There has been a huge decline in the number of people from Bihar coming to Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, in search of employment, Bihar Industries Minister Samir Kumar Mahaseth said on Monday. More than 15 lakh people have registered to live and work in Bihar, the minister added.

In Mumbai to attend the Investors’ Summit, Mahaseth said most people who returned to Bihar during the coronavirus pandemic have now found employment in Bihar itself. He said very few may have returned to Mumbai for their livelihood.

The Bihar government’s employment portal has seen 15,29,000 people register themselves for various jobs, and the age of a large number of them is less than 35 years. Not only to Mumbai, the number of Biharis returning to other parts of the country has also decreased, said the minister.

Mahaseth claimed the working people who returned to Bihar no longer wanted to leave their homes and had chosen to work in Bihar itself. “They want to stay in the state and create employment for others.” He said the Bihar government has come up with new proposals for 40,000 small-scale industries for its migrant labourers so that more and more people can be provided employment.

Mahaseth said the Nitish Kumar government wants to change the image of Bihar. “We are taking Bihar from consumer to producer. We are focused on developing clusters for areas within clusters also get a chance to be developed.”

He said the recent caste and economic survey conducted in Bihar found that the population in Bihar has increased, and many of them are people who returned to Bihar during the pandemic but did not return. People in Bihar now want to live with their families, he said.

At the ongoing Bihar Investment Summit in Mumbai, Industries Department Director Pankaj Dixit said with the increasing demand for energy, Bihar is aiming to become the number one state in bio-fuels. Bihar has received 33 applications for bio-fuels of which 17 have been approved and 5 have started functioning. He said the state is aiming for sustainable industrial development along with bio-fuel consumption. He said that Bihar has become the first state to approve bio-fuel policy.

In the investor meeting of the Industries Department, the Bihar government said all logistics support will be provided to companies investing in Bihar. Dixit said more than 40 investors have shown interest in investing in Bihar in the Mumbai Investor Summit, including industrial groups, Aristo, Alkem, Godrej, and Kamat. Dixit said he has invited many companies to the Global Investor Summit to be held in the state on December 13 and 14.

The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday, went to inaugurate a ‘digital library’ in Banka district where he noticed the language of the signboard of the newly established ‘digital library’ and asked the officials to change the signboard as the information was written in the English language.

CM Kumar said he respects the English language but  Hindi is a part of the tradition. He further schooled the officials saying you are ending the importance of the Hindi language, adding that it is our language. Officials present at the moment were asked to change the board by CM Kumar.  

In March, Kumar made headlines for ridiculing a farmer who used English words in his speech at an event, demonstrating his consistent disapproval of the use of English in public settings.

Nitish Kumar reminded the farmer that using smartphones during COVID-19 was causing people to distance themselves from their own language in Bharat, Bihar.

Look at what has happened to people. They are distancing themselves from their language, Kumar interrupted, when people learn words through smartphones. Is it England, Kumar questioned the farmer. Your language should be used since you have been conversing with farmers in Bihar and Bharat, Nitish Kumar said.

As per the reports, the Chief Minister of Bihar carried out unannounced inspections at several government offices and discovered that a considerable number of ministers from his cabinet were missing in action. The observations revealed that while the majority of the ministers belonging to his party, JD(U), were present, a significant number of ministers from his alliance party, RJD, were found to be absent, the reports added.

According to reports, the development occurred amidst speculations that CM Kumar may switch alliances and join the BJP.

During the G20 event, the Prime Minister cordially introduced Nitish Kumar to none other than the esteemed US President Joe Biden.

It was worth noting that this was the initial encounter between PM Modi and Nitish Kumar following the latter’s party, JD(U), ending its affiliation with the BJP last year. Instead, they joined the Mahagathbandhan and formed a government with RJD and other opposition parties. 

Two people died while three people lost their eyesight in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur after consuming spurious liquor, as per the police.

Police have received information that two people died after their health suddenly deteriorated. In the prima facie inquiry, it has been told that they both had consumed country-made liquor. We have arrested two people. Further probe underway, the Superintendent of Police Abhishek Dixit said after two people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur.

According to reports, one of the victims, Dharmendra Ram, has revealed that he consumed spurious alcohol after purchasing from Shiv Chandra Paswan, who generally sells adulterated and low-quality liquor, due to which he lost his eyesight.  

He started losing his vision after consuming two glasses of low-quality liquor, which cost him Rs 100.

Police, based on the victim’s statement, have arrested two people. One of the arrested persons is a local resident and has been jailed in the past as well in a liquor-related case.  

For interrogation, police have also detained accused Shiv Chandra Paswan’s wife and daughter.

Police confirmed that the deaths and loss of eyesight happened due to the consumption of spurious alcohol.  

Earlier this year in April, a shocking case was reported from Bihar’e Motihari district where at least 5 people died after consuming illicitly made liquor while twelve others were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.

The incident was reported from Laxmipur Village of Motihari district in Bihar. The cases of spurious liquor creating hazardous health problems and death of people in Bihar have been in focus for quite some months now. Earlier in January this year it was reported from Siwan that four people died post consuming the spurious liquor after which the Police arrested 16 people who were involved in the storage and trading of alcohol in the state.

Purchase, sale and trade of liquor stands banned in Bihar since April 2016 after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took this move to impose a complete prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state.