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US Power Major To Invest In Bihar 
Bringing good news to power crisis-plagued Bihar after majority of thermal power units fell on the Jharkhand side after the bifurcation in November 2000, US energy major AES Corporation has evinced interest in setting up a thermal power plant in the State.
The AES Corporation has submitted a proposal to State Industrial Promotion Board (SIPB) for setting up the thermal power plant at Jagidishpur in Bhagalpur district, Principal Energy Secretary Ravikant told PTI here. He said AES (India) Private Limited has submitted a letter of `expression of interest' (EOI) to the SIPB for setting up the plant with an investment of around Rs. 8,000 crore. In its offer letter to the SIPB, the US energy giant said that if the company was allowed to set up its power generating unit, the State government could expect foreign direct investment (FDI) of upto $500 million. Source: The Hindu US power major to invest in Bihar Click On "Full Story" For More... (296 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Finance & TaxesPosted on Wed Sep 01, 2010 at 03:06:14 AM EST
Govt To Give Financial Aid To Unaided Madrassas, Sanskrit Vidyalayas
It was perhaps the last cabinet meeting of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in which several populist decisions were taken ostensibly to woo the "Maulvis" and "Pandits", who have been fighting for their demands since 1984.
The state cabinet on Tuesday took a decision to accord recognition as well as give financial aid to all the 2,459 unrecognized and unaided madrassas of the state. However; there is a catch here that these madrassas would be recognized only after the district education officers (DEOs) of the respective districts examine them and give a favourable report. In case all the madrassas are found fit for recognition, the government would have to spend Rs 108 crore per annum for providing grant-in-aid to them. The teaching and non-teaching employees of these madrassas would be paid the same amount as fixed salary which is paid to the respective panchayat, nagar, prakhand and zila shikshaks in government middle and secondary schools. Source: Times Of India Govt to give financial aid to unaided madrassas, Sanskrit Vidyalayas Click On "Full Story" For More... (568 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Educations In BiharPosted on Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 11:50:30 PM EST
ASI Begins Golghar Restoration Work
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Wednesday took up the challenging task of conserving Patna's 224-year-old landmark, the Golghar. Reason: multiple cracks have developed in both exterior and interior of the Golghar, a huge granary built by Captain John Garstin for the British army in 1786 after the terrible famine of 1770.
"Dozens of big vertical cracks have been detected which need immediate restoration. It would be quite a challenge to us to undertake the conservation work in a closed and dark place where there is no outlet of oxygen," ASI superintending archaeologist ( Patna circle) S K Manjul said. "We will have to enagage technical team with oxygen masks to carry out conservation work inside the 97-feet high dome in the absence of any flow of oxygen from outside. The entire area inside the dome is dark and suffocating," Manjul told TOI. A person cannot survive inside the dome for long hours without oxygen masks. "We will have to protect the existing structure without any damage during the conservation work. The work must be handled with proper care. The outer conservation work of the structure would be relatively easier," he said. Source: Times Of India By Pranava K Chaudhary ASI Begins Golghar Restoration Work Click On "Full Story" For More... (463 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Development In BiharPosted on Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 03:49:07 AM EST
CM Opens Four Power Grid Stations
Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday inaugurated four power grid stations and 26 power sub-stations to further strengthen and expand the state's system for transmission, distribution and use of power by consumers.
By Tiwari, Section Electricity
Nitish said that with this commissioning, the state has developed a capacity to transmit and distribute 5700 MW of power. The state's existing transmission and distribution system could facilitate the use of only 700-800 MW of power. "It is a big leap for the state," the CM said, adding: "It would take three to four years to generate so much of power that fulfils the state's demand and the BSEB also sells the remaining power to other states. We are working on this line. The projects are on the floor. But the completion will take time three to four years. It is not a fairy tale. It is a reality." Source: Times Of India CM opens four power grid stations Posted on Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 03:24:17 AM EST
Helpline To Help Patna Voters Ahead Of Polls
Preparations are on for the ensuing assembly election in the 14 constituencies of Patna district. Better than the national average of 60%, Patna boasts of 68% voter registration. The gender ratio is also quite impressive with 825 females registered per 1000 male voters.
There are altogether 34,77,078 voters in the district of whom 19,05,166 are males and 15,71,912 females. Around 1.53% of them would be the first-time voters. Naushad Yusuf, nodal officer for the preparation of electoral roll and election photo identity cards (EPICs) in the district, said the progress of work is being monitored on a daily basis. "We intend to complete the process of distribution of EPICs within a week," he told TOI on Monday. Till two days ago on Saturday, 3,47,400 EPICs were ready of which 2,70,886 have been distributed. The administration targets to prepare 7,67,774 before the ensuing assembly election, Yusuf said and added a special drive is also underway to enlist new voters and delete the names of those who have died or shifted to another place. Source: Times Of India By Pooja Kashyap, Helpline to help Patna voters ahead of polls Click On "Full Story" For More... (450 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section NewsPosted on Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 03:20:47 AM EST
Bihar Villagers To Get Smart Cards
In a major step to alleviate delays in wage payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday launched an "e-Shakti Financial Inclusion" scheme the first of its kind in the country.
The scheme aims at providing about three crore villagers with `e-Shakti' biometric smart cards, with the Central Bank of India acting as the nodal bank in issuing payments. The cards carry requisite information about the villagers including photo identification and will be operated on the e-Shakti smart card machine by using thumb impressions of the workers to generate payments for the requisite number of man-days. "E-Shakti is Bihar's initiative. Earlier, the worker had to wait for seven days to get his wages. Even then, villagers in remote areas had no access to banking services of any kind," said Mr. Kumar. The Bihar Government had formally launched the e-Shakti programme in February last year and established a call centre for receiving complaints from villagers pertaining to irregularities in the scheme. The government so far has distributed more than 13 lakh e-Shakti cards in 1,300 villages, while four lakh accounts have been opened in Patna district as part of the pilot project. With the dates for the Bihar Assembly polls to be announced soon, the occasion served to render political accounts as Mr. Kumar reiterated that "development had become a poll plank" in the State and that "the ruling government [the NDA alliance] had proved it". Source: The Hindu BY Shoumojit Banerjee Bihar villagers to get smart cards Click On "Full Story" For More.... (401 words in story) Full Story By akansha, Section NewsPosted on Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 01:14:58 AM EST
Rs 592.41 cr Allocated To Bihar For Urban Development Projects
The Central government has allocated Rs 592.41 crore for urban development projects in Bihar, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
By Tiwari, Section Development In Bihar
Eight projects totalling Rs 394.8 crore have been sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy said during Question Hour. "Rs 198 crore (of sanctioned amount) is still available for which Bihar government can submit (further) projects)," he said. He said during 2006-07, Rs 299.06 crore was released to Bihar under Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns scheme of which Rs 256.07 crore was spent. Subsequently, Rs 254 crore was allocated, of which Rs 209 crore was committed to various projects. Projects for Rs 45 crore have not come from the state government, he said. Source: news.in.msn.com Rs 592.41 cr allocated to Bihar for urban development projects Posted on Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 12:16:58 AM EST
Bihar Water Resources Dept Launches e-Tendering
Bihar's Water Resources Department (WRD) has introduced e-Tendering facility to maintain transparency in award of contracts.
By akansha, Section News
"e-Tendering facility will not only bring transparency in disposal of tenders, but also minimise chances of violence and resistance at the time of submission of tender papers. Earlier, the tenders were done manually," WRD Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said. e-Tendering facility has come into effect from August 23. After introduction of this facility, people interested in tenders can submit the papers through e-mail. "There is no need to come to the office physically to fill up the forms and submit the required papers," Yadav pointed out. WRD Principal Secretary Ajay Naik said that the department would accept the proposals through this only when the tender amount exceeded Rs 25 lakh. "The new system will help the department check corrupt practices," he said. Earlier complaints of irregularities in the allotment of tenders to contractors were received by the Department. e-Tendering was launched with accepting a tender proposal of Rs 14.70 crore irrigation project on Dardha river in Jehanabad district. Source: igovernment.in Bihar Water Resources Dept launches e-Tendering Posted on Thu Aug 26, 2010 at 03:55:28 AM EST
Bihar Assembly Polls Should Be After CWG: Home Ministry
The Bihar assembly election is likely to take place after the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
At a meeting with the Election Commission, home ministry officials today said that they will be pre-occupied with the security arrangements for the CWG and a large section of the central para-military forces will be deployed in the capital. This would virtually make it impossible to deploy additional forces in Bihar -- a state where a large part is declared as Naxal-affected.
The home ministry said it would prefer if the Bihar elections take place between October 20 and November 20. The CWG will end on October 14. In the 2005 assembly elections in Bihar, polling was conducted in four phases over one month. The term of the present assembly in Bihar ends on November 27. "Most political parties want the elections to be over before Diwali -- on November 5. Source: Business-standard Bihar Assembly polls should be after CWG: Home ministry Click On "Full Story" For More... (328 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Elections in BiharPosted on Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 10:32:13 PM EST
Patna University (PU) Advances Admission Dates
Patna University (PU) on Saturday announced a revised schedule for admission of students to undergraduate and post-graduation courses in Patna Science College and BN College.
By Tiwari, Section Patna Group
The process of admission could not be completed so far due to the strike by non-teaching staff. The 50-day-old strike was called off and the employees resumed duty on Friday. PU pro-VC SI Ahson said students can have forms for admission to the three-year degree courses from August 23 to 27. The last date for submission of forms is August 28. The list of candidates selected for admission on merit basis will be published on September 1. They can take admission between September 6 and 18, Ahson said. Patna Science College principal Kashi Nath said a detailed programme of admission to BSc Part-I honours course has already been published. Sale of forms and admission of students to the BSc Part II and III honours classes would begin on August 23 and end on September 4. While classes of BSc Part II and III would commence from August 23, those of BSc Part I shall commence on September 20, he added. PU proctor Shardendu said the admission of students to the post-graduation science courses of PU and MA (English) course in BN College would be held from August 26 to September 6. However, fresh applications for admission to these courses would not be accepted, he said. Source: Times Of India PU Advances Admission Dates Posted on Mon Aug 23, 2010 at 02:52:50 AM EST
Bihar, Andhra To Get Disaster Response Force
Bihar and Andhra Pradesh will get a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team each, comprising 1,149 personnel.
The union cabinet accorded its approval to this proposal at its meeting here Friday, an official statement said. The NDRF battalions will be based at Patna and Vijayawada. The new battalions will be converted from the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF). A fund of Rs.151 crore has been sanctioned to procure disaster response equipments, vehicles, dogs and other essential equipments for the NDRF, the statement added. NDRF is a multi-disciplinary, multi-skilled and high-tech force which responds to disasters and also prepares the community to tackle disasters. Source: Sify.com Bihar, Andhra to get disaster response force Click On "Full Story" For More... (205 words in story) Full Story By Tiwari, Section Bihar PolicePosted on Mon Aug 23, 2010 at 02:49:55 AM EST
Bill To Establish Nalanda University Gets RS Nod
To come up as icon of Asian renaissance
The Rajya Sabha today passed a Bill for establishing a transnational university at Nalanda in Bihar, which was a seat of learning in ancient India. India along with 16 countries of East Asia would like to see Nalanda as "an icon of Asian renaissance". Perceived to be an amalgam of ancient and modern thinking, it will be guided by an interim governing board, chaired by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. Nalanda, situated 90 km south east of Patna, near a village called 'Bada Gaon', still has the ruins of the ancient Nalanda University, which, according to studies, existed in the fifth century AD. The studies also said the ancient university had 10,000 students and facilities like nine-storeyed library building. The Nalanda University Bill, 2010, which seeks to establish a teaching campus on 441 acres attracting students and faculty from across South and South East Asia, was passed by the House after a scholarly debate. The debate saw Karan Singh (Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), NK Singh (JD-U) and M Rama Jois (BJP) at their erudite best recalling India's rich contributions to the culture and civilisation of the world. Source: The Tribune Bill to establish Nalanda University gets RS nod Click on "Full Story" For More... (431 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Nalanda GroupPosted on Sun Aug 22, 2010 at 02:57:43 AM EST
Ambuja Realty To Invest Rs 500 cr in Shopping Malls
Real estate developer Ambuja Realty Ltd would invest around Rs 500 crore in developing three shopping malls under the 'City Centre' brand.
By Tiwari, Section Business
"We will set up three City Centres in Raipur, Haldia and Patna," chairman of Ambuja Realty Harsh Neotia said today. He said that the Siliguri City Centre, to be operational from December, was being built at a cost of Rs 280 crore.The other malls would be be set up at an approximate cost of Rs 500 crore, he said. While the Raipur and Haldia malls are under construction, the ground breaking ceremony of the Patna City Centre would be done later this year. Neotia said that the Raipur mall would be ready by December 2011 and the Haldia one by 2012. Ambuja Realty had already built two City Centres, one each in Salt Lake and Rajarhat New Town area in the metropolis. Source: Business-standardAmbuja Realty to invest Rs 500 cr in shopping malls Posted on Fri Aug 20, 2010 at 03:13:00 AM EST
Bihar Govt To Increase Haj Grant
Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said that the state government would increase grant to the Haj Committee. He said that as the committee is doing praiseworthy work, the government, to make it more effective has decided to increase the grant.
Addressing the Haj conference here at Haj Bhawan, the chief minister said that the government has taken all possible measures to ensure that the pilgrims do not faces any difficulty during their pilgrimage. He said that previously some pilgrims had complained to the government about the difficulties faced by them, and he had taken up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Central government took notice of the complaints and solved their problems, the CM said. He also praised the State Haj Committee chairman Maulana Annisur Rehman Qasmi's efforts for addressing the problems of the Haj pilgrims and providing them more facilities. Nitish, however, said that despite an increase in the state's Haj quota, the number of pilgrims was less and hoped that with Qasmi's efforts more pilgrims from the state will embark on the sacred trip. Source: Times Of India Bihar govt to increase Haj grant Click On "Full Story" For More... (347 words in story) Full Story By Tiwari, Section NewsPosted on Fri Aug 20, 2010 at 03:09:00 AM EST
Village Health Sanitation Panels Launched
The state government on Thursday launched village health sanitation committees (VHSCs) with panchayats as the base unit. The committees would be responsible for works related to public health, nutrition, sanitation and environmental protection in each revenue village forming a panchayat.
The scheme has been launched under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which envisages a functional VHSC in each revenue village under the guidance of the panchayat concerned. Currently, the committee has been set up in 7,789 panchayats across the state. Launching the scheme at the Soochna Bhawan here, state health minister Nand Kishore Yadav said that the motive behind constituting VHSCs in each gram panchayat is to address the health concern of villagers and make them aware about health care. Yadav said that the committee would look after health care, sanitation and immunization of people residing within its area. He added that since people living in rural areas are not much concerned about their health, the move would help in early diagnosis of their diseases and stopping them from spreading further. Source: Times Of India By Nishant Sinha Village health sanitation panels launched Click On "Full Story" For More... (434 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section HealthPosted on Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 11:15:00 PM EST
State Faces Power Regulation
Power-starved Bihar is facing the threat of power regulation by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in view of its outstanding dues to the tune of Rs 400 crore against Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB).
By Tiwari, Section Electricity
NTPC has been giving `repeated' reminders to BSEB to pay the arrears of at least 60 days to avoid regulation. As per an agreement, BSEB's monthly letter of credit (LC) to the NTPC is Rs 140 crore as against its monthly billing of Rs 220-240 crore. An LC is a guarantee of assured payment as a bank, acting as an intermediary, undertakes to make the payment. According to a senior BSEB official, BSEB is likely to pay its dues in few instalments. BSEB generates a monthly revenue of nearly Rs 180 crore while the government gives Rs 90 crore as subsidy to it per month. "We are facing this problem because of increasing demand of power. Power consumers are not in a habit of making regular payment to BSEB. As a result, we are cash-starved,'' said another official. The cash crisis deepened following the recent payment of Rs 500 crore to NTPC as its imported coal fee. A desperate BSEB has now written to the Nepal government, seeking payment of its dues to the tune of nearly Rs 20 crore. As per an international cooperation agreement, it is mandatory for BSEB to provide 70 MW of power to Nepal every day. To minimise its financial burden, BSEB has sent its tariff revision proposal to Bihar State Electricity Regulatory Commission for approval. The commission is examining the proposal. Source: Times Of India State faces power regulation Posted on Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 11:11:05 PM EST
Bihar In Race For Borlaug Institute
Bihar is among the states in the race for the setting up of an internationally-acclaimed Borlaug Institute, famous for Green Revolution. Punjab is another such state.
By Tiwari, Section Educations In Bihar
According to state Minister for Agriculture Renu Kumari the state is in the run for establishment of the Borlaug Institute of international standard for which the state will provide full facilities. In this regard a team of experts from Mexico visited several places in the state early this month. It also went to the Rajendra Agriculture University at Pusa here in Samastipur district. The Borlaug Institute's programmes provide researchers, policymakers and university faculty from developing countries the ability to strengthen sustainable agricultural practices through scientific training and collaborative research opportunities. The Borlaug Institute aims to be the leading international agriculture program among US universities, measured by the quality of its international teaching, science and extension programmes. It needs to be recalled that Nobel Laureate Norman Ernest Borlaugh is considered as the Father of the Green Revolution. Though a US national he worked extensively in Mexico. He died at the age of 95 on September 12, 2009. Source: bihartimes.com Bihar in race for Borlaug Institute Posted on Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 12:25:28 AM EST
Now, A System To Keep Track Of Goons
Details of even a petty criminal operating in remotest areas of Bihar would be accessed by Delhi as Bihar police is undertaking an exercise to link all police stations with the state police headquarters and finally with the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), Delhi, through Wide Area Network (WAN). The whole exercise is called Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & System (CCTNS).
The CCTNS is being introduced as part of modernization of police force and this system is being funded 100 percent by the Centre. A sum of Rs 2,000 crore is to be spent on installation of CCTNS countrywide. In Bihar, ADG (CID) Rajvardhan Sharma has been made nodal officer for the works undertaken in Bihar. Sources said that the CCTNS aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effective policing at all levels, particularly at the police station level, through adoption of principles of e-governance and creation of nationwide network. All the details, including criminals' antecedents, their expertize in particular set of crime, their fingerprints, photographs, would be fed in the computers, which would be hooked up with the state police headquarters and NCRB, Delhi. Source: Times Of India Now, a system to keep track of goons Click On "Full Story" For More... (491 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Bihar In CyberspacePosted on Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 12:18:50 AM EST
Low Cost Ganga River Cruise from Kolkata to Patna to Start in October
A river cruise on the holy Ganga River from Patna in Bihar to Kolkata in West Bengal is all set to begin in the festive season, starting October.
A Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") will be signed to this effect between Bihar State Tourism Development of Corporation ("BSTDC") and Assam based Assam Bengal Naviation ("ABD"). The formalities of the MoU are still to be finalized and final negotiations will be made in the next week. Each cruise will have a capacity to accommodate 24 passengers. Though rates are still not finalized, the cruise will stop at Rajmahal, Bateshwarsthan, Sultanganj, Munger, Simariaghat and Patna. This river cruise on the Ganga River is a low cost cruise for both domestic and foreign tourist. The cruise, with have various luxury facilities including 12 cabins double bed (A/C) rooms, open deck, dining hall, bar, restaurant, massage centre, big hall and emergency medical facilities. The cruise will stop at various places such as Rajmahal which was once an early Mughul capital of Bengal. Munger is a visitor's delight for its Mughal Fort further expanded by the East India Company and a world famous first Yoga University. Source: www.rang7.com Low Cost Ganga River Cruise from Kolkata to Patna to Start in October Click On "Full Story" For More... (487 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section TourismPosted on Wed Aug 18, 2010 at 12:21:42 AM EST
Countdown To Crucial Bihar Elections To Begin Soon
Both Quraishi and Sampath had visited Bihar earlier this month to discuss in details readiness of the state with local authorities
Countdown to the crucial Bihar legislative assembly elections may start this weekend with the Election Commission (EC) likely to announce the election schedule in the next few days. According to indications available, the EC has already worked out details to hold elections for 243-seats in the eastern state in five phases and is likely to make a formal announcement to this regard on Saturday. Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath Tuesday held detailed meetings with federal home secretary G.K.
Pillai and heads of various central police forces to discuss deployment of central forces in the state notorious for violent elections in the past. Election Commission, which is a three-member constitutional body with two election commissioners and a chief election commissioner, is unlikely to get the second election commissioner before Bihar elections. While Quraishi was promoted as the chief election commissioner on July 29 following retirement of his predecessor Navin Chawla, the government is yet to name the second election commissioner. The Election Commission has already rejected demands for single day polling for al 243 seats and is likely to hold it in five phases to ensure better mobilisation and deployment of security forces in its bid to hold a free and fair election. Source: gulfnews.com Countdown To Crucial Bihar Elections To Begin Soon Click On "Full Story" For More... (463 words in story) Full Story By ugesh sarkar, Section Elections in BiharPosted on Wed Aug 18, 2010 at 12:17:20 AM EST
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