Ahead of elections, Nitish launches Bihar@2025
11 Jun 2015 3:45 AM IST
Touted as the brainchild of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and world's largest campaign for participatory agenda through massive engagement of citizens, it aims to reach out to four crore people residing in 40,000 villages in the state, including 10,000 government and civil society members over the next eight to 10 weeks.
Dedicating the campaign to the people at a function in the state capital, Kumar said: "During my governance-related tours across Bihar, the idea came to me that there should be some mechanism to ensure the participation of the people, their thoughts and views in developmental policies. 'Bihar@2025' is an outcome of it."
Kumar added that the campaign will elicit views of the people, encourage them to tell about their issues and what they want in health, electricity, education, employment and other sectors of development.
Views will also be sought from people hailing from non-resident Biharis and specialists in different fields, he said. "Everything will be documented and included to prepare a vision document on the work plan for the next 10 years. Vision documents have been made earlier also, but this is the first time that public participation is being incorporated," he said.
"This is a government initiative in which several organisations will lend their hands. Our purpose is to establish '<g data-gr-id="33">jan</g>-<g data-gr-id="34">samvad</g>' (public interaction) for an interactive vision document. I am very enthusiastic about this as the vision document will aid in making development programmes," he added. Pointing out that 'Bihar@2025' will provide a platform for all-inclusive development, Kumar said it will help prepare the state for a "quantum jump" in socio-economic development.
The Bihar Chief Minister listed the successes of his tenure in ensuring better law and order, along with "rule of law", raising literacy rate from 47 per cent to 62 per cent in the last 10 years, ensuring an enrolment rate of 98.1 per cent in primary schools.
Included in the list were increasing road length in the state by 50 <g data-gr-id="40">per cent</g>, constructing 1,151 bridges, three times growth in per capita income, seven times higher paddy production rate than the national average and charting a faster growth rate of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in comparison to all other states.
Flanked by several ministers including state Information and Public Relations Department (IPRD) Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and its secretary Pratyaya Amrit, Kumar asserted that the vision document will include the views of every section of society in the state.
Lalu-Nitish <g data-gr-id="50">enemy,</g> can work with BJP: Pappu
Expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav has dubbed the Lalu-Nitish combine as his "enemy No. 1" and made overtures to BJP for an alliance in the poll-bound Bihar while announcing the formation of his own outfit. "This (Lalu-Nitish) is an unholy alliance. They think Bihar is their personal property... In Bihar, development is the issue, not caste and religion. If BJP agrees with my agenda, then we can work together," said Yadav, who recently floated his party – Jan Adhikar Party.
JD(U)-RJD tie-up won't dent BJP's prospects in Bihar: Rajnath
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the coming together of once-bitter rivals JD-U and RJD in Bihar would not dent the prospects of BJP. "It (JD-U, RJD alliance) won't affect the poll prospects of BJP and I am sure that the party will come to power in Bihar," he said. "In <g data-gr-id="62">democracy</g>, everyone has a right to forge an alliance. But it will not have any impact on us," he added. Meanwhile, former deputy CM of Bihar and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the party would take a decision on the NDA leadership in the state at an opportune time.
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