BIHAR

Despite the Covid challenges, enrolment of children in 6-14 age group in the government schools in Bihar has increased by 3.6% in the last one year, according to the 16th edition ofAnnual Status of Education Report.

The number of children enrolled in government schools increased from 76.9% in 2020 to 80.5% in 2021, compared to 2.8% rise in the last three years since 2018. The report also revealed that more children from the rural background took admission in the government schools, compared to private schools, between 2018 and 2021.

The report was based on a survey conducted in the rural areas of 581 districts across 25 states and 3 union territories between September and October this year. It covered 76,706 households, 75,234 children in 5-16 age group besides teachers and staff of 7,300 government schools.

Significantly, the proportion of both boys and girls enrolled in government schools across all grades increased from 2020 to 2021. The Percentage of girls enrolled went up from 80.9% in 2020 to 82.9% in 2021 while the boys enrolment increased from 73.2% in 2020 to 78.2% this year.

As per the report, the availability of smartphones to the enrolled kids also increased from 27.2% in 2018 to 54.4% in 2021. However, only 11.8% kids have access to studies all the time while 34.4% used the device for limited periods for education purpose. A large section of almost 53.8% enrolled kids still have no electronic devices for studies.

Chief ministerNitish Kumar asked the officials concerned to get an assessment of crop damage caused by scanty/excess rainfalls in the state and provide instant financial support to the affected farmers.

The chief minister issued the instruction after conducting a review of the situation with the officials of the departments concerned. We have always been helping the farmers in distress and this year as well, we are committed to provide them succor, the chief minister said, adding he had received information about the crop damage in many districts due to excessive rainfalls in the current month.

The department concerned received a total of 11,22,797 applications from farmers for availing diesel subsidy out of which Rs96.31 crores have been transferred to the bank accounts of 6,67,042 farmers.

Once made functional, Esic will be the 18th medical college and hospital in Bihar, including six private ones. During the first and second waves of the pandemic, it was made a dedicated Covid hospital.

Bihar has decided to tag the greater adjutant storks domestically recognised as Garuda with GPS trackers to screen their motion as part of efforts to conserve them.

Key Points:

Scientific Name: Leptoptilos dubius

The increased adjutant belongs to member of the stork family, Ciconiidae. There are nearly 20 species in the family.

They are long-necked massive birds.

Habitat: Once located across South and Southeast Asia, the Greater Adjutant is one of the most threatened stork species in the world. There are only three regarded breeding grounds one in Cambodia and two in India (Assam and Bihar).

Threat: The huge destruction and degradation of the wetlands that this scavenger bird desires to forage (i.e. search for food) & the loss of its nesting trees, led to a decline.

Red List: Endangered

The five-day monsoon session ofBihar legislative councilended amid disruption of proceedings by opposition members and resultant adjournments of theHouse. A supplementary budget for 2023-24 and related appropriate bill were passed on the last day of the session.

Legislator Ram Bachan Roy praised the initiative behind the supplementary budget and the which will be spent on different sectors.

Giving the break, Roy said maximum Rs 6,223 crore will be spent onSamagra Shikshathrough which salary of teachers will be given, followed by Rs 4000 crore on the schemes of seven resolves-2, Rs 2,000 crore on construction of bridges and land acquisition, Rs 607 crore on construction of panchayat bhawan, Rs 554 crore on construction of government schools, Rs 223 crore on the Patna metro rail project and Rs 150 crore on pension to be given to elderly people.

Patnahas been ranked 13th when it comes to vulnerability of cities in spreading infectious diseases, including Covid-19, through transportation networks, according to the hazard map prepared by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.

A team of researchers devised this map of Indian cities, including 446 cities with over 1 lakh Population, to understand the spread of infectious diseases from a host city reporting an outbreak and its spread. The institute used different modes of transportation, such as air, rail and road between cities to create this hazard map. They opined that infections can travel out from cities because of the well-connected transport hubs.

From Bihar, 26 cities were included in the study and five figured on the list top 100 vulnerable cities. Haveli Kharagpur stood at 61st position, Gaya 66, Muzaffarpur 73, Bhagalpur 81 and Ara 87.

Chhapra, Buxar, Danapur, Hajipur, Begusarai, Darbhanga, Katihar and Kishanganj figured in the rank between 101 and 200. Siwan, Sasaram, Dehri and Jamalpur, on the other hand, figured in the rank between 201 and 300. In the rank between 301 and 400, six Bihar cities Bagaha, Bettiah, Motihari, Purnia, Jehhanabad and Saharsa found their mention. Munger got 425th rank to emerge as least vulnerable city in the state as far as spreading infectious diseases is concerned.

Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jhansi, Pune and Jaipur occupied the top 10 positions.

Chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar flagged off 576 new vehicles for different Police stations and outposts in order to strengthen policing in the state.
A Home department official said the purchased 613 new vehicles in order to strengthen policing. Of the 613 vehicles, 576 have been supplied to the police department.

He said the state’s all 1,131 police stations and outposts currently have 2,010 government-owned vehicles, while 506 vehicles have been provided to police stations on rental basis. Thus, the state’s police stations and outposts currently have 2,516 vehicles. With addition of 528, the total number of vehicles available to all the 1,131 police stations and outposts will increase to 3,044.

Earlier, in FY 2018-19, the Bihar government had purchased 811 new vehicles for police. Again, in FY 2021-22, the state government purchased 400 new vehicles for the police department’s Emergency Response Support System.

As part of its drive to empower Women in the state police force, the Nitish Kumar-led government appointed altogether 54 ‘woman driver constables’ in the last six to seven years.

Acting at the directive of chief minister Nitish Kumar, Bihar government on Monday sent a financial assistance of Rs one crore to Lakshadweep for accelerating relief and rehabilitation works in the Tauktae cyclone-hit island.

The official said the Bihar government decided to send the to Lakshadweep after reports began pouring that Tauktae has left behind a trail of destruction in the countrys smallest union territory.

Supporting theCongress’s demand for an up-to-datecaste censusin the country,Biharchief ministerNitish Kumar said it would be beneficial for all sections of the Society.

The survey report would help the government in better implementation of welfare schemes for the socially and economically disadvantaged groups, the chief minister said.

The month-long second phase of caste headcount is underway in Bihar from April 15 to May 15. The enumeration exercise, which started from January 7, will be completed by May.

The 50 per cent ceiling refers to Supreme Court judgements pointing out that the overall reservation in government jobs and Education for various communities should not breach the mark although there are exceptions with some states crossing the figure.

The Congress-led-UPA regime had compiled the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in 2011. The reports from the census have been published except that of the caste data.

State energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav announced in the state assembly that the electricity department would hold block-level camps across the state on the second Saturday of every month, where problems of power consumers, including those using power from Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture feeder, would be resolved.

Yadav said the problems of power consumers regarding inflated electricity bills or those related to farmers, including demand of replacing burnt transformers of the agriculture feeder, would be looked into at the camps for amicable solution.

The energy minister made the announcements while replying to the House debate on his department’s budgetary demand to the tune of Rs 11,536.83 crore for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The opposition BJP that had moved the cut motion walked out of the House.