Tag: Bihar

India: Growing AIDS cases among prisoners alarm Bihar government.

Source – gulfnews.com

Patna: The increasing cases of Aida among prisoners lodged in Bihar jails have alarmed the state administration. So far, 89 prisoners out of 4,000 inmates who underwent medical examination have been found suffering from Aids whereas the medical examination of remaining 34,000 prisoners lodged in jails are still under process.

Jail authorities are apprehensive of the fact that the number of such prisoners could go up alarmingly if the entire lot of 38,000 prisoners lodged in 59 jails were completed given the prevailing rate. The number of prisoners currently detected by AIDS is about 2 per cent of 4,000 inmates who were medically examined so far, officials said.

“The figures of inmates suffering from this deadly disease are indeed alarming. We have already chalked out a plan to create massive awareness drive about this disease among the prisoners,” Bihar’s inspector general of prisons Mithilesh Mishra told the media on Monday.

Mishra said the authorities would organise awareness camps among all the jails on December 1 to make them aware how they could protect themselves from this disease.

He added that the jail administration would intensify the medical tests from the very next month and would also initiate quite few more steps for better health care of the inmates.

According to officials, one of the major reasons behind the spread of the disease is the inmates’ addiction for drugs. “A good number of inmates lodged in jails are drug addicts. They may have taken drugs through infected syringes unaware of their serious consequences, before being sent to jail,” a senior jail official said preferring anonymity.

According to an official report, the number of HIV cases have grown alarmingly in the state in the past few years. The latest report of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) says of the total number of estimated 2.14 million HIV cases in India, Bihar has roughly 115,000 people living with this disease.

Over 4500 people die of snakebites every year in Bihar.

Source – newindianexpress.com

PATNA: Bihar witnesses deaths of around 4,500 people every year due to snake bites, majority of them are from extremely poor backgrounds. Bihar stands as the third in the country with the largest number of deaths caused by snakebites in India.

Sharing this figure at a public awareness event organised at Asia’s longest-running sonepur fair on Sunday, Aditya Vaibhav, the  representative of ‘The Tricky Rescuer’, said : “ With a view to promoting awareness amongst Bihari masses on snakebites and post-bite response, a mass social campaign has been launched all over the state”.

Spelling out the objective of ‘The Tricky-Rescuer’, he said that it aims at saving snakes, as-well-as humans in case of conflicts by reducing the number of such occurrences.

Quoting figures of various research studies on the cases of snakebites, he said: “Five million snakebites occur globally each year, causing between 81,000 and 1.38 lakh deaths and nearly 4 lakh amputations and other permanent disabilities.

South Asia has the highest incidence of venomous snakebites in the world. Within the region, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka together constitute nearly 70% of global snakebite mortality”.

In Bihar, it is a sheer lack of prevention or a slew of post-snakebite steps; most of the victims die in state’s interiors than in urban landscapes. “Cobras, Kraits, Russell ’s viper and Saw Scale vipers are the commonly found venomous species of snakes, which bite the human-beings”.

He said: “Snakebites are exacerbated by ignorance. Let alone the illiterates, even most of those educated are unaware of crucial trivia. In a recent email survey that was conducted on 1,000 graduates, with equal participation of both males and females, in ten developing and developed countries it was found
that close of 870 individuals did not know what an antivenin is”.

Antivenin is the antiserum containing antibodies against specific chemicals, especially those in the venom of snakes, spiders, and scorpions.

JD(U) frets about BJP repeating Maharashtra drama after 2020 Bihar polls.

Source – theprint.in

Patna: The Janata Dal (United) is not warming up to its partner BJP’s alliance with Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra. Though Nitish Kumar’s party doesn’t have any stake in the western state, it is concerned about the post-poll scenario developing there because Bihar goes to the polls next year.

The JD(U), now the BJP’s biggest ally in Parliament, is concerned about the developments, spokesperson Pavan Varma told ThePrint. “Whether you see Ajit Pawar with the BJP or the Shiv Sena with the Congress, where is their ideology? Combinations are being made in Maharashtra in pursuit of power,” he said.

Varma said combinations which have been invited to form the government must prove their majority on the floor of the house as soon as possible, to “Prevent the unethical practice of horse trading”. He maintained that JD(U)-BJP alliance in Bihar is strong, but added that “it is confined to Bihar”.

JD(U)’s reaction stands in sharp contrast to the BJP’s other Bihar ally, the Lok Janshakti Party. Ram Vilas Paswan, the party founder and Union cabinet minister, was among the first to congratulate the swearing in of the BJP-Ajit Pawar government Saturday morning.

Echoes of 2005, eye on 2020

The developments in Maharashtra echo what happened in Bihar after the 2005 elections, which produced a hung assembly. The LJP was part of the Congress-led UPA at the time, and 15 of its MLAs “disappeared” and later surfaced in Jharkhand, in a bid to install an NDA government led by JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar. The move was torpedoed by then-governor Buta Singh, who recommended the dissolution of the newly-elected assembly on the grounds of “horse trading”.

BJP chief Amit Shah had announced that Nitish will be the leader of the NDA in the 2020 assembly polls, but after the Maharashtra developments, this has begun to look less assuring to the JD(U).

“Suppose the BJP gets more seats than JD(U) and, with the support of LJP, breaks away some RJD MLAs and stakes claim to form the government. This is the level the BJP is willing to go for power,” a senior JD(U) leader said on the condition of anonymity. “There is a clear possibility of the Maharashtra episode being repeated in Bihar.”

The seat-sharing formula between the BJP and its allies for the 2020 assembly polls is yet to be decided. But the BJP has made it clear that it expects Nitish Kumar to be generous and reciprocate its generosity from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls — the party dropped five sitting MPs to accommodate Nitish’s demand for an equal number of seats (17 each, with the LJP getting six).

There is talk of the BJP and the JD(U) contesting 100 to 110 seats each, leaving the rest to the LJP in the 243-member house.

The alleged BJP-RJD nexus

Bihar’s Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi made a statement comparing the Shiv Sena to the RJD, and calling it a party of goons. The RJD reacted by declaring that Modi faces an identity crisis and cannot make any statement without dragging in the RJD.

When RJD founder Lalu Prasad first came to power in 1990, it was with the support of the BJP. However, after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, the parties have been the two poles of “secular” and “communal” politics in the state. Their vote bank compulsions will not allow them to come together — the RJD has to protect its Muslim votes while the BJP wouldn’t want to antagonise its upper caste votes.

However, recently, there have been charges that Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav has been helping BJP indirectly by ruling out the possibility of the JD(U) and Nitish Kumar returning to the fold of the Mahagathbandhan. The perception, fuelled by former allies Jitan Ram Manjhi and Mukesh Sahani, is that Tejashwi is toeing the line due to the CBI and Enforcement Directorate cases against him and his family. This has weakened Nitish Kumar’s bargaining power against the BJP.

The senior JD(U) leader quoted above pointed out that though the BJP has been attacking the RJD over corruption since Lalu Prasad was convicted and jailed in the Rs 900 crore fodder scam, it pales in comparison to the magnitude of the scam allegedly committed by Ajit Pawar and other NCP leaders in Maharashtra.

“Corruption is not an issue which the BJP holds dear when it is after allies,” the leader said, stressing that Maharashtra episode has thrown the gates open to possibilities in Bihar.

Liquor ban: Over 200,000 cases pile-up, irked Patna HC raps Bihar govt.

Source – business-standard.com

Bihar government’s alcohol ban in the state may or may not have delivered desired results yet, but the move has put a huge burden on the judiciary.

The judiciary, already burdened with a large number of pending cases, has to now settle over 200,000 prohibition-related cases, including nearly 40,000 bail petitions pending with the Patna High Court.

The HC has asked Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government to explain the details of the infrastructure and mechanism it plans to develop to deal with mounting prohibition-related cases, according to a news report in The Times of India.

“In how many such cases has the state government appealed the high court’s order in the Supreme Court?,” a bench asked advocate general Lalit Kishore.

In reply, the advocate general said the state government had moved the SC on several occasions but he didn’t mention the number of cases.

The bench also sought to know what action the Bihar government has taken to pursue the cases filed in the SC challenging the enforcement of prohibition in the state.

Till date, 167,000 people have been arrested on charges of violating the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 and more than 5 lakh litres of alcohol have been seized, the report said.

Manisha Kulshreshtha wins 28th Bihari Puraskar.

Source – hindustantimes.com

Noted writer from Rajasthan, Manisha Kulshreshtha, was awarded the 28th Bihari Puraskar for 2018 for her novel ‘Swapnapash’, on Friday.

The award is presented by the KK Birla Foundation and is for writers of Rajasthani origin. It is given annually to an outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years. Named after famous Hindi poet Bihari, the award carries a cash prize of ~2.5 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.

Fifty-two-year-old Kulshreshtha was born in Jodhpur and is a graduate in science and postgraduate in Hindi literature.

She is known for her works like ‘Shigaf’, ‘Shalbhanjika’ and ‘Panchkanya’.

The citation read, “In Swapnapash, through her protagonist Gulnaz Fariba, Kulshreshtha has presented a lively description of a woman with schizophrenia, her life, her dreams, expectation and apprehensions.”

A freelance writer, Kulshreshtha also edits Hindi web magazine ‘Hindi Next’.

Speaking on the occasion, she said, “I am thankful to Birla Foundation for the award which will make me more responsible towards every word I write.”

Chief guest Mamta Kaliya said, “Rajasthan has a tradition of great storytellers and Manisha has carried it with control over a topic such as schizophrenia.”

KK Birla Foundation director Suresh Rituparn said it was established by KK Birla with an objective to work in areas like education, culture, academics, art and health. The Bihari Puraskar is one of the three literary awards instituted by the Foundation in 1991.

The jury this year comprised Nand Bharadwaj, Hemant Shesh, Murlidhar Vaishnav, Alka Saraogi, Om Thanvi and Dr Suresh Rituparn.

Bihar: National level swimmer works at tea stall to support his family, netizens ask minister to help.

Source – dnaindia.com

National level swimmer Gopal Prasad Yadav would have not thought in his worst nightmare that even after winning medals for India, he will have to work at a tea stall to support his family. 

Gopal, who runs a small tea shop named National Swimmer Tea Stall in Kazipur, Nayatola, is yet another example of the condition of sports and sportspersons in Bihar, who suffer because of the apathy of the system.

Keeping his dream to become an international swimmer aside, Gopal works at a tea stall to support his family. 

‘National Swimmer Tea Stall’, the name attracts many customers. On being asked why it is named so, Gopal said that it highlights the plight of all athletes and he hopes that it will make people aware that a national level swimmer makes his living by selling tea.

In 1987, Gopal represented Bihar for the first time in the national swimming competition held in Kolkata. He then excelled in the national swimming competition held in Kerala in 1988 and 1989. He also came first in the 100 meters backstroke competition in the state championship held in BCA Danapur in 1988.

In 1990, he went for a job interview in the Postal Department but did not get the job.

Today, Gopal teaches swimming in the Ganges. He believes that this has kept his inner swimmer alive. He says that his sons Sunny Kumar and Sonu Kumar are good swimmers, but they gave up swimming after seeing his condition.

His customers believe that it is really deplorable that he should be selling tea on the streets today.

Bihar: Woman accuses ex-RJD MP’s son of sexual harassment on pretext of marriage.

Source – indiatoday.in

A woman has accused former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP, Vijay Yadav’s son of sexual harassment and fraud of Rs 13 lakh on the pretext of marriage.

The victim has lodged a complaint against Vishwajit Yadav in Gardnibagh women police station in Patna.

In her complaint, the victim claimed that she became friends with Vishwajit Yadav and gradually it turned into love. Following which, the accused had promised to marry her and sexually abused her. She further claimed that the accused took Rs 13 lakh from her as a loan, which he had not returned yet.

“When my parents learned about our bond, they agreed to our marriage. A flat was booked. I have shown details to everyone. When our marriage was broke down due to some reason, he started torturing me mentally,” the victim said.

The complainant claimed that the accused has cheated her and now he is getting married to another girl on November 22.

The victim further claimed that she had appealed President Ram Nath Kovind to help her in the whole matter and asked for protection of her and the family.

The victim said that she had approached the women’s commission in January 2019 but nobody paid attention to her complaint as it is the high-profile case.

“A petition has been filed in the court as the accused beaten my father. I was even forced to close the case. I have also filed a case of attempt to murder against the accused,” the victim said.

Speaking about the alleged matter, station in-charge of women police station Aarti Jaiswal said, “A case will be registered. The accused was called twice but he did not turn up as he had a pre-wedding ceremony at home.”

The victim in her complaint has mentioned that she went to the house of the accused on his pre-wedding ceremony. “However, the family of Vishwajit thrashed her. Later, she sat on a dharna outside the office of the superintendent of the police in Patna,” the complaint reads.

Liquor mafia attacks police in Bihar, 3 injured.

Source – indiatoday.in

The police and officials of excise were attacked by a liquor mafia in the Vaishali district of Bihar on Tuesday.

The violent incident happened when the police and excise officials were carrying out raids on liquor mafia in the district.

The incident left three police personnel injured.

According to the police, acting on a tip-off from the police headquarters, a team of police and excise officials raided Karanpura village under Ganga Bridge police station in Vaishali district.

During the raid the police found illegal manufacturing of liquor taking place in the village. The officials immediately seized the illicit liquor and arrested two smugglers from the spot.

While the officials were in the process of taking the arrested smugglers, they were attacked by the liquor mafia and local villagers.

Several police vehicles were damaged in the incident leaving three police personnel including a female grievously injured.

The attackers also freed the arrested smugglers from the police after which they escaped.

The police and the excise team had to withdraw from the spot after which the injured was rushed to Civil Hospital in Hajipur.

“The police team had gone to carry out trade in Karanpura village on the basis of information received that manufacturing of illicit liquor was taking place. It was then when the villagers attacked the raiding team and freed two accused. We are registering an FIR in this case and carrying out investigations,” Raghav Dayal, DSP Sadar Hajipur, said.

BSEB Dummy Admit Card 2020: Last date to submit corrections extended to November 25.

Source – news.aglasem.com

As per reports in leading dailies of the state, Bihar School Examination Board that is BSEB has extended the last date for schools to submit corrections in the second dummy admit card 2020 to November 25, 2019. Previously, the deadline was November 20, 2019. 

Although print notification about the date extension is not visible on the website, however the links to download dummy admit card are still active. It may be noted that students can only download the document and submit corrections to their schools, it is ultimately the responsibility of the head of institutions to ensure that corrections get submitted through the proper channel at biharboard.online, and bsebinteredu.in.

Reports further suggest that the board has extended the last date to submit fees of those candidates whose fees have not been submitted until now. The board has uploaded list of un-paid candidates for annual exam on the official websites. Such students should coordinate with their institutions to take the matter forward. 

BSEB has also released matric  and inter exam date sheets. Matric refers to class 10, and inter to class 12. 

As per the Bihar board 10th routine 2020, science exam will be held on February 17, 2020. Then mathematics will be held on February 18, 2020. Social science exam will be organized on February 19, 2020. English paper shall be held on February 20, 2020. Hindi, urdu, bengali, maithili language exam papers will be held on February 21, 2020. The test for second language has been scheduled for February 22, 2020. The last exam will be for optional subject, on February 24, 2020. 

On all the dates for Matric exams, there will be two shifts. Wherein first shift will be from 9.30 am to 12.15 pm. Whereas second will be from 1.45 pm to 5 pm. 

Bihar board 12th time table 2020 says that physics, history, RB hindi papers will be held on February 3, 2020. Then chemistry, political science, english shall be on February 4, 2020, biology, economics, foundation course exams will be held on February 5, 2020. Then NRB, computer science, multimedia and web technology, yoga and physical education exams will be held on February 6, 2020. 

Mathematics, MB, vocational trade I exams will be held on February 7, 2020. Then on February 8, 2020 will be the exams of agriculture, music, entrepreneurship, geography. Language subject, psychology, vocational trade II papers will be on February 10, 2020. February 11, 2020 is for NRB, philosophy, vocational trade III. Language subject, sociology, business studies, related subjects is on February 12, 2020. And the last exam date shall be February 13, 2020, for home science, economics, MB, accountancy.

In the exam date sheet, NRB means non rashtriya bhasha, RB means rashtriya bhasha, and MB means matriya bhasha.

Students should carry the officially issued Bihar board admit card 2020, not the dummy admit card, on the day of exam. The final admit card will have the final data as entered by students and schools after this correction segment.


Jharkhand Asembly Election 2019: Now, Bihar Ally JD(U) Expresses Support For BJP ‘Rebel’ Saryu Rai.

Source – india.com

New Delhi: The BJP, which is witnessing strained ties with allies in Maharashtra and poll-bound Jharkhand, was left with more questions on Tuesday as it ally in Bihar, the ruling Janata Dal (United), openly expressed its support for anti-corruption crusader and former Jharkhand minister Saryu Rai, who will contest as an independent candidate against Chief Minister Raghubar Das from Jamshedpur East.

Rai had, on Saturday, resigned as MLA and minister after the BJP denied him ticket to contest the upcoming five-phase Assembly polls.

Speaking at a press conference in state capital Ranchi, Rajiv Ranjan, the JD(U)’s Lok Sabha MP, indicated that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a college mate of Saryu Rai, might even personally campaign for him. “Saryu Rai has always fought against corruption, and even as a minister in the Jharkhand government, consistently raised his voice against corruption over the last five years,” he said.

“Since he launched a crusade against corruption, he was denied ticket by the BJP. He will now fight a symbolic battle against CM Raghubar Das, and we, the JD(U), welcome and support his stand. If Saryu Rai requests, we will urge Nitish ji to campaign for him,” Rajiv Ranjan added.

Rai is famous for exposing many scams in undivided Bihar as well as in Jharkhand after its formation, after being carved out of Bihar.

Congress has fielded its national spokesperson Gourav Vallabh from Jamshedpur East.

Votes for the 81-seat Jharkhand Assembly will be cast on November 30, December 7, 12, 16 and 20. The result will be announced on December 23.

Bihar, meanwhile, will go to polls next year.