Online Maithili Community

Rail Budget 2010-2011: Bihar’s gain

Online Maithili Community — 2/27/2010

February 25, 2010

PATLIPUTRA — Though Bihar has not received much as it received during the tenure of former railway ministers hailing from Bihar, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee did not disappoint Bihar when she presented the Railway Budget 2010-2011 on Wednesday.

Speaking to a TV channel she said, “I have done maximum for Madhepura, Nalanda, Bodh Gaya, Chhapra. I love Bihar. I gave a train Howrah to Darbhanga. If I don’t give a train to Bihar people will beat me. Maximum Bihari people are living in my area, Bengal.”

The Railway Board has approved the proposal of setting up locomotive manufacturing units at Madhepura and Marhora (Chhapra). These projects were announced by former railway minister Lalu Prasad.
9 out of 54 new trains announced by Mamata Banerjee to start from or touch Bihar.
- Karmabhoomi express (weekly, unreserved): Darbhanga – Bombay
- Darbhanga-Kolkata Express (bi-weekly)
- Kishanganj-Ajmer Express (weekly)
- Rajgir- Tilaiya-Howrah Express (tri-weekly)
- Ranchi-Jaynagar Express (tri-weekly)
- New Jalpaiguri -Katihar-Amritsar Express (weekly)
- Katihar-Tejnarayanpur passenger
- Bakhtiarpur-Gaya DMU (daily)
- Patliputra-Sasaram-Bhabhua Road via Ara passenger
Raxaul, Katihar and Patna Sahib to have multi-functional complexes.
Increase in Patliputra-Bangalore Sanghmitra express from six days to daily.
Chapra, Raghunathpur, Jamalpur to be developed as Adarsh (model) stations.
49 diagnostics centres and OPDs, mostly in central and south Bihar, for railway employees.
Track doubling on Kiul-Gaya rail section
Priority completion of Neora-Sheikhpura-Daniawan new rail line.
Fatuha-Islampur and Bakhtiarpur-Rajgir rail sections to be electrified.
Inclusion of Gaya and Patna Sahib in the ‘Bharat Tirth’ tourist train routes into the state. The trains are:
- Howrah-Gaya-Agra- Mathura- Vrindavan -New Delhi-Haridwar- Varanasi-Howrah
- Madurai-Chennai-Jaipur-Delhi-Mathura -Vrindavan -Allahabad-Varanasi-Gaya-Chennai-Madurai
- Madurai-Varanasi-Gaya-Patna Sahib-Allahabad-Haridwar-Chandigarh- Kurukshetra-Amritsar-Delhi-Madurai

News Desk: jaibihar.com

Highlights - Union budget 2010-11

Online Maithili Community — 2/27/2010

NEW DELHI: Highlights of 2010-11 budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in parliament Friday:

-- Clean energy cess of Rs.50 per tonne on coal produced in India

-- Concessional duty of 4 percent for solar power rickshaw developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

-- Concessional customs duty of 5 percent for cable TV operators for importing equipment

-- Toys fully exempt from central excise duty

-- Service sector tax retained at 10 percent to aid the introduction of GST; more services to be taxed

-- Accredited news agencies exempt from service tax

-- Net revenue gain Rs.22,500 crore

-- Taxes on large cars and SUVs increased 2 percent to 22 percent

-- Basic duty of 5 percent on crude oil restored

-- Tax on cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco increased

-- Rs. 26,000 crore revenue loss due to reduction of direct taxes

-- Partial roll back of reduction in central excise duty

-- Income up to Rs.1.6 lakh per year exempt from income tax; up to Rs.5 lakh to be taxed at 10 percent; income of Rs.5-8 lakh to be taxed at 20 percent and income above Rs.8 lakh to be taxed at 30 percent

-- IT returns forms for individual tax payers to be further simplified

-- Expenditure in 2010-11 estimated at 11,l8,749 crore

-- Fiscal deficit estimated at 5.5 percent in 2010-11; an improvement of 1 percent over 2009-10

-- Two more centralised tax processing centres to be set up in addition to the one at Bangalore

-- National Social Security Fund created for workers in unorganised sector with allocation of Rs.1,000 crore

-- Government to give Rs.1,000 for each National Pension Scheme account opened by workers in the unorganised sector

-- Exclusive skill development programme for the textile sector

-- Fifty percent hike in allocation for schemes for women and child development

-- Rs.4,500 crore allocated for ministry of social justice and empowerment, a hike of 80 percent

-- Rs.2,600 crore allocated for ministry of minorities affairs

-- Rs.1,900 crore for Unique Identification Authority of India

-- Rs.147,344 crore allocated for defence

-- 2,000 youth to be recruited in central paramilitary forces

-- Draft Food Security Bill prepared and will be put in the public domain

-- Allocation on primary education raised from Rs.26,800 crore to Rs.31,300 crore

-- Banking facilities to be provided to all habitations with a population of 2,000 and more

-- Rs.66,100 crore allocated for rural development in 2010-11; Rs.40,100 crore for National Rural Employment Scheme; RS.48,000 crore for Bharat Nirman

-- Rs.1,270 crore allocated for Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers, up from Rs.150 crore, an increase of 700 percent with the aim of creating a slum free India.

-- Forty-six percent of plan allocations in 2010-11 will be for infrastructure development

-- Coal Regulatory Authority to be set up to benchmark standards of performance

-- Allocation for new and renewable energy sector increased 61 percent from Rs.620 crore to Rs.1,000 crore in 2010-11

-- National Clean Energy Fund to be established

-- Rs.200 crore allocated as special package for Goa to prevent erosion and increase green cover

-- Government committed to growth of SEZs

-- Four-pronged strategy for growth of agricultural sector

-- Rs.200 crore to be provided in 2010-11 for climate-resilient agricultural initiative

-- Involvement of private sector in grain storage to continue for another two years

-- In view of drought and floods, debt repayment period extended to June 2010

-- Five more mega food processing projects in addition to 10 existing ones

-- FDI flows in April-December 2009 $20.9 billion

-- FDI policy to be made more user-friendly with one comprehensive document

-- Apex level financial stability council to be set up for banking sector

-- Indian Banking Association to give additional licences to private players

-- Provision for further capital for regional rural banks

-- Roadmap for reducing public debt in six months

-- Implementation of direct tax code from April 2011

-- Government actively engaged in finalising structure of general sales tax regime; hopes to implement it from April 2011

-- New fertiliser policy from April 2010; will lead to improved productively and more income for farmers

-- Economy stabilised in first quarter of 2009-10; strong rebound in second quarter; overall growth at 7.2 and could be higher when Q3 and Q4 are taken into account

-- Export figures for January encouraging

-- Hope to breach 10 percent growth mark in not too distant future

-- Government set in motion steps to bring down food inflation

-- Need to review stimulus package; need to make growth more broad-based

-- India has weathered global economic crisis well; Indian economy in far better position than it was a year ago. In 2009 Indian economy faced grave uncertainty; delay in southwest monsoon had undermined agricultural production

-- First challenge now is to quickly revert to 9 percent growth and then aim for double digit growth; need to make recovery more broadbased

-- Second challenge is to make growth more inclusive; have to strengthen food security

-- Third challenge is to overcome weakness in government's public delivery mechanism; a long way to go in this

The Times of India

Rahul's maiden visit leaves many hearts, and limbs, broken

Online Maithili Community — 2/2/2010

DARBHANGA: AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi's maiden visit here left several hearts broken, and may be a dozen limbs as well after a crowd largely comprising youths, went berserk to take a dekho at him.

Rahul, widely admired by his fans for breaking security cordons occasionally, was apparently amazed to see young brigades losing their cool and making acrobatic attempts to enter inside the pandal pitched on the premises of European Guest House on Monday. Rahul was here to interact with the students of L N Mithila University, his first visit to Darbhanga.

Earlier, a large gathering surged towards the venue, breaking security cordon soon after a chopper landed at Raj Ground adjacent to LNMU headquarters. The water-tight security maintained by the police leaked profusely as many students suffered bruises in the melee inside the pandal where students holding valid I-cards had assembled.

"University ke students shant nahi hote, isliye mein aapko shant rahne ke liye nahi kahunga," Rahul told the gathering. Some of the girl students scrambling to enter inside the venue, threw plastic chairs in the adjacent lake exactly at the same time, perhaps buoyed by Rahul's comment.

Abhisek, Amit, Ragini, Shakti, Vibha and Kalyani, who had come to participate from R K College, Madhubani, were not so fortunate. Apparently infuriated at the mismanagement of university administration, they said, "We had to run for cover after chairs were hurled at us from behind, though we all had valid I-cards as the venue was too crowded." Sanjay Kumar Mahto, a student in PG department of history, was hardly able to mumble "life is more precious."

Carrying a chit with a question written on it, Mahto wanted to seek an answer from Rahul. "Why are Biharis being assaulted in Maharashtra and elsewhere?"

Pushpa, Ragini, Deepa, all Intermediate students of MRM College were elated. "Rahul waved to us. We are on cloud nine. It's a sheer chance that we came here to see Rahul, who was sitting in a bulletproof car," they said. They were here after an examination and were returning home.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Madhes politics: Driven by greed

Online Maithili Community — 1/27/2010

By: DIPENDRA JHA (Published in Republica)

Madhes politics is dominated by high-class landlords and the leaders hardly realize the problems faced by a large chunk of landless, homeless, unemployed and frustrated youths, daily-wage laborers, and the like. The catch words Jay Madhes do not help the hungry buy their staple food roti neither do they provide them with rojgari’i.e. jobs. The Madhesi leaders have failed to prioritize the socioeconomic hardships faced by the majority. Hence, the movement now looks more as one aimed at satisfying the greed of a few rather than addressing the grievances of the many. The strategic cooperation between the ruling classes of the hills and ethnic elites ignores the socioeconomic problems faced by the poorest and the most vulnerable marginalized communities such as the Madhesi Dalits (Dom, Chamar, Dusad, Tatma, et al) who are bearing the triple burden of class, caste and race. Giving space to the genuinely oppressed can easily pose a threat to the position of the power holders. This new form of elitism confines resources and opportunities within a few high- and middle-class ethnic actors, and have served to exacerbate conflict rather than resolving it.

It is improper to project Madhesis as one homogeneous group. People from various economic, social and religious backgrounds face very different realities and challenges. These differing realities reflect in the disparity of resources and opportunities available to men and women, urban and rural dwellers as well as to those at different ends of the economic spectrum. Identity has received recognition overshadowing the socioeconomic problems faced by the majority of the unemployed frustrated youths. That’s why, despite the large presence of Madhesi faces in the Constituent Assembly and the government, violence continues to escalate in the Tarai. Killings, abductions, death threats, extortions and road blockades have been affecting the livelihoods and security of ordinary people. The impact of Madhesi leaders’ presence in power is limited as they represent only the elite class. Frustration toward Madhesi politics is rising, particularly because the local population is still deprived of basic human needs such as food, employment and security.

For the Madhesi leaders, socioeconomic problems are not a priority. They simply believe in the theory of power-sharing oblivious of the problems experienced everyday by the local people. So far, the movement has only taken forward the economic, social and political interests of the leaders while overlooking the daily livelihood needs, security, and structural discriminations faced by the poorest local residents and individuals. Madhesi leaders have failed to notice the structural factors of ethnicity, caste, gender, class, and its impact on the daily lives of individuals. While taking the identity movement ahead, they have overlooked the class-caste nexus and client-patron relations.

It is widely perceived that the mandate of the Madhes movement has been abused and misused by the same political elites who remained dominant in all sectors of the state after the democratic change of 1990 while the socioeconomic conditions of the majority of Madhesis have worsened. Actually, there has been not been an effective change in the leadership. Is a new reform and restructuring possible with the same traditional leadership at the helm? The security situation in Madhes has been worsening while an increasing number of young people are being recruited by armed groups. Despite this, Kathmandu still believes that ‘the underlying causes’ of conflict in Tarai goes beyond socioeconomic marginalization. While analyzing the ground reality, it could be argued that a proximate cause of the armed conflict in Tarai may be an interest in acquiring political power in the name of identity crisis; however, the foundation that enabled violence to be legitimized is primarily the scarcity of basic needs and the frustration of the unemployed youth.

The sentimental agenda of ‘One Madhes, One Pradhes’ does not any more receive public acceptance. Rather, Madhesis are vigorously looking to have their own Mithila, Bhojpura, Kochila, Abadhi and Tharu states. That is the reason why the Maoists were not accepted when they were in Janakpur to announce their ‘Madhes autonomous state’.

Overcoming the conflict in Madhes is almost impossible without transforming the political culture. At the same time, changing the political culture is easier said than done. It takes a long time to uproot the culture of feudalism, which is a common characteristic of the politics in Madhes. Additionally, it would be unrealistic to completely overlook the role of ethnic elites. However, the revitalization of voiceless and the poorest are crucial to resolve conflict in Madhes.

Bill Gates praises Nitish Kumar, Rahul Gandhi over healthcare

Online Maithili Community — 1/27/2010

New Delhi, Jan 26 : Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for their progressive attitudes towards improving the health indicators in India.

"When I travelled to India... on the trip I got to talk to Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, and hear about some great work he is doing to improve vaccination rates. The (Bill and Melinda Gates) Foundation is considering funding measurement systems to help improve these programmes," Gates wrote in his annual letter on healthcare systems in the world.

"I also got to meet Rahul Gandhi, who is part of a new generation of political leaders, focussed on making sure these investments are well spent. Rahul was very frank in saying that right now a lot of the money is not getting to the intended recipients and that it won't be easy to fix," Gates wrote in the letter, a copy of which is with IANS.

"His openness was refreshing, since many politicians won't say anything that might discourage a donor from giving more. He explained how organising local groups, primarily of women, and making sure they watch over the spending is one tactic he has seen make a big difference.

"The long-term commitment to measuring results and improving the delivery systems that I heard from him and other young politicians assured me that health in India will improve substantially in the decade ahead," Bill Gates said.

He, however, wrote that the health statistics from northern India were terrible - nearly 10 percent of children die before the age of five in this area. In response, the Indian government is committed to increasing its focus and spending on health.

Since its inception in 1994, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed more than $21 billion in grants across the world. In India, the foundation is active in controlling AIDS and help in developing several medicine for various common diseases.

--bihartimes

Bihar would have achieved 20 percent growth rate: Nitish

Online Maithili Community — 1/27/2010

Patna,(BiharTimes): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday claimed that the state would have achieved a growth rate of over 20 percent had the Centre co-operated with it.

Speaking at a function organized by Bihar Chamber of Commerce to felicitate the chief minister for receiving the Economic Times Business Reformer of the Year 2009 award Nitish said that the image of the state was changing gradually.

He said that it is the commitment of the state government and mission to make Bihar a developed state by 2015 whether it gets help from the Centre or not.

He cautioned that attempts could be made to undo all the good work done by his government in the development of the state, which has created a good image of the state within and outside the country.

The chief minister talked about the boom in the real estate and the rise in the sale of vehicles, especially swanky cars, in the state, which according to him was an indicator of the growth.

The chief minister repeated what he said in Mumbai on January 10 on that occasion, that is, the Business Reformer award would be meaningless if no investment comes to Bihar.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce P K Agarwal said that many more business and trade organisations wanted to honour the CM but due to paucity of time representatives of only 20 bodies could attend the function.

--bihartimes

Bihar to provide land ownership rights to women

Online Maithili Community — 1/27/2010

Patna, Jan 22 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Friday announced land ownership rights for women in families that do not own any, saying that the move aims to empower the weaker sex.

"The government has decided that land ownership rights of the land provided to landless families will be given to the woman of each family," Kumar said at a function here.

Kumar said the government decision will strengthen the women's position in the society.

"It will give them (women) more power," he said.

The state government has begun the process to provide land to the poorest of the poor and landless families in the state.

--bihartimes

XX International maithili Sammelan,Kanpur Dec.20-21,2009

Online Maithili Community — 10/25/2009

Oreparations for XX International Maithili Sammelan,Kanpur Dec.20-21,2009 are going on smoothly. I had an occasion to talk to Premkant Jha, convenor, 9936434557 at Kanpur station during evening for Deepawali.

Already a good location, conference venue BNSD school has granted permission.

if funds permit, we will make two gates dedicated to Late jaikant Mishra,Allahabd , who has left us recently for heavenly abode and Late Surendra jha 'suman' on his birth anniverssary
Theme seminar will be on 'Sumanji-Vyaktitwa aa krititwa"

All maithili organisations have been invited to send representatives.

Some senior Maithili workers will be honoured- Dhirendra Premarshi and Rupa from Nepal

Shringesh Mishra , an old worker of Kanpur who attended I International maithili Conference in 1993 and was with me in Padyatra of Mithila in 1993 and woked tirelessly for making successful II International maithili conference at Madhubani in 1996.

I appeal all (and also to those who are abroad to make convinient to attend the conference).

Dr. Dhanakar Thakur

Spokesman,

Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad

www.geocities. com/maithili_ parishad

Nine drown in Kamala Balan river near Kuseswar Asthan of Darbhanga district

Online Maithili Community — 9/29/2009

Darbhanga, Sep 29 : Nine people, including four women, drowned following a boat mishap in Kamla Balan river near Kuseswar Asthan of Darbhanga district last night.

District Magistrate PM Thakur here today said the boat lost its balance due to a storm and capsized midstream.

He said the ill-fated boat was ferrying 17 people from Kuseswar Asthan to Balat village. Nine people drowned in the mishap while eight others swam to safety. The DM said all the bodies had been fished out.

Senior officials were camping at the spot.

--UNI

60 injured in Janakpur train blast

Online Maithili Community — 5/18/2009

SURESH YADAV

JANAKPUR, May 17: At least 60 people were injured in a bomb explosion along Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway Sunday morning. The explosion rocked the train that had left for Janakpur from the Indian town of Jayanagar at 8 am Sunday. The train was near the Prabaha Railway station of Dhanusha when the explosion occurred.

The train has eight passenger compartments and six other compartments for cargo. The explosion occurred in a passenger-packed first class compartment situated at the center of the train.

Police suspect a pressure cooker bomb was planted in the compartment. The bomb could have been planted when the train was parked at Jayanagar station, said Dhanusha Superintendent of Armed Police Force Kamal Giri.

Among the injured, 30 including 18 women and two children are injured. This is the first time such an incident has occurred in the only Railway operating in Nepal.

The Tarai Mukti Sena has owned up the blast. The group´s central co-ordinator Prithvi contacted the media and claimed responsibility. He said the explosion was orchestrated to “awaken Madhes”.

However, the group´s commander Akash Tyagi condemned the act, and said Prithvi will be stripped off party membership and will face action for orchestrating the "inhumane act"