Arun Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times. He has spent two-and-half decades covering Bihar, including politics, educational and social issues.
Articles by Arun Kumar
Bihar to disburse ₹72-cr to clear backlog payment of old PRI representatives
Bihar’s panchayati raj department is planning to ensure online monthly emolument payment to panchayati raj representatives directly from the department from the new fiscal to reduce procedural and auditing delays and has issued directives to officials to clear all backlog payments to old representatives within one month.
Published on Jan 23, 2022 10:38 PM IST
Bihar offers 200 acres for Vikramshila central university, awaits Centre’s nod
The proposed university near the ancient seat of learning in Vikramshila (Bhagalpur), was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2015 Bihar assembly elections
Published on Jan 22, 2022 09:02 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Chirag’s party to contest in UP, Uttarakhand on its own
In 2020 Bihar polls, the erstwhile LJP had won one seat in the 243-member assembly. In 2021, the party split and five of its six MPs threw their lot with Chirag Paswan’s uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who is now a union minister.
Published on Jan 21, 2022 10:23 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Niti Ayog delta ranking: Backward Khagaria gets tops in Bihar, to get more funds
Khagaria district in Bihar has secured first rank on the basis of overall performance assessment in the month of November 2021, as per the Niti Ayog ranking under the aspirational districts programme, officials said.
Published on Jan 20, 2022 09:14 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar’s Khagaria secures top spot in NITI Aayog rankings, set to get more funds
The top ranking now makes Khagaria district in Bihar entitled to receive additional grant of ₹10 crore, the NITI Aayog has said
Published on Jan 20, 2022 03:45 PM IST
SC rejects Rajgir landowners’ claims for revised compensation
The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeals filed by land owners against the Patna High Court order of April 22, 2019, related to their claim of higher compensation for the land acquired in Rajgir for construction of the ordinance factory.
Published on Jan 19, 2022 09:58 PM IST
SC dismisses Rajgir landowners’ petition seeking revised compensation
A number of land owners at Rajgir whose lands were acquired by the district authorities of Nalanda for construction of the ordinance factory under ministry of defence filed several writ petitions, claiming higher compensation.
Updated on Jan 19, 2022 04:36 PM IST
Amid growing opposition, Bihar considers relaxation in liquor prohibition law
The Bihar government is now contemplating a relaxation in some of the stringent provisions of the anti-liquor law to provide relief for non-habitual offenders.
Updated on Jan 19, 2022 05:08 AM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar considers relaxation in liquor law
The Bihar government is contemplating to relax some of the stringent provisions of its liquor prohibition law in force since April 2016 and provide relief for first-time offenders, said a senior official of the prohibition and excise department.
Updated on Jan 18, 2022 09:55 PM IST
Arun Kumar and Avinash Kumar, Patna
NDA crossfire in Bihar flares up with state BJP chief’s FB post
BJP’s state unit president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal on Monday warned ally Janata Dal (United) of chief minister Nitish Kumar that “76 lakh party workers know how to answer” if JD(U) leaders continue to tag Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter.
Published on Jan 17, 2022 10:00 PM IST
Bihar Hooch tragedy triggers fresh war of words between ruling NDA allies
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at ally Janata Dal (United) or JD (U) over poor implementation of prohibition in the state
Published on Jan 17, 2022 03:12 PM IST
Bihar to go ahead with recruitment of school teachers
PATNA: The state government will recruit primary school teachers for the sixth phase despite the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, so that it could go for the seventh phase recruitment for secondary and higher secondary schools, education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said
Published on Jan 16, 2022 10:45 PM IST
JD(U) to contest UP polls on its own, seats to be decided later
Having been denied any seat as part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, the Janata Dal (United) has now decided to go it alone.
Published on Jan 16, 2022 10:44 PM IST
Delay in proposal for 7th UGC pay reimbursements costs Bihar ₹383 cr
The Bihar government has suffered a financial loss of ₹383.50 crore, as it could not ensure timely submission of proposal and requisite documents to avail reimbursement of central share in lieu of implementation of the seventh UGC pay scale in the state, officials familiar with the matter said.
Published on Jan 12, 2022 10:36 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
JD(U) to contest UP with BJP, but seats yet to be decided: Kushwaha
JD(U) Parliamentary Board chairman Upendra Kushwaha said his party would fight elections in UP with the BJP, ending speculations about realignment in Bihar politics following RJD state chief Jagtanand Singh’s offer of support to chief minister Nitish Kumar on the special state status and caste census issues should the BJP decide not to come on board.
Published on Jan 09, 2022 10:13 PM IST
JD(U) to contest UP polls in alliance with BJP, seats to be decided: Kushwaha
The Janata Dal (United) wants to contest “enough seats” to keep its hopes alive for achieving the national party status, but looks unlikely to get that many seats from the BJP.
Published on Jan 09, 2022 05:14 PM IST
CAG report: Gap in Bihar govt books swells to ₹80K cr in 10 years
The CAG report has pointed out how a total of 20,642 abstract contingent (AC) bills amounting to ₹9155.44 crore had not been adjusted till March 2019-20, while 1,383 AC bills amounting to ₹644.13 crore had been drawn in March 2020 alone.
Published on Jan 08, 2022 09:04 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
JD(U) rejects RJD offer as ‘hypothetical’
The ruling Janata Dal (United) on Saturday dismissed opposition RJD’s offer of support should it go ahead with its demand for special status for Bihar and a caste census despite ally BJP’s apparent indifference.
Published on Jan 08, 2022 09:03 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar Assembly premises shut till Jan 18 amid Covid surge
The decision was taken after nearly 30 staff members tested positive in the testing in the last three days.
Published on Jan 07, 2022 09:39 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar varsity ad hocism: V-C on medical leave avoids vigilance, another delays joining
While Magadh University vice-chancellor (V-C) Rajendra Prasad, who has been on medical leave ever since the state vigilance unit (SVU) carried out raids at the residence and office with another one-month extension last week, the newly appointed V-C in Patna-based Pataliputra University RK Singh has been delaying his joining for the last 40 days for reasons best known to him. He has reportedly sought more time from the Raj Bhawan for joining.
Published on Jan 03, 2022 10:46 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Looking ahead: Amid political flux, Bihar hopes for better education, health care
Though Bihar’s progress over the last 16 years cannot be dismissed — it has far better road connectivity, round-the-clock power supply and significantly higher per capita power consumption and infrastructure growth — but it is mostly in the context of where the state stood prior to 2005.
Published on Dec 31, 2021 08:38 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar set to touch 100mn vaccination mark today
PATNA: Even as the government is gearing up to tackle the looming threat of a third wave and the new Omicron variant, the state is set to touch the 100 million mark in vaccination against Covid-19, said health officials
Published on Dec 30, 2021 09:45 PM IST
Polls over, panchayat rule in Bihar set for overhaul
Bihar is set to transform rural governance by gearing its panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) towards delivering at the grassroots, state’s panchayati raj minister Samrat Choudhary has said.
Published on Dec 30, 2021 09:32 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar govt seeks to promote transparency in Panchayati Raj institutions
There is currently no proper system for auditing funds, which leads to a non-submission of utilisation certificates and a lack of monitoring of work
Published on Dec 29, 2021 05:15 PM IST
GGI Index: What the ranking tells about Bihar’s progress
GGI is a comprehensive and implementable framework to assess the state of governance across the states and UTs which enables ranking of states/districts.
Published on Dec 26, 2021 09:19 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar CM calls on women to carry forward social reforms agenda, resurrect image
Bihar has the highest number of Jeevika groups in the country involving 1.27-crore women through a World Bank-supported poverty alleviation programme
Updated on Dec 25, 2021 09:18 PM IST
Govt issues fresh schedule for recruitment of 91,000 teachers
The government had earlier postponed the school teachers’ recruitment schedule, by issuing a notification on July 29, till further orders in view of the panchayat elections.
Published on Dec 21, 2021 09:29 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar govt issues fresh counselling schedule for recruitment of 91,000 teachers
- Bihar government’s education department has issued fresh date for counselling for recruitment of sixth phase for school teachers.
Published on Dec 21, 2021 04:49 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar set to get new chief secy in 2022, two IAS to go on central deputation
With the present chief secretary, Tripurari Sharan, set to retire by end of December, the Bihar government is now looking at options to fill the post, officials said.
Published on Dec 20, 2021 10:30 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Beginning Dec 22, Nitish Kumar to start state-wide social reforms yatra
The yatra, according to a cabinet coordination department notification, will cover one district each in six divisions and two districts each in three divisions. Kumar will also address public rallies in all the divisions.
Published on Dec 19, 2021 02:04 AM IST