Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad, who was on a two-day visit to the district, asked the officials concerned to intensify developmental works.

At a review meeting with theBhagalpur Smart City Limitedand district officials on Thursday evening, Prasad said, Our focus is on Atmanirbhar Bihar (self-sufficient Bihar) along with Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-sufficient India). Any laxity on the part of officials in executing developmental works will not be tolerated.

The deputy CM also directed the officials concerned to solve the problem ofwaterlogging at Bholanath underpassnear Ishakchak and issues related to traffic jam in city areas and theVikramshila Bridge over the Ganga.

Bihar, opposition states corner 74% of Centres capex aid

Biharwill receive the largest chunk of the Rs 56,415 crore cleared by theCentrefor 16 states as part of the scheme to boostcapital .
The finance ministry said Bihar is in line to receive Rs 9,640 crore, or 17%, of funds, with Madhya Pradesh next. Opposition-ruled states have cornered Rs 41,566 crore, almost three-fourth so far, with West Bengal, Rajasthan and Odisha among top beneficiaries.

Capital investment projects in diverse sectors havebeen approved, including Health, Education, Irrigation, water supply, power, roads, bridges and railways. Funds for meeting the states share of Jal Jeevan Mission and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana have also been provided to enhance pace of the projects in these sectors, the official release said. Bihar is seen to be ahead of the pack in implementing the water supply scheme to households.

Under the scheme, in 2023-24, special assistance is being provided to the states through 50-year interest-free loans up to Rs 1. 3 lakh crore. While there are eight components, the biggest, of Rs 1 lakh, is linked to the share of taxes and duties as prescribed by the 15th Finance Commission, along with compliance with the reforms proposed by the Centre.

State govt to roll out new system to monitor projects of nine depts

The is all set to implement an online works accounts management information system (WAMIS) from April 1 in the nine departments for effective monitoring of the physical and financial progress of Infrastructure projects.Biharis the fifth state after Jharkhand, Tripura, Odisha and Maharashtra to implement the system.

WAMIS application covers the entire lifecycle of a typical construction project work, right from its inception to its final completion and includes functionalities such as administrative approvals, technical sanctions, e-measurement book (eMB), billing, mobile application for survey/inspection etc. The new system will not only complement the comprehensive financial management system (CFMS) but also assist in effective management and monitoring of projects.

WAMIS is a Software developed by the C-DAC for the e-Governance division of the Centre, Saurabh said. It is being implemented in nine work departments of Bihar. The department secretary will monitor through WAMIS the progress of work and bill clearance.

Children should be vaccinated against Covid-19: Bihar health experts

With the rising cases of Omicron infections in the country, demand for booster shots and vaccination of the children below 18 years of age are picking up.

Health experts of the state are also advocating the need of administering booster doses for the people already vaccinated with two doses. They also plead for vaccination of children to ensure their protection against the new variant.

Many countries like USA, UK, Spain, Russia, Germany and Australia are rolling out booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine in view of the Omicron threat and hence, it is high time India should also start vaccinating people, especially the senior citizens with booster doses, they add.

Construction of Bihars 1st e-way to start soon

The neighbouringUttar Pradeshhas a number of expressways but the first expressway dedicated to Bihar will soon be a reality for people.

The construction of 189-km long Amas-Darbhanga expressway will start soon in Bihar. Union road transport and highways minister,Nitin Gadkariwill visit the state on November 14 to participate in the ‘Sant Samagam’ in Buxar district where he would be laying down the foundation stone of this expressway project.

The 189-km expressway will start from Amas in Aurangabad district located on Delhi-Kolkata NH-19 and will go all the way to NH-27 at the Nawada village in Darbhanga district crossing seven districts, including Arwal, Jehanabad, Patna, Vaishali and Samastipur.

Water resources department to focus on flood control: Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha

Resources“>Water Resources department (WRD) minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said that the department has adopted and used new technologies for the construction of a rubber dam at Gaya, besides supplying Ganga water to four southBihartowns to overcome the drinking water crisis and flood control.

Jha was addressing a function organized at Sinchai Bhavan on the occasion of Engineers’ Day to celebrate the birth anniversary of M Vishwesarraiya. WRD engineers were also present at the function.

As the adoption and use of new technologies in flood control, the early warning system has been helpful in mitigating the impact of flood.

Bihar ranked the lowest among the large states in ensuring food safety in 2020-21, according to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) report released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The overall score of the state was 35 whereas Gujarat topped with 75 points.

The third edition of the State Food Safety Index ranked the states on five parameters of food safety, which included human Resources and institutional data (20% weightage), compliance (30%), food testing facility (20%), training and capacity building (10%) and consumer Empowerment (20%). The ranking is an effort of the Union Government to galvanize the states to work towards ensuring safe food for citizens.

The state has secured only 5 points each in human resources and institutional data and food testing facility, 2 in training and capacity building, 11 in compliance and 12 in consumer empowerment. The separate teams of experts for food testing and food & Nutrition professionals, in addition to Fssai officials, conducted the assessment and evaluation in each category. The teams examined the details received and also interacted with the states/UTs through web meetings.

Railways plans to build MEMU terminal on Hardinge Park land in Patna

The ambitious plan of the railways to build a mainline electric multiple unit (MEMU) terminal on theHardinge Parkland inPatnaon the pattern of Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is likely to gain momentum with the Patna recently allowing the State Government to transfer the land, measuring about 4.5 acres, to the railways for the expansion of Patna Junction.

The railways will build office complex and other utilities, including ticket booking centre, at the proposed terminal. A multi-storey building will also be built on the land.
According to the CPRO, initial consultations with technical experts focused on the need to develop crowd management programme at the Hardinge Park land. The proposed terminal will be located close to main roads leading towards Patna Junction and other prime locations in the city. Railways intends to build a multi-purpose terminal, ensuring smooth flow of traffic during peak hours, he said.

Mines and geology department on Thursday fixed the rates of sand to be sold from the identified storage points in Patna, Rohtas, Aurangabad and Bhojpur districts.

According to a notification issued by the mines department, while per 100 cft of sand will cost Rs 4,027 in Patna, the same quantity will be sold at Rs 4,000 in Bhojpur district.

TheDMhas made clusters in all the blocks concerned in association with the Police stations. The officials have been asked to ensure that the commodity was sold from the identified storage points only by the authorised dealers/contractors.