Nitish slams opposition for doing nothing when they were in power in Bihar
Patna, May 30 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday alleged that nothing was done for anyone when opposition parties were in power in the state.
Kumar while addressing a public meeting at Bikramganj in Rohtas district of Bihar, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the dais, said that nothing was done when opposition parties were in power in the state. After his government was voted to power in Bihar in 2005, many steps were taken to improve the condition of every section of the society, including the poor and women, he added.
" Bihar was the first state in the country to provide 50 percent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions and local bodies ", the Chief Minister said, adding that women were given 35 percent reservation in government services. Conditions for women had improved a lot due to the sustained efforts of his government, he noted.
Kumar appreciated the support extended by the Centre under the regime of the Narendra Modi government for the accelerated pace of development of Bihar. Several projects for which the foundation stones would be laid and others which would be launched would help in the accelerated development of Bihar, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who laid foundation stones of projects and also launched some other projects worth Rs 48,500 crores, through a remote button during the public meeting, said it was a day of ushering in a new era of development and prosperity for the people of Bihar. He appreciated Chief Minister Kumar for the good works being done by his government for the people of the state, which changed the scenario in the last two years since 2005 when the NDA was voted to power in the state.
Projects launched and for which foundation stones were laid by PM Modi, are related to roads, power, railways, education, and other sectors, having a total cost of Rs 48,500 crores.
UNI KKS BD`
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
MGNREGA ‘scam': Now, another FIR registered against 2 Bharuch agencies, political slugfest ensues
Following two FIRs lodged in Dahod district for alleged scams, worth Rs 71 crore, under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – in which two sons of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, Bachubhai Khabad — Kiran and Balvantsinh — were also arrested, the Bharuch district police on Saturday booked two Gir-Somnath based agencies for allegedly a similar MGNREGA scam of Rs 7.30 crore. The development led to a political slugfest with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava alleging that the Bharuch agencies were linked to Congress leader Hira Jotva even as the latter refuted the allegations. The FIR lodged by the Assistant MGNREGA account officer PU Chaudhary of the Bharuch District Rural Development Authority against Veraval-based Jalaram Enterprises, owned by Piyush Nukani and Murlidhar Enterprises by Jodha Sabhad states that the agencies allegedly defrauded the state government of Rs 7.30 crore. 'The irregularity relates to MGNREGA projects in Amod, Jambusar, and Hansot talukas of the district… As per the process, e-tendering was undertaken to procure materials… As per the provisions, works above Rs 5 lakh can be sanctioned by the Executive Engineer while for works under Rs 5 lakh… can be taken from the Deputy Executive Engineer. As per the complaint received from an infrastructure company, the two agencies contracted to supply material had passed bills in violation of tender conditions…,' states the FIR. The FIR states that following a detailed investigation into the complaint, it was found that in works of building roads in villages of Jambusar, Amod and Hansot talukas, inflated bills of material supply were presented while only a small amount of material was used. 'The bills put forth from Jambusar were for 128.40 cubic metres of material, while the actual material used was 28.32 cubic metre (Cum) as against the stipulated use of 103 Cum…' the FIR states. Similar discrepancies were also found in 56 villages, with an amount to the tune of Rs 7.30 crore. The FIR states that the scam was carried out 'in connivance' with the government officials, contractual MGNREGA officials to 'snatch away the daily bread of the unemployed persons who stood to benefit from the MGNREGA projects' as well as 'for financial benefit, at the cost of the state government exchequer.' On Saturday Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Dediapada in Narmada district, Chaitar Vasava blamed Gir-Somnath Congress leader Hira Jotva for the scam, alleging that the two agencies named in the FIR were linked to Jotva. Vasava said, 'The FIR has been lodged only for a scam of Rs 7.3 crore… But if one checks the accounts, only in a span of about an year, payments of Rs 60 crore have been cleared to the agencies. They have submitted forged bills without even supplying the materials. The bills are unverified and also non-GST bills… The MGNREGA scams are (being carried out) under the pressure of ministers and in connivance with the local officers, crores of rupees have been paid to these companies…' Vasava accused, 'a veteran Congress leader' for being the mastermind in the MGNREGA scam and said that Jotva — who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Junagadh as a Congress candidate — is directly linked to the two firms booked in Bharuch. Vasava said, 'We had said a couple of days ago that the mastermind of the MGNREGA scam (in Bharuch) is a top Congress leader. Hira Jotva, who also contested the Junagadh Lok Sabha polls, is involved directly in these two agencies as two men working with him have been made proprietors in these agencies. An amount worth Rs 400 crore has been deposited in the accounts in various districts, including Narmada, Dahod, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur and even Bharuch… The accounts must be carefully probed into to unearth the scam. We are not going to let it slip by. If strict action is not initiated in this case, we will start a public agitation.' Refuting Vasava's allegations, Jotva told this newspaper that AAP was the 'B-Team' of the BJP and was indulging in mud-slinging to benefit in the upcoming Visavadar Assembly constituency bypolls, where Gopal Italia is an AAP candidate. Hira Jotva told The Indian Express, 'Neither do the two agencies booked in Bharuch for the MGNREGA scam belong to me nor to any persons related to me… What Chaitar Vasava is trying to do is to distract people from the actual probe going on against the misdealings of people associated with the BJP. This is because AAP is working as the B team of the BJP to win the Visavadar polls with the BJP's support. I say that anyone involved in the MGNREGA scam anywhere should be punished.' Meanwhile, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi said that AAP had approached Jotva — a local influential leader of the Ahir community — to back Italia in the upcoming polls and resorted to alleged attacks when the Congress leader refused to give in. Doshi said, 'The entire narrative is being woven around the Visavadar Assembly Constituency. AAP is the B-team of the BJP and is working to ensure that people are distracted from the MGNREGA scam in Dahod, in which the Panchayat minister's sons are involved… We all know that the corruption and irregularities are carried out by BJP leaders and the moment they come to light, the BJP starts a campaign through someone to divert attention.'
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Nitish Kumar recalibrates caste math ahead of Bihar polls
(You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With the Bihar assembly elections approaching, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reshuffling key posts to fine-tune the caste equations crucial to his recent days, he appointed former JDU MP Gulam Rasool Balyawi as chairman of the Minority Commission - a move seen as outreach to Muslim voters displeased with the party's support for the Waqf Bill. Balyawi, a vocal critic of the bill, is joined by several other minority leaders on the appeal to other caste blocs, Kumar named BJP's Mahachandra Prasad as head of the Upper Caste Commission and JDU's Rajeev Ranjan as vice president. The post had been lying vacant for years. He also appointed BJP's Shailendra Kumar as chief of the Tribal Commission, again filling long-pending vacancies. These appointments signal Kumar's intent to consolidate social support across the board as elections near.
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi HC rejects plea to halt razing of Pak Hindu refugee camp
Pakistani Hindu refugees cannot be entitled to seek alternate accommodation as a matter of legal right on account of their foreign nationality, the Delhi high court has held Dismissing a petition by the refugees seeking to restrain the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from demolishing a refugee camp at Majnu Ka Tilla, until their resettlement on an alternative land, a bench of justice Dharmesh Sharma said that the petitioners cannot rely on May 2013 direction of the Centre to seek alternate accommodation as a matter of legal right. The court was hearing a plea filed by an activist Ravi Ranjan Singh against the proposed demolition of a refugee camp by DDA. Taking up the cause of approximately 800 Hindu refugees from Pakistan, Singh urged the court to restrain DDA from demolishing the camp, until they were allowed an alternate land to reside in view of government's policy to give shelter to non-Muslim minorities from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as per the Citizenship Amendment Act. He further asserted that the primary responsibility to accommodate the said refugees rests on the Centre's shoulders, as the plea relied on the Centre's May 2013 statement on extending support to the Hindu community which came to India from Pakistan. 'This Court has no hesitation in holding that the petitioner herein is not entitled to the reliefs sought by way of the present petition. First and foremost, the order dated 29.05.2013 passed in Nahar Singh case does not contain any direction to suggest that an alternate accommodation was promised to the said group of refugees by the Government of India, or that they were entitled to such allotment, thus, the petitioner herein cannot seek alternate accommodation as a matter of legal right,' the court opined. Additionally, the order stated that even under the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, any person sought to be relocated and rehabilitated must first and foremost be a citizen of India to become eligible for the allotment of alternate dwelling units. 'In view of the aforesaid, the position that emerges is that the Pakistani refugees cannot be rehabilitated under the DUSIB Policy on account of their foreign nationality status. The petitioner and other similarly placed refugees have no right to continue to occupy the area in question,' the order said. DDA in March last year asked the residents to vacate the camp, failing which it will be demolished by the authority concerned. On March 12, the high court by way of an interim order restrained DDA from demolishing the camps. DDA, represented by advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, submitted that the National Green Tribunal on January 29 this year directed removal of all the encroachment on the Yamuna Flood Plain Zone adjacent to South of Gurdwara Majnu ka Tila on Yamuna River Belt. A cost was also imposed on DDA, and thus the civic authority was bound to follow the judicial orders, the advocate said. Taking note of the fact that the land fell under the Yamuna floodplains, justice Sharma said, 'It is undeniable that even Indian citizens cannot claim alternate allotment as an absolute right, particularly in cases where the land they occupy falls under specially prohibited areas like Zone 'O' of Delhi, i.e., the Yamuna floodplains. Given the critical condition of the Yamuna River, this court unhesitatingly finds that no interference with the ongoing restoration and rejuvenation efforts of the river can be countenanced at the petitioner's instance.' While dismissing the plea, the court also vacated its interim order and impressed upon the refugees to acquire Indian citizenship, which would enable them to enjoy rights and benefits available to any ordinary Indian citizen. 'Needless to state, the effect of the acceptance of... (citizenship) application would be that the aggrieved refugees shall be deemed citizens of India and would be able to enjoy all rights and benefits available to any ordinary citizen of India,' the court said.
