The last speaker in today's Lok Sabha debate Prabhunath Singh of the Janata Dal (United) raised stark questions about Prime Minister's personality and his deeds rattled the Congress led United Progressive members. He alleged that central government is discriminating against Bihar.
Earlier taking part in the trust vote debate on behalf of the CPI(M), Lok Sabha member Mohammad Salim accused the UPA government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of betraying the Left parties who had supported the government for over four years. He even accused the PM of being a dealer and not a leader who was only concerned about the nuclear deal with the US.
A dealer only looks at the deal, whereas a leader looks at the deal, its history as well as its future implications and other consequences, Salim said, adding the deal should not be between two people, but between two countries.
Rebutting the UPA's charge of Left betraying the government, Salim said it was infact the PM who had betrayed the Left parties. Referring to the Prime Minister thanking Left leaders Jyoti Basu and Harkishen Surjeet in his opening speech while moving the confidence motion, Salim said the Left did not support the government for appreciation.
We didn't support the UPA to be conferred with a certificate of patriotism after four years. We supported the government based on the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), he told the House.
Accusing the government of not following the CMP, Salim said the Left parties had constantly been warning the Congress and its allies not to divert from the principles on which the UPA was put together. �The CMP wasn�t prepared by Left parties, but by UPA allies; we only endorsed them,� he said.
And the nuclear deal and firming up of relations with the US were not part of the CMP, the CPI(M) MP from the Calcutta-Northeast (West Bengal) constituency noted further.
We gave them a debit card but they kept on overdrawing. Probably (US President George) Bush asked them to do so. The CMP wasn't prepared in consultation with Bush, it was done with UPA constituents, Salim said.
Reminding the Congress that it came to power with the outside support of Left parties after failing to get two-thirds majority, Salim said that the UPA should remember that the NDA was defeated because people were not happy with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and its policies.
Claiming that several leaders of the Congress had no link with the party's past, Salim recalled speeches made by former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi in which they clearly stated India's pro-NAM stand.
Referring to those who have been claiming that the nuclear deal with the US is in national interest, Salim sought to ask why should India�s interest be decided on the basis of what the US dictates.
The government earlier said the deal was important as the PM had made a personal commitment. It later said the deal was in national interest; now it is about who will get which post in the government. Is this what national interest is?. I don't buy this. The nation is watching, an angry Salim said.
He further accused the government of ignoring all pressing problems the country was facing in the wake of the nuke deal controversy.
The Prime Minister met regional newspaper editors recently and he was asked why inflation is going up. The PM candidly told the editors that the government was busy sorting out the political problems related to the nuke deal and the IAEA safeguards agreement that it couldn't focus on other issues, the CPI(M) member informed the House.
He accused the Prime Minister of having another CMP and added the House, Left parties and the country were not bound by that CMP.
Turning to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is the president of the BCCI, Salim said that after the IPL got over, a dope test conducted by WADA revealed that a player had tested positive for drugs. He then asked the minister to get the government's dope test done before going to Vienna to find out why it was running so fast� (on the nuclear deal).
Taking a shot at LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Salim said the former minister was first part of the NDA government and then joined the UPA. But why he is bringing the BJP policy (of looking up to the US) to UPA, he asked.
He also noted that the scientists who had made India self-reliant in nuclear energy had asked the Prime Minister not to proceed with the deal.
He further accused the US of trying to sell nuclear energy to India, which the world was not embracing. To back his claim, Salim referred to the projection made in the Annual Energy Outlook 2008 that by 2030, the world�s nuclear energy will stand at 7.8%, compared to 9.6% in 2005.
The CPI(M) MP claimed that the government had outsourced diplomacy work to the US whose officials like William Burns were taking decisions on behalf of India at the IAEA.
Concluding his speech, Salim asked the government not to depend on Bush, but instead on the Indian people.
Terming the Indo-US nuclear deal as anti-people, noted social activists today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to scrap it with immediate effect.
"The Indo-US nuclear deal is patently anti-people and will make India a strategic ally of American Imperialism in South Asia to impose its hegemony over Asia," they said in an open letter to the Prime Minister.
The signing of the Henry Hyde Act in December 2006 is logical interference of the content of the Act legally making India a junior ally of the US Imperialism, "confiscating and trunacating our hard earned sovereignty", they added.
"We therefore demand that the Indo-US nuclear deal be scrapped with immediate effect and the ongoing talks between IAEA should be called off immediately," the letter said.
Terming the deal "an outrageous instrument of recolonisation of India and Third world", they said when the deal comes through, it will grievously undermine the current global regime of the nuclear non-proliferation in gross violation of underlying principles of nuclear peace, workers, environment and women's movement.
They also rejected the proposition that the deal will enhance India's energy security and said nuclear energy is "prohibitively costly and intrinsically hazardous" and will distort India's effort towards cheaper renewable energy sources.
They suggested Singh that since India stands very low on human development index, instead of spending on costly nuclear power it should invest in the field of health, education, food security, rural and urban development.
Even though the outcome of numbers game during the July 22 trust vote appears too close to predict, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the the UPA government's defeat in the floor test is imminent.
"The Manmohan Singh government's defeat in the trial of strength is imminent and the stony silence being maintained by usually-blustering union ministers from the state points in that direction," he said.
Kumar returned here after attending a meeting of NDA chief ministers in Delhi where they mulled over the strategy to pull down the UPA government.
"Now that it is clear that the government will not survive, the 'bayan bahadurs' (leaders thriving on statements) RJD ministers from Bihar have suddenly stopped making unsavoury remarks aginst me and my government."
He charged the UPA ministers, particularly those from RJD, with not cooperating with the state government in execution of several development schemes and said the NDA will make it an election issue.
"We will go the electorate with facts and figures and seek their support to bring the NDA to power at the Centre if they want their problems to be solved," he said.
Referring to the Indo-US nuclear deal, Kumar said the Centre should suspend and keep in abeyance all further action till it has proved its majority in the Lok Sabha.
Lok Janshakti Party leader and Central Minister Ramvilas Paswan has given a vote of confidence to the Congress-led government saying it was sure to win the trust motion in Parliament and that the India-US nuclear deal was "essential for development".
After Railway Minister Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal verbalised his confidence that the Manmohan Singh government would survive the trust vote. Paswan has been doing the same in public functions in Bihar.
Paswan, a key member of the United Progressive Alliance with four MPs in the Lok Sabha, said the UPA would win the confidence vote as it has the support of "old and new allies".
The Steel, Chemical and Fertilisers Minister, who has been addressing gatherings in Jehanabad, Bhojpur and Patna districts said: "The nuclear deal agreement is essential for the development of the country. All those opposing it are not interested in the country's development."
Without naming the Left parties, which withdrew support to the UPA, or the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, Paswan said: "It is baseless that India will become a slave of America after the nuclear deal."
He said it would pave the way for electricity in every household across the country, similar to the cell phone revolution.
Nationalist Congress Party general secretary Tariq Anwar echoed Paswan.
Expressing confidence that the UPA would pull through July 22, he said new allies like the Samajwadi Party and other smaller parties would fill the gap caused by the Left withdrawal.
"The nuclear deal has got the support of a majority of people in the country," said Anwar, whose party has 11 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
12 feared drowned in boat mishap in Bihar
Ara: At least 12 people are reported missing ever since a a boat carrying them capsized mid-stream in Dharmavati river near Chamarpur village under Shahpur block in Bhojpur district on 10th July. Such occurances are a regular feature but administration's response is consistently knee jerk.
Police said the incident took place when the ill-fated boat, ferrying 30 people from nearby villages to Shahpur, capsized mid-stream owing to strong current in the river. At least 12 people were feared drowned in the incident while 18 swam ashore, police added.
''Divers have been pressed into service to rescue the people swept away by the strong current of the river,'' police said, adding two bodies had been recovered so far.
District Magistrate Safina A N and a host of senior civil and police officers had reached the spot to monitor the rescue and relief operations.
Police said the incident took place when the ill-fated boat, ferrying 30 people from nearby villages to Shahpur, capsized mid-stream owing to strong current in the river. At least 12 people were feared drowned in the incident while 18 swam ashore, police added.
''Divers have been pressed into service to rescue the people swept away by the strong current of the river,'' police said, adding two bodies had been recovered so far.
District Magistrate Safina A N and a host of senior civil and police officers had reached the spot to monitor the rescue and relief operations.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Barahara MLA Asha Devi's husband accused of beating Engineer Ashok Mishra
FIR filed against Husband of Barhara MLA
Bihar government seeks central aid to deal with the problem of arsenic and florides that are contaminating groundwater
The Times of India reported on 6th June, 2008 about the alleged beating of Ashok Mishra, an executive engineer at Ara allegedly by Barahara MLA Asha Devi's husband.
It has created a major row with Bihar Engineering Services Association (BESA) threatening to launch a stir to press for the arrest of the assailant.
Asha Devi, however, said she had already complained against the executive engineer, Ashok Mishra of the rural development department's Bhojpur division, to the chief minister and rural development minister Brishen Patel.
She said Mishra misbehaved with her representatives when they went to meet him.
She alleged Mishra started work on projects worth Rs 31 crores without inviting tenders.
Local MLA Amarendra Pratap Singh had also objected to the irregularities and demanded action against the erring engineer.
BESA, meanwhile, said though a named FIR has been filed, no action has been taken against the accused.
In a statement, BESA general secretary Rajeshwar Mishra said if such incidents continue and action is not taken against the culprits, the development work may become a victim and the government will be responsible for that.
Bihar government seeks Rs 470 crore from Centre to deal with groundwater contamination
The Bihar government has sought an aid of Rs 470 crore from Centre to deal with the problem of arsenic and florides that are contaminating groundwater in as many as 16 district of the state.
This proposal was put forth at a high-level meeting between rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Bihar public health engineering department (PHED) minister Aswini Kumar Chowbey.
The districts in which high arsenic content has been found in the groundwater include Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, Vaishali, Sharan, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria and Katihar.
In other districts including, Gaya, Rohtas, Nawada, north of Munger and Bhagalpur and Sheikhpura, high level of floride has been found in groundwater. Urging the Centre to help the state in its effort to provide safe drinking water, Chowbey said, “A poor state like Bihar cannot undertake this task on its own and so the Centre should approve the special package, including the technical support, to make water in the state safe for drinking.”
“I have spoken to the Union minister for rural development and he has assured that the state will be provided with the required fund,” Chowbey added.
The rural development ministry, however, has asked the state government to first give the utilisation certificate for the earlier sanctioned Rs 120 crore, which was to be used for different drinking water projects. “Once the state government furnishes the certificate, the Centre will have no hesitation in advancing the demanded money and technology to deal with toxics present in the water in the affected districts,” sources in the union ministry said.
The other issue, which the state government highlighted at the meeting included “total sanitation” programme, which is being undertaken by the state government with the help of the Centre. When the programme was conceptualised, Rs 1,500 was earmarked for each household to construct a clean toilet. Out of this the Centre was to provide Rs 600, state had to chip in an equal amount and the rest Rs 300 was to be borne by the beneficiaries. The cost of construction, however, was revised to Rs 2,000 for each household.
“Under the revised rate the state had to put in Rs 1,100, which has become unbearable. So we have proposed that the Centre revise its contribution to Rs 900 and the state contribute Rs 800. This will enable the beneficiaries to continue with their old contribution,” Chowbey said.
Bihar government seeks central aid to deal with the problem of arsenic and florides that are contaminating groundwater
The Times of India reported on 6th June, 2008 about the alleged beating of Ashok Mishra, an executive engineer at Ara allegedly by Barahara MLA Asha Devi's husband.
It has created a major row with Bihar Engineering Services Association (BESA) threatening to launch a stir to press for the arrest of the assailant.
Asha Devi, however, said she had already complained against the executive engineer, Ashok Mishra of the rural development department's Bhojpur division, to the chief minister and rural development minister Brishen Patel.
She said Mishra misbehaved with her representatives when they went to meet him.
She alleged Mishra started work on projects worth Rs 31 crores without inviting tenders.
Local MLA Amarendra Pratap Singh had also objected to the irregularities and demanded action against the erring engineer.
BESA, meanwhile, said though a named FIR has been filed, no action has been taken against the accused.
In a statement, BESA general secretary Rajeshwar Mishra said if such incidents continue and action is not taken against the culprits, the development work may become a victim and the government will be responsible for that.
Bihar government seeks Rs 470 crore from Centre to deal with groundwater contamination
The Bihar government has sought an aid of Rs 470 crore from Centre to deal with the problem of arsenic and florides that are contaminating groundwater in as many as 16 district of the state.
This proposal was put forth at a high-level meeting between rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Bihar public health engineering department (PHED) minister Aswini Kumar Chowbey.
The districts in which high arsenic content has been found in the groundwater include Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, Vaishali, Sharan, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria and Katihar.
In other districts including, Gaya, Rohtas, Nawada, north of Munger and Bhagalpur and Sheikhpura, high level of floride has been found in groundwater. Urging the Centre to help the state in its effort to provide safe drinking water, Chowbey said, “A poor state like Bihar cannot undertake this task on its own and so the Centre should approve the special package, including the technical support, to make water in the state safe for drinking.”
“I have spoken to the Union minister for rural development and he has assured that the state will be provided with the required fund,” Chowbey added.
The rural development ministry, however, has asked the state government to first give the utilisation certificate for the earlier sanctioned Rs 120 crore, which was to be used for different drinking water projects. “Once the state government furnishes the certificate, the Centre will have no hesitation in advancing the demanded money and technology to deal with toxics present in the water in the affected districts,” sources in the union ministry said.
The other issue, which the state government highlighted at the meeting included “total sanitation” programme, which is being undertaken by the state government with the help of the Centre. When the programme was conceptualised, Rs 1,500 was earmarked for each household to construct a clean toilet. Out of this the Centre was to provide Rs 600, state had to chip in an equal amount and the rest Rs 300 was to be borne by the beneficiaries. The cost of construction, however, was revised to Rs 2,000 for each household.
“Under the revised rate the state had to put in Rs 1,100, which has become unbearable. So we have proposed that the Centre revise its contribution to Rs 900 and the state contribute Rs 800. This will enable the beneficiaries to continue with their old contribution,” Chowbey said.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Damodarpur suffers yet another annual fire incident amid govt callousness
The Fire raged in Damodarpur village Panchayatin Bhojpur district, Bihar MPs and MLAs across party lines slept comfortably. The whole village was on fire tonight and crop lying in the agricultural fields were burnt to ashes. It also engulfed the houses of the villagers. No help reached at night.
Bihar Home Secretary Mr Amanullah was informed around 11 O' clock at night who promised help. He was informed by a Delhi based senior journalist from The Times of India at the behest of a villager.
Local legislators Lalmuni Choubey and Kanti were unreachable. The need for some 9-10 fire brigade buses was a felt need that was unmet. The husband ofthe local MLA was present but to no avail since he was helping physically rather than alerting the administration to act with promptness.
The crop waiting to be taken home was reduced to ashes in the fire.
Only one fire engine that is there in the district was lying defunct and there was no way to control the flames except sprinkling water in a primitive way.
No case was registered. The district administration did gave verbal assurances on phones. M N Safina, District Magistrate, Bhojpur was informed from Delhi about the goings on in the village. Raj Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Managemnt also promised help from Patna at the earliest.
Fire incidents in this region are an annual feature still there is no disaster preparedness from the government side.
FOR DETAILS CONTACT: SHIVJI: 09939693898
Bihar Home Secretary Mr Amanullah was informed around 11 O' clock at night who promised help. He was informed by a Delhi based senior journalist from The Times of India at the behest of a villager.
Local legislators Lalmuni Choubey and Kanti were unreachable. The need for some 9-10 fire brigade buses was a felt need that was unmet. The husband ofthe local MLA was present but to no avail since he was helping physically rather than alerting the administration to act with promptness.
The crop waiting to be taken home was reduced to ashes in the fire.
Only one fire engine that is there in the district was lying defunct and there was no way to control the flames except sprinkling water in a primitive way.
No case was registered. The district administration did gave verbal assurances on phones. M N Safina, District Magistrate, Bhojpur was informed from Delhi about the goings on in the village. Raj Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Managemnt also promised help from Patna at the earliest.
Fire incidents in this region are an annual feature still there is no disaster preparedness from the government side.
FOR DETAILS CONTACT: SHIVJI: 09939693898
Monday, April 14, 2008
Cabinet Reshuffle in Bihar & at Centre
Upcoming Lok Sabha election dictate Ministerial choices both at Centre as well as in Bihar
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday pumped fresh blood into his 28-month-old ministry by inducting 19 new faces and dropping 10 "under-performing" ministers.
Seventeen ministers of Cabinet rank and two ministers of state were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Bihar governor R.S. Gavai at Raj Bhavan here. Of these 19, 13 belong to the Janata Dal (United) and six to the BJP.
Among the 19 new ministers who were administered the oath of office and secrecy included six EBCs, two members each from the Muslim and Dalit communities, five upper castes and four OBCs.
Kumar had earlier said that he would expand his ministry "any day, any time" and sought the resignation of his entire council of ministers on Sunday morning.
Barring his deputy, Sushil Modi, all 25 ministers complied, enabling the JD(U) chief minister to form a new team.
Kumar accepted the resignation of 10 ministers, eight from the JD(U) and two from the BJP, and retained the rest.
After the induction of 19 ministers, the strength of the new-look ministry rose to 36.
Those who were given the pink slip on the ground of 'less than satisfactory performance' will not be making a comeback in the new ministry.
They include
Health Minister Chandramohan Rai,
Sports, Art and Culture Minister Janardan Singh Sigriwal,
Building Minister Monazir Hasan,
Rural Development Minister Baidyanath Mahto,
Food, Supply, and Commerce Minister Suchitra Singh,
Social Welfare Minister Rameshwar Paswan,
Transport Minister Ajit Kumar,
Minority Welfare Minister Manzar Alam,
Minor Irrigation Minister Vishwamohan Rai, and
Information and Public Relations Minister Arjun Rai.
Among the new faces to join the Nitish cabinet are :
Bhola Singh,
Giri Raj Singh,
Vyasdeo Prasad,
Ram Narayan Mandal,
Renu Devi,
Ram Pravesh Rai,
Awadhesh Narayan Singh, and
Vyasdeo Prasad (all from BJP)
and Nagmani (husband of outgoing minister Suchitra Singh),
Jitan Ram Manjhi,
Shahid Ali Khan,
Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha,
Dinesh Chandra Yadav,
Dinesh Prasad,
Chhedi Paswan,
Hari Narayan Singh,
Damodar Raout,
Ramanand Singh,
Hari Prasad Sah, and
Jamshed Ashraf (all from JD-U).
Governor R. S. Gavai swore in all the new ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chowdhary, and Bihar Legislative Council chairperson Prof. Arun Kumar. Opposition leaders were not present on the occasion.
Former Urban Development Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey who was one of the first ones to tender his resignation at the call of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made no bones about his frustration with his removal from the Urban Development department to the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).
New Cabinet:
Nitish Kumar - Chief Minister, Home, Administrative Reforms
Sushil Kumar Modi – Deputy Chief Minister, Finance, Commerce
Nand Kishore Yadav – Health
Ashwini Kumar Choubey – PHED
Vijendra Prasad Yadav – Water Resources
Ramashray Prasad Singh – Energy, Parliamentary Affairs
Narendra Singh – Food and Consumers
Sudha Srivastava – Planning and Development
Prem Kumar – Road Construction
Nagmani – Agriculture
Ramnath Thakur - Law (Additional charge of Information and Public Relations)
Jitan Ram Manjhi – Scheduled Castes Welfare
Narendra Narayan Yadav – Revenue and Land Reforms
Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha – Urban Development
Shahid Ali Khan – Science and Technology (Additional charge of Minority Welfare)
Bhola Singh – Urban Development
Giri Raj Singh – Cooperative
Dinesh Prasad – Minor Irrigation Resources
Dinesh Chandra Yadav – Industry
Chhedi Paswan - Building Construction
Damodar Raout – Social Welfare
Harinarayan Singh – Human Resources and Development
Ramanand Singh – Transport
Renu Devi – Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs
Hari Prasad Sah – Panchayati Raj (additional charge of Extreme Backward Welfare)
Ram Narayan Mandal – Fishery
Ram Pravesh Rai – Tourism
Awadhesh Narayan Singh – Labor Resources
Independent Charge:
Dr. Anil Kumar – Information Technology
Gautam Singh – Sugarcane
Ram Chandra Sahni – Mining and Geology
Nitish Mishra – Emergency Management
Ramji Das Rishideo – Forestry and Environment
Jamshed Ashram – Excise and Prohibition
State Minister:
Vyasdeo Prasad - Health
The biggest beneficiaries in the exercise were the EBCs. Among the members from this social category who found representation in the council of ministers are four Koeris (Vyasdeo Prasad, Nagmani, Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha and Dinesh Prasad Kushwaha), one Nonia (Renu Kumari) and Halwai (Hari Prasad Sah).
While Jeetan Ram Manjhi and Chhedi Paswan are the two members from the Dalit community, Nitish Kumar made up for the exit of two Muslims (Monazir Hassan and Manzar Alam) by including as many new members from the community (Shahid Ali Khan and Jamshed Ashraf).
The new ministers sworn in on Sunday also include four OBCs —Dinesh Chandra Yadav, Hari Narain Singh (Kurmi), Damodar Rout (Dhanuk) and Ram Narayan Mandal (Teli).
Three Bhumihars (Giriraj Singh, Bhola Prasad Singh and Ramanand Prasad Singh) and two Rajputs (Ram Pravesh Rai and Awadhesh Narayan Singh) also figure in the new lot of ministers.
Earlier, at the central level too there is a cabinet reshuffle in the first week of April wherein Raghunath Jha was inducted as the Brahmin face of RJD in the Lok Sabha. He entered active politics in 1960s as a socialist before switching over to Congress, Janata party, RJD, JD-U and finally rejoining Lalu Prasad`s party. An ardent follower of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, the 69-year-old Jha remained a member of socialist party till 1972 before switching over to Congress and successfully contesting the assembly elections from Sheohar. He represented the constituency in 1972, 1977 and 1980 on Congress ticket and became a minister in the erstwhile Jagannath Mishra ministry in Bihar.
As he paraded in favour of Mishra before the Raj Bhavan in 1985 in support of the latter`s candidature for the post of Chief Minister and ouster of the then Chief Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, Jha was denied re-nomination from Sheohar for "disobeying" the Congress leadership. Jha then resigned from the Congress` primary membership and secured a Janata party ticket when Chandra Shekhar was its president. He won the elections to the Sheohar assembly seat for the fourth time in a row.
After merger of former Prime Minister V P Singh`s Jan Morcha, Janata Party and Lok Dal of former deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal in Bangalore in 1988, Jha was made the state president of Janata Dal in Bihar.
But his relations with Singh was going well and he was removed from the post in three months. A few months after his removal, Jha was made chairman of the party`s parliamentary board in Bihar following Chandra Shekhar`s intervention.
He was pitted as chief ministerial candidate against Lalu Prasad and former Chief Minister Ramsunder Das by Chandra Shekhar in a triangular contest in 1990 but lost.
Only 18 MLAs voted in favour of Jha as Lalu became the Chief Minister. Jha was made a minister with important portfolios of agriculture, land and revenue. Jha did not seem overly excited when he got that call that he was going to be sworn in. "I have been a minister many times in Bihar. We are like Everyday batteries, ready to go all the time. And so is the case now," he said.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday pumped fresh blood into his 28-month-old ministry by inducting 19 new faces and dropping 10 "under-performing" ministers.
Seventeen ministers of Cabinet rank and two ministers of state were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Bihar governor R.S. Gavai at Raj Bhavan here. Of these 19, 13 belong to the Janata Dal (United) and six to the BJP.
Among the 19 new ministers who were administered the oath of office and secrecy included six EBCs, two members each from the Muslim and Dalit communities, five upper castes and four OBCs.
Kumar had earlier said that he would expand his ministry "any day, any time" and sought the resignation of his entire council of ministers on Sunday morning.
Barring his deputy, Sushil Modi, all 25 ministers complied, enabling the JD(U) chief minister to form a new team.
Kumar accepted the resignation of 10 ministers, eight from the JD(U) and two from the BJP, and retained the rest.
After the induction of 19 ministers, the strength of the new-look ministry rose to 36.
Those who were given the pink slip on the ground of 'less than satisfactory performance' will not be making a comeback in the new ministry.
They include
Health Minister Chandramohan Rai,
Sports, Art and Culture Minister Janardan Singh Sigriwal,
Building Minister Monazir Hasan,
Rural Development Minister Baidyanath Mahto,
Food, Supply, and Commerce Minister Suchitra Singh,
Social Welfare Minister Rameshwar Paswan,
Transport Minister Ajit Kumar,
Minority Welfare Minister Manzar Alam,
Minor Irrigation Minister Vishwamohan Rai, and
Information and Public Relations Minister Arjun Rai.
Among the new faces to join the Nitish cabinet are :
Bhola Singh,
Giri Raj Singh,
Vyasdeo Prasad,
Ram Narayan Mandal,
Renu Devi,
Ram Pravesh Rai,
Awadhesh Narayan Singh, and
Vyasdeo Prasad (all from BJP)
and Nagmani (husband of outgoing minister Suchitra Singh),
Jitan Ram Manjhi,
Shahid Ali Khan,
Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha,
Dinesh Chandra Yadav,
Dinesh Prasad,
Chhedi Paswan,
Hari Narayan Singh,
Damodar Raout,
Ramanand Singh,
Hari Prasad Sah, and
Jamshed Ashraf (all from JD-U).
Governor R. S. Gavai swore in all the new ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chowdhary, and Bihar Legislative Council chairperson Prof. Arun Kumar. Opposition leaders were not present on the occasion.
Former Urban Development Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey who was one of the first ones to tender his resignation at the call of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made no bones about his frustration with his removal from the Urban Development department to the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).
New Cabinet:
Nitish Kumar - Chief Minister, Home, Administrative Reforms
Sushil Kumar Modi – Deputy Chief Minister, Finance, Commerce
Nand Kishore Yadav – Health
Ashwini Kumar Choubey – PHED
Vijendra Prasad Yadav – Water Resources
Ramashray Prasad Singh – Energy, Parliamentary Affairs
Narendra Singh – Food and Consumers
Sudha Srivastava – Planning and Development
Prem Kumar – Road Construction
Nagmani – Agriculture
Ramnath Thakur - Law (Additional charge of Information and Public Relations)
Jitan Ram Manjhi – Scheduled Castes Welfare
Narendra Narayan Yadav – Revenue and Land Reforms
Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha – Urban Development
Shahid Ali Khan – Science and Technology (Additional charge of Minority Welfare)
Bhola Singh – Urban Development
Giri Raj Singh – Cooperative
Dinesh Prasad – Minor Irrigation Resources
Dinesh Chandra Yadav – Industry
Chhedi Paswan - Building Construction
Damodar Raout – Social Welfare
Harinarayan Singh – Human Resources and Development
Ramanand Singh – Transport
Renu Devi – Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs
Hari Prasad Sah – Panchayati Raj (additional charge of Extreme Backward Welfare)
Ram Narayan Mandal – Fishery
Ram Pravesh Rai – Tourism
Awadhesh Narayan Singh – Labor Resources
Independent Charge:
Dr. Anil Kumar – Information Technology
Gautam Singh – Sugarcane
Ram Chandra Sahni – Mining and Geology
Nitish Mishra – Emergency Management
Ramji Das Rishideo – Forestry and Environment
Jamshed Ashram – Excise and Prohibition
State Minister:
Vyasdeo Prasad - Health
The biggest beneficiaries in the exercise were the EBCs. Among the members from this social category who found representation in the council of ministers are four Koeris (Vyasdeo Prasad, Nagmani, Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha and Dinesh Prasad Kushwaha), one Nonia (Renu Kumari) and Halwai (Hari Prasad Sah).
While Jeetan Ram Manjhi and Chhedi Paswan are the two members from the Dalit community, Nitish Kumar made up for the exit of two Muslims (Monazir Hassan and Manzar Alam) by including as many new members from the community (Shahid Ali Khan and Jamshed Ashraf).
The new ministers sworn in on Sunday also include four OBCs —Dinesh Chandra Yadav, Hari Narain Singh (Kurmi), Damodar Rout (Dhanuk) and Ram Narayan Mandal (Teli).
Three Bhumihars (Giriraj Singh, Bhola Prasad Singh and Ramanand Prasad Singh) and two Rajputs (Ram Pravesh Rai and Awadhesh Narayan Singh) also figure in the new lot of ministers.
Earlier, at the central level too there is a cabinet reshuffle in the first week of April wherein Raghunath Jha was inducted as the Brahmin face of RJD in the Lok Sabha. He entered active politics in 1960s as a socialist before switching over to Congress, Janata party, RJD, JD-U and finally rejoining Lalu Prasad`s party. An ardent follower of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, the 69-year-old Jha remained a member of socialist party till 1972 before switching over to Congress and successfully contesting the assembly elections from Sheohar. He represented the constituency in 1972, 1977 and 1980 on Congress ticket and became a minister in the erstwhile Jagannath Mishra ministry in Bihar.
As he paraded in favour of Mishra before the Raj Bhavan in 1985 in support of the latter`s candidature for the post of Chief Minister and ouster of the then Chief Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, Jha was denied re-nomination from Sheohar for "disobeying" the Congress leadership. Jha then resigned from the Congress` primary membership and secured a Janata party ticket when Chandra Shekhar was its president. He won the elections to the Sheohar assembly seat for the fourth time in a row.
After merger of former Prime Minister V P Singh`s Jan Morcha, Janata Party and Lok Dal of former deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal in Bangalore in 1988, Jha was made the state president of Janata Dal in Bihar.
But his relations with Singh was going well and he was removed from the post in three months. A few months after his removal, Jha was made chairman of the party`s parliamentary board in Bihar following Chandra Shekhar`s intervention.
He was pitted as chief ministerial candidate against Lalu Prasad and former Chief Minister Ramsunder Das by Chandra Shekhar in a triangular contest in 1990 but lost.
Only 18 MLAs voted in favour of Jha as Lalu became the Chief Minister. Jha was made a minister with important portfolios of agriculture, land and revenue. Jha did not seem overly excited when he got that call that he was going to be sworn in. "I have been a minister many times in Bihar. We are like Everyday batteries, ready to go all the time. And so is the case now," he said.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sugarcane fields burn in Bihar
Sugarcane production over one acre is estimated to cost at least Rs 10,000
Even as Bihar government claims and promises, farmers have been burning sugarcane for several months to protest the state’s failure to revive the sugar mills.
The protest that took place in Marhaura, in Chapra district, where one of the first sugar mills of the country came up. There was once a chocolate factory too.
Chapra parliamentary constituency, under which Marhaura falls, is represented by the Railway minister Lalu Prasad in the Lok Sabha yet the farmers anger is directed towards the BJP spokesman and former Union minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
At the onset of the current session of the Bihar Assembly, three RJD MLAs barged into Assembly premises in sugarcane-loaded bullock carts. The farmers have decided to lodge a case against Rudi and the management of JHV Distillery and invade the Bihar capital with more sugarcane-loaded bullock carts.
Sugarcane production over one acre is estimated to cost at least Rs 10,000. Thus one can only estimate the loss the farmers suffered because of the false assurance, as per media reports. The Board of Industrial Finance and Restructuring settled the assets and liability of the closed factory to JHV Distillery in 2006.
The reports note that this is not the first case of the burning of sugarcane in Bihar. Earlier, farmers of East and West Champaran districts too burnt their crops and even tried to smuggle cart and truck-load of sugarcane to Nepal.
Farmers train guns on Rudi, Jaiswal
Patna, March 24: It’s a “sugary”, but not so sweet, fire that burns in fields around Marhowrah sugar factory in Chapra.
Hundreds of farmers in the area have been burning sugarcane to protest an NDA dispensation that promised to revive the factory by 2007. Marhowrah is one of the first sugar mills in the country.
Marhowrah falls in the constituency that railway minister Lalu Prasad represents in the Lok Sabha. But farmers’ ire is directed more towards who they see as the “real sinners” — the high-profile BJP spokesman and former Union minister for civil aviation Rajiv Pratap Rudi and chairman of the UP-based JHV Distillery and Sugar Ltd, Jawahar Jaiswal.
Rudi and Jaiswal working in collaboration with each other asked the farmers to grow sugarcane over an area of 65,000 acres while promising to revive the factory by the end of 2007. They promised to buy the crops at the rate of Rs 98 to Rs 110 per quintal.
They also roped in state sugarcane minister Nitish Mishra to join them at a revival function supporting their venture at the outset of 2007.
However, with the crops ready and no buyers in sight — the farmers are now desperate.
They recently barged into the Assembly premises in sugarcane-loaded bullock carts under the leadership of local MLA Lalbabu Rai. At present farmers have decided to lodge a case against Rudi and the management of JHV Distillery and invade the Bihar capital with more sugarcane-loaded bullock carts.
“We have decided to lodge a case against Rudi and JHV Distillery shortly and take a cart procession to Patna to highlight our plight,” said N.K. Singh, the president of the Marhaura Anumandal Ganna Krishi Vikas Manch.
The Manch is a forum that farmers formed to carry out agitation against what they see as “cheating”.
“I don’t know what to do with the sugarcane crop grown on the five acres of land I own. I am neck deep in loan,” said Mohan Singh, a farmer of Akuchak in Taraiya block. Bipin Singh of the same village shares a similar plight.
“Sugarcane production over one acre costs at least Rs 10,000. You can imagine the loss,” said the president of the sugarcane-growing farmer’s union.
The Board of Industrial Finance and Restructuring settled the assets and liability of the closed factory to JHV Distillery in 2006. The distillery, in co-operation with Rajiv Pratap Rudi, promised to start one of the oldest factories by the end of the 2007.
The state sugarcane minister, Nitish Mishra, told The Telegraph: “Yes, there the farmers are in genuine trouble. We have decided to summon the JHV management to find out what had gone wrong with the promise after the Assembly session ends.”
He, however, said that the state does not have a direct control over the factory, as it was handed over to private entrepreneurs.
Rudi on his part said: “Banks have delayed releasing funds due to glut in the sugar sector. Our claim for funds is lying with the Union Bank and the Punjab National Bank. We hope that the banks will release the funds soon.”
Jaiswal, too, said: “We will open the factory after banks release the money.”
The fact remains that there are no signs of the factory re-opening. And farmers who feel cheated and trapped in debt are up in arms.
NALIN VERMA
The Telegraph
Even as Bihar government claims and promises, farmers have been burning sugarcane for several months to protest the state’s failure to revive the sugar mills.
The protest that took place in Marhaura, in Chapra district, where one of the first sugar mills of the country came up. There was once a chocolate factory too.
Chapra parliamentary constituency, under which Marhaura falls, is represented by the Railway minister Lalu Prasad in the Lok Sabha yet the farmers anger is directed towards the BJP spokesman and former Union minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
At the onset of the current session of the Bihar Assembly, three RJD MLAs barged into Assembly premises in sugarcane-loaded bullock carts. The farmers have decided to lodge a case against Rudi and the management of JHV Distillery and invade the Bihar capital with more sugarcane-loaded bullock carts.
Sugarcane production over one acre is estimated to cost at least Rs 10,000. Thus one can only estimate the loss the farmers suffered because of the false assurance, as per media reports. The Board of Industrial Finance and Restructuring settled the assets and liability of the closed factory to JHV Distillery in 2006.
The reports note that this is not the first case of the burning of sugarcane in Bihar. Earlier, farmers of East and West Champaran districts too burnt their crops and even tried to smuggle cart and truck-load of sugarcane to Nepal.
Farmers train guns on Rudi, Jaiswal
Patna, March 24: It’s a “sugary”, but not so sweet, fire that burns in fields around Marhowrah sugar factory in Chapra.
Hundreds of farmers in the area have been burning sugarcane to protest an NDA dispensation that promised to revive the factory by 2007. Marhowrah is one of the first sugar mills in the country.
Marhowrah falls in the constituency that railway minister Lalu Prasad represents in the Lok Sabha. But farmers’ ire is directed more towards who they see as the “real sinners” — the high-profile BJP spokesman and former Union minister for civil aviation Rajiv Pratap Rudi and chairman of the UP-based JHV Distillery and Sugar Ltd, Jawahar Jaiswal.
Rudi and Jaiswal working in collaboration with each other asked the farmers to grow sugarcane over an area of 65,000 acres while promising to revive the factory by the end of 2007. They promised to buy the crops at the rate of Rs 98 to Rs 110 per quintal.
They also roped in state sugarcane minister Nitish Mishra to join them at a revival function supporting their venture at the outset of 2007.
However, with the crops ready and no buyers in sight — the farmers are now desperate.
They recently barged into the Assembly premises in sugarcane-loaded bullock carts under the leadership of local MLA Lalbabu Rai. At present farmers have decided to lodge a case against Rudi and the management of JHV Distillery and invade the Bihar capital with more sugarcane-loaded bullock carts.
“We have decided to lodge a case against Rudi and JHV Distillery shortly and take a cart procession to Patna to highlight our plight,” said N.K. Singh, the president of the Marhaura Anumandal Ganna Krishi Vikas Manch.
The Manch is a forum that farmers formed to carry out agitation against what they see as “cheating”.
“I don’t know what to do with the sugarcane crop grown on the five acres of land I own. I am neck deep in loan,” said Mohan Singh, a farmer of Akuchak in Taraiya block. Bipin Singh of the same village shares a similar plight.
“Sugarcane production over one acre costs at least Rs 10,000. You can imagine the loss,” said the president of the sugarcane-growing farmer’s union.
The Board of Industrial Finance and Restructuring settled the assets and liability of the closed factory to JHV Distillery in 2006. The distillery, in co-operation with Rajiv Pratap Rudi, promised to start one of the oldest factories by the end of the 2007.
The state sugarcane minister, Nitish Mishra, told The Telegraph: “Yes, there the farmers are in genuine trouble. We have decided to summon the JHV management to find out what had gone wrong with the promise after the Assembly session ends.”
He, however, said that the state does not have a direct control over the factory, as it was handed over to private entrepreneurs.
Rudi on his part said: “Banks have delayed releasing funds due to glut in the sugar sector. Our claim for funds is lying with the Union Bank and the Punjab National Bank. We hope that the banks will release the funds soon.”
Jaiswal, too, said: “We will open the factory after banks release the money.”
The fact remains that there are no signs of the factory re-opening. And farmers who feel cheated and trapped in debt are up in arms.
NALIN VERMA
The Telegraph
Five Rajya Sabha MPs elected from Bihar
In Bihar, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted a third term but was denied it by his party. BJP general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy was also denied the ticket.
Leaders who were in the fray in Bihar included N.K Singh of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), C.P Thakur (BJP), central minister Prem Chand Gupta from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Sabir Ali of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), and Govind Pandey, Independent supported by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The elections dented the Samajwadi Party in Bihar, which had only two members in the assembly. Both of them, Debnath Prasad Yadav and Gopal Agarwal, resigned from the party to protest against its decision to support candidates of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
Bihar leaders including Janata Dal (U) national spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari, former State Planning Board Deputy Chairperson N. K. Singh, Central Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Premchand Gupta, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate Sabir Ali, and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dr. C. P. Thakur were elected for the Rajya Sabha seats following elections on 26 March.
Election official S. P. Sharma announced the results in the afternoon saying the most votes garnered by any of the candidates from Bihar went to the former Union Health Minister and BJP leader Dr. Thakur (55 votes) followed closely by Tiwari (48), Singh (47), Gupta (44), and Ali (40).
Independent candidate Govind Pandey managed to get only one vote. 235 out of 243 members of the Bihar Assembly took part in voting.
The three elected Rajya Sabha members from the NDA camp, Thakur, Tiwari, and Singh said they would take up Bihar's cause in the Parliament to demand for equal and fair treatment of the state and an end to the discriminatory attitude towards Bihar.
The three leaders then met with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his chamber at Bihar Assembly who then congratulated them for their victories and wished them luck in their new avatar as the Rajya Sabha MPs.
Earlier, the JD(U) boycotted the informal daily National Democratic Alliance leaders’ meetings in the last 20 days of the first part of the budget session in March as it was annoyed that BJP was drawing its leaders into its fold.
Leaders who were in the fray in Bihar included N.K Singh of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), C.P Thakur (BJP), central minister Prem Chand Gupta from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Sabir Ali of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), and Govind Pandey, Independent supported by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The elections dented the Samajwadi Party in Bihar, which had only two members in the assembly. Both of them, Debnath Prasad Yadav and Gopal Agarwal, resigned from the party to protest against its decision to support candidates of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
Bihar leaders including Janata Dal (U) national spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari, former State Planning Board Deputy Chairperson N. K. Singh, Central Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Premchand Gupta, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate Sabir Ali, and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dr. C. P. Thakur were elected for the Rajya Sabha seats following elections on 26 March.
Election official S. P. Sharma announced the results in the afternoon saying the most votes garnered by any of the candidates from Bihar went to the former Union Health Minister and BJP leader Dr. Thakur (55 votes) followed closely by Tiwari (48), Singh (47), Gupta (44), and Ali (40).
Independent candidate Govind Pandey managed to get only one vote. 235 out of 243 members of the Bihar Assembly took part in voting.
The three elected Rajya Sabha members from the NDA camp, Thakur, Tiwari, and Singh said they would take up Bihar's cause in the Parliament to demand for equal and fair treatment of the state and an end to the discriminatory attitude towards Bihar.
The three leaders then met with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his chamber at Bihar Assembly who then congratulated them for their victories and wished them luck in their new avatar as the Rajya Sabha MPs.
Earlier, the JD(U) boycotted the informal daily National Democratic Alliance leaders’ meetings in the last 20 days of the first part of the budget session in March as it was annoyed that BJP was drawing its leaders into its fold.
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