Bihar's image has changed for good, claims Nitish Kumar

Patna, Nov 24 - Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Saturday that Bihar's image has had a positive change and national and international institutions have shown interest in investing in the state.

'In the last two years, our government has strived to provide development with justice to all sections of society,' Nitish Kumar said while releasing a report card here on completion of his government's two years in office.

'Things have changed and the image is also changing. Bihar is on the threshold of making its own rare brand of development,' Nitish Kumar said.

'We have underlined improvement in law and order, agriculture and rural development, campaign against corruption, qualitative improvement in education, road and infrastructure, health services, minority welfare, welfare of women, children and disabled as our priorities.'

Speedy trial of criminal cases has sent the message that criminals can no longer roam freely and 'the rule of law has been established in the state' he said.

The report card highlighted communal harmony in the state and numerous schemes started for the development and welfare of minorities, dalits, backward castes and women.

On the occasion, Nitish Kumar announced launching of four welfare schemes, including Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojna and Kanya Suraksha Yojna.

He said the government had decided to provide free textbooks to Muslim students and Rs.10,000 grant to each student of the Muslim community who secures first division in matriculation board examination.

Under Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojna, girls from families having an annual income less than Rs.60,000 will be given a grant of Rs.5,000 on registration of their marriage.

Nitish finds his muse in Sher Shah Suri

Patna, Oct 25 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has found his inspiration in Sher Shah Suri, the 16th century founder of the Suri dynasty known for initiating path-breaking reforms.

'Sher Shah Suri is my idol. He is my inspiration,' said Nitish Kumar, who has been trying to put Bihar on the path of development, after visiting the Muslim ruler's tomb in Sasaram, about 150 km from here, Wednesday.

'We all respect and remember him for his developmental work,' he said.

Nitish Kumar has been widely described as 'Vikash Purush' or 'man for development' by leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for initiating numerous development projects in Bihar.

Sher Shah Suri (1472-1545) is also known as Sher Khan or the Lion King. Although his empire was short-lived, from 1539 to 1545, he left a deep imprint on the minds of the people - and history - by carrying out infrastructure projects, like building long stretches of roads, bridges, wayside inns etc.

The chief minister promised help for preservation and protection of Suri's tomb, which is facing threats from pollution and encroachment.

The five-storey mausoleum stands on a tank whose water has turned acidic, posing a threat to its survival.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) two years back warned the state government about the ecological threat to the tomb. ASI officials said the tank's water had turned acidic and was polluted due to its use by local residents. Untreated sewage and effluents flow into the tank, which is spread over a large area. 'The tank's water is posing a serious threat to the mausoleum's life,' an ASI official said.

The ASI official also urged the state to ban immersion of idols in the tank and restrict any construction within a radius of 200 m of the mausoleum.

The district administration allowed the immersion of idols in the tank from 1980 after a pond in the neighbourhood dried up.

Encroachments have come up on the mausoleum's premises. Though the state government claims to have spent Rs.700,000 to Rs.800,000 on the tomb's maintenance, it appears to have been done only on paper.

The tomb was declared a national heritage under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958). The ASI took it over for preservation and protection in 1938.

Buddha`s Ahimsa the only solution to growing extremism-Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said the theory of 'Ahimsa', originally propounded by Lord Buddha, is the only solution to growing extremism and terrorism across the globe.

Inaugurating a function in Rajgir to mark the 38th anniversary of 'Vishwa Shanti Stupa' at Ratnagiri peak, Mr Kumar said the United Nations' declaration of October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, as Non-Violence Day this year ''was an open testimony of the fact that its original propounder Lord Buddha`s ideologies had recognition of the world community.

Mr Kumar also said his Government was committed to revatilising the historical Nalanda University, the original seat of Buddhist learning. The Government, he said, was working on various aspects, including aims and objectives of reviving Buddhist learning.

''Some issues had been resolved. Like former president and eminent scientist APJ Abdul Kalam has agreed to be the `visitor` of the Nalanda International University while eminent economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and a Harvard University faculty Sugatha Bose are on the board of the advisory panel for completing the project at the earliest,'' he added.

Those accompanying Mr Kumar included Road Construction and Tourism Minister Nand Kishore Yadav,Energy Minister Vijender Yadav and Agriculture Minister Narender Singh.

Nitish government has decided to repair the bridge with its own resources

GANDHI SETU,PATNA

Fed up with the delay in the Centre sanctioning funds for the maintenance of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, the State Government has decided to carry out repair of the bridge linking North Bihar with the State Capital with its own resources.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took the decision during a late night stroll along the Ganga over which the bridge stands. Alarmed when briefed about the state of the distressed Setu and the unending traffic snarls, he issued necessary instructions to Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav on the spot.

Nitish said that even while funding repair of the bridge, State Government keep up the pressure on the Centre to release fund.

Following Chief Minister's instructions, Yadav convened a high-level meeting and issued necessary directives on reconstruction of the Setu. He said the State Government would seek help from international experts for reconstruction of the Setu and, if required, would completely change the upper structure as a long-term measure. “At the same time the ongoing repair being funded by the Centre will also continue”, he added.

Six months ago the State government had submitted a plan for repair of the entire bridge to the Union Surface Transport Ministry, Yadav said with the suggestion to consult international experts for a long-term solution to the problem. However, Yadav regretted that the Centre was yet to respond to the State Government’s proposal despite the fact that the condition of the Setu was deteriorating by the day.

“Snapping of the vital link between North and South Bihar will adversely affect the State’s economy,” he asserted. A survey conducted on the Setu in January had revealed that nine spans had ‘external pre-stressing’ and 33 required immediate change of hinge bearing. This is in addition to the repair work being carried.

The State Government had invited bids for additional immediate repairs after the Centre failed to respond to a memorandum submitted by the State Government in January.

The great job swap

India’s most dysfunctional state is getting a little better.

PATNA’S main cinema is full for a Sunday matinée showing of the latest film starring Amitabh Bachchan, India’s most famous actor. All 832 seats are occupied by families whistling and clapping at scenes set in an India of German cars and carefully pressed golfing slacks. Last year, just 10% of the seats were selling on any given evening, according to Birendra Singh, the cinema’s manager. Now it is normally half-full at night. The reason? People are less afraid of being mugged by gangsters, the police, local bureaucrats or all three in combination when they walk back into the outside world of rummaging pigs and intermittent electricity.
A big reason for the change is that just over a year ago Bihar’s voters booted out Laloo Prasad Yadav, who either directly or through his wife had ruled the place for 15 years. The replacement is his long-term rival and former ally, Nitish Kumar. To complete the symmetry, Mr Yadav has Mr Kumar’s old job in Delhi as railway minister, and is credited with turning the loss-making state railways around. After a year under Mr Kumar, Bihar also seems to be doing well out of the job swap.

Rivalry between the two politicians dates back to the 1970s when both were student leaders. They were allies in 1990 when Mr Yadav became chief minister of Bihar. But in 1994 Mr Kumar broke away, forming his own political party and plotting his course back to power. In late 2005, enough of Bihar’s Muslims and lower-caste Hindus, the groups that had sustained Mr Yadav for so long, came over to Mr Kumar and his allies, voting him into the chief minister’s residence.
Inside the ministerial compound, now free of the cows that Mr Yadav liked to graze on its lawns, Mr Kumar is recovering from a bout of malaria. The first thing he did on taking up the post, he says, was to replace old Remington typewriters with computers and e-mail. The next was to make a start on ridding Bihar of its reputation for lawlessness, which has scared away investors and educated Biharis alike.
That is beginning to change. Official figures, vigorously disputed by Mr
Yadav’s supporters, suggest that kidnapping for ransom, one of Bihar’s few flourishing industries during the past decade, is becoming rarer. Between January and October 2006, 166 people were snatched, compared with 214 for the same period in 2005 and 341 the year before. “Now people are committing crimes in the night, stealthily—not out in the open,” says A.R. Sinha, Bihar’s chief of police. That is progress.
Outside the capital, Bihar is still barely industrialised. Most of the population is engaged in subsistence farming, but barely subsisting. Of Bihar’s under-fives, 54% are malnourished, compared with 47% in India as a whole (itself a higher rate than in sub-Saharan Africa). Much of the subsidised grain intended to feed them is stolen and sold by the low-level officials who are meant to distribute it. In an attempt to end the pilfering, every target household should now receive a book of food tickets, to be redeemed at state-run distribution centres.
Other scams abound, though. According to Deepak Mishra, a local journalist, the state bus company employs 40-odd people for every bus it runs. A recent report from the state’s legislative assembly found that 19 senior officers in the Indian Administrative Service, the unsackable elite civil servants, and 108 officers in the Bihar Administrative Service, are facing corruption charges.
If Mr Kumar has made a good start, his old rival should not be written off yet. Even in defeat Mr Yadav was still the state’s most effective vote-harvester, possessing a charisma that Mr Kumar lacks. On December 18th he was cleared of a long-standing corruption charge. Mr Yadav is fond of boasting that one day he will be India’s prime minister. But if Mr Kumar can turn the state around, he may end up looming larger in national politics.

Police have 'special role' to play in Bihar's 'growth': Nitish

The police, including IPS officers, had a "special role" to play in ensuring "the all-round growth and re-establishing the lost glory" of Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Wednesday.

Addressing IPS trainees in his official chamber on Wednesday, Kumar said he expected new officers to contribute "more" to rein in criminal activities in the State and asked them to work with full dedication.

He claimed Bihar had witnessed a "positive change" during the past 13 months.

"Criminals are being brought to justice by ensuring speedy trials and policemen in the State are contributing to the mission against crimes," he said.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Abhayanand introduced the IPS trainees to the Chief Minister.

I will not seek votes if I fail to deliver in BIHAR: Nitish

Charging the UPA government at the Centre with neglecting Bihar's development, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday said paucity of funds will not be allowed to impede the state's development and asserted he would not seek votes in the next Assembly elections if his government failed to deliver.
"My government is committed to development and in the brief time it has been in existence, positive changes are visible. In little over a year that we have been in power, fruits of progress have begun to be seen," he said addressing a public meeting here after laying foundation of various development schemes worth Rs 645 crore for this district.
Kumar said though the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre was not coming forth with adequate assistance for Bihar, the state's NDA government would not allow the development projects to "starve" due to paucity of resources.
"We are going to invest Rs 8,000 crore in roads. Likewise we have plans to make huge investments in other infrastructure. There would be very positive changes over the next four years, he said addresing the public meeting at the local Degree college.
Kumar, often accused by his political adversaries for making "empty promises," reiterated his resolve to usher in a new era of progress and prosperity in Bihar.
"If my government fails to keep its promise of building a new and developed Bihar over the remaining four years of its tenure, I would not not seek votes in the next assembly polls," he said.
AchievementsEnumerating the achievements of his Government, Kumar said reservation of 50 per cent of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions was a "historic step."
The Chief Minister claimed the law and order situation has undergone a positive change after the NDA government came to power.
"In just one year, 6000 accused have been convicted of various crimes and of these over 1100 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Our endeavour to bring the criminals to justice has created fear of the law in the minds of anti-socials and respect among those who abide by it," he said.
Kumar said the government was actively considering a proposal for inter-linking of rivers to find a lasting solution to the recurrent problems of flood and drought in the state.
"If we succeed, the state would get rid of the twin- problems that have hindered our development for ages," he said.
Kumar also referred to the scheme under which people living below the poverty line would be provided coupons which they would hand over to public distribution system (PDS) dealers upon lifting foodgrains and kerosene at subsidised rates.
The dealers would be required to submit all the coupons collected by them to a government official and the number of coupons would form the basis for fixing the quantum of commodities the PDS outlet owners would be entitled to lift the next time.
"This has been done to check blackmarketing of foodgrains and other commodities meant for the poor. I am confident that the move would check irregularities in the PDS," he said.