Latest news with #AmritLalMeena
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
PM package announced in 2015 starts gaining momentum
Patna: Bihar gained new momentum in the transportation sector from the special financial package announced by PM Narendra Modi for the state in 2015. A recent review of the projects being implemented under the special package, by state's chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena revealed that a network of 1,304 km of new roads was constructed and 44 out of 74 major road projects were completed so far. Moreover, five major rail projects of the special package were also completed. In the civil aviation sector, the Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport in Patna, emerged in its new 'avatar' while development of others airport is in pipelines. Addressing a public rally in August 2015, the PM Modi had announced a mega package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore for the state. The largest portion of the package was related to the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), under which 74 projects were announced to lay a network of roads spanning 2,836KM. The total cost of this was Rs 51,540 crore. "Work on 44 road projects has been completed, resulting in 1,304KM of new roads in the state at a cost of Rs 14,898 crore," a senior official associated with the road projects told TOI on Sunday. Some major road projects which were completed under the PM package are the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu at a cost of Rs 1,742 crore, the construction of the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi road for Rs 1,680 crore, the construction of a 4-lane road from Simaria to Khagaria for Rs 1,063 crore, the 4-lane road from Koilwar to Bhojpur for Rs 750 crore, and the construction of the 4-lane Bhojpur-Buxar for Rs 595 crore. The second major component of the Bihar package includes nine railway projects, of which work on five has already been completed and four are nearing completion. So far, 652km of railway lines have been constructed or doubled at a cost of Rs 4,841 crore. "Work is ongoing on four projects covering 466 km, with an expenditure of Rs 7,736 crore. Key railway projects expected to be completed by the end of this year include the doubling of the Kiul-Gaya line, doubling between Samastipur-Darbhanga, the third line between Dhanbad-Sonnagar, and the doubling of the Rampur Dumra Tal line along with the construction of the Rajendra Bridge," an official associated with the rail projects said. Under the package, necessary approvals were granted for the development of airports in four cities to provide better connectivity by linking new cities, other than the state capital Patna, through air routes. The renovation of the JPNI, Patna, was also part of the package. The package includes the construction or renovation of airports at Bihta, Gaya, Raxaul and Purnia. "The renovation of the JPNI was recently completed at a cost of Rs 1,216 crore, with new buildings and terminals constructed. Similarly, Rs 68.72 crore was spent to develop Gaya airport. Meanwhile, construction work is about to begin at Bihta and Purnia. The construction of Purnia Airport is expected to start soon. Land survey work is underway in Raxaul, after which construction will begin there as well," an official said.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Bihar reports two COVID cases in fresh wave
Bihar on Monday (May 26, 2025) registered the State's first COVID-19 cases of the current wave, with two men testing positive for the virus. One of them, a doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Patna, was undergoing treatment in the AIIMS campus itself, while the other man was admitted to a private hospital. Both men had 'no history' of travelling outside the State recently, Patna Civil Surgeon Abinash Kumar Singh told The Hindu. He added that there was no reason to panic and that people were being advised to stay alert. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise across the country over the past few weeks. Following the increasing number of cases, Bihar's Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena on Monday held a high-level meeting with all civil surgeons of the State through video conferencing and issued several directions. 'All the medical colleges of the State have been instructed to ensure the preparedness, and RT-PCR facilities should be available, including the availability of beds, oxygen, medicines, and vaccines,' he said.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Pragati Yatra projects to start by Aug 15: Samrat
Patna: Deputy CM on Wednesday announced that CM , during his , had unveiled 430 new projects worth approximately Rs 50,000 crore. He said work on all these projects would commence between the first week of June and Aug 15 to ensure their timely completion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Choudhary chaired a review meeting with additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries of the relevant departments in the conference hall of the main secretariat, asking officials to remove any hurdles delaying the start of these projects. C hief secretary Amrit Lal Meena also addressed the meeting, which was attended via videoconferencing by all divisional commissioners and district magistrates. Choudhary said the tendering process for most major projects had been completed and work orders had already been issued for many of them. He added that some projects were still undergoing the tendering process due to land acquisition issues and directed departments and district magistrates to resolve these problems at the earliest. "All departments should report how many projects have had their foundation stones laid before June 15," the deputy CM said. "All departments concerned have been asked that since the projects announced during the Pragati Yatra are highly beneficial to the public, work on these projects must commence by Aug a5, at the latest," he added. Earlier in the meeting, planning and development department gave a department-wise update on the Pragati Yatra projects through a presentation.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
French and German studies included in govt engineering colleges
1 2 3 Patna: State chief secretary (CS) Amrit Lal Meena on Tuesday inaugurated foreign language (French and German) studies in 15 govt engineering colleges through videoconferencing. Following the successful implementation of the pilot project, the initiative is set to be extended to all 38 govt engineering colleges across the online event held in Patna, the CS emphasised the significance of foreign language proficiency for engineers, highlighting his own experience and background in the field. Learning languages like French, German and Japanese enhances global opportunities, cross-cultural interactions and professional growth, he CS also highlighted the transformative journey of technical education in Bihar , including infrastructure development, faculty recruitment and curriculum upgrades, over the past decade. He recalled that in 2015, CM Nitish Kumar identified education as a key pillar for Bihar's economic and social development, setting the vision under the motto "Aarthik bal, yuvaon ka hal" (Economic stability is youth's power). He emphasised that Japanese language courses should also be added to boost employability. Furthermore, he encouraged more memoranda of understanding between Bihar's engineering colleges and foreign institutes, facilitating academic exchanges, research collaborations and language immersion programmes, to become institutes of national event was also attended by Pratima, secretary of science, technology and technical education department, and director-cum-additional secretary Ahmad Mahmood.
Hans India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Nitish Kumar to hold high-level meeting in Purnea amid rising India-Pak tensions
Patna: In the wake of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will go to Purnea on Saturday to conduct a high-level security review meeting focused on the India-Nepal border regions of the state. Purnea, a strategically significant district in the Seemanchal region, is part of a long international border that Bihar shares with Nepal and Bangladesh. With increasing security concerns, especially after the recent cross-border developments, the state government has moved swiftly to bolster vigilance across the region. The meeting will be held at the circuit house in Purnea. Top administrative and law enforcement officials, including Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, DGP Vinay Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the CM Deepak Kumar, and the District Magistrates and SPs of all seven Nepal-bordering districts - Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnea, Katihar, Madhepura, and Saharsa will be present there. Chief Minister Nitish will focus on enhancing patrolling and vigilance in border districts, strict monitoring of suspicious activities and sensitive locations, heightened security at airports, railway stations, and religious places, countermeasures against fake news and rumours spreading on social media and coordination with SSB and intelligence agencies to ensure rapid response capabilities. The Chief Minister has issued strict instructions for round-the-clock monitoring, robust community engagement to detect unusual activity, and coordinated efforts to counter misinformation, referencing his May 8 directives in Patna, where all leaves of administrative and police officers were cancelled. Earlier this week, India conducted precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terrorist targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, triggering heightened alerts across northern India. Though Bihar is not directly on the western front, the strategic sensitivity of its border with Nepal, often exploited for smuggling and infiltration, has made it a focal point of state and central security planning. BJP Bihar President Dilip Jaiswal commented, "Purnea is a sensitive area, and both central and state governments are fully prepared to face any war-like situation. This meeting is crucial not only for national security but also to ensure local peace and public confidence." As of now, the alert remains in effect in Bihar, with intensified surveillance operations led by police and Sashastra Seema Bal across border areas, key infrastructure, and public places.
