The Central government on Saturday said that over 37,01,362 houses, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), have been allocated to Bihar state since 2016.

According to the Ministry of Rural Development, headed by MoS Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, the state of Bihar has shown considerable improvement under PMAY-G. In Bihar, since the inception of the scheme on April 1, 2016, the central government has sanctioned 37,01,362 houses. Out of these, 36,58,471 are already constructed, standing at 99% completion.

This information was provided in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question posed by BJP MP Bhim Singh. The maximum number of houses sanctioned in Darbhanga district was 2.15 lakh, out of which 2.13 lakh were completed. On the other end, Sheikhpura district had the lowest number of sanctioned houses, with 21,348 sanctioned and 21,108 constructed.

These statistics provide insight into the extensive coverage and construction efforts carried out by PMAY-G in rural areas of Bihar. PMAY-G aims to achieve the goal of “Housing for All” in rural areas by 2024, constructing 2.95 crore proper houses with basic facilities.

Funds under the scheme are allocated to states based on proposals submitted by them, considering the needs of the beneficiaries, available unspent balances, and program guidelines. Beneficiaries are identified under PMAY-G using SECC 2011, applying housing deprivation parameters and exclusion criteria.

Gram Sabha meetings analyze and confirm the system-generated priority list of households, establishing a Permanent Wait List. Additionally, the Awaas+ survey conducted from January 2018 to March 2019 identified eligible households that missed out on the SECC 2011 list. These households have also undergone Gram Sabha verification and an appellate process to ensure the beneficiary list is complete.

The progress in Bihar has been a landmark in demonstrating the government’s commitment to achieving the objectives of PMAY-G, providing proper, secure, and adequate housing to rural households. The high rate of house completion reflects the effective implementation and monitoring of the scheme, bringing it closer to achieving the goal of “Housing for All.”

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government on Friday approved its first Film Promotion Policy, with a motive to provide full institutional support to movie makers in the State.

According to reports, the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Kumar, has approved the proposal for a Film Promotion Policy.

The policy aims to provide a one-stop clearance for all government permissions for filmmakers, while also ensuring adequate security and safety measures. Additionally, it offers financial incentives for regional films produced in languages such as Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi, Angika, and Bajjika.

S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), after the meeting, said that the Cabinet has approved Bihar’s new film promotion policy. He added that there is significant potential and numerous opportunities for filmmaking in Bihar. The proposal originated from the state government’s Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs department, Siddarth said.

Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, Additional Chief Secretary of the Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs Department, explained that under the new policy, filmmakers will receive assistance to make movies showcasing Bihar’s rich cultural heritage.

Bamhrah asserted that Bihar’s scenic locations and adequate infrastructure as attractions for filmmakers.

She said that the policy includes financial grants of up to Rs 4 crore for producing films, documentaries, and serials in regional languages and others.

Moreover, the policy offers various financial incentives for regional films in languages such as Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, Angika, and Bajjika, she added.

The policy ensures a single-window clearance for all government permissions, as well as adequate security and safety arrangements, she further said.

Bamhrah also mentioned the setting up of an empowered committee and a film facilitation centre to streamline processes for the fraternity.

The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday announced the names of its candidates for all the 16 Lok Sabha seats it is set to contest in Bihar. The former party chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh to contest from Munger constituency.

The 16-candidates list includes names of Dileshwar Kamait from Supaul, Ramprit Mandal from Jhanjharpur, Devesh Chandra Thakur from Sitamarhi, Lavli Anand from Shivhar, Sunil Kumar from Balmiki Nagar, Mujahid Alam from Kishanganj, Dulalchandra Goswami from Katihar, Santosh Kumar from Purnea, Chandeshwar Prasad on Jehanabad seat, Kaushalendra Kumar from Nalanda seat, Giridhari Yadav from Banka, Ajay Kumar Mandal from Bhagalpur, Alok Kumar Suman from Siwan, Alok Kumar Suman from Gopalganj, and Dinesh Chandra Yadav from Madhepura constituency among others.

Lovely Anand, another turncoat, got the ticket from JD(U) after quitting the RJD earlier this month. She will be contesting the elections from Sheohar’s seat.

Addressing a press conference, JD(U) leader Lalan Singh said that there was no issue in deciding the seat-sharing formula and the candidates among the NDA partners. There was consensus over everything.

Speaking to a reporter, the former JD(U) chief expressed his gratitude to the Bihar Chief Minister for giving him the opportunity to contest from the Munger constituency again. The work that has been done by Chief Minister Kumar is discussed not only in the village but in every house in Bihar.

The Opposition party can pick anyone as a candidate from that very constituency, Munger, adding that he said that he doesn’t have to do anything with that, nor does he want to make any comment on the same, he said.