Only women's education can curb population growth: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday advocated education for women as the key step to control the country’s population growth.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday advocated education for women as the key step to control the country’s population growth. Interacting with media persons here, he said that making a law and its implementation would not become successful unless and until women get educated. His statement came as a response to ally BJP’s call for a law for population control.

“Our government did a deep study on population control of the country in 2012-13. At that time, the population growth rate was 4.3. We have worked hard in the implementation of policies, publicised it, and created awareness among people of the state. Due to our efforts, the population growth rate has reduced to 3 now,” he said…Read More

Bihar only have labourers, not companies, claims JD-U MP Giridhari Yadav

 The statement came at a time when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Industry Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain are inviting industries to come in Bihar

Employment in bihar : JD-U MP Giridhari Yadav has put a question mark on his own government and has claimed that Bihar only have labourers and not companies. The statement from Banka MP came during the inspection of an under construction road bridge on Ganga river which collapsed at Sultanpur. Around 50 meters of the bridge collapsed amidst a strong wind on Saturday evening. The bridge will connect Bhagalpur district with adjoining Khagaria.

“We were expecting that the bridge will be built soon but such an incident will delay the project. It is a matter of investigation; and accountability should be fixed on the company. The contract for the construction of the bridge is given to a company which does not belong to Bihar. Here in Bihar, we have laborers but not companies,” Yadav said. The statement came at a time when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Industry Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain are inviting industries to come in Bihar. Recently, a Pepsi plant was inaugurated in Begusarai and an ethanol plant in Purnea on Saturday.

38,47,531 people affected by Bihar floods, over 25K living in shelter homes

In Muzaffarpur district, 8,77,138 people have been affected due to floods while in Supaul 81,198 people have been affected so far

As many as 38,47,531 people have been affected due to floods in Bihar and 25,116 people at shelter homes, said Bihar Government. While 26 teams of National Disaster Response Force/State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in affected areas, according to the State Government. In Muzaffarpur district, 8,77,138 people have been affected due to floods while in Supaul 81,198 people have been affected so far. Meanwhile, the misery of people in Bihar is unexplainable after the waters of Gandaki and Bagmati rivers entered the parts of Muzaffarpur district following incessant rainfall in the region.

The houses of the people in the district have been submerged in the water. Following this, people have started moving to elevated places from the low lying areas. Speaking to ANI, Ramdulari, a villager of Meenapur Block Area said, “Continuous water inflow has impacted our livelihood. Amid the ongoing flood situation, we are shifting to higher places in the village itself.”

“It has been 4-5 days that the water has entered our houses. The administration has not provided any help yet and our children are not safe in this situation. It is becoming difficult for us to arrange food for our family,” Raghuvir Chaudhary, a local said…Read More On Bihar Floods

JD(U) expels Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma over disciplinary issues

Both leaders have been critical of the party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Population Register (NPR)

JD(U) on Wednesday removed its VP Prashant Kishor and general secretary Pavan Varma from the gathering, saying their direct in later past has clarified that they would prefer not to submit to the gathering’s order. The two heads host been condemning of the get-together president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his help to the Citizenship

(Revision) Act (CAA) and the National Population Register (NPR). A JD (U) proclamation, gave by gathering’s main general secretary K C Tyagi, said that these two were “acting against gathering’s choices just as its working” which added up to break of order.

The gathering additionally blamed Prashant Kishor for utilizing “offending words” against the Bihar boss pastor. Kumar had on Tuesday pummeled Kishor over his basic comments, and said he hosted accepted him in the gathering at the pushing of Union Home Minister and previous BJP president Amit Shah. Kishor had responded angrily and blamed Kumar for lying. The JD(U) stated, “it is basic that Kishor be expelled from the gathering, with the goal that he doesn’t fall any lower.”

Encephalitis: 6 more children die in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, toll rises to 103

While doctors have maintained that the deaths occurred due to AES, state officials claimed that most of the victims, below the age of 10, have died due to hypoglycemia

Six more children died in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Monday, taking the toll due to suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) to 103 and prompting the state government to announce a slew of measures to tackle the situation.

According to a release issued by the district administration, 18 deaths were reported from the Kejriwal hospital and 85 from the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), where Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had visited the patients on Sunday and assured their families of all possible help from the Centre.

While doctors have maintained that the deaths occurred due to AES, state officials claimed that most of the Encephalitis victims, below the age of 10, have died due to hypoglycemia — a condition caused by low level of blood sugar, electrolyte imbalance due to high temperature and extreme humidity. On Monday, five more children died at the SKMCH and one at the Kejriwal hospital, while the condition of 12 patients at the two hospitals was stated to be serious, the release said.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting in New Delhi, which was attended by senior officers of the Health Ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research and the AIIMS. Vardhan directed another high-level team to immediately visit the district and undertake necessary groundwork for the setting up of a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research centre, according to a statement.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent notices to the Union Health Ministry and the Bihar government over the deaths. It observed that despite reported measures taken by the government agencies, deaths of children in such large number indicated a possible flaw in the implementation of vaccination and awareness programmes.

Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar said no clear cause of deaths could be ascertained so far and indicated that one of the reasons could be that no rainfall, even pre-monsoon rain, occurred in the district this year. The chief secretary said the government had also decided to send a team to each household, where children died due to suspected AES cases, in order to find out their social and economic background, The purpose, he said, was to find out whether the deaths had any link with the background of the deceased families…

Who'll be NDA's face in Bihar in 2019 polls? Here's what Nitish Kumar said

Earlier, Sushil Modi said Nitish Kumar is ruling alliance' leader in the state and the NDA will seek votes in the 2019 polls in the name Nitish Kumar and PM Modi's works

 

A day after the JD(U) demanded that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar be projected as the BJP-led NDA's face in Bihar, the Janata Dal (United) president on Monday declined to comment on the issue over who will be the 'face' of the NDA in the state when Lok Sabha polls are held in 2019.

Earlier in the day, Deputy CM and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said Nitish Kumar is the ruling alliance' leader in the state and the NDA will seek votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the name of the JD(U) chief and that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's works.

"This is a special occasion when I would like to see happiness on all faces. Please do not ask about any other face right now," Kumar quipped in response to queries by reporters.

The journalists gathered at his official residence of the chief minister to attend the Iftaar party organised by him.

When pressed further, he said, "All your queries would be answered at an appropriate time. Right now, let us pray that the holy month of Ramadan brings peace and prosperity to Bihar."

The JD(U) has asserted that the chief minister is the face of the NDA in the state, which is being speculated as an indirect demand for greater share of seats in the parliamentary polls....Read More

Govt's stand on driverless cars akin to opposition to computers in 1980s

Before India simply shuts the door on driverless cars, it needs to see the opportunities it offers

The Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has gone all out to declare, “No driverless cars will be allowed in India". The National Institute for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) was established under the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in January 2015 as a premier policy think tank to encourage innovation in India and promote the country as a knowledge hub. Therefore, is Gadkari saying that innovation is not welcome in India?

Let’s rewind a little. When Rajiv Gandhi first introduced computers in 1985 to revolutionise India’s communication, he met with much criticism and opposition. Similar concerns were raised back then too. People feared the introduction of computers in offices and departments would kill thousands of jobs. (economy policy)

However, though thousands of jobs were killed, the introduction of computers also ended up creating millions of other jobs. Back then, nobody had imagined the number of jobs computers would create in the world. In fact, they continue to create jobs even today, for not just managing computers, creating software, analysing data but even in the area of information curation and dissemination. And the same will happen when, if ever, driverless cars come to India.

The present government, under its various innovative moves, introduced Digital India mission and has been pushing for Smart Cities, Green Cities, Skill India and Make in India since it came to power in 2014.

Even the previous government had taken some key steps in the direction by laying down the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy in 2013, aimed at strategically transforming various sectors. Around this time, last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even called for “transformative changes” (rather than incremental) “with drastic policy reforms”.(READ MORE)

Shatrughan Sinha supports Arvind Kejriwal, Lalu Prasad; Twitter war erupts

Individually I hold Arvind Kejriwal, in high esteem for his credibility, struggle: Shatrughan Sinha

A Twitter war erupted between actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and his BJP party colleague Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday when the former tweeted in favour of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying “enough of negative politics and mudslinging”.

Modi, responding to Sinha’s tweet, demanded that the “enemies of the party” (Sinha) must be “removed” at the earliest.

Sinha also said he hoped and wished that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah take “notice of such unparliamentary utterances of some of our party people – that too against a senior party colleague & a staunch party loyalist”.

In reaction, Sinha accused Sushil Modi for the party’s loss in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls saying that “those responsible for party’s debacle are crying hoarse”.

“Some people who are wholly and solely responsible for our party’s debacle in Bihar are today crying hoarse, hoping to regain their lost image at the cost of some senior and popular colleagues who have an impeccable image,” Sinha said taking a jibe at the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister.

He also said that positive criticism shouldn’t be taken as a rebellion.

“Positive and constructive criticism should not be taken as rebellion. Instead, it should ignite a debate within the party,” he said in another tweet.

“Wouldn’t like to comment on utterances out of frustration and desperation made against me by some vested interests and spoilers of inner party democracy,” Sinha, BJP MP from Patna Sahib, said.

He also said that sycophants criticise for the sake of criticism and get low and personal. “I pray that God should spare them for they know not what they speak,” he said.

He has backed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Kejriwal on several occasions. |READMORE…