Challenges Before New government in Bihar Rudranarayan Das
Media researcher

The election was over in Bihar and the people of Bihar brought an end to the fifteen years Raj Laloo. Expectation is that a populist government will not only pace the development in the state but also tighten the loosen law and order situation. There are number of challenges before the newly elected CM Nitish kumar . A state who plays a vital role in national politics has to improve itself a lot not only as political consus state but also in the field of development.
Bihar, the second poorest state in India after Orissa , having population 8.28 cores.. Still 40% people living below poverty line.

According to census 2001, the literacy rate is 47% lowest in the country. Male literacy 59% and literacy among the female is 33%. The dropout percent is 66 by reaching up to class 5th . It is showing the total break down of primary educational system in the state. For higher education most the Bihari prefer to go to Delhi or other neighboring state. The reason is in Bihar a student has to make wait for more than 4 years to get his result from universities. Nitish has to address this problem, which is one of the measure cause of frustration for the educated mass of the state.

Same is the case with health sector. It is in its worst ever stage. According to state’s Directorate of statistics and evolution for fifty thousand people of Bihar there is one hospital. For ten patients there is one Bed. And for fifty patients there is one medical practioner. The services of nurses are not available for Bihar people by the state as per the data available in government web sites. The premature death is 44 out of every thousand new born child. The number of child death is 68 out of one thousand. There is a huge source of milk in the state but to exploit the resource a child need to survive. For a healthy Bihar it is another challenge for Nithsh kumar.


A large chunk of sate population depends on agriculture. And 80 percent of the work force produces 40 percent of state GDP. But still the sector registered 1 percent growth annually. Another factor for the severe slow growth in the sector is “unexplored potential of fertile land”. As per the data available in the web site of Bihartime. 40 percent of lands don’t have irrigation facility. And the maximum percent of land coming under flood affected areas. 10 lakhs land have irrigation facility but due to lack of proper development of irrigation system they are not irrigated.

As per the data published in frontline” Migrant labour as a catalyst” shows the real plight of the vulnerable section of Bihar society. A study by new Delhi based Institute Of human development (IHD) in the 18 villages of North Bihar shows the substantively increased in migrant status. According to the study in 2000, 49 percent of the families had a member who was a migrant labour . It was 28percent in 1983. As per census 2001, 12 lakhs Bihari left home in search of job.
According to National Capital region planning board (NCRPB) nearly 11 percent of New Delhi’s population is from Bihar. Though it is a burning issue in all most all the states of India but in Bihar it has its worst ever position.

Discrination as complained by the political class in past:……
Bihar’s political leaders have constantly complained the exploitation of the state resources and step motherly treatment they have received from the center. But data shows the administration collapse of the state that has prevent the effective utilization of fund and resources out of the cumulative allotment of 15,411crores rupees under the ninth plan. The State failed to utilize as much as 5,490 cores. Similarly, as against the allocation of 2,964 cores rupees in 2003_04, the state failed to spend 737 cores rupees. Even where the state utilized it raises several questions.

A central team asses the status of electricity in Bihar in1999. The team found out Of 67,000 villages of the state 46,000 had been electrified ‘on paper’. But out of 48,000 villages 12,000, electrified villages showed no evidence of such electrification. It was due to the fact that equipments have been stolen. Frequent power cut even in the state capital in summer was a part of aggression to vote against the Laloo regime. It is one of the measure problem which put the urban and rural Bihar people in the same stuff. Immediate attention is required in this respect.

The state is very much defamed for its detoriate law and order situation. These are the data available for the year 2002 shows a bared picture of the law and order situation in Bihar. As many as eleven murders, seven abductions, three rapes happen in a day in Bihar. And the number is increasing. For Nitish it is very much important to maintain the law and order situation in the state which gave him an opportunity to rule Bihar. People came out side without fear and voted for him. So could Nitish change the caste and mussels power equation in the state and give justice to every section of the society? It is a question for future. But now the challenges is in numbers, Nitish is telling he will first prepare a better turf, that is a frame work for development then he will show the Bihar people a prosper and develop Bihar.
Best of luck Nitish.
Rudranaryan Das
At/po Vanastali puram
Prasant Nager
Plot No 774
Hyderabad
AP
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