Per capita development expenditure lowest in Bihar

Business Standard
The plan expenditure of the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar has registered a steady rise with aaccelerated growth but the per capita development expenditure was the lowest among all states during the 11th five-year plan.

Despite significantly better plan efforts, per capital development expenditure of Bihar is the lowest among all states," the state government told the Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia in a draft presentation today.

Against the all-state average of Rs 3,049 per capita development expenditure, the state registered Rs 1,446 during 2005-06. Similarly against all-state average of Rs 3,826 and Rs 4,208, Bihar recorded per capita development expenditure of Rs 2,123 and Rs 2,184 during 2006-07 and 2007-08, respectively.

Officials said the target of annual growth rate was 8.5 per cent and investment proposed during the period was Rs 78,481 crore (public) and Rs 1,08,283 crore (private).

The government pointed out that against the projection of Rs 10,200 crore annual outlay during 2007-08, actual outlay was Rs 10,202 crore which mounted to Rs 13,500 crore during 2008-09 and Rs 16,000 crore in 2009-10.

The state's annual plan size during 2009-10 was Rs 19,425.85 crore with the state plan expenditure being pegged at Rs 16,000 crore and sectoral allocations were Rs 4,212.08 crore for infrastructure, Rs 6,066.31 crore for social sector, Rs 5,721.61 crore for others, the officials said.

Showing the expenditure up to October 2009, the government said there had been an overall expenditure of Rs 5,376 crore during the period under review against the plan of Rs 16,000 crore.

In the field of primary education, the state government under its promise for ensuring education for all, started CM integrated School Development Scheme. Under the scheme, 18,475 schools were opened, 10,727 upgraded, 72,025 additional class rooms constructed and 212,290 teachers appointed.
The student teacher ratio improved to 53:1 till March 2009 against 63:1 in 2004 and the number of school children dropped decreased from 2.5 million in 2004 to one million in March 2009.

All secondary schools upgraded to 10 plus two, 11500 teachers were appointed and new institutions like Chanakya National Law University, Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna were set up and Aryabhatt Professional University and one degree college in each sub-division was on the anvil.

बिहार का सोनपुर मेला Sonepur Fair of Bihar

Business Standard reports on world famous Sonepur Fair of Bihar.

Primarily known as a cattle market you can find from a needle to tractor in this fair near Hajipur which has been put up in the radius of 10 kms. Until last of this month you have a chance to visit there...capital Patna is just 25 kms away across the river Ganges.

• सोनपुर मेले में कंपनियों का रेला

UID in Bihar from Aug 2011: Nilekani

The Times of India repors that the Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Nandan Nilekani has said people in Bihar will start getting their biometric card in the state from August 2011 and the first phase will continue till December 2011

Chhath has spiritual, ecological & egalitarian dimension

Thank you Sun, for being there

That Chhath is today celebrated across communities only enhances the essentially spiritual, ecological or even egalitarian dimensions of the festival. Chhath stands for thanksgiving to a star that is venerated in the Indian tradition as the only visible (pratyaksha) form of God, one that can be seen every day. Moreover, the Sun illuminates and sustains life not in a petty province or two but on a planetary scale. Hence the ancient rishis held it in high esteem as a manifest form of Brahmn: Asavodityo Brahmah, says the Rig Veda.

That also led them to an immensely popular cult based on the Gayatri Mantra. This is considered to be one of the most sacred universal practices that invoke the creative principle of the Sun in the form named Savitr. The Chhath ceremonies however eschew deification, although there are attempts to overwrite its subaltern origins by connecting the ritual with the legendary Mahabharata hero Karna, the ‘son’ of Surya who was known for his valour and generosity.

Ist puja of Chhath tomorrow- worshipping the setting SUN

Sun god is worshipped in Chhath

Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of the Sun god. The festival begins on the sixth day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (a week after Diwali) corresponding to the months of October and November.

It's celebrated twice a year for four days each once in summer (May-July), called the Chaiti Chhath and the second time in winter (September-November) which is known as Kartik Chhath. The winter Chhath is more popular.

The festival is widely celebrated in Bihar and eastern UP. But Pandit Ravindra Nagar, 68, chief acharya of Birla Mandir, says Chhath is also popular in Tamil Nadu. "That's because the sun god is widely worshipped there as well. It's also popular in parts of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and in pockets in the North-East,'' says Nagar, also a professor of purohitya at Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeeth.

The rituals entail that the worshipper called `parvaitin' (usually women) observes a period of abstinence and segregation from the main household for four days. According to Pt Nagar, the `parvaitin' observes purity by fasting to attain family's welfare and prosperity. "It's also kept as a manauti or pledge in favour of a child (for childless couples), speedy recovery for an ailing family member as well as for overall family prosperity,'' he says. The parvaitins perform Chhath only if and when it's passed on from their elders. Once they take on the responsibility, they have to follow it lifelong till they pass it onto the next generation. The puja is skipped only when there's a death in the family.

Lalita Amar, 45, who belongs to Mithila in Madhubani district of Bihar, will skip the puja this year as her mother-in-law, who observed Chhath for over 25 years, died last year. "I'll start from next year,'' she says as she happily recalls the festival's popular folk songs. "For example, ladies ask the sun god, sab din ugaycheliye bhorbin sarva, aju kahan gayeli aber?'' (Everyday you come out at dawn, but today why are you taking so long?). To this the sun god replies, "I was busy giving a son to a childless woman, so I got delayed''.

Sung in Maithili, Magadhi and Bhojpuri, the songs mirror the culture and social structure of Bihar where old traditions are practised with great sanctity.
On the first day of the festival, the worshipper cleans the house, cooks a traditional vegetarian meal and offers it to the Sun god. This day is called Naha-Kha (literally meaning `bathe and eat'). "On this day, the worshipper can eat only one meal,'' says Pt Nagar.

On the second day, a special ritual called Kharna, is performed in the evening at sunset. It comprises making kheer and keeping it in a new earthen pot, which is offered to the Sun god in the evening. "This is followed by all night jagran (or prayer) in favour of Sun god. On this day also, the worshipper eats only once from the offerings (prasad) made for the Sun god,'' says Pt Nagar. For the next 36 hours the worshipper fasts without water while friends and family help the `parvaitin' in her rituals.

On the following evening, the `parvaitin' is accompanied by family and friends to a ritual bathing on the banks of a river where she stands in water performing `arg' (an offering of betel leaves and supari) to the Sun god. "During this, the dhaki or basket with various items in five denominations like five laddus (sweets) made of rice and flour, five fruits, an earthen kalash containing five betel leaves and supari, one nariyal (coconut) and five saubhagya vastra (clothes) are offered,'' says Pt Nagar.

Next day, at the crack of dawn, a similar ritual is performed after which the `parvaitin' breaks her fast. The occasion is almost like a carnival where onlookers, family and friends seek the blessings of the one performing the puja amidst traditional songs and gaiety.

• Chhath photos
• All about CHHATH

Pitra Paksh (Remembering our forefathers) mela at Gaya Bihar from Sep03-18

Gaya in Bihar is perhaps the only place in the country where Hindus can do Pindadaan (ritual to help attain Moksha to the souls of departed loved ones) and has this unique privilege to host flocks of visitors from all over the country and abroad who want to pay obeisance to forefathers.

This year Pitra Paksh has started on Sep 05 and continued till Sep 18 and in the said period one can offer Pindadan to help attain MOKSHA to the souls of our great elders. Pitripaksh Mela, which is organized every year, during fifteen days of Ashwin (Sep-Oct) starts from the day of Anant Chaturdashi of Bhadra Suklapaksh, according to the Hindi Calendar.

The fifteen days of the dark half of the Hindu month of Ashwin (September-October) is known as Pitri Paksh. Hindus offer Tillanjali (water with black sesame seeds) in the name of their departed ancestors during these fifteen days. They also perform Paarnava Sradha on the tithi or lunar day which their Pitri departed from the physical body.

Gaya is famously known as the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

http://gaya.bih.nic.in/html/ppm2008.htm

Who should perform Sradha.....

गया में पितृपक्ष मेला आज से

BSNL launches Nova Net PC in Bihar

In urban areas, Nova Net PC would be delivered to the users against a one-time payment of Rs 2,999 and tax, however, in rural areas, the system would be made available to the broadband users under USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) scheme which means that rural users would have to pay a secuirty deposit of Rs 1900 which was refundable if the facility was used for three years continuously.The rural users, if they opted for Nova Net PC, would be provided with CRT Monitor, Modem, Keyboard and Mouse free of cost. Read more in Business Standard