I have filed a complaint against Railway officials responsible for stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on May 17th, at GOI public grievance site.
http://pgportal.gov.in/
I have had qualified success with this site regarding my complaint about train not being cleaned at Howrah Railway Station and TTE taking bribe to seat people in AC Chair car even though they did not have AC Chaircar tickets. This happened during my December 2009 visit to India.
I filed complaint in January end and got a reference no. I got an email from PR officer from Eastern railway,Howrah stating that cleaning work was outsourced to a private company and that company has been fined. Railway is yet to respond to my 2nd query about TTE taking bribe to seat people in AC chair car.
However, this episode has made me have some faith in system that, at least, people would be heard.
So, I went ahead and filed a complaint with Railways at http://pgportal.gov.in/
My complain is as follows and I would request you all to spare 10 mins to file another complaint about the same.
Please forward this email to all.
------------ COMPLAINT TEXT Follows -------------
I am appalled to see this news about irreplaceable loss of lives due to an avoidable stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, on 17th May, 2010, in Times of India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/2-killed-in-New-Delhi-railway-station-stampede/articleshow/5938378.cms
What bothers me most is that Railway Station Authorities at New Delhi, announced the change of Platform very late and then brought the trains to railway station, only 20 minutes before departure. In case of Sapta Kranti Express, it was brought to platform only 10 minutes before the departure.
Anyone who has traveled from Delhi to East Bound trains to Bihar/Bengal, knows very well that there is heavy rush of passengers and it is worse in Summer.
Then, how is it possible that Railway Station authorities did not know of this and went ahead of switch of platform? Similar tragic accidents have occurred in Past at New Delhi Railway station and we have still not learn our lesson.
It is my humble request to you to institute a judicial inquiry into this incident and publish the findings so that Common man can also know the reasons.
All the steps should be taken to punish those who are responsible for this ghastly crime against innocent and hapless train passengers from New Delhi to Bihar.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Bihar: Rising From the Shadows
This article, Bihar Rising from the Shadows, is an affirmation of the fact that Bihar has changed for better under Nitish's regime.
Write is from Munger and she has done a good job of summarizing the changes which
Bihar has seen in last 4 years.
Read full article to know more here.
Write is from Munger and she has done a good job of summarizing the changes which
Bihar has seen in last 4 years.
Read full article to know more here.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
A Documentary about Late Dasrath Manjhi - by Singapore Television
Singapore Television has produced a good documentary about Late Dasrath Manjhi and his incredible work in Gaya.
Our own TVS (TV Sinha) is also interviewed for this.
Do watch these videos.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_MgjTYMtsw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfufIc3gR7Y
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEvTVmNDH-0
Our own TVS (TV Sinha) is also interviewed for this.
Do watch these videos.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_MgjTYMtsw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfufIc3gR7Y
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEvTVmNDH-0
Friday, August 14, 2009
US satellites unlock secret to north India's vanishing water
Following report confirms what has been feared for quite sometime now. Groundwater is getting depleted in north india and we might end up in massive drought and hunger.
US satellites unlock secret to north India's vanishing water
Indo Asian News ServiceFri, Aug 14 02:10 PM
New York, Aug 14 (IANS) Unsustainable use of water in India's northern states threatens farm output and can fuel the spectre of a major water crisis, distressing 114 million people living there, warns a new study.
Human activity like irrigation has pushed groundwater levels in India's north down by as much as one foot per year over the past seven years, says the study by scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
More than 26 cubic miles of groundwater vanished from aquifers in the states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the National Capital Territory of Delhi since 2002, says the study that has used NASA's satellite data.
'The amount lost is double the capacity of India's largest surface-water reservoir, the Upper Wainganga, and almost three times the capacity of Lake Mead in Nevada, the largest reservoir in the US,' says the study, which has been published in the Nature magazine.
The team of hydrologists found that the underground water supply was being pumped and consumed by human activities such as irrigating cropland and was draining the aquifers faster than natural processes can replenish them.
The finding is based on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) twin satellites, which sense changes in the distribution of Earth's mass and gravity field distribution, including water masses stored above or below the surface.
'As the twin satellites orbit 300 miles above Earth's surface, their positions change relative to each other in response to variations in the pull of gravity,' said the magazine.
The scientists said data provided by India's ministry of water resources for the study suggested groundwater use across India was far exceeding natural replenishment, but the regional rate of depletion was unknown.
'We don't know the absolute volume of water in the northern Indian aquifers, but Grace provides strong evidence that current rates of water extraction are not sustainable,' said the study leader and NASA scientist Matt Rodell.
'The region has become dependent on irrigation to maximize farm output,' said Rodell.
'If measures are not taken to ensure sustainable groundwater usage, the consequences for the 114 million residents of the region may include a collapse of agricultural output and severe shortages of potable water.'
Although less than a third of farmland there is irrigated, crop irrigation accounts for up to 95 percent of groundwater use. 'If farmers could shift away from water-intensive crops, such as rice, and implement more efficient irrigation methods, that would help.'
The researchers examined data and models of soil moisture, lake and reservoir storage, vegetation and glaciers in the nearby Himalayas in order to confirm that the apparent groundwater trend was real.
The loss was particularly alarming because it occurred when there was no unusual trend in rainfall. In fact, rainfall was slightly above normal for the period.
The only influence they couldn't rule out was human.
Changes in underground water mass affect gravity enough to provide a signal that can be measured by the Grace spacecraft. After accounting for other variations, such changes in gravity are translated into an equivalent change in water.
US satellites unlock secret to north India's vanishing water
Indo Asian News ServiceFri, Aug 14 02:10 PM
New York, Aug 14 (IANS) Unsustainable use of water in India's northern states threatens farm output and can fuel the spectre of a major water crisis, distressing 114 million people living there, warns a new study.
Human activity like irrigation has pushed groundwater levels in India's north down by as much as one foot per year over the past seven years, says the study by scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
More than 26 cubic miles of groundwater vanished from aquifers in the states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the National Capital Territory of Delhi since 2002, says the study that has used NASA's satellite data.
'The amount lost is double the capacity of India's largest surface-water reservoir, the Upper Wainganga, and almost three times the capacity of Lake Mead in Nevada, the largest reservoir in the US,' says the study, which has been published in the Nature magazine.
The team of hydrologists found that the underground water supply was being pumped and consumed by human activities such as irrigating cropland and was draining the aquifers faster than natural processes can replenish them.
The finding is based on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) twin satellites, which sense changes in the distribution of Earth's mass and gravity field distribution, including water masses stored above or below the surface.
'As the twin satellites orbit 300 miles above Earth's surface, their positions change relative to each other in response to variations in the pull of gravity,' said the magazine.
The scientists said data provided by India's ministry of water resources for the study suggested groundwater use across India was far exceeding natural replenishment, but the regional rate of depletion was unknown.
'We don't know the absolute volume of water in the northern Indian aquifers, but Grace provides strong evidence that current rates of water extraction are not sustainable,' said the study leader and NASA scientist Matt Rodell.
'The region has become dependent on irrigation to maximize farm output,' said Rodell.
'If measures are not taken to ensure sustainable groundwater usage, the consequences for the 114 million residents of the region may include a collapse of agricultural output and severe shortages of potable water.'
Although less than a third of farmland there is irrigated, crop irrigation accounts for up to 95 percent of groundwater use. 'If farmers could shift away from water-intensive crops, such as rice, and implement more efficient irrigation methods, that would help.'
The researchers examined data and models of soil moisture, lake and reservoir storage, vegetation and glaciers in the nearby Himalayas in order to confirm that the apparent groundwater trend was real.
The loss was particularly alarming because it occurred when there was no unusual trend in rainfall. In fact, rainfall was slightly above normal for the period.
The only influence they couldn't rule out was human.
Changes in underground water mass affect gravity enough to provide a signal that can be measured by the Grace spacecraft. After accounting for other variations, such changes in gravity are translated into an equivalent change in water.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Rice Husk ash filter can useful in villages
TCS developed Rice Husk ash filter which can be useful for Bihar as we have many villages where water is not pure.
Brief Technical details are here.
Filter is priced at 200 and cartridge costs 25 rupees & lasts for 6-8 months.
Brief Technical details are here.
Filter is priced at 200 and cartridge costs 25 rupees & lasts for 6-8 months.
Playing politics with floods
Do read this article by Dinesh Mishra ji.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/sep/gov-floods.htm
Other articles worth reading are
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/blog/index.php/2007/12/03/bihar-floods-relief-wo\
rk-contd/
Excerpts from 1st article are
----------------------------
State and Centre funding football
The responsibility of providing relief in the wake of natural
calamities including floods primarily rests with the concerned state
governments. The government of India supplements the efforts of the
state governments where necessary by providing logistic and financial
support. For this purpose, the state governments are allocated
Calamity Relief Fund (CRF), which is contributed by government of
India and the state government in the ratio of 3:1. Additional
assistance is also provided to the state government in the event of a
calamity of severe nature from the National Calamity Contingency Fund
(NCCF) after following the laid down procedure.
In August 2003, a corpus fund of Rs.108.97 crores was available with
the Bihar government in the CRF, as per the government's own reports.
Out of this money, only Rs.19 crores were released from the fund for
carrying out relief operations in the state till August that year.
Yet, the Rabri Devi Government in Bihar repeatedly flayed the central
government for not helping the state with the requisite money.
Anirban Roy wrote in The Hindustan Times (13 September 2003), "The
state government is yet to get the central assistance of Rs.112 crores
allotted in 2002-03 under special package for relief distribution in
the flood affected districts. The central government has not released
the money as it has taken the stand that the state government should
first spend the CRF money before it seeks the release of more central
funds." Obviously, the state government was not in a position to
provide the utilisation certificates for the funds sanctioned to it
earlier and wanted the flood victims to believe that the central
government was responsible for it. That was the time when the RJD was
in power in Bihar and the NDA was ruling in Delhi.
It is now 2007, and the scenario has reversed. The two governments
have exchanged positions. Lalu Prasad Yadav at the Centre suggests
that the state government has not made any demands to the Centre, and
that the Centre on its own initiative sent relief money to Bihar
although the state had not submitted the expenditure accounts for the
previous year. The NDA Government of Bihar says that whatever
assistance comes from the Centre is provided for under the regulations
of the 12th Finance Commission and is not at the behest of any one
minister at the Centre. Even so, according to a press report, Sushil
Kumar Modi, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar said in early August
that the state had not received any money from the Centre.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/sep/gov-floods.htm
Other articles worth reading are
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/blog/index.php/2007/12/03/bihar-floods-relief-wo\
rk-contd/
Excerpts from 1st article are
----------------------------
State and Centre funding football
The responsibility of providing relief in the wake of natural
calamities including floods primarily rests with the concerned state
governments. The government of India supplements the efforts of the
state governments where necessary by providing logistic and financial
support. For this purpose, the state governments are allocated
Calamity Relief Fund (CRF), which is contributed by government of
India and the state government in the ratio of 3:1. Additional
assistance is also provided to the state government in the event of a
calamity of severe nature from the National Calamity Contingency Fund
(NCCF) after following the laid down procedure.
In August 2003, a corpus fund of Rs.108.97 crores was available with
the Bihar government in the CRF, as per the government's own reports.
Out of this money, only Rs.19 crores were released from the fund for
carrying out relief operations in the state till August that year.
Yet, the Rabri Devi Government in Bihar repeatedly flayed the central
government for not helping the state with the requisite money.
Anirban Roy wrote in The Hindustan Times (13 September 2003), "The
state government is yet to get the central assistance of Rs.112 crores
allotted in 2002-03 under special package for relief distribution in
the flood affected districts. The central government has not released
the money as it has taken the stand that the state government should
first spend the CRF money before it seeks the release of more central
funds." Obviously, the state government was not in a position to
provide the utilisation certificates for the funds sanctioned to it
earlier and wanted the flood victims to believe that the central
government was responsible for it. That was the time when the RJD was
in power in Bihar and the NDA was ruling in Delhi.
It is now 2007, and the scenario has reversed. The two governments
have exchanged positions. Lalu Prasad Yadav at the Centre suggests
that the state government has not made any demands to the Centre, and
that the Centre on its own initiative sent relief money to Bihar
although the state had not submitted the expenditure accounts for the
previous year. The NDA Government of Bihar says that whatever
assistance comes from the Centre is provided for under the regulations
of the 12th Finance Commission and is not at the behest of any one
minister at the Centre. Even so, according to a press report, Sushil
Kumar Modi, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar said in early August
that the state had not received any money from the Centre.
A beautiful politician
This tribune article by AJ Philip is worth sharing with others.
He writes about TARKESHWARI SINHA who was elected as MP at the age of 26 years. She was named “Baby of the House” and “Glamour Girl of Indian Politics” by media.
She was from Nalanda and quite active in politics till 1969. She had been a Union Miinister twice.
It is sad that no one in media wrote about her death.
Mr Philip is right when he writes this:
It is a pity that when this stormy petrel of Indian politics died after a prolonged illness in New Delhi last week, few newspapers cared even to report her death.
Since, tribune does not link to story directly, I am copying whole article here....
He writes about TARKESHWARI SINHA who was elected as MP at the age of 26 years. She was named “Baby of the House” and “Glamour Girl of Indian Politics” by media.
She was from Nalanda and quite active in politics till 1969. She had been a Union Miinister twice.
It is sad that no one in media wrote about her death.
Mr Philip is right when he writes this:
It is a pity that when this stormy petrel of Indian politics died after a prolonged illness in New Delhi last week, few newspapers cared even to report her death.
Since, tribune does not link to story directly, I am copying whole article here....
A beautiful politician
by A.J. Philip
|
|
TARKESHWARI SINHA stepped out of college to step into the portals of Parliament House where for 19 years she spread radiance of a kind the august institution had seldom been accustomed to. Hardly 26 when she was sworn in as a member of the first Lok Sabha in 1952, the two sobriquets she earned instantaneously and which stuck to her indelibly were “Baby of the House” and “Glamour Girl of Indian Politics”.
Her face might not have “launched a thousand ships” like Helen of Troy but it certainly turned fellow members’ heads every time she strode into the House or stood up to make an intervention. When girls of her age were reading Mills and Boons by the dozen, she plunged into the 1942 movement as a student of Bankipore Girls College, renamed Magadh Mahila College in Patna.
Her family thought her honeymoon with politics was over when she tied the nuptial knot with the scion of an aristocratic zamindar family of Chapra, whose tenant was once the first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. Married life in Kolkata did not keep her off from politics for long.
The INA trial in Delhi rekindled her passion for politics and soon she found herself elected President of the Bihar Students Congress, which broke away from the All India Students Federation. She was among those who received Mahatma Gandhi when he arrived at Nagar Nausa in Nalanda district to quell the anti-Muslim riots in the aftermath of Partition. The Mahatma also had a taste of the people’s fury when he was “manhandled” there.
Within a few months, Tarkeshwari was at the London School of Economics doing her M.Sc in economics. “Harold Laski had just left LSE when I joined there”, she had told me in an interview. However, she had to cut short her research on Indian taxation and return to India when her father died.
By then India had become a Republic and the first general elections had been ordered. She won from Barh defeating veteran freedom fighter Sheel Bhadra Yajee. The “Beauty Queen” took such an active part in the debates in the Lok Sabha that Jawaharlal Nehru immediately noticed her debating skills.
However, it was only in 1958 that Nehru chose her for a ministerial assignment. She became deputy to Finance Minister Morarji Desai. They became so close that tongues began to wag. And, when the Congress split in 1969, she sided with Morarji Desai and it marked the end of her political career.
Indira Gandhi disliked her so much that when greenhorn Dharambir Sinha defeated her in 1971, she rewarded him with information and broadcasting portfolio. Tarkeshwari returned to the Congress and contested on its ticket in 1977 when every Congress candidate in Bihar was routed.
Eventually, she quit politics and took up social work. It was in that capacity that she once came to invite me to Tulsigarh, her native village in Nalanda district.
Tarkeshwari wanted to show me a hospital she had set up in memory of her brother Capt Girish Nandan Singh, an Air India pilot who died in an air crash in New Delhi. During the journey to Tulsigarh, she told me how she had raised nearly Rs 25 lakh, a big sum those days, to construct the two-storeyed hospital where treatment was almost free.
She also prided herself in taking the initiative to construct a road to link the village with Chandi and Harnaut in Nalanda. During the return journey, I summoned up courage to ask her about her insinuated closeness to Morarji Desai.
“We became Central ministers on the same day. He trusted me and I trusted him. When Lal Bahadur Shastri died, I felt that he should have been elected Prime Minister. There was nothing more to our relationship”, she replied in a matter of fact manner.
Caste also cemented their relationship. Bhumihars of Bihar, of whom she was one, trace their ancestry to Lord Parasuram. They believe that Morarji Desai, too, was a Bhumihar.
It is a pity that when this stormy petrel of Indian politics died after a prolonged illness in New Delhi last week, few newspapers cared even to report her death.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
My India - Paramhansa Yogananda
My India
Not where the musk of happiness blows, Not where darkness and fears never tread;
Not in the homes of perpetual smiles, Nor in the heaven of a land of prosperity
Would I be born If I must put on mortal garb once more.
Dread famine may prowl and tear my flesh, Yet would I love to be again
In my Hindustan.
A million thieves of disease
May try to steal the body's fleeting health;
And clouds of fate
May shower scalding drops of searing sorrow -
Yet would I there, in India,
Love to reappear!
Is this love of mine blind sentiment That sees not the pathways of reason?
Ah, no! I love India, For there I learned first to love God
and all things beautiful.
Some teach to seize the fickle dewdrop, life, Sliding down the lotus leaf of time;
Stubborn hopes are built
Around the gilded, brittle body-bubble.
But India taught me to love
The soul of deathless beauty in the dewdrop
and the bubble -
Not their fragile frames.
Her sages taught me to find my Self,
Buried beneath the ash heaps
Of incarnations of ignorance.
Though many a land of power, plenty, and science
My soul, garbed sometimes as an Oriental,
Sometimes as an Occidental,
Travelled far and wide,
Seeking Itself; At last, in India, to find Itself.
Though mortal fires raze all her homes
and golden paddy fields, Yet to sleep on her ashes and dream immortality,
O India, I will be there!
The guns of science and matter
Have boomed on her shores
Yet she is unconquered.
Her soul is free evermore!
Her soldier saints are away,
To rout with realization's ray
The bandits of hate, prejudice, and patriotic
selfishness;
And to burn the walls of separation dark Between children of the One, One Father. The Western brothers by matter's might have conquered my land;
Blow, blow aloud, her conch shells all!
India now invades with love,
To conquer their souls.
Better than Heaven or Arcadia
I love Thee, O my India!
And thy love I shall give
To every brother nation that lives.
God made the earth;
Man made confining countries
And their fancy-frozen boundaries.
But with newfound boundless love
I behold the borderland of my India
Expanding into the world.
Hail, mother of religions, lotus, scenic beauty,
And sages!
Thy wide doors are open,
Welcoming God's true sons through all ages.
Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men
dream God -I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.
- P.Yogananda - From Songs of The Soul
Not where the musk of happiness blows, Not where darkness and fears never tread;
Not in the homes of perpetual smiles, Nor in the heaven of a land of prosperity
Would I be born If I must put on mortal garb once more.
Dread famine may prowl and tear my flesh, Yet would I love to be again
In my Hindustan.
A million thieves of disease
May try to steal the body's fleeting health;
And clouds of fate
May shower scalding drops of searing sorrow -
Yet would I there, in India,
Love to reappear!
Is this love of mine blind sentiment That sees not the pathways of reason?
Ah, no! I love India, For there I learned first to love God
and all things beautiful.
Some teach to seize the fickle dewdrop, life, Sliding down the lotus leaf of time;
Stubborn hopes are built
Around the gilded, brittle body-bubble.
But India taught me to love
The soul of deathless beauty in the dewdrop
and the bubble -
Not their fragile frames.
Her sages taught me to find my Self,
Buried beneath the ash heaps
Of incarnations of ignorance.
Though many a land of power, plenty, and science
My soul, garbed sometimes as an Oriental,
Sometimes as an Occidental,
Travelled far and wide,
Seeking Itself; At last, in India, to find Itself.
Though mortal fires raze all her homes
and golden paddy fields, Yet to sleep on her ashes and dream immortality,
O India, I will be there!
The guns of science and matter
Have boomed on her shores
Yet she is unconquered.
Her soul is free evermore!
Her soldier saints are away,
To rout with realization's ray
The bandits of hate, prejudice, and patriotic
selfishness;
And to burn the walls of separation dark Between children of the One, One Father. The Western brothers by matter's might have conquered my land;
Blow, blow aloud, her conch shells all!
India now invades with love,
To conquer their souls.
Better than Heaven or Arcadia
I love Thee, O my India!
And thy love I shall give
To every brother nation that lives.
God made the earth;
Man made confining countries
And their fancy-frozen boundaries.
But with newfound boundless love
I behold the borderland of my India
Expanding into the world.
Hail, mother of religions, lotus, scenic beauty,
And sages!
Thy wide doors are open,
Welcoming God's true sons through all ages.
Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men
dream God -I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.
- P.Yogananda - From Songs of The Soul
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Another Jewel from Bihar - Late Bismillah Khan
Recently I came across an article from Hindustan times which details the life of Late Shehanai Maestro, Bismillah Khan. He was awarded Bharat Ratna also.
Here is the info.
Here is the info.
Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 in a family of professional shehnai players of a princely state Dumraon in Bihar.
He came to his maternal uncle Ustad Ustad Ali Bux, an eminent shehna player in Varanasi and at the tender age of six, started his practice in solitude on the banks of the Ganga and in the holy temples of Balaji, Jaru Mandir and Mangala Maiya etc.
Since his ancestors were all shehnai players including his great great grandfather late Ustad Salar Hussain Khan, great grand father late Ustad Husain Bux Khan, grand father late Rasool Bux Khan and father late Paighamber Bux Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan carried forward his legacy of shehnai.
He gave his first public performance at the age of 14 in 1930 at an all India music conference in Allahabad.
He also played shehnai for the free nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August, 1947. Khan has also rendered shehnai in a famous movie Goonj Uthi Shehnai.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Gauravshaali Bihar - An Unique Book about history of Bihar - is available in USA and India
It gives me an immense pleasure to announce the availability of an unique book about proud history of Bihar, in USA and in India.
Book is called "Gauravshali Bihar " and it is first of its kind to cover the period of more than 2000 years of Bihar's history. This book is written by 22 authors who have penned 55 chapters. Whole book is printed at Patna and it is truly Made in Bihar.
Book was released by Dy CM of Bihar, Shri Sushil Modi in Patna on 20th Jan 2007, during 1st ever NRB meet at Patna.
OneBihar - a group of like minded Bihari professionals from around the globe - have published this book. It was conceptualized by Naveen Sharma and art work was done by Chandan Singh & Mayank Krishna.
We have launched a T-Shirt also which is a good way to express our support for our culture, land and the people we are - Bihar and Biharis.
Prices are
Book -
$19.90 + Shipping Charges (Bay Area - Local FREE delvery will be made)
390 Rs + Shipping Charges (India)
T-Shirt
$9.90 + Shipping Charges (Bay Area - Local FREE delvery will be made)
190 Rs + Shipping Charges (India)
Book is available in USA at following address:
Saroj Kumar, sarojk@gmail.com, 1-510-712-9087
Book is available in India at following address:
order.gauravshalibihar@gmail.com
or call / SMS us at 91 612 6450916
Gaoravshali Bihar 1CR
One.Bihar,249.Above Rimzim, Main Boring Road
Patna-1, +91 612 645 0916
Please checkout following links to find more details.
Gauravshali Bihar Book
http://proudbihari.com/index.html
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/352048579/
Gauravshali Bihar Book Release
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373731218/
Book- Table of Content
http://proudbihari.com/_wsn/page2.html
T-Shirt
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373731232/
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373689778/
Others
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/389472765/
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373731221/
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373704434/
Book is called "Gauravshali Bihar " and it is first of its kind to cover the period of more than 2000 years of Bihar's history. This book is written by 22 authors who have penned 55 chapters. Whole book is printed at Patna and it is truly Made in Bihar.
Book was released by Dy CM of Bihar, Shri Sushil Modi in Patna on 20th Jan 2007, during 1st ever NRB meet at Patna.
OneBihar - a group of like minded Bihari professionals from around the globe - have published this book. It was conceptualized by Naveen Sharma and art work was done by Chandan Singh & Mayank Krishna.
We have launched a T-Shirt also which is a good way to express our support for our culture, land and the people we are - Bihar and Biharis.
Prices are
Book -
$19.90 + Shipping Charges (Bay Area - Local FREE delvery will be made)
390 Rs + Shipping Charges (India)
T-Shirt
$9.90 + Shipping Charges (Bay Area - Local FREE delvery will be made)
190 Rs + Shipping Charges (India)
Book is available in USA at following address:
Saroj Kumar, sarojk@gmail.com, 1-510-712-9087
Book is available in India at following address:
order.gauravshalibihar@gmail.com
or call / SMS us at 91 612 6450916
Gaoravshali Bihar 1CR
One.Bihar,249.Above Rimzim, Main Boring Road
Patna-1, +91 612 645 0916
Please checkout following links to find more details.
Gauravshali Bihar Book
http://proudbihari.com/index.html
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/352048579/
Gauravshali Bihar Book Release
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373731218/
Book- Table of Content
http://proudbihari.com/_wsn/page2.html
T-Shirt
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373731232/
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373689778/
Others
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/389472765/
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373731221/
http://flickr.com/photos/scorius/373704434/
Monday, February 05, 2007
Entrance to ancient Nalanda university found
Rediff.com says...
A team of archaeologists of the Archaelogical Survey of India have discovered the main entrance of the ancient Nalanda university in Bihar.
Read more here..
A team of archaeologists of the Archaelogical Survey of India have discovered the main entrance of the ancient Nalanda university in Bihar.
Read more here..
Saturday, October 14, 2006
This can be a model for Computerized Education in Bihar
This post can serve as a model for providing Quality education in schools of Bihar.
We can try to get some schools to start working in this direction.
Linux is almost free and older computers should be available in Patna or Delhi.
We can try to get some schools to start working in this direction.
Linux is almost free and older computers should be available in Patna or Delhi.
India's field of greens
Recent Article from Fortune, India's field of greens is worth reading.
Bihar with its rich agro base should aim to cash in this boom.
Bihar with its rich agro base should aim to cash in this boom.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Seven Deadly Sins of Delhi
Recently I used very harsh words to describe my perception of Delhi Crowd.
Surprisingly, This Outlook Article is also voicing similar opinion.
Delhi's Seven Deadly Sins
1 Aggressive, lawless driving; India's road accident capital
2 Touting, hustling culture, grab-what-you-can-get mentality: law-breaking acceptable across classes, everything 'negotiable'
3 Callousness towards the vulnerable: disabled, visitors, elderly, poor
4 Most unsafe city in India for women; India's rape capital
5 Obsession with hierarchy & status
6 Officious, self-important political and bureaucratic class
7 Appalling cultural and professional manners
Sociologist
Surprisingly, This Outlook Article is also voicing similar opinion.
Delhi's Seven Deadly Sins
1 Aggressive, lawless driving; India's road accident capital
2 Touting, hustling culture, grab-what-you-can-get mentality: law-breaking acceptable across classes, everything 'negotiable'
3 Callousness towards the vulnerable: disabled, visitors, elderly, poor
4 Most unsafe city in India for women; India's rape capital
5 Obsession with hierarchy & status
6 Officious, self-important political and bureaucratic class
7 Appalling cultural and professional manners
Some things about Delhi have got better, whether it’s thanks to initiatives by the courts, greater prosperity or the drive to create a showpiece city for the Commonwealth Games 2010
- Improved air quality, lower pollution levels
- Abundant greenery and increasingly well-maintained parks
- Some hope for its crippled public transport system with new Metro, new buses
- Growing corporate, cultural, educational hub
- Vibrant, throbbing city with explosion of choices for food, shopping, clubbing
- Improved housing options, with satellite towns Gurgaon, Noida slated to get well connected
"Delhi’s grown from sleepy town to metropolis, incorporating a rural population of independent and aggressive small landholders over whom the urban influence is still very shallow.... Delhi is also the seat of power; everything here is a power play...negotiable and up for grabs. Even among the educated, who’ve been to the right schools, the first instinct is to break the law."
Dipankar GuptaSociologist
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Kalazar Strikes Back with a Vengeance
Recently Sweta jee reminded us of Kalazar Epidemic in Bihar and this NDTV
report throws some more light on this.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?fromtimeline=true&id=86912&callid=1&template=Health
Reports clearly indicate that cases of Kalazar have been rising rapidly
and Govt (Both, GOI and Bihar) has to move fast to save the day.
Year No of cases
2002 9,000
2003 13,960
2004 17,324
2005 21,177
Let us think of ways in which we can play a role to stop this
epidemic before too many lives are lost.
Tragedy is that most of the victims are very poor and they can not
afford costly treatment.
"But as NDTV had reported in December 2005, nearly 500 metric tonnes
of DDT supplied to Bihar was never used for spraying, and Rs 6 crore
went down the drain as the chemical expired."
What a mess we are in 21st Century? There is enough money and
resources but no proper implementation!
No one bothers to move fast. Politicians are out with Reservation
Bill and Yatras but poor millions are stuck in their place.
Any thoughts on ways to put pressure on Govt?
Monday, January 02, 2006
Bihari.org has launched a Campaign to Support Dr Vashishtha Narayan Singh
Folks,
We, Bihari.org, have launched a campaign to Support our great mathematician, Dr. V.N.Singh.
Please support this campaign.
More details to come soon.
You can join us at yahoogroups
Thanks
Saroj
We, Bihari.org, have launched a campaign to Support our great mathematician, Dr. V.N.Singh.
Please support this campaign.
More details to come soon.
You can join us at yahoogroups
Thanks
Saroj
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Prez's Speech at L N Mishra Univ. Convocation, Patna - Part 2
CONVOCATION ADDRESS LALIT NARAYAN MITHILA UNIVERSITY AND INAUGURATION OF THE WOMEN'S INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DARBHANGA
30-12-2005 :
Darbhanga
Agriculture and agro food processing
------------------------------------------------------------
As you all are aware, India is now producing about 200 million tonnes of food grains,
as a result of the first green revolution piloted by the political
leadership of Shri C. Subramaniam, the scientific leadership of Dr. M.S.
Swaminathan and willing farmers. India has now embarked on Second Green
Revolution which will enable increase in productivity and
diversification of the agricultural sector. The second green revolution
will have the farmers in focus, farming technology as the friend, food
processing and marketing as partners and the consumers as customers.
From now on to 2020, India will gradually increase the production to
around 400 million tonnes of grains. The increase in the production will
have to be done under the reduced availability of land from 170 million
hectares to 100 million hectares with reduced water availability. We
should also learn to diversify to meet specific consumer preferences,
export markets and also in the interest of ecological balance. This is
to be achieved through information access to all stakeholders and not
with central controls or restriction of movements of agro products.
In addition to this, there is a large potential in medicinal,
floriculture and aromatic plants in view of the large bio-diversity
potential of India. We have to aim at one billion dollar export
potential for all the three areas including orchids which can grow
naturally in certain districts of Bihar. Now I would like to discuss
interlinking of rivers which is very essential for Bihar.
Interlinking of rivers
------------------------------------------------------------
Interlinking of rivers is essential for controlling floods and droughts, for making drinking water
available to all regions, for transporting goods and navigation, for generating more
cultivable land and generation of Hydel power. And above all the
networking of rivers will lead to environmental upgradation and national
connectivity.
Science and Technology can surely help in executing
such missions. India has its own remote sensing satellites and their
applications will help in large-scale survey from the source and river
flow pattern at various seasons. Optimum water routes, mapping of the
environmental profile can be evolved using virtual reality through
satellite and aerial imageries. The remote sensing satellites, which has
been launched namely CARTOSAT-I will give extensive mapping and
infrastructure for executing the interlinking of rivers. The defence and
nuclear technologies can be considered for the creation of series of
canals and pumping stations in mountain areas. This mission will have to
enlist all the connected departments of government, industries, academic
and research institutions. The interlinking of river mission is
particularly important for Bihar since North Bihar is flooded as soon as
Kosi river is in floods. It is only in 2005 we did not have this
situation when floods were experienced by many other States.
To permanently eliminate the problem of floods I would recommend
departments of Lalit Narain Mithila University to study the flood
patterns which have occurred during the last 30 years and prepare a long
term plan for containment of flood. In the Gangetic plain, I would
recommend the construction of layered wells in the entry points of Kosi
river from Nepal. These layered wells will store the floodwater at
different levels and will control the devastating effects on low-lying
areas. The water thus stored will be useful during shortage period. A
multi disciplinary team from this University consisting of students and
staff could be nominated for this purpose.
The PURA enterprises, agriculture and agro-processing industries and
interlinking of rivers will generate large scale entrepreneurial and employment
opportunities for the graduates and post-graduates completing their education from
this university.
Employment Generation through entrepreneurship
------------------------------------------------------------
There has been substantial growth in our higher
educational system and we are generating over 3 million graduates every
year. However our employment generation system is not in a position to
absorb the graduates passing out from the universities leading to
increase in educated unemployed, year after year. There is a large
mismatch between the skills required for the modern economy and the
education imparted to most of these students. In addition, economic
growth and investments have not kept pace with the availability of human
resources. This situation will lead to instability in the social
structure.
We need higher education focused on and oriented towards
high value and productive employment opportunities. A three pronged
strategy is needed to make education more attractive, make it skill
imparting and simultaneously create employment potential ? how do we do
that?
Firstly, the educational system should highlight the
importance of entrepreneurship and prepare the students right from the
college education to get oriented towards setting up of the enterprises
which will provide them creativity, freedom and ability to generate
wealth. Diversity of skills and perseverance in work makes an
entrepreneur. It should be taught to all the students. In addition,
college syllabi even for arts, science, and commerce courses should
include topics and practical where such entrepreneurship is possible.
Secondly, the banking system should provide venture capital right from
every village level to the prospective entrepreneurs for undertaking new
enterprises.
Thirdly, there has to be an economic pull for human
resources; for example generation of marketable products and enhancement
of purchasing power among the people through the implementation of
national missions. The educational institutions, Government and the
private enterprises should become facilitators for creating this
entrepreneurship scheme through the support of the banking system and
the marketing system. Entrepreneurs have to produce the competitive
products for becoming successful in their missions. I am sure that many
of you would explore the possibilities of becoming entrepreneurs and
become the employment generators rather than employment seekers.
Conclusion
------------------------------------------------------------
In 1952 Prof Paul Henson Appleby of the University of
California in his detailed report evaluating public administration in
the various States of India presented to the then Prime Minster Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, had concluded that Bihar was the best administered
State in India in 1952. Bihar has a cultural ethos which can enable you
to chart a new course for its progress; what is needed is a deliberate
will and an inclination to set aside short term self-destructive
priorities and programmes, and evolve an agenda based on honesty of
purpose, sincerity and a positive will to move ahead in every field. In
this noble task, the younger generation has an extremely important role
to play. You, disciplined and educated young members of the society,
have to carry the future on your capable shoulders individually and
collectively with single-minded devotion. I have no doubt that this is
possible and when this is possible, the future is bright and certain. It
should be yours for the asking. Your history has the foundation;
rebuilding the future consistent with that historical magnificence will
be a divine task ordained by the virtues of honesty, discipline and
sincerity. Evolve a coordinated vision based on these eternal values and
chart out a constructive agenda which will take the State irrevocably on
the road to a brilliant all-round future. I have no doubt that all of
you will devote yourselves to this noble endeavor.
Once again let me congratulate all the outgoing graduates and inaugurate the Women?s
Institute of Technology in this campus. My best wishes to all the
members of Lalit Narayan Mithila University for success in their mission
of promoting quality education in Bihar and development of enlightened
citizens.
May God bless you!
30-12-2005 :
Darbhanga
Agriculture and agro food processing
------------------------------------------------------------
As you all are aware, India is now producing about 200 million tonnes of food grains,
as a result of the first green revolution piloted by the political
leadership of Shri C. Subramaniam, the scientific leadership of Dr. M.S.
Swaminathan and willing farmers. India has now embarked on Second Green
Revolution which will enable increase in productivity and
diversification of the agricultural sector. The second green revolution
will have the farmers in focus, farming technology as the friend, food
processing and marketing as partners and the consumers as customers.
From now on to 2020, India will gradually increase the production to
around 400 million tonnes of grains. The increase in the production will
have to be done under the reduced availability of land from 170 million
hectares to 100 million hectares with reduced water availability. We
should also learn to diversify to meet specific consumer preferences,
export markets and also in the interest of ecological balance. This is
to be achieved through information access to all stakeholders and not
with central controls or restriction of movements of agro products.
In addition to this, there is a large potential in medicinal,
floriculture and aromatic plants in view of the large bio-diversity
potential of India. We have to aim at one billion dollar export
potential for all the three areas including orchids which can grow
naturally in certain districts of Bihar. Now I would like to discuss
interlinking of rivers which is very essential for Bihar.
Interlinking of rivers
------------------------------------------------------------
Interlinking of rivers is essential for controlling floods and droughts, for making drinking water
available to all regions, for transporting goods and navigation, for generating more
cultivable land and generation of Hydel power. And above all the
networking of rivers will lead to environmental upgradation and national
connectivity.
Science and Technology can surely help in executing
such missions. India has its own remote sensing satellites and their
applications will help in large-scale survey from the source and river
flow pattern at various seasons. Optimum water routes, mapping of the
environmental profile can be evolved using virtual reality through
satellite and aerial imageries. The remote sensing satellites, which has
been launched namely CARTOSAT-I will give extensive mapping and
infrastructure for executing the interlinking of rivers. The defence and
nuclear technologies can be considered for the creation of series of
canals and pumping stations in mountain areas. This mission will have to
enlist all the connected departments of government, industries, academic
and research institutions. The interlinking of river mission is
particularly important for Bihar since North Bihar is flooded as soon as
Kosi river is in floods. It is only in 2005 we did not have this
situation when floods were experienced by many other States.
To permanently eliminate the problem of floods I would recommend
departments of Lalit Narain Mithila University to study the flood
patterns which have occurred during the last 30 years and prepare a long
term plan for containment of flood. In the Gangetic plain, I would
recommend the construction of layered wells in the entry points of Kosi
river from Nepal. These layered wells will store the floodwater at
different levels and will control the devastating effects on low-lying
areas. The water thus stored will be useful during shortage period. A
multi disciplinary team from this University consisting of students and
staff could be nominated for this purpose.
The PURA enterprises, agriculture and agro-processing industries and
interlinking of rivers will generate large scale entrepreneurial and employment
opportunities for the graduates and post-graduates completing their education from
this university.
Employment Generation through entrepreneurship
------------------------------------------------------------
There has been substantial growth in our higher
educational system and we are generating over 3 million graduates every
year. However our employment generation system is not in a position to
absorb the graduates passing out from the universities leading to
increase in educated unemployed, year after year. There is a large
mismatch between the skills required for the modern economy and the
education imparted to most of these students. In addition, economic
growth and investments have not kept pace with the availability of human
resources. This situation will lead to instability in the social
structure.
We need higher education focused on and oriented towards
high value and productive employment opportunities. A three pronged
strategy is needed to make education more attractive, make it skill
imparting and simultaneously create employment potential ? how do we do
that?
Firstly, the educational system should highlight the
importance of entrepreneurship and prepare the students right from the
college education to get oriented towards setting up of the enterprises
which will provide them creativity, freedom and ability to generate
wealth. Diversity of skills and perseverance in work makes an
entrepreneur. It should be taught to all the students. In addition,
college syllabi even for arts, science, and commerce courses should
include topics and practical where such entrepreneurship is possible.
Secondly, the banking system should provide venture capital right from
every village level to the prospective entrepreneurs for undertaking new
enterprises.
Thirdly, there has to be an economic pull for human
resources; for example generation of marketable products and enhancement
of purchasing power among the people through the implementation of
national missions. The educational institutions, Government and the
private enterprises should become facilitators for creating this
entrepreneurship scheme through the support of the banking system and
the marketing system. Entrepreneurs have to produce the competitive
products for becoming successful in their missions. I am sure that many
of you would explore the possibilities of becoming entrepreneurs and
become the employment generators rather than employment seekers.
Conclusion
------------------------------------------------------------
In 1952 Prof Paul Henson Appleby of the University of
California in his detailed report evaluating public administration in
the various States of India presented to the then Prime Minster Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, had concluded that Bihar was the best administered
State in India in 1952. Bihar has a cultural ethos which can enable you
to chart a new course for its progress; what is needed is a deliberate
will and an inclination to set aside short term self-destructive
priorities and programmes, and evolve an agenda based on honesty of
purpose, sincerity and a positive will to move ahead in every field. In
this noble task, the younger generation has an extremely important role
to play. You, disciplined and educated young members of the society,
have to carry the future on your capable shoulders individually and
collectively with single-minded devotion. I have no doubt that this is
possible and when this is possible, the future is bright and certain. It
should be yours for the asking. Your history has the foundation;
rebuilding the future consistent with that historical magnificence will
be a divine task ordained by the virtues of honesty, discipline and
sincerity. Evolve a coordinated vision based on these eternal values and
chart out a constructive agenda which will take the State irrevocably on
the road to a brilliant all-round future. I have no doubt that all of
you will devote yourselves to this noble endeavor.
Once again let me congratulate all the outgoing graduates and inaugurate the Women?s
Institute of Technology in this campus. My best wishes to all the
members of Lalit Narayan Mithila University for success in their mission
of promoting quality education in Bihar and development of enlightened
citizens.
May God bless you!
Prez's Speech at L N Mishra Univ. Convocation, Patna - Part 1
CONVOCATION ADDRESS LALIT NARAYAN MITHILA UNIVERSITY AND INAUGURATION OF THE WOMEN'S INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DARBHANGA
30-12-2005 :
Darbhanga
Empower the Youth to become Entrepreneurs
------------------------------------------------------------------
I am indeed delighted to participate in the annual Convocation of the Lalit
Narayan Mithila University and the Inauguration of the Women?s Institute
of Technology (WIT), Darbhanga. I congratulate the graduating students
for their academic excellence. My greetings to the Chancellor, Vice
Chancellor, Faculty Members, students and staff members of the
University for shaping the students for meeting the challenges in life.
During the last thirty three years this University has been meeting the
higher education needs of the districts of Darbhanga, Madhubani,
Samastipur and Begusarai. I would like to talk to you on the topic
"Empower the Youth to become Entrepreneurs". First let me talk about our
national mission.
Our National mission - challenges
------------------------------------------------------------
Our nation is going through a major challenge of uplifting of 260 million people who
are below the poverty line out of our billion population. Also we have
to give better life for many millions who are on the border line of
poverty or just above the poverty line. They need a decent habitat, they
need work with reasonable income, they need food, they need speedy
access to health care, and they need education and finally they need a
good life and hope for a better future. Our GDP is growing at more than
7% per annum on an average. Whereas, the economists suggest that to
uplift the people from below the poverty line, our economy has to grow
at the rate of 10% per annum consistently, for over a decade.
Integrated action:
------------------------------------------------------------
To meet the need of one billion people, we have
the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have
identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated
action: (1) Agriculture and food processing, (2) Education and
Healthcare, (3) Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport
and Infrastructure for all parts of the country, (4) Information and
Communication Technology (5) Strategic sectors. These five areas are
closely inter-related and if implemented in mission mode, will lead to
food, economic and national security of our country.
Engines for Growth:
------------------------------------------------------------
Emphasis should be on full utilization of natural and human
resources of the nation to meet the demands of the modern society. We
should also remember that about 50% of our population consists of young
people with aspirations for better living. Value addition in
Agriculture, Manufacturing and Service sectors, building the national
core competence and technologies will lead to additional high income
employment potential. The engines for growth will be accelerated by
launching of the five national missions viz. water, energy, education
and skills, infrastructure and employment generation. In totality of
these five missions will enable achievement of 10% GDP growth rate per
annum. It is possible to do so with ecological and economic
sustainability. It is not the mission of governments. It is a collective
effort of big and small businesses, science and technology and academic
institutions, foreign investors, and many others who have confidence
about India.
With these aspects in view, we have already laid down
the road map. The priority for the government is to convert the road map
into various missions. It is to be done in a decentralized manner
allowing a greater role for private enterprise and local initiatives.
While converting the vision into different missions we seem to have many
thoughts and variety of routes to reach the goal. This is where there is
a need to have a coherent thinking among all the members of the society,
including the legal and law enforcement agencies. All of us have to
think that the nation is greater than an individual or an organization.
All of us should believe, that "we can do it".
National Missions and opportunities
------------------------------------------------------------
Let me discuss some of the national missions that India
is giving thrust for achieving sustainable economic development for all
the regions of the nation. I am sharing these missions with the members
of the Lalit Narayan Mithial University, so that you can assist in
planning the participation of Bihar in the national development process.
First, I would like to discuss about PURA.
Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA)
------------------------------------------------------------
The number of PURA units for the whole country is
estimated to be 7000. This envisages integrated connectivities to bring
prosperity to rural India. These are - physical connectivity of the
village clusters through quality roads and transport; electronic
connectivity through tele-communication with high bandwidth fiber optic
cables and wireless for last mile to reaching the rural areas from urban
cities and through Internet kiosks; and knowledge connectivity through
education, vocational training for farmers, artisans and craftsmen and
entrepreneurship programmes. These three connectivities will lead to
economic connectivity through starting of enterprises with the help of
banks, micro credits and marketing of the products.
Each PURA cluster will connect about 20 villages depending upon the region and
population and will cost about Rs.100 crores (~$20 Million). After
initial short-term employment during construction etc., we have to plan
for initiating actions for providing regular employment and self
employment opportunities in nationally competitive small enterprises in
agro processing, manufacturing and services sectors for about 3000
people. If the industrial/business parks are marketed well, they can
generate employment opportunities in support sector for about 10,000
people in that cluster. This will provide sustainable economy for the
rural sector. In this national mission, bankers can promote
entrepreneurship in the rural areas. This will lead to the removal of
urban-rural divide. This experience can become a model for other
countries to follow.
PURA as an Enterprise:
------------------------------------------------------------
A large number of banks have entrepreneurial development programmes.
Banks have also been funding Small Scale Industries of different types in various regions.
The small scale industrialist is a promising candidate for becoming the
chief executive for managing the PURA complexes in an integrated way.
PURA enterprises can also undertake management of schools, health care
units, vocational training centres, chilling plants, silos and building
a market, banking system and the regional business or industrial units.
A new mission mode management style has to emerge for PURA enterprises.
It should not be looking for protective legislations to support them.
Rather they should be efficient to compete with others. This new PURA
enterprise needs partnership from the bank, educational institutions,
the Government and also the private entrepreneurs. Educational
institutions can train the entrepreneurs for managing the PURA in
colleges and the banks can provide loans to the entrepreneurs for
creating and running PURAs as a business proposition.
Since this University has started a Women Institute of Technology, I would like to
share with you a PURA Model which has been nurtured by a Women?s
Engineering College at Vallam, Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.
Periyar PURA
------------------------------------------------------------
This PURA Complex covers 65 villages near Vallam,
Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu involving a population of 3 lakhs. This
PURA complex has all the four connectivities - physical, electronic and
knowledge - leading to economic connectivity. The centre of activity
emanates from the women?s engineering college that provides the
electronic and knowledge connectivity. I understand that now five of the
Periyar PURA villages have been connected with Wi-MAX connectivity.
Periyar PURA has health care centres, primary to post graduate level
education and vocational training centres. This has resulted in large
scale employment generation and creation of a number of entrepreneurs
with the active support of 850 self-help groups. Two hundred acres of
waste land has been developed into cultivable land with innovative water
management schemes such as contour ponds and water sheds for storing and
irrigating the fields. All the villagers are busy in cultivation
planting Jatropha, herbal and medicinal plants, power generation using
bio-mass, food processing and above all running market centres. This
model has emanated independent of any government initiative. The
committed leadership has been provided by a Women?s Engineering College.
As you are aware, Bihar has 45,000 villages with nearly seventy
million people living in these villages. This will need creation of
nearly 600 PURAs in the whole of Bihar. Lalit Narayan Mithila University
can study the entire state of Bihar and work out the configuration of
the economically viable PURAs. Lalit Narayan Mithila University may
undertake establishment of PURA cluster in Dharbanga district in
partnership with Government, NGOs and private on the lines of Periyar
PURA. In the case of Bihar, since large numbers of farmers are depending
on agriculture, agro processing is an important area of rural
development which should become part of each one of the PURAs. These
PURAs can be run by the graduates passing out from Lalit Narayan Mithila
University.
30-12-2005 :
Darbhanga
Empower the Youth to become Entrepreneurs
------------------------------------------------------------------
I am indeed delighted to participate in the annual Convocation of the Lalit
Narayan Mithila University and the Inauguration of the Women?s Institute
of Technology (WIT), Darbhanga. I congratulate the graduating students
for their academic excellence. My greetings to the Chancellor, Vice
Chancellor, Faculty Members, students and staff members of the
University for shaping the students for meeting the challenges in life.
During the last thirty three years this University has been meeting the
higher education needs of the districts of Darbhanga, Madhubani,
Samastipur and Begusarai. I would like to talk to you on the topic
"Empower the Youth to become Entrepreneurs". First let me talk about our
national mission.
Our National mission - challenges
------------------------------------------------------------
Our nation is going through a major challenge of uplifting of 260 million people who
are below the poverty line out of our billion population. Also we have
to give better life for many millions who are on the border line of
poverty or just above the poverty line. They need a decent habitat, they
need work with reasonable income, they need food, they need speedy
access to health care, and they need education and finally they need a
good life and hope for a better future. Our GDP is growing at more than
7% per annum on an average. Whereas, the economists suggest that to
uplift the people from below the poverty line, our economy has to grow
at the rate of 10% per annum consistently, for over a decade.
Integrated action:
------------------------------------------------------------
To meet the need of one billion people, we have
the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have
identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated
action: (1) Agriculture and food processing, (2) Education and
Healthcare, (3) Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport
and Infrastructure for all parts of the country, (4) Information and
Communication Technology (5) Strategic sectors. These five areas are
closely inter-related and if implemented in mission mode, will lead to
food, economic and national security of our country.
Engines for Growth:
------------------------------------------------------------
Emphasis should be on full utilization of natural and human
resources of the nation to meet the demands of the modern society. We
should also remember that about 50% of our population consists of young
people with aspirations for better living. Value addition in
Agriculture, Manufacturing and Service sectors, building the national
core competence and technologies will lead to additional high income
employment potential. The engines for growth will be accelerated by
launching of the five national missions viz. water, energy, education
and skills, infrastructure and employment generation. In totality of
these five missions will enable achievement of 10% GDP growth rate per
annum. It is possible to do so with ecological and economic
sustainability. It is not the mission of governments. It is a collective
effort of big and small businesses, science and technology and academic
institutions, foreign investors, and many others who have confidence
about India.
With these aspects in view, we have already laid down
the road map. The priority for the government is to convert the road map
into various missions. It is to be done in a decentralized manner
allowing a greater role for private enterprise and local initiatives.
While converting the vision into different missions we seem to have many
thoughts and variety of routes to reach the goal. This is where there is
a need to have a coherent thinking among all the members of the society,
including the legal and law enforcement agencies. All of us have to
think that the nation is greater than an individual or an organization.
All of us should believe, that "we can do it".
National Missions and opportunities
------------------------------------------------------------
Let me discuss some of the national missions that India
is giving thrust for achieving sustainable economic development for all
the regions of the nation. I am sharing these missions with the members
of the Lalit Narayan Mithial University, so that you can assist in
planning the participation of Bihar in the national development process.
First, I would like to discuss about PURA.
Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA)
------------------------------------------------------------
The number of PURA units for the whole country is
estimated to be 7000. This envisages integrated connectivities to bring
prosperity to rural India. These are - physical connectivity of the
village clusters through quality roads and transport; electronic
connectivity through tele-communication with high bandwidth fiber optic
cables and wireless for last mile to reaching the rural areas from urban
cities and through Internet kiosks; and knowledge connectivity through
education, vocational training for farmers, artisans and craftsmen and
entrepreneurship programmes. These three connectivities will lead to
economic connectivity through starting of enterprises with the help of
banks, micro credits and marketing of the products.
Each PURA cluster will connect about 20 villages depending upon the region and
population and will cost about Rs.100 crores (~$20 Million). After
initial short-term employment during construction etc., we have to plan
for initiating actions for providing regular employment and self
employment opportunities in nationally competitive small enterprises in
agro processing, manufacturing and services sectors for about 3000
people. If the industrial/business parks are marketed well, they can
generate employment opportunities in support sector for about 10,000
people in that cluster. This will provide sustainable economy for the
rural sector. In this national mission, bankers can promote
entrepreneurship in the rural areas. This will lead to the removal of
urban-rural divide. This experience can become a model for other
countries to follow.
PURA as an Enterprise:
------------------------------------------------------------
A large number of banks have entrepreneurial development programmes.
Banks have also been funding Small Scale Industries of different types in various regions.
The small scale industrialist is a promising candidate for becoming the
chief executive for managing the PURA complexes in an integrated way.
PURA enterprises can also undertake management of schools, health care
units, vocational training centres, chilling plants, silos and building
a market, banking system and the regional business or industrial units.
A new mission mode management style has to emerge for PURA enterprises.
It should not be looking for protective legislations to support them.
Rather they should be efficient to compete with others. This new PURA
enterprise needs partnership from the bank, educational institutions,
the Government and also the private entrepreneurs. Educational
institutions can train the entrepreneurs for managing the PURA in
colleges and the banks can provide loans to the entrepreneurs for
creating and running PURAs as a business proposition.
Since this University has started a Women Institute of Technology, I would like to
share with you a PURA Model which has been nurtured by a Women?s
Engineering College at Vallam, Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.
Periyar PURA
------------------------------------------------------------
This PURA Complex covers 65 villages near Vallam,
Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu involving a population of 3 lakhs. This
PURA complex has all the four connectivities - physical, electronic and
knowledge - leading to economic connectivity. The centre of activity
emanates from the women?s engineering college that provides the
electronic and knowledge connectivity. I understand that now five of the
Periyar PURA villages have been connected with Wi-MAX connectivity.
Periyar PURA has health care centres, primary to post graduate level
education and vocational training centres. This has resulted in large
scale employment generation and creation of a number of entrepreneurs
with the active support of 850 self-help groups. Two hundred acres of
waste land has been developed into cultivable land with innovative water
management schemes such as contour ponds and water sheds for storing and
irrigating the fields. All the villagers are busy in cultivation
planting Jatropha, herbal and medicinal plants, power generation using
bio-mass, food processing and above all running market centres. This
model has emanated independent of any government initiative. The
committed leadership has been provided by a Women?s Engineering College.
As you are aware, Bihar has 45,000 villages with nearly seventy
million people living in these villages. This will need creation of
nearly 600 PURAs in the whole of Bihar. Lalit Narayan Mithila University
can study the entire state of Bihar and work out the configuration of
the economically viable PURAs. Lalit Narayan Mithila University may
undertake establishment of PURA cluster in Dharbanga district in
partnership with Government, NGOs and private on the lines of Periyar
PURA. In the case of Bihar, since large numbers of farmers are depending
on agriculture, agro processing is an important area of rural
development which should become part of each one of the PURAs. These
PURAs can be run by the graduates passing out from Lalit Narayan Mithila
University.
Prez's Speech at PU Convocation, Patna - Part 3
Healthcare
---------------------------
Another area, which is an employment
generator, is the health care industry. We have only one doctor for one
thousand eight hundred people, whereas in some of the developed
countries the doctor to population ratio is 1: 600. For providing
quality health care to all of our citizens, we would need at least
doubling the strength of doctors and paramedical staff in the whole
country. The investment for this need not necessarily come from
government alone. Hospitals can be setup by the private sector with
certain tax concessions and subsidized infrastructural support.
Setting up of 30,000 static tele-medicine stations distributed in
30,000 key locations, within the zone of 3 lakh villages and providing
20,000 mobile tele-medicine units will enable reaching of quality
healthcare closer to every home, which are connected to the district,
state government hospitals, corporate hospitals, super specialty
hospitals in the country. This is possible as India has a network of
satellite communication.
How to reach healthcare for the large numberof our population?
---------------------------
An innovative method has come into action in certain
states. This system provides free health cover to the citizens who are
members and pay Rs. 10 per individual per month as an insurance premium.
State and Central Government can sponsor this insurance scheme involving
matching contribution of Rs. 10 per individual per month. Such a cover
should be able to provide treatment for all types of diseases including
expensive open heart surgery to the members of the scheme. A consortium
is required to be formed, in Bihar between the Government, corporate
hospitals and NGO?s for providing integrated cost effective health care.
The scheme when fully operational can provide direct employment for
additional 48,000 doctors and one lakh paramedical staff in Bihar. Apart
from providing healthcare to citizens, these corporate hospitals can
attract large number of medical tourists to the state in view of our
competitiveness in treating complex diseases. Bihar can definitely
consider setting up of corporate hospitals in the Urban and Rural areas
backed up with the Healthcare scheme which I have suggested. Recently,
when I was in Kerala I saw a high tech hospital in a village called
Parumala where facilities exist for treatment of cardiac diseases,
cancer, TB etc. Next topic I would like to cover is small scale
enterprises.
Small Scale enterprises
---------------------------
Presently the small scale sector in the country has 12 million units employing
around twenty eight million people. Bihar has certain core-competence in the areas of
handloom, paper products, madhupani paintings, makhana, sugarcane, and
pisciculture. Bihar also produces Guava, mango and leechi. These are fit
candidates for agro-processing industry, including intermediate cold
storage sites. In some areas stone cutting is a big industry. There is a
need to produce value added stones for the export market. In addition
competence can also be created in the areas of electrical, mechanical,
chemical, computer accessories, computer hardware and Software. The
creation of such small scale industries in the region can provide
employment for over two million youth of the state.
Develop the spirit: "I can do it"
---------------------------
Dear friends, I talked to you so far about
Bihar?s unique core competence in various sectors and the necessity of
building capacities among students for undertaking nation building tasks
through the university education system. I have found that when the
students graduate approximately 10% of the students take up research or
some specialization. The remaining 90% graduates are looking for jobs
and they have to come out with the spirit ?I can do it?. The education
system should inspire the young to achieve this capacity. Graduates with
such a prepared mind can definitely be able to take up the leadership of
small enterprises with the assistance of venture capital provided by
banks. This will enable the nation to have number of employment
generators rather than employment seekers. It is important for the new
Bihar to make appropriate changes to the university education system
which will empower the young people of Bihar to take up an
entrepreneurial career.
Conclusion: "Bihar Vision: Developed State by 2015"
---------------------------
It is time that we all realized that crime does not pay; that
corruption does not pay. This only fragments the society and the economy
becomes directionless. What is needed is a total realization that
situation can be retrieved and one could look to a bright future. But
then it needs a vision and a collective will that can be put into
practice through coordinated, purposeful and positive endeavours. It is
time Bihar has a vision, ?Bihar Vision: Developed State by 2015?. We
should learn to look into the future, set objectives for the long run
and eschew all temporary, shortsighted and parochial tendencies and
objectives. The people of Bihar need to rise and be awake and I have no
doubt the rest of the nation will join them in such a noble task. This
will be possible if the people?s welfare is put as the basic objective.
Politically, socially, economically and culturally, a coordinated,
streamlined, harmonious vision for the future need to be spelt out and
worked for. I would urge all of you to work for such an objective with a
vision. In this noble but mammoth task, you the educated younger
generation has a crucial role to play and I have no doubt your concerted
action will bring back the glory to Bihar in all its sectors that it
used to pride itself in.
I congratulate the graduates who are passing
out from Patna University today and my best wishes to the members of
Patna University for success in their mission of providing quality
education to the youth of Bihar.
May God bless you.
---------------------------
Another area, which is an employment
generator, is the health care industry. We have only one doctor for one
thousand eight hundred people, whereas in some of the developed
countries the doctor to population ratio is 1: 600. For providing
quality health care to all of our citizens, we would need at least
doubling the strength of doctors and paramedical staff in the whole
country. The investment for this need not necessarily come from
government alone. Hospitals can be setup by the private sector with
certain tax concessions and subsidized infrastructural support.
Setting up of 30,000 static tele-medicine stations distributed in
30,000 key locations, within the zone of 3 lakh villages and providing
20,000 mobile tele-medicine units will enable reaching of quality
healthcare closer to every home, which are connected to the district,
state government hospitals, corporate hospitals, super specialty
hospitals in the country. This is possible as India has a network of
satellite communication.
How to reach healthcare for the large numberof our population?
---------------------------
An innovative method has come into action in certain
states. This system provides free health cover to the citizens who are
members and pay Rs. 10 per individual per month as an insurance premium.
State and Central Government can sponsor this insurance scheme involving
matching contribution of Rs. 10 per individual per month. Such a cover
should be able to provide treatment for all types of diseases including
expensive open heart surgery to the members of the scheme. A consortium
is required to be formed, in Bihar between the Government, corporate
hospitals and NGO?s for providing integrated cost effective health care.
The scheme when fully operational can provide direct employment for
additional 48,000 doctors and one lakh paramedical staff in Bihar. Apart
from providing healthcare to citizens, these corporate hospitals can
attract large number of medical tourists to the state in view of our
competitiveness in treating complex diseases. Bihar can definitely
consider setting up of corporate hospitals in the Urban and Rural areas
backed up with the Healthcare scheme which I have suggested. Recently,
when I was in Kerala I saw a high tech hospital in a village called
Parumala where facilities exist for treatment of cardiac diseases,
cancer, TB etc. Next topic I would like to cover is small scale
enterprises.
Small Scale enterprises
---------------------------
Presently the small scale sector in the country has 12 million units employing
around twenty eight million people. Bihar has certain core-competence in the areas of
handloom, paper products, madhupani paintings, makhana, sugarcane, and
pisciculture. Bihar also produces Guava, mango and leechi. These are fit
candidates for agro-processing industry, including intermediate cold
storage sites. In some areas stone cutting is a big industry. There is a
need to produce value added stones for the export market. In addition
competence can also be created in the areas of electrical, mechanical,
chemical, computer accessories, computer hardware and Software. The
creation of such small scale industries in the region can provide
employment for over two million youth of the state.
Develop the spirit: "I can do it"
---------------------------
Dear friends, I talked to you so far about
Bihar?s unique core competence in various sectors and the necessity of
building capacities among students for undertaking nation building tasks
through the university education system. I have found that when the
students graduate approximately 10% of the students take up research or
some specialization. The remaining 90% graduates are looking for jobs
and they have to come out with the spirit ?I can do it?. The education
system should inspire the young to achieve this capacity. Graduates with
such a prepared mind can definitely be able to take up the leadership of
small enterprises with the assistance of venture capital provided by
banks. This will enable the nation to have number of employment
generators rather than employment seekers. It is important for the new
Bihar to make appropriate changes to the university education system
which will empower the young people of Bihar to take up an
entrepreneurial career.
Conclusion: "Bihar Vision: Developed State by 2015"
---------------------------
It is time that we all realized that crime does not pay; that
corruption does not pay. This only fragments the society and the economy
becomes directionless. What is needed is a total realization that
situation can be retrieved and one could look to a bright future. But
then it needs a vision and a collective will that can be put into
practice through coordinated, purposeful and positive endeavours. It is
time Bihar has a vision, ?Bihar Vision: Developed State by 2015?. We
should learn to look into the future, set objectives for the long run
and eschew all temporary, shortsighted and parochial tendencies and
objectives. The people of Bihar need to rise and be awake and I have no
doubt the rest of the nation will join them in such a noble task. This
will be possible if the people?s welfare is put as the basic objective.
Politically, socially, economically and culturally, a coordinated,
streamlined, harmonious vision for the future need to be spelt out and
worked for. I would urge all of you to work for such an objective with a
vision. In this noble but mammoth task, you the educated younger
generation has a crucial role to play and I have no doubt your concerted
action will bring back the glory to Bihar in all its sectors that it
used to pride itself in.
I congratulate the graduates who are passing
out from Patna University today and my best wishes to the members of
Patna University for success in their mission of providing quality
education to the youth of Bihar.
May God bless you.
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