, demanded an apology from the BJP leader. Goyal, the Minister of Commerce and Industry as well as the Leader of the House, said he will immediately withdraw the statement if it has hurt anybody. "At the outset, let me clarify that there is absolutely no intention of insulting either Bihar or the people of Bihar. And if at all it has hurt anybody, I will immediately withdraw that statement. It was not made with any malice to anybody at all," he said. Goyal made the remark on Tuesday when Jha was speaking during a discussion on the Appropriation Bill seeking Parliament's nod for additio