Stop Asbestos Plant in Muzaffarpur

To 

Justice S N Jha

Chairperson 

Bihar Human Rights Commission 

Patna   

Subject-Stop Asbestos Plant in Muzaffarpur 

Sir, 

With reference to my earlier letter November 6, 2010, this is to draw your urgent attention towards the proposed asbestos cement roofing sheet factory in Chainpur, Muzaffarpur. As you are aware the exposure to killer fibers of  constitute human rights violation of the exposed communities, there is an immediate need to protect the villagers from incurable lung cancer and other diseases. Please find attached the pamphlets of the villagers who are bitterly opposed to the asbestos plant that poses a grave threat to their health. 

This factory is coming up unmindful of the fact that some 52 countries have banned asbestos. WHO and ILO too have called for its elimination.

I wish to seek your urgent intervention in the matter of a serious unprecedented environmental and occupational health crisis with regard to unnoticed asbestos epidemic in Muzaffarpur. Even if one asbestos fibre reaches the right place, it causes irreversible damage - leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma. Thirty deaths are caused per day from asbestos-related diseases as per estimates based on US and European studies.

When the world is preparing and planning to get rid of all forms of asbestos, it makes us look stupid in India to be still importing it, we should devote our scarce resources to prevent the impending disaster by phasing it out as soon as we can. Safer substitute materials for white asbestos are available, they should be considered for use.

I am an environmental health researcher. I have worked with national and international organizations working on environmental and occupational health and am an applicant in the Supreme Court in the hazardous wastes/shipbreaking case.

It is high time BHRC took note of the exposures to the residents, consumers and workers from the Asbestos Plant in Muzaffarpur and took immediate remedial measures. The exposure of construction residents, workers and automobile mechanics for instance defies regulatory control efforts in any country.

I wish to draw your urgent attention to the order of Kerala Human Rights Commission (KHRC) that has ruled that exposing Indians to asbestos is a human rights violation. This paves the way for the eventual complete ban on asbestos and its products. On January 31, 2009, the KHRC ruled that the government should take steps to phase out asbestos roofing from all schools in the state.

As per the survey of U.P. Asbestos Limited, Mohanlalganj,Lucknow and Allied Nippon Pvt Ltd, Gaziabad, (U.P), the lung function impairment was found to be higher in subjects exposed for more than 11 years. This was the result of a Central Pollution Control Board sponsored project entitled "Human risk assessment studies in asbestos industries in India". This has been reported in the (2001-2002) Annual Report of Industrial Toxicological Research Centre, Lucknow. It has also been published in the 139th Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forests, Science and Technology and presented to the parliament on 17th March, 2005.

Given the ubiquitous presence of the fiber, there is no alternative to getting it banned in right earnest. Scientists, doctors, public health researchers, trade unions, activists and civil society groups has been working to persuade the Governments to give up its consistent and continued pro-asbestos industry bias and lack of concern for the asbestos-injured who die one of the most painful deaths imaginable.

Although the Supreme Court of India has ruled that the Government of India must comply with ILO resolutions, so far the ILO resolution (June 14, 2006) stating "the elimination of the future use of asbestos and the identification and proper management of asbestos currently in place are the most effective means to protect workers from asbestos exposures and to prevent future asbestos-related disease and deaths" has not been acted upon.

We earnestly request you to direct all the workers and consumers in your state to take immediate steps to ensure that there no more exposures take place from now on.

Earlier on August 18,2003, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs informed the Parliament that: "Studies by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, have shown that long-term exposure to any type of asbestos can lead to development of asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma." This was not the first official acknowledgment of the asbestos hazard. Government of India's Office Memorandum NO.6 (6)/94 - Cement, (Sept 1, 1994) of the Ministry of Industry states: "The Department has generally not been recommending any case of Industrial License to any new unit for the creation of fresh capacity of asbestos products in the recent past due to the apprehension that prolonged exposure to asbestos leads to serious health hazards".

Public health researchers, civil society groups, trade unions and human rights groups have demanded an immediate ban on all uses of asbestos including an immediate end to the import of chrysotile. They seek measures to identify, compensate and treat the asbestos-injured and regulations to minimize harmful exposures are also being proposed. They demand criminal prosecution of those responsible for asbestos exposures such as factory owners and company directors. 

Although non-asbestos technology certainly exists in India, in fact in some factories the two technologies exist side-by-side, consumers will inevitably opt for the cheaper product: more demand will translate into higher sales which will generate more chrysotile rupees that can be used to obtain an eve\of political support. As the quid-pro-quo relationship between Government officials and asbestos businessmen exists outside the media spotlight, journalists and the public remain unaware of the pernicious reasons which motivate the decisions being taken; decisions which will expose current and future generations to the deadly asbestos hazard.

The pattern of asbestos disease in Bihar is all set to follow the diseases pattern seen in the developed countries.

Concerned with the global and national evidence about the increasing death toll of asbestos workers, trade unions, labour and environmental groups have sought immediate phase out of chrysotile asbestos. In India asbestos is still used in the manufacture of  pressure and non-pressure pipes used for water supply, sewage, and drainage, packing material, brake linings and jointing used in automobiles, heavy equipment, nuclear power plants, thermal power plants amongst others.

Despite the fact that the World Trade Organisation has given an appropriate judgment against it, upholding France's decision to ban import of asbestos from Canada, successive governments in India have promoted this killer mineral fibre ignoring public health. 

Dr S R Kamat, a renowned lung specialist was bitter at the "utter callousness of employers", the total lack of medical expertise and government inaction; all of which continued to put workers at risk of contracting asbestos related diseases. In the 5 surveys done in the country, large number of the subjects showed asbestos lung diseases. All of them showed breathing problem, many had cough, some had sputum, chest pain finger clubbing and chest pain. Disability in such cases are permanent, progressive; means of compensation are meager, informs Dr Kamat.

White asbestos continues to be in use in India although other kinds such as blue and brown asbestos are banned. Asbestos is being promoted freely in our country whereas the developed countries are keeping away from it.

Taking note of the fact that public concern, regulations and liabilities involved have ended the use of asbestos from the developed countries, delegates at a Round Table wondered, "why is it that the concern of the countries, which have banned asbestos not relevant to India?." Exposing workers to asbestos must be equated to murder and legal provisions must deal with it accordingly. How many consumers would want to use the material if they know that even a single exposure can cause cancer? "Experimental as well as epidemiological studies proved asbestos as carcinogen as well as co-carcinogen. Risk assessment and control of occupational exposure are very poor in developing countries like India," said Dr Qamar Rehman, a renowned toxicologist. There are no industrial physicians and virtually no occupational health centres, whatever the rules may say.

Even World Bank has a policy against asbestos since 1991. "The Bank increasingly prefers to avoid financing asbestos use...Thus, at any mention of asbestos in Bank-assisted projects, the Task Manager needs to exercise special care." Diagnosable asbestosis among workers in most asbestos cement factories and consumer products with no warning labels and unions with no programmes to prevent asbestos disease and exposure in builders and mechanics is alarming.

Delay in stopping asbestos trade and use is a victory for those who do not wish to put health and the environment ahead of commercial interests.

In the light of these findings and developments, in short I seek your immediate intervention to stop the construction of asbestos cement plants in Muzaffarpur in particular and in Bihar in general. I submit that BHRC must consider putting an end to the use of the of all kinds of asbestos products that is being used and encountered daily, because none of the schools, offices, legislatures, courts, hospitals, automobiles, private and public buildings in our state are asbestos free.

Therefore, it is necessary to initiate preventive action in order to protect present and future generations from the silent killer which is akin to a time bomb. I will be glad to share more relevant information against asbestos of all forms including white asbestos (chrysotile) as well. 

Thanking you in anticipation.                   

Yours faithfully

Gopal Krishna

Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)

Nitish Govt. in Bihar to scrap fund allocation for MLAs, MLCs

The Nitish Kumar Government has decided to scrap the existing allocation of funds for Local Area Development (LAD) scheme for Bihar MLAs and MLCs in an attempt to get rid of corruption.

This was reportedly decided at a meeting of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the State Secretariat. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi was also present in the meeting.

The Chief Minister is reported to have brought the issue into notice at a meeting held recently of the legislators belonging to the National Democratic Alliance.

Speaking to the media about the decision taken in the two-hour long meeting, State Cabinet and Coordination Department's Principal Secretary Afzal Amanullah said the cabinet decided in principle to scrap allocation of LAD funds for MLAs and MLCs.

"The next cabinet meeting scheduled to take place on December 14 will discuss an alternative scheme. The decision was taken in the light of charges of corruption being raised from several quarters," said Amanullah.

"The cabinet accepted recommendations of the Padmanabhan Committee for Bihar Judicial Service (BJS) officers on grant of benefits, allowances and other facilities," he added.

Sushil Modi would be minister in-charge cum Chairman of Patna district as per the new notification, while Vijay Kumar Choudhary would be the new minister in-charge for Bhojpur and Buxar. 

(ANI)

N.K.Singh in Radia Tapes

Arun Shourie, former Union Minister & former editor has confirmed that the voice in the Radia tapes that is heard admittedly lobbying for Mukesh Ambani is that of his college friend N K Singh. 

One hears a Member of Parliament, N.K. Singh, who is meant to represent the people and the state who voted for him, lobbying for the company of Mukesh Ambani. N K Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar on a Janata Dal (United) – JD(U) ticket.  In one recording, N K Singh tells Ms Radia of the firefighting he is doing on behalf of Ambani to ensure a tax concession the finance minister had announced in the 2009 budget for gas production is made applicable retrospectively. Radia says she has killed news stories about the Rs.81,000 crore super profit Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) would make were that to happen but N K Singh is more concerned about what happens in Parliament during the debate on the Finance Bill. His fear is that if Opposition MPs make a noise about a largesse being given to one company, the finance minister would be on the defensive and the prospect of extending the concession retrospectively would not even arise. 

In one of the Rdia tapes, N K Singh tells Ms Radia of the firefighting he is doing on behalf of Ambani to ensure a tax concession the finance minister had announced in the 2009 budget for gas production is made applicable retrospectively. Radia says she has killed news stories about the Rs.81,000 crore super profit Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) would make were that to happen but N K Singh is more concerned about what happens in Parliament during the debate on the Finance Bill. His fear is that if Opposition MPs make a noise about a largesse being given to one company, the finance minister would be on the defensive and the prospect of extending the concession retrospectively would not even arise. 

N K Singh accuses BJP leader Arun Shourie of being on Anil Ambani's side and reveals how he has managed to get Shourie replaced as the BJP's lead speaker by Venkaiah Naidu. 

How well does Mukesh know Venkaiah, asks N K  Singh. Radia replies that a senior RIL executive, P.M.S. Prasad, knows Naidu well. “Then I am going to get him flown in today to talk to Venkaiah,” N K  Singh says, “because if he is the first speaker, and he already takes a party line, then it will be very difficult for Shourie in his second intervention, to take a different line. Then we have to orchestrate who will speak, you know, this is the immediate problem right now. Because, frankly, if this doesn't go through, this tax thing, then it's a major initiative taken that then fails to materialise.”

The BJP leader's speech in Parliament two days later reads: “The Bay of Bengal has become the new North Sea of India. Government departments should not be seen quarrelling whether mineral oil is a natural gas or not. Whatever concessions [are] needed for infrastructure, exploration ... are connected with the energy security of the country.” This was a veiled reference to the Petroleum Ministry's letter to the Finance Ministry asking for natural gas to be given the same tax concessions available to oil retrospectively and not just from the New Exploration Licensing Round (NELP) VIII round which would exclude RIL's KG basin output. A request the revenue secretary had turned down.  

Shourie was speaking to Karan Thapar on his program 'Devil's Advocate'. Excerpts given below: 

Karan Thapar: Let's start with the Nira Radia tapes, you yourself are a subject of discussion. The voice speaking to Nira Radia reveals that he has arranged for you to be replaced by Venkaiah Naidu as the lead speaker from the BJP side in the Rajya Sabha on the 2009 Budget. Let me first ask you did this actually happen?

Arun Shourie: Yes, there is no doubt in that. I was asked to open the debate on the budget, I worked for one week to speak of the matter and at the last minute after I reached the house I was told that the previous night Mr Venkaiah Naidu had decided to speak suddenly. Therefore as he had been party president he will speak first. My turn would come after all the 13-14 speakers have spoken and then I would be the second speaker for the party.

Karan Thapar: Now the second thing that the tape suggests that if you would have been the lead speaker you might have taken a hard position on a proposal in the budget which was going to help Mukesh Ambani hugely. But by replacing you with Mr Venkaiah Naidu the person had ensured that the line taken by the BJP would be more accommodating and understanding?

Arun Shourie: Yes, it was certainly their objective, I mean its clear from the tapes that was the objective. They may have apprehended this because I had spoken about that particular proposal in an adverse way in a party meeting...I may or may not have spoken about this on the floor of the house.

Karan Thapar: But this was their fear?

Arun Shourie: This was their fear.

Karan Thapar: Now the voice speaking on the tape speaking to Nira Radia, who I have been referring to all along hasn't been identified. Have you recognised that voice?

Arun Shourie: No doubt everybody who listens to the tape and I hope that everyone listens to the tape will know that it is my good college friend NK Singh. What is the problem with that?

Karan Thapar: The gentleman who was secretary to the Mr Vajpayee at one point of time?

Arun Shourie: He was secretary to the Prime Minister, he was I am sure finance secretary at one stage, he was a member of the Planning Commission and my college friend.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/arun-shourie-confirms-nira-radia-tape-leak/136006-37-64.html

N.K.Singh's voice has been referred to in the transcripts as “Unknown voice”. The text of the conversation is given below:

July 9,2009, 9.31.49 a.m

Unknown voice(UV): Hii Niira

Radia to Unknown voice: Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I still think that HT(Hindustan Times) is little compromised. We met up with both the Editors, Sanjoy Narayan and Sukumar(R.Sukumar, Editor of Mint newspaper, part of HT Group), Sukumar is OK, of Mint, (UV—ummm). But Sanjoy Narayan yesterday, Manoj(Modi, right hand man of Mukesh Ambani) was in town, you know Manoj Modi is here,(UV—haan) and the sense I got from the conversation and see the type of stories that they are still carrying, you know they are still carrying that the Government is not a respondent in this matter(Natural gas pricing issue in which the Ambani brothers are fighting each other), when the Government is clearly a respondent, because the other side(Anil Ambani’s) has circulated a part of our SLP(Special Leave Petition in supreme court) by crossing out the “Government is a respondent part” by inking it with white ink(UV—ahh, ohh), and showing it only as an intervener(UV–hmmm, hmmm) and the only paper which believes it is the Hindustan Times.

UV to Radia— I saw that, I saw that piece, of course it is slightly mixed up with the fact of Anil(Ambani) yesterday having met, all these(?) guys, so I think it is not very clear, I mean the story has been morphed as if to say that this is a) from the fact of court thing and mixed up with Anil’s meeting with these(?) guys

Radia to UV—– Correct, but that the thing that what they(Anil Ambani side) tried to do, was that they called everyone and tell that Government is not a intervener, sorry not a respondent—\

UV to Radia— no, what I mean is that Government is an intervener or not, I mean is only ah ah, person is the Government and b) the Court.
Radia to UV—- Correct,

UV to Radia— if the court decides that I am not entertaining you as an intervener, (Radia— yes), so that’s the end of the story. But the court, u know, impleads Government as an intervener, so be it. These are not matters a) whether Government wants to be an intervener or not is Government’s choice, and second, whether it is entertained or not is the Court’s decision, right?

Radia to UV—- point I am making is that everybody else took no notice of it, but except only Hindustan Times.

UV to Radia— achha main, I am meeting Shobhna(Bhartia, Owner of Hindustan Times Group), in an hour’s time and I, I will speak to her about this, ah?

Radia to UV— yeah, we were in this discussion with them yesterday, with Manoj Modi( Right hand man of Mukesh Ambani) and we took them through everything and we are hoping that they understood everything, but I thought the body language was a bit, you know you can feel that they are a bit, I mean, when we asked what do you think we should have done, Manoj said that to them(Sanjoy Narayan and R.Sukumar), and their reaction was that the two brothers should merge again.

UV to Radia—the two brothers?

Radia to UV— should merge(ha ha)

UV to Radia—-oh, not bad yah,(Radia—ha ha ha ha), very good actually, very good philanthropic advice. (Radia—haaaaa haaaa haaaa haaa, but they–), now Niira I am in another fire fighting(Radia—oh), so I have slightly shut my mind from this(Radia—ok), because I am in the immediate issue of what is going to happen to Pranab Mukherjee’s (Finance Minister of India), announcement on the tax benefit( full deduction under Income Tax Act for business of laying and operating cross country natural gas or crude or petroleum oil pipeline network for distribution on common carrier principle) to them(Mukesh Ambani group) on the gas.(Radia—ok) Given that he has withdrawn it(Radia—correct) in a way. Because he has made it applicable only for NLEP VIII(actually NELP—National Exploration and Licensing policy—VIII is eighth round). So this Revenue Secretary is doing some degree of championship there. Ahhh, So now I am working out a strategy how to get this back. One of the complications in this is that, between you and me, Mr.Arun Shourie(the BJP member in Rajya Sabha) has gone and got himself completely on the other side(Anil Ambani side). (Radia—yes). Because he has been promised a Rajya Sabha(ticket) by, Tony(Jesudasan, Anil Ambani’s top media manager and lobbyist) and company(Arun Shourie was to retire shortly as member of Rajya Sabha at that point of time).

And yesterday I just checked, Samajawadi(Party) has a 50 percent surplus votes in UP, and in combine with 50 percent surplus votes of BJP can give the BJP(Radia—ummm, ummm) and extra ticket(Seat), and why should the BJP deny itself getting an additional Rajya Sabha(seat) on somebody else’s strength. So that, that’s the promise given and therefore he was very very very critical of this whole gas(pricing) thing and said in the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting day before yesterday( Radia—haan haan),. Now whatever he said in the meeting day before yesterday is one aspect(Radia— umm, umm), but what attitude BJP will take on this whole issue of the debate on the Finance Bill (he meant Budget discussions probably) which is beginning from Monday, in both Houses of Parliament is of vital importance( Radia—umm, ummm). Because if large number of opposition MPs, and Samajawadi(party) will definitely join, begin to say that Pranab Mukherjee has given a bad largesse to benefit only one company(Reliance Group of Mukesh Ambani), then a) Pranab Mukherjee is on the defensive and therefore the question of extending it (Tax concession to Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance for Gas exploration) retrospectively, goes out of the window.(Radia—ummm).

So this whole managing that stuff in a way, and also I think, you know, that Arun is speaking, Shourie is speaking as a listed speaker in the Rajya Sabha for the BJP. Now but fortunately what we have managed to do is make him Arun(Shourie) the second speaker and made Venkaiah (Naidu, another BJP member), the first.(see ET story on this issue here,http://m.economictimes.com/PDAET/articleshow/4764839.cms) So I don’t know what is Mukesh’s relations with Venkaiah—

Radia to UV— I thought (inaudible)—

UV to Radia— pardon me?

Radia to UV— I said , I thought (inaudible) saab has good relations with Venkaiah.

UV to Radia— He had?

Radia to UV— I thought so.

UV to Radia— Then I am going to get him flown in today(from Bombay to delhi, presumably), to talk to Venkaiah, because if he is the first speaker, and he already takes a party line, then it will be very difficult for Shourie in his second intervention(as second speaker of the party—BJP), to take a different line. (Radia—ummmm), Then we have to orchestrate who will speak,(Radia—ummm) you know, this is the immediate problem right now. Because, frankly, if this doesn’t go through, this tax thing, then its major initiative taking that fails to materialize. Because he has, Anil(Ambani) has also organized this. A) he tried to controversalise(sic) this and b) he made the department make it prospective and not retrospective( Radia—ummm).Whereas really, all the roadshows that was done on the National Exploration policy(NELP), was on a condition and explicit understanding of a seven year tax break. So overlooking all the understanding and ignoring everything and spreading this disinformation(by Anil Ambani), that seems to have gathered momentum in the last 64 hours, and it’s the hottest issue right now. Let me attack this, and I take note of what you tell me about HT(Hindustan Times), aah.

Radia to UV—- No, no problem, I just, I just, I just wanted to tell you, because all the queries were coming in and I was feeling pretty bad(UV—yeah, yeah), and they kept saying that we are going to earn Rs.81,000 crores benefit out of it(tax concession) and it is being, you know, given to us retrospectively, you know, and those sort of queries was being put out in the media.(UV—I know—), we killed(news appearing about it) most of them. None of them has appeared (UV—yeah, yeah), but thinking whether—

UV to Radia—- No I don’t want this to come out in Parliament. Because that’s the most immediate thing that influences the Government mind. Because if those guys, like PM(Prime Minister) and FM(Finance Minister) are sitting there, and if several MPs begin to talk all this— that influences the minds in the immediate sense of the term. (Radia—- umm, ummmm) not everybody may read whatever is written in so most of papers and journals. Whatever is spoken there (inside the House) is directly to heard by these guys.

Radia to UV— Correct, correct and the essewhat—–

UV to Radia— I think having done what we (Anil Ambani) did, he is unable to undo the damage which has been given in the interpretation. So the request made by the Petroleum ministry for them to reconsider will be routinely turned down by the Revenue Secretary. You know, in effect if that happens and the Revenue Secretary benefits (not quite audible) out of this, because that means its starts from the A ground , and that means we are not there. Because all road shows that were done, this was one of the conditions(Tax break) on which the investments came in. (Radia—correct). Somebody will have to point out that this was, this was an assurance given (Radia—umm), in promoting the investment basket. And this opportunity, you cannot retrospectively, curtail an opportunity. Instead of giving a largesse, this is only sticking to a commitment given earlier. This is the point of view which has to be——(gets disconnected).

http://business.outlookindia.com/view.aspx?vname=Imp-Shorie%20RSabha-Gas%20exemption-20090709-093149.wav

In the interview with Rediff.com,  Arun Shourie tells Sheela Bhatt about one of the issues revealed in one of the Radia tapes is that you were not given a chance to speak on a Budget-related issue in Parliament. In her conversation with N K Singh, a former bureaucrat and now a Janata Dal-United MP, she says she didn't want you to be given a chance to speak by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party).

Did you discover the alleged pressure on your party from the tapes or did you know about it before?

Do you think corporate people can influence the BJP?

Why don't you listen to the tape? I was astonished when I reached Parliament that day. But what can you do? I didn't know that such pressure had worked.

I don't blame the corporates as much as the political process and then these lies are being put out (in defence by the BJP).

And my friend N K Singh says this was a social chat. Arre, look at your tone. You are talking for nine minutes to Radia. Out of that for five minutes he speaks on how he was successful in subverting the BJP's speakers in the debate on the Budget.

Singh who is accused of lobbying for tax breaks for the gas sector to help industrialist Mukesh Ambani says, “On the substance of the (tax) concession, as revenue secretary when my views would have mattered, I rejected the proposed tax breaks being extended to gas".

Shourie says,  This concession (to Reliance's gas project) was made by (Union Finance Minister) Pranab Mukherjee. A revenue secretary, who has written some clarification, overruled this concession. (N K Singh says on the tape) 'We have to get it restored, otherwise we are nowhere. The initiative they have taken will go nowhere.' Therefore, Arun Shourie who has taken the difficult position in the BJP's party meeting, has to be managed, he says. He then says, we have got Venkaiah Naidu to speak first. Somebody has analysed Venkaiah Naidu's speech, in which the sentence is there (supporting Reliance) that all these tax concessions must be continued and given for the gas infrastructure. Where is the doubt.

Governor 's Address to 15th Bihar Vidhan Sabha

In his first address to the 15th Bihar Assembly on 3rd December, Governor Devanand Konwar listed Bihar government’s priorities. Two main issues the Nitish Kumar government immediately plans to tackle are poor electricity supply and corruption. The Governor, who delivered his speech in Hindi, said Bihar would be a developed state by 2015. He reiterated the state government’s demand of special category status for Bihar.

The Governor listed measures taken to develop the state. The government aims to take electricity to every Bihar village by 2015, Konwar said, explaining how it planned to procure 1980 MW power from NTPC and other sources. “The State Investment Promotion Board has cleared 21 power projects capacitated to generate 27,707 MW for Rs 1.36 lakh crore. Also, 21 projects to get 988 MW power from non-conventional energy sources have been sanctioned,” Governor said.  The 166th session of the Vidhan Sabha commenced on 3rd December.

Bihar's Cabinet Minsters

	Prashant Kumar Sahi Cabinet Minister Human Resources Development.
	Shahid Ali Khan Cabinet Minister Information Technology, Minority Welfare.
	Shyam Rajak Cabinet Minister Food and Civil Supplies.
	Parveen Amanullah Cabinet Minister Social Welfare.
	Nitish Mishra Cabinet Minister Rural Development.
	Awadesh Prasad Kushwaha Cabinet Minister Minor Irrigation, Sugarcane.
	Gautam Singh Cabinet Minister Science & Technology.
	Janardan Singh Sigriwal Cabinet Minister Labour Resources.
	Giriraj Singh Cabinet Minister Animal Husbandry & Fisheries.
	Satyadeo Narain Arya Cabinet Minister Mines and Geology.
	Ramadhar Singh Cabinet Minister Co-operative.
	Dr. (Prof.) Sukhda Pandey Cabinet Minister Art, Culture & Youth Affairs.
	Sunil Kumar Pintu Cabinet Minister Tourism. Narendra Narayan Yadav Cabinet Minister Law, Planning & Development.

Questions for Nitish led alliance in Bihar

Roads and bridges that Nitish Kumar built has brought his alliance back to power. They made his journey safer. The mandate is clear. Caste politics too has a place for the deprived castes need ‘development’ the most. Bihar voters have rejected the self-serving dynastic politics of Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan. The way he reached out to backward Muslims has benefitted the alliance. The restoration of government services also became quite noticeable.

Notably, prior to this victory the boycott of US President Barack Obama's address to the Indian Parliament by Shivanand Tiwari, a veteran Socialist leader and Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha member was remarkable. Is it a victory of ‘complete socialism’ as has been observed by Sharad Yadav, the national President of JDU?

Not many people know that the JDU’s ally BJP was founded in 1980, it chose "Gandhian socialism" as its official ideology! The same is mentioned in the Form it submitted to the Election Commission of India at the time its registration as a political party. BJP had discarded this ideology in favour of the temple agenda in the early 1990s. Is it willing to revert back to it?

If so will Bihar now have Common School System as has been recommended by a Committee appointed by Nitish Kumar government? In 2006, he had called for the Common School System to be implemented by the central government in order to ensure quality and non-discriminatory education to all. Bihar was the first state to have constituted a commission on common school system. Since then reiterating the recommendations of Kothari Commission, the Bihar’s Common School System Commission has submitted its 313-page report in June 2007 but Nitish Kumar did not take any step to act on its recommendation that called “for a legislation underpinning the Common School System.” If it happens it would be a trendsetter beyond empty posturing.

Will he able to get Special Category Status for Bihar now? In 2006, the Bihar Assembly had passed an unanimous resolution demanding special category status to Bihar. This decision emerged after a four-hour debate in the assembly on a resolution which was adopted unanimously. Participating in the debate, Nitish had stressed the need for a heavy doze of Central assistance. He had listed grounds for making such a demand saying Bihar has international borders with Nepal and Bangladesh, it is struck by recurring floods, power scenario is critical and also there is a problem of extremism. In a rare gesture of unity and rising above the political affiliation, the members sitting on both sides rose in unison and forcefully approved the resolution calling the Centre to include Bihar in the special category of states. Bihar has been demanding at least since 1999 when Bihar Chamber of Commerce (BCC) met the then Union finance minister and the then vice-chairman of Planning Commission seeking special category state status to Bihar. In 1989, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi had announced a special package for Bihar of over Rs 5,000 crore for various projects but it was never implemented.

Will there be improvement in Bihar's per capita energy consumption which is currently the lowest in the country given the failure of rural electrification campaign? Its per capita energy consumption, at 75 kWh (kilowatt per hour), is the lowest in India and far below the national average of 613 kWh. Only 30 percent of rural households in the state have been electrified. The Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), a centrally-sponsored programme started in 2005 to provide electricity in rural areas is a failure in Bihar. The RGGVY norms are inadequate in any case because it considered villages electrified if 10 percent households and some important structures like the panchayat building got electricity. In remote locations, stand-alone systems can be more cost-effective than extending a power line to the electricity grid (the cost of which can range from $15,000 to $50,000 per mile).

Will Bihar adopt small grids for electricity which have become a compelling logic because capital intensive thermal and hydro energy based households do not make any sense when transmission and distribution (T&D) losses of the state electricity boards & distribution firms are almost 55 %?. The T&D losses for the country as a whole are estimated to be in the range of 35%–45%, according to Planning Commission's Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-12 document. Logically, powering houses or small businesses using a small renewable energy system which is not connected to the electricity grid makes economic sense and demonstrates environmental sanity.  

Will recommendations of D Bandhopadhaya Committee on land reforms be implemented?

Will drainage congestion led flood crisis in the Kosi river basin be decongested by restoring natural land scape by dismantling the politician-contractors-engineers nexus that perpetuates status quo?

Will proposals for irrational projects like Kosi High Dam and Interlinking of Bihar’s rivers be given up for it is against the cardinal principles of river basin approach underlined by the formation of Ganga River Basin Authority? Will Bihar get its share of water from Ganga river?

Will Nitish Kumar undertake a performance evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of existing embankments and come out with a White Paper on it before proceeding with the current programme? 

Will Nitish government realize the disastrous consequences of pushing for biofuels in the face of food riots in 37 countries?

Will his government have the farsightedness to stop the commencement of hazardous industrial projects like asbestos cement factory in Muzaffarpur given the fact that asbestos is banned in more than 52 countries as it causes incurable lung cancer?

Will the NDA alliance have the vision to stop ecologically destructive green revolution type of intervention in agriculture which has turned Punjab into the cancer capital of the country? This has been proposed by the central agricultural ministry.

As things stand while road construction made his return to power smooth, the construction of embankments on the flood prone rivers like Kosi and Bagmati which is underway can prove to be his undoing in future. It was too much to expect a government of 5 years to undo the damage done by the programme of flood control that started in 1954 comprising of construction of embankments on both the banks of the Burhigandak, the Bagmati, the Kamla and the Kosi. But during his second term he should attempt steps to recover and restore the natural flow of rivers in Bihar. There is an emerging unanimity that structural engineering measures such as high dams, embankments, inter-basin and intra-basin transfer of water from rivers is inadvisable. What is required is opening of navigable drainage channels as an alternative to the embankments letting rivers flow without impediments. The benefits of free flowing river outweigh benefits from their damming and diversion besides that it ensures intergenerational equity.

These tasks require application of political imagination and one hopes wise ecological sense will prevail. But the million dollar question is: Isn’t the verdict of the Bihar voters also a call for mid-term Lok Sabha elections given the non-performance of the Sonia Gandhi led alliance?

  

http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-your-work-starts-now-mr-nitish-kumar/20101125.htm

Governor invites Nitish & Modi to take oath

Bihar Governor Devanand Konwar has invited Nitish Kumar to form the government. He will be sworn-in as the state's 34th chief minister on 26th November. Kumar got the invitation from Konwar in the evening when he called on the Governor at the Raj Bhavan to stake claim.

"The governor has invited me to form the government tomorrow at 2.30 pm at the Gandhi maidan," Kumar told reporters after his 50-minute meeting with Konwar. He was accompanied by JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley. Sushil Kumar Modi, who was elected leader of BJP legislature party, will be sworn-in as Kumar's deputy.

Earlier, Kumar was elected leader of the NDA legislature party. His name was proposed by state NDA convenor Nand Kishore Yadav and seconded by state JD(U) president Vijay Kumar Choudhary.

Kumar was also unanimously elected leader of the 115-member JD(U) legislature party. His name was proposed by senior party leader Ramai Ram and seconded, among others, by Sahid Ali Khan, besides state JD(U) chief Vijay Kumar Choudhary.

Nitish has cautioned against arrogance over the victory of the NDA or belittling of the Opposition.

Why Sonia led alliance has no Bihar Minister?

Sonia Gandhi led alliance was routed in Bihar long before the Vidhan Sabha elections. Congress recorded its worst-ever performance in the last 10 years. The party got only four seats in the 243 member Vidhan Sabha even its Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Mehboob Ali Qaiser and the Congress Legislature Party leader Prakash Ram lost. The party had 9 seats earlier. Qaiser was brought to appear to represent Muslims who constitute around 16 percent of the state's voting population.

Rahul Gandhi went to places like Samastipur, Saharsa, Katihar, Supaul, Araria, Sitamarhi, Mujfaffarpur, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Bachcharwa, Munger, Kahalgaon, Barbigha, Hisua, Shekhpura, Buxar, Bhabua, Sasaram and Obra.

Sonia Gandhi addressed rallies in Kishanganj, Motihari, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Buxar and Bhabua during her three visits to Bihar.

Even the former PCC chief Sadanand Singh, former PCC chiefs Ramjatan Sinha and Avdhesh Singh have lost. The reason for the rout of Congress lies in the answer to the question why Sonia led alliance at the centre has no Bihar Minister?