Page 8 - Bihar

Prez condoles loss of lives in Vaishali accident, PM announces ex-gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each for the next of kin of persons who lost their lives and Rs 50,000

Bihar govt to offer assistance to filmmakers for portraying state's culture

The Bihar government will offer assistance to filmmakers to make movies portraying the state's rich culture and traditions, a senior official said on Sunday. Interacting with filmmakers and other stakeholders of the entertainment industry just ahead of the opening ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa, Bihar Art, Culture and Youth Affairs Department Secretary Bandana Preyashi said there are enormous potential and possibilities of film making in the eastern state. "Bihar has pristine locations and adequate infrastructure. The glorious past of the state in the field of art and culture and natural cinematic treasures are enough to attract filmmakers. Thus, we are inviting them to come and explore," she said. Preyashi also inaugurated 'Bihar Pavillion', set up for the first time at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The theme we have kept is 'explore Bihar'. The state government is keen to create the entire ecosystem that a film requires. Today

Missing rare white-rumped vulture from Nepal found in Bihar's Darbhanga

A winged visitor, a rare white-rumped vulture, from Nepal which went missing some ten months ago, was found by Bihar's bird ringing station officials at Darbhanga after it went off the radar despite being radio tagged. The bird, belonging to a critically endangered species, was last sighted in the Himalayan nation's Tanahun district, and was found in a weakened condition as it was starving for want of food, according to officials. The white-rumped vulture was listed as a critically-endangered species in 2000 as its population declined rapidly, primarily as a result of feeding on carcasses of animals treated with the veterinary drug diclofenac, Chief Wildlife Warden PK Gupta told PTI. White-rumped vultures, found generally near human habitations, were very common in the Indian subcontinent, besides Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. These birds feed mostly on the ground, but roost and nest in trees and cliffs, and spend much of their time soaring on wind current

Back to 'Jungle Raj': Bihar's crime graph soars, Oppn corners JD(U)-RJD

Rising incidents of murder in Bihar have given an issue to the opposition parties to target the Nitish Kumar led Mahagathbandhan government

Bihar CM to be gheraoed if he fails to fulfil job promise: Prashant Kishor

Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be gheraoed if the JD(U) chief fails to fulfil his promise of providing "10 lakh government jobs" to youths of the state in the coming days. Talking to reporters in Makhania village under the Paharpur division in Motihari in East Champaran district, Kishor dared the CM to keep the job promise that he made after the formation of the 'Mahagathbandhan' government in August. "The CM, during his Independence Day speech at Gandhi Maidan, had promised that the grand alliance government aimed at providing jobs to 10 lakh people in the government sector. "Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav had also said his RJD party, as part of the new regime, would deliver on the promise. I along with youths of Bihar will gherao Kumar, if he fails to fulfil his promise of providing 10 lakh government jobs in the coming days," Kishor said. Kumar had in August asserted that his new government was n

Both Nitish & Tejashwi will campaign in Kurhani by-poll: Bihar JD(U) Chief

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy, Tejashwi Yadav, will campaign for JD (U) candidate Manoj Singh Kushwaha in the December 5 by-poll to the Kurhani assembly constituency in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. Talking to reporters here on Friday, Bihar JD (U) President Umesh Singh Kushwaha claimed that the 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) candidate will win with a huge margin. "The Kurhani by-poll is one-sided and the Mahagathbandhan's candidate Kushwaha will win with a huge margin. He has the support of the seven-parties of Grand Alliance. Both the CM and the Deputy CM will campaign for Kushwaha. We will soon announce the dates of their campaign," the JD(U) state president said. Nitish Kumar did not go out for campaigning for RJD candidates due to his injuries received in a steamer mishap in the recently concluded by-polls for Mokama and Gopalganj assembly seats. Kumar, however, sent his video message in favour of the RJD nominees: Neelam Devi (Mokama) and Mohan Prasad .

Bihar to increase women representation in state police to 35%: Nitish Kumar

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the Bihar government will soon increase the representation of women in the state police force to 35 per cent. Kumar said at present the representation of women in Bihar Police is around 27-28 per cent. "The representation of women in state police is almost 28 per cent in Bihar. The increased presence of women in the state's police force has not only empowered women but also made the constabulary more efficient and effective. Now, the state government will increase their (women) representation to 35 per cent", Kumar said during an event organised by the state Home department to distribute appointment letters to 10,459 new recruits of Bihar Police. The chief minister said the overall appointment process in police force need to be accelerated. He said against the target of 1.5 lakh recruitments, only 1.08 lakh appointments have been made in Bihar Police. The CM asked the Home department officials to work fast in the direction of deploying

No difference in condition of roads in Maharashtra and Bihar: Jairam Ramesh

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who is walking with Rahul Gandhi in Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Wednesday said the condition of roads in Maharashtra and Bihar is equally bad and took a dig at the Central government over the road construction. Talking to reporters in Washim, Ramesh said the condition of roads in Maharashtra is bad unlike in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He said he experienced difficulty in walking on roads in Maharashtra leg of the foot march. The Yatra continued on the 10th day of its Maharashtra leg on Wednesday in Washim district in the Vidarbha region. "There is a minister in the Modi government who holds an important portfolio and it is believed that after Sher Shah Suri, he has constructed all roads. He has an image of a master road builder. He also boasts of his work. What has happened to Marathwada and Vidarbha?'' Ramesh asked. He said Maharashtra is number one in investment "but I have to say there is no difference in terms of

Gadkari inaugurates 1.5 km long elevated bridge on Son river in Bihar

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated a 1.5 km long 2-lane elevated RCC bridge near Panduka on Son river in Rohtas, Bihar at the cost of Rs.210 crore, said a press release by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.The foundation stone for the construction of the bridge was laid today in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal, Chhedi Paswan, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Ministers of Bihar Government and MPs, MLAs and officers.Speaking on the occasion Gadkari said with the construction of this bridge, NH-19 and NH-39 will be directly connected, facilitating traffic between Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. He said at present, a distance of 150 km has to be covered to reach Srinagar from Panduka in Rohtas district and Garhwa district of Jharkhand, with the construction of this bridge, four hours will be saved in this journey. The traffic pressure on the Dehri bridge will also reduce and Aurangabad, and Sasaram ...

RCP Singh attacks Nitish Kumar, asks him to lift liquor ban in Bihar

Due to liquor ban, the Bihar govt is losing a big chunk of revenue and it is directly affecting the common people. The developments of public welfare works are not taking place in Bihar, he said.

Congress to launch state-wide padayatra in Bihar from Dec 28: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress is set to launch a state-wide padayatra in Bihar from December 28 on the lines of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said here. He said the 1,200-km-long march against the "communal agenda of the BJP" will start from Banka district and conclude in Bodh Gaya. It will cover 17 districts of the state. Rahul Gandhi, however, is unlikely to take part in the state-wide padayatra in Bihar. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra has unsettled the BJP, which has resorted to cheap and childish diversionary tactics. The top rung of the saffron party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is worried by the padayatra of Rahul Gandhi," Ramesh said at a press conference with party colleague Digvijaya Singh by his side on Sunday. Singh said all senior Congress leaders, ministers and lawmakers in Bihar will take part in the state-wide padayatra. A senior Congress leader in Bihar said Rahul Gandhi will visit the state during the proposed east-west second phase of the 'Bharat Jodo

Congress to launch state-wide padayatra in Bihar from Dec 28: Jairam Ramesh

Congress is set to launch a state-wide padayatra in Bihar from December 28 on the lines of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said here on Sunday. He said the 1,200-km-long march against the "communal agenda of the BJP" will start from Banka district and conclude in Bodh Gaya. It will cover 17 districts of the state. Rahul Gandhi, however, is unlikely to take part in the state-wide padayatra in Bihar. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra has unsettled the BJP, which has resorted to cheap and childish diversionary tactics. The top rung of the saffron party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is worried by the padayatra of Rahul Gandhi," Ramesh said at a press conference with party colleague Digvijaya Singh by his side. Singh said all senior Congress leaders, ministers and lawmakers in Bihar will take part in the state-wide padayatra. A senior Congress leader in Bihar said Rahul Gandhi will visit the state during the proposed east-west second phase of the 'Bharat Jodo ...

Liquor ban has not been successful in Bihar: JD (U) leader Upendra Kushwaha

"Can't you see how successful this ban is? It's a chain between the suppliers and the consumers, and if the sale of liquor is stopped in Bihar, its consumption will also stop," the he said

Bihar to sign MoU with ICCR to showcase its soft power to world: Official

The Bihar government will sign an MoU with the ICCR to help artists from the state, handicrafts and several other ethnic arts to get international exposure, an official said. The Art and Culture Department of the state government will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) in this regard on November 11, Secretary, Art and Culture Department of Bihar government, Bandana Preyashi said. The department is now preparing a calendar of live art and heritage performances to be held worldwide in the coming months after this MoU, she said. "This MoU will help artists from Bihar, handicrafts and several other ethnic arts of the state to get international exposure", Preyashi told PTI on Wednesday. The Art and Culture department secretary said this MoU will help Bihar to send group of artists to other countries as part of cultural exchange initiative by the Central and the state government. Similarly, cultural troupes from other countries

Nitish Kumar gave appointment letters to officials already posted: BJP

Samrat Choudhary alleged that while 11,329 panchayat secretaries were recruited, only 3,500 were given appointment letters

Shoot me instead of humiliating me, Sadhu Yadav tells Lalu family

Bihar politician Sadhu Yadav, who was criticised by his niece and RJD leader Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya after the Bihar bypoll, sharply reacted to her barb and hit back at the family

Bihar: Closure warning for 1,800 health centres over waste disposal lapses

The Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) said on Tuesday that it was issuing notices to 1,800 healthcare centres in the state, which have failed to comply with the norms laid down for bio-medical waste disposal, warning them of closure. Ashok Kumar Ghosh, the chairman of the BSPCB, said these centres, in six districts of the state, were being served a "proposed closure direction" with a 15-day window to ensure abidance of the rules set for the disposal. "If these 1800 health care facilities or centers fail to adhere to the norms pertaining to scientific storage, transportation and treatment of medical waste at Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTF) in the state within 15 days, the BSPCB will order their closure. "The board will also request the power distribution companies to cut off electricity supply to these healthcare units under such circumstances," Ghosh told PTI. Patna has the maximum number of erring health care units, he said, adding that other distri

Focus on breaking liquor supply chains, Bihar CM Nitish tells officials

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked all officials concerned to ensure strict implementation of the prohibition law, with focus on stemming the supply of liquor to the state. Chairing a meeting of top officials in his office on Monday, Kumar asked them to identify the routes being used to smuggle liquor to Bihar from other states. Liquor ban was enforced in Bihar in April 2016. Shortly after the meeting, Chief Secretary Amir Subhani said, "The CM has made it clear that the focus of the police, prohibition and excise departments should be to break all liquor supply and distribution chains across the state. If those involved in the supply and distribution of liquor to Bihar are nabbed, the availability of liquor will automatically be checked." "Therefore, the priority of officials should be to identify the routes through which liquor is being smuggled to Bihar from other states and nab those involved in this illegal trade," he added. As per law, a person caught the first time

Bypolls in six states: BJP wins in 4 of 7 Assembly seats; loses to TRS

RJD, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) win one each

Bihar bypolls: RJD takes lead in two assembly seats, BJP trailing

The RJD has established a lead in the two assembly seats of Mokama and Gopalganj in Bihar after the first round of counting, with BJP nominees found trailing, Election Commission trends revealed. In Mokama, Neelam Devi garnered 4,159 votes after the first round, and BJP's Sonam Devi 3,508 votes. Mohan Gupta of the RJD is leading in Gopalganj with 2,713 votes. He is followed by Kusum Devi of the BJP with 1,798 votes. Of the 6.10 lakh voters -- Gopalganj (3.31 lakh) and Mokama (2.70 lakh) 52.3 per cent had exercised their franchise in the two seats on November 3, he said. A total of 619 polling booths were set up in the two constituencies. Fifteen candidates are in the fray -- nine in Gopalganj and six in Mokama. This is the first electoral face-off between the ruling Grand Alliance (GA) and the opposition BJP in Bihar after the change of government in August this year, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party JD-U snapped ties with the saffron party and aligned with Lalu Prasad's