Bihar Government

The Bihar government has increased the monetary reward for gallantry award winners, and those winning Param Vir Chakra from the state will now be given Rs 1 crore instead of the previous Rs 10 lakh, an official said on Saturday. The Param Vir Chakra is India's top military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. The state government also hiked the reward amount for Ashok Chakra awardees from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 75 lakh, for Mahaveer Chakra from Rs 5 lakh to 50 lakh, for Kirti Chakra from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, for Veera Chakra from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 9 lakh, and for Shaurya Chakra from Rs 1.5 lakh to 8 lakh, according to a notification. The Army, Navy or Air Force Medal winners will get Rs 7 lakh instead of the current Rs 75,000 and in Mention in Dispatches cases, the reward was increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 6 lakh, the notification said. Talking to PTI, Home Secretary Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said, The state government is ...

The Bihar government has asked top officials of 12 departments to immediately prepare a roadmap and plan joint activities for women empowerment and gender justice in the state as part of Centre's third phase of month-long 'Nayi Chetna', a national campaign against gender-based violence. The third edition of Nayi Chetna, a national campaign against gender-based violence, was launched by the Centre on November 25 and it will continue till December 23 this year. The objectives of 'Nayi Chetna' (3.0) include raising awareness about all forms of gender-based violence, encouraging communities to speak out and demand action, providing access to support systems for timely assistance, and empowering local institutions to act decisively against violence. Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena will soon call a meeting of the top officials of 12 departments of the state government to review the roadmaps and joint activities being carried out by the departments concerned as part of 'Nayi Chetna' (3.0) .

Former Union minister Maneka Gandhi and other animal rights activists have urged the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar to issue immediate directions to check the "regressive practice of animal sacrifice" in various parts of the state. They also requested the Bihar government to stop the illegal transportation of cattle from the state to Nepal for sacrifice in the upcoming Gadhimai festival in the neighbouring country. Maneka Gandhi wrote a letter to the Bihar chief minister on Friday seeking his immediate intervention "to stop animal sacrifice in the state and also illegal transportation of cows, buffaloes, goats, pigeons from Bihar to Nepal, primarily intended for sacrifice, especially around the Gadhimai festival". It has been recently reported that around Rs 10 million (1 crore) worth of Indian buffaloes alone are smuggled monthly and sold in Nepal's markets, she wrote in her letter. A delegation of top representatives of other animal protection organisations -- Acharya Prashant

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his role in transforming the state, pulling it out of what he called the 'Jungle Raaj'. Modi's remarks came during a function in Darbhanga, where he laid the foundation for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and inaugurated several key infrastructure projects worth around Rs 12,100 crore. "Nitish ji has set up a model of good governance (Shushashan), pulling the state out of the era of Jungle Raaj. No praise is too high for this achievement," PM Modi said, speaking at the event where the JD(U) chief was also present. The Prime Minister emphasised Bihar's development under the NDA government, highlighting improvements in various sectors, especially in health infrastructure. "Bihar is witnessing a lot of development. The NDA government is committed to the welfare of the people. The previous government in Bihar never bothered about health infrastructure. They made false promises, but

The Bihar government is contemplating taking over the land worth about Rs 7,960 crore, belonging to the erstwhile estate of Bettiah Raj, one of the largest zamindaris of the state, a large part which was encroached upon, an official said. The move is being made to ensure 'effective protection and management' of the nearly 15,358 acres of land, mostly in Bihar's East and West Champaran districts and in Uttar Pradesh, the senior official said. The estate is currently managed by the Court of Wards, Board of Revenue of the Bihar government. According to data compiled by the Board of Revenue till December 13 last year, which is in the possession of the PTI, of the total land belonging to Bettiah Estate in West Champaran district, 6,505 acres (around 66 per cent) have been encroached upon. On the other hand, 3,219 acres or around 60 per cent of such land in East Champaran, have been encroached upon. Chairman-cum-Member of the Board of Revenue, K K Pathak, in an October order pertaining

The Bihar government will soon sign an MoU with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the redevelopment of the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium here. A decision to this effect was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The cabinet on Tuesday approved the state sports department proposal for signing of the MoU with the BCCI... This will transform it as an international stadium equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, where day-and-night matches along with other sporting activities will be organised, S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), told reporters here. The agreement will be signed very soon and immediately after that construction work shall start, which will be completed in 36 months, he said. After completion of the construction, the BCCI will organise matches and other sporting activities till seven years after that period, profit will be shared with the state government on a 50-50 basis, Siddharth said. The cabine

Describing the tragedy as "tragic," Jan Suraj Party chief Prashant Kishor said on Thursday that the state's liquor ban is not enforced anywhere, existing only in government files and political

BJP leader Nitin Nabin said that action would be taken by the state government against all those involved in the incident

On Monday, the Bihar government unveiled a new policy that prioritises people with severe illnesses and disabilities when it comes to the transfer and posting of govt school teachers in the state

Bihar is performing well in basic indicators like education and health, and it is likely to catch up with the rest of the country in a couple of years, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said. Addressing a press conference in Gaya where a national conference on data-driven governance will begin on Tuesday, he said a number of aspirational blocks and districts of Bihar will become "inspirational" soon due to improved governance and service delivery. "Bihar will catch up with the rest of the country in a couple of years. The state is performing well in terms of basic indicators like education and health. A number of aspirational blocks and districts will move on to become inspirational blocks and districts in the very near future due to improved governance and service delivery," Subrahmanyam said on Monday. He said Bihar is the first state in the country to demonstrate an unprecedented level of AI-driven decision support system, which will help policymakers, mid-career officers and those

Earlier on September 30, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that the state government is working in coordination with the central government to mitigate the flooding situation

At least 238 companies have completed all formalities for a combined investment of Rs 36,000 crore, making Bihar one of the leading states in terms of the realisation of business proposals, a senior minister said on Monday. These entities are part of 278 companies which had promised Rs 50,530 crore investment in the state during the mega two-day Bihar Business Connect 2023, he said. Addressing a press conference here, Bihar Industries Minister Nitish Mishra said many big players have chosen the state as their "preferred destination". "During the two-day event in December, a remarkable achievement was made as 278 companies signed MoUs with the state government, committing to invest a total of Rs 50,530 crore. "It's a matter of great satisfaction that MoUs with 238 companies have been realised and the process of Rs 36,000 crore investment has started in the state," the minister said. Bihar is witnessing significant "investment promotion activities", reinforcing its position as an ..

The Bihar government is making serious efforts to give a fillip to small-scale and medium enterprises which would play a crucial role in the overall economic development of the state, a top official of the Industries department said. Around Rs 2,900 crore have been disbursed to nearly 74,540 beneficiaries under two schemes, one of which was launched only last year, for promoting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises ( MSMEs) in the state, the official said. Bihar has a strong MSME base. To promote innovation ecosystem and unlock the enormous entrepreneurial potential of the state, the Mukhya Mantri Udyami Yojana (MMUY) and Bihar Laghu Udyami Yojana (BLUY) were launched in 2018 and 2023 respectively focusing on promotion of MSMEs in the state. "A total of Rs 2,697 crore was disbursed to 34,441 beneficiaries from 2018 till now under MMUY. Similarly, till date Rs 200 crore of the first instalment has been disbursed to 40,099 beneficiaries under BLUY", Secretary, Department of Industries,

The Bihar Transport department and traffic police have issued over 16,700 e-challans worth Rs 9.49 crore in a week through e-detection system installed in 13 toll plazas in the state for violation of motor vehicle act, officials said. Out of 16,755 e-challans issued by the authorities, 9,676 belonged to vehicles registered in other states while 7,079 e-challans were issued to vehicles registered in Bihar in a week from August 7 to 15, they said. Additional Director General (ADG) of Bihar Traffic Police Sudhanshu Kumar told reporters on Tuesday, "The state transport department in coordination with traffic police, introduced issuance of e-challan through e-detection system, which has been installed at 13 toll plazas in the state. Vehicle owners of the state without valid insurance, fitness and pollution certificates, will now receive e-challan on their mobile phones through e-detection system. "From August 7 to August 15, concerned authorities in the state issued over 16,755 e-challan

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said the NDA government in the state has now fixed a new target of providing 12 lakh government jobs to youths by next year. Soon after hoisting the tricolour at the Gandhi Maidan here, Kumar said, "Bihar is moving ahead with high growth rate and development. It will go ahead with inclusive development in the coming years. Earlier, we had promised to provide 10 lakh government jobs to our youthsbut now our government has fixed a new target of providing 12 lakh government jobs to youths before the 2025 assembly polls. The state government is working in this direction, the chief minister said. "Under its 'Saat Nischay Part-2' scheme, the state government fixed a target of providing 10 lakh jobs and creating employment opportunities for 10 lakh people. The scheme was launched in 2020around 5.16 lakh people have already been given government jobs under this scheme and a process has been completed for providing 2 lakh more government jobs," .

In June, the Patna HC had struck down the law passed by the Nitish Kumar government, which legalised hiking the reservations for backward classes, Dalits and tribals up to 65%

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the Bihar government and other concerned respondents to file a reply to the petition

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) on Saturday said that it wanted to contest the assembly elections in neighbouring Jharkhand in alliance with the BJP. Kumar chaired a meeting of his party at his official residence and it was attended by JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is in charge of Jharkhand, Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary and Rajya Sabha MP Khiru Mahto, who heads the JD(U)'s unit in the adjoining state, among others. After the meeting, Mahto told reporters, "We are looking forward to contesting the Jharkhand assembly polls in alliance with the BJP." "Among the issues discussed with the party's supreme leader was the inclusion of Kurmis in the list of Scheduled Tribes. Kurmi leaders in Jharkhand have been raising the demand for some time and today it was seconded by delegates from West Bengal. We will now move forward by raising the issue in Parliament and before President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah," he ..

The deficient financial management, poor planning and inclusion of unfeasible projects resulted in delayed or incomplete execution of projects under the Smart Cities Mission in Patna, the CAG said in a report. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said that "unfeasible projects" were included in the list of 44 initially approved projects, indicating "poor planning on the part of Patna Smart City Limited (PSCL) and the Urban Development and Housing Department (UD&HD) of Bihar government". "This ultimately resulted in delayed/incomplete execution of projects. The financial management of PSCL was also deficient, as funds had been diverted for unapproved projects and incorrect utilisation certificates had been submitted," said the compliance audit report of the CAG for the year ended March 31, 2022, which was tabled in the Bihar assembly on Thursday. The contract management for the mission was also poor as the complete scheme did not fulfil the desired objectives, it ...

The Bihar anti-paper leak Bill also mandates that if a service provider, whether govt or private agency, engages in malpractice, it will face a Rs 1 crore fine and a four-year suspension of services