Bihar: Meet Ajit and Shabnam who provide education, meals to orphans

Barauni: Barauni railway station in Bihar is witness to a noble initiative. Ajit Kumar and his wife Shabnam take care of orphans at the platforms, and provide them education and home-cooked meals. And their efforts have now inspired railway authorities too, to support their cause. "If government implements Right to Education and Right to Food properly then no orphan kids will be spoiled," Ajit Kumar said. While Ajit, a government...

CPM MLA murder: Pappu Yadav released after acquittal

Patna: Four days after the court acquitted former RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav on charges of killing CPI-M leader Ajit Sarkar, he was formally released from jail here on Tuesday, police officials said. Citing lack of evidence, the Patna High Court on last Friday acquitted Yadav in the case related to Sarkar's murder. Left Front parties in Bihar on last Saturday had urged the CBI to appeal in...

Nalanda University project takes major step forward

New Delhi: In a major step towards realising the ambitious Nalanda International University, coming up in Rajgir in Bihar, an international jury has selected the architectural design of an Ahmedabad-based firm for the varsity. The design of Ahmedabad-based company Vastu Shilpa Consultants was selected by a jury that comprised top architects from Singapore, China, Japan and India. Vice Chancellor Gopa Sabharwal, addressing the media in Delhi on Thursday, said 79...

Bihar: Prisoner sets himself ablaze in jail, dies

Biharsharif: An undertrial prisoner died of his burn injuries after he doused himself with kerosene and set himself ablaze at a jail in Bihar's Nalanda district on Thursday. The prisoner Ajay Chaudhary, behind bars for two years for allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman, poured kerosene on himself and set himself on fire at the jail in Hilsa subdivision, District Magistrate B Kartikeya said. Chaudhury died of his injuries...

Bihar: Bureaucrats provide free coaching to IAS aspirants in Naxal-affected areas

Banka: Cracking the UPSC is a difficult proposition, especially for aspirants who live in Naxal-infested areas, with no access to proper coaching facilities. But all that has changed in Bihar's Banka district due to the efforts of District Magistrate Dipak Anand and his deputy Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mithilesh Mishra. Together, they conduct free coaching sessions for students taking the UPSC exam from this region. With no proper guidance, the youth in...

Indian reaches home after spending nine years in a Pak prison

Sasaram: After spending nine years in a prison in Pakistan, Indian prisoner Khushbu Paswan has reached his native village in Bihar's Rohtas district, a senior police officer said on Sunday. Paswan, 40, alias Tuntun arrived in Baghaila village on Saturday and was given a hero's welcome by his family, the Rohtas Superintendent of Police Vikas Varman said. In 2003 Paswan fled to Amritsar after being released from prison in his...

Development expenditure has jumped ten-fold: Nitish

Gaya: Highlighting initiatives undertaken by his government, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the pace of progress could be understood from the almost ten-fold increase in funds spent on development in the state. "Prior to the NDA rule not even Rs 3,000 crore were spent on developmental works in Bihar. The amount has now risen to Rs 26,000 crore in fiscal 2012-13," Kumar said in Gaya. He said...

13-year-old Bihar boy cracks IIT-JEE preliminary exam

Patna: A 13-year-old boy from Bihar has cracked the preliminary examination of the highly competitive Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE). He is the youngest to pass the exam. Satyam Kumar of Bakhorapur village in Bhojpur district qualified for the IIT in 2012 at the age of 12-and-half years, after he got special permission from the CBSE, Mumbai zone. He then secured an all-India rank of 8,137. Not satisfied...

Metro rail in Patna by 2016, says Bihar Minister

Patna: The Bihar capital city's dream of a Metro train may come true by 2016 if the state urban development minister is to be believed. The project is set to cover a distance of 40-km stretch at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore, Urban Development Minister Prem Kumar said. Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) will conduct survey for the construction of the Metro rail in Patna, he said...

Great scope to develop religious tourism in Bihar: Nitish

Patna: Stating that Bihar has treasure trove of all religions, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said there is tremendous scope to develop religious tourism in the state and exhorted industrialists to invest in the sector, particularly in hotel and transport sectors. "Bihar has many religious and historic tradition which people from across the world wish to see," Kumar said addressing a convention of industrialists at Rajgir. He mentioned Buddhist...

Two men provide free coaching to IAS aspirants in Naxal-hit Banka

Banka: Two bureaucrats are paving the way for a better, brighter life for others in Bihar's Naxal-hit Banka region. They are providing UPSC aspirants free education and coaching sessions. Cracking the UPSC is a difficult proposition, especially for aspirants who live in Naxal-infested areas, with no access to proper coaching facilities. But all that has changed in Bihar's Banka district due to the efforts of district magistrate Dipak Anand and...

14 chitfund companies raided in Bihar, 11 arrested

Patna: Bihar police on Sunday raided offices of over a dozen chitfund companies on the outskirts of state capital and arrested 11 persons from whom Rs 8 lakh was seized. On a tip off about activities of chitfund companies in Bakhtiyarpur, Barh and Mokama areas of rural Patna, a special team was formed which conducted raids in their offices, a release from the office of Senior Superintendent of Police said....

Bihar: Train makes unscheduled stop for pregnant passenger

Kanpur: A Patna-bound Express train made an unscheduled stop at Fafoond railway station in Auraiya district after a pregnant passenger complained of labour pain. In the process, a coach of the Sampoorna Kranti Express, which was coming from Delhi, derailed. However, no injuries to any passenger was reported. Amit Malviya, PRO, Northern Central Railways said that the pregnant woman, sitting in S-10 coach of the train, had complained of labour...

Nitish stresses on making buildings earthquake-proof

Patna: There is a need to make buildings earthquake-proof and these constructions should comply to green norms, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Friday. "Large parts of Bihar comes in earthquake zone four-five hence there is a need to make building earthquake-proof and follow green norms," the CM said addressing Indian Building Congress function in Patna. The CM said the devastating earthquake in Bhuj in Gujarat was an eye-opener...

Bihar: Four men rape mother and daughter, 3 arrested

Patna: Three people have been arrested in Bihar for abducting and raping the mother and sister of a youth as a revenge for his eloping with the sister of one of the accused, police said on Wednesday. The attack took place in Sariswa village under Majhaulia police station of West Champaran district on April 19, but came to light after a case was lodged with the police. "Three people were...