26093770 the Truth About Bihar

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The Truth About Bihar

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 05, Dated February 06, 20 0

CURRENT AFFAIRS cover story

BIHARTry Me Now Society

!V!"#$%! I& '())I%* %ITI&+ -M(" T+! D!'(D!.& /I**!&TT"(%&F$"M!" VIJAY SIMHA (%D 1+$T$*"(1+!" VIJAY PANDEY M$T$"

('"$&& T+! "-**!D &T(T! T$ &%IFF (T T+! I%D& $F '+(%*!

BY THE time Omer Hejazeenwalked into the secretariat at

Patna, he was already cursingthe day he agreed to return toBihar. Months ago, he metBihar hie! Minister "itish#umar, who was $y thensearching !or %eo%le o! Bihariorigin to hel% him sa&e Bihar.

's Omer recalled, "itish #umarwas kind during the meetingand asked him to ha&e a look atBihar. (e%uty hie! Minister)ushil Modi too was in theroom. )omething a$out themanner in which they s%okeand looked at him made Omeragree to the tri%. *rom (u$ai hetook his + nd !light !or the year, and reached Patna.

The !irst sight o! Patna can hit hard. The city is a$out,- years old and had nurtured human thought and

%rogress !or se&eral centuries. /t was called Patali%utra then. "ow, there are !ar too many %eo%le onthe roads, and too much jostling and yelling. There are cycle0rickshaws e&erywhere, with %eo%le$ent low as they %ull the load in a mighty e!!ort. There is a musty smell. There1s a sense that the cityis straining. Too much has $een taken !rom them. Too little gi&en $ack. 2ood lord, thought Omer,nothing has changed. He had le!t Patna years ago and it was still the same.

He ste%%ed into the secretariat in dee% $lue trousers and jacket, shining $lack shoes, white shirt andred tie. He was sur%rised when he was sto%%ed and asked !or the %ur%ose o! his &isit. 34ow, /thought. They were controlling the crowds. /t was the !irst sign o! %ro!essionalism !or me. / lookedaround and saw no white or khadi,5 says Omer. He walked into the chie! minister1s cham$ers. 3/ toldhim / didn1t !ind any change in Bihar. "itish #umar looked at me and said he had not told the %eo%leo! Bihar anything. But, he said, he had made a commitment to himsel!. He would change Bihar. /twas the second time "itish #umar im%ressed me. / thought the man had guts,5 says Omer.

"/T/)H #6M'7 asked Omer what he could do !or Bihar. The chie! minister said there werethousands o! Bihari workers in the 2ul!. 3He asked me to think a$out what / could o!!er. He told meto %ick a sector and in&est,5 recalls Omer. ' day later, Omer had a %lan. There are a$out + ,Biharis who work as unskilled la$our in the 2ul! regiona!ter ha&ing com%leted school education. Omer thoughthe could %ro&ide &ocational training to such %eo%le8o!!er degrees in technical courses, so they could earnmore and li&e $etter.

Style guru Nitish Kumar held aCabinet meeting on this launch on theGanga

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Ha&ing a %lan in Bihar may mean little. *or it to $e acted u%on, you need land. 'nd land in Bihar is atale. /n +:;<, 9ord ornwallis was a%%ointed the 2o&ernor02eneral o! /ndia and ommander0 in0

hie! o! Bengal. He set a$out changing the judicial and re&enue systems in /ndia. Bihar, as %art o!eastern /ndia, was among the !irst areas ornwallis looked at. He introduced the Permanent)ettlement system, essentially retaining the then e=isting ownershi% o! land. He ga&e the owners, orzamindars, the right to collect ta= !rom the tenants on the land and %ass it on to the East /ndia

om%any.

The amount o! ta= was !i=ed.*or instance, a zamindar mayha&e %aid 7s + lakh !or anagreed num$er o! &illages ordistricts, !or decades. Thisresulted in a %ermanentsettlement $etween thezamindars and the East /ndia

om%any. O&er time, the land azamindar owned was di&ided

$etween his children and so itcarried on !or generations. Thestate $arely inter&ened.

"itish #umar tends to stay o!!land as well. )o, the state o!Bihar does not ac>uire land !or%ri&ate in&estors. /! Omer hadto set u% a technical educationhu$, he needed to $uy land.3"itish #umar had suggested /take o&er an /T/ ?/ndustrialTraining /nstitute@ and run it%ro!ita$ly. 4e went to

(ar$hanga ?north0central Bihar@and !ound that the teacherswere not %aid !or months. Themachines were e=%ensi&e andunused. /t looked like therewould $e %lenty o! hiccu%s inrunning an /T/. )o we thought,why don1t we set u% somethingon our ownA 4e registered a!amily trust and $egan to $uyland in (ar$hanga,5 says Omer.

9and holdings are not huge inthis %art o! Bihar. Thus, an

entre%reneur may need toengage with se&eral owners. /tis a tiresome %rocess and caneasily go wrong. 3One o! the!armers wanted 7s lakh more.He said he had to %ay hisdaughter1s dowry. This camea!ter we %aid him the agreedamount !or his land. /t washolding us u%. *inally, we ga&ehim the money,5 says Omer.E&entually, Omer says, his trust$ought acres at 7s +- lakh

an acre. This, in turn, createdcom%lications.

Phoenix rises Once a pariah forbusiness, Patna is now awash withconstruction

DIPANKARBHATTACHARYA, '1I 3M) *eneral &e4retary LALU’S 1 YEARS!ERE SYN"NYM"US!ITH STA#NATI"N$N"! THERE IS A

DECLINE IN BI# CRIME’



3Things are e=aggerated in small towns. There were two immediate e!!ects o! our $uying the land.*irst, %eo%le thought / ha&e a money tree. My %arents warned that / was now a %rime kidna%%ingtarget. 't !irst, we hired local security guards. But this caused me discom!ort. / hated the culture o!walking around with gun0toting guards. / ha&e seen %eo%le do this in '!rica and )ri 9anka. / ne&erliked it. / also had no %ri&acy. The guards heard e&erything / discussed. / got rid o! them and a%%lied!or a licence to carry a gun. The second e!!ect was an increase in land %rice. )oon a!ter we $oughtland, the %rice went u% to 7s +; lakh an acre,5 says Omer.

(ar$hanga is a des%erately %oor town. The lanes are !ilthy, the drains o&er!low, the roads arerickety, the uni&ersities are the size o! small go&ernment o!!ices and the jo$s are !ew. To reach his%ro%osed college o! technical education, Omer needed roads. /t is one thing to make %eo%le enrol ina college. To make them get there is another thing altogether. Omer has used his years outside/ndia well. He does %roductionin !ilms, tele&ision and radio. Hedoes %u$lic relations. He dealsin arms. /n (ar$hanga, he gotinto construction.

3/! / ha&e to come here, / ha&eto !eel com!orta$le. The roadsin (ar$hanga are &ery $ad. )owe registered a com%any againand started working on roadsand $uildings.5 Ok%et

onstruction C )er&ices P&t.9td., the new com%any, islaying + km o! road in a %art o!(ar$hanga with e=tremely %ooraccess. /t will cost Omer 7s +crore. He ho%es to make a%ro!it o! 7s crore !rom thisroad.

Portions o! (ar$hanga are$uzzing with acti&ity, o! whichOmer1s com%any is only a %art.The )tate is $uilding $ridgesand laying roads inside(ar$hanga, the entre is layingnational highways, and the %oorha&e something to do. *inally, ita%%ears, at least a %ortion o!Bihar is awake. Omer has gotso much at ease that he is alsogetting into !ood %rocessing. Heis e&en com!orta$le with ha&ing

to %ay what are &ariously called$ri$es or o!!ice e=%enses. 3/tworks out to +. - %er cent o!my e=%enses. /! it !acilitates my$illing and my work, / don1tmind. /n the 6'E, / ha&e to %aya huge testing !ee !or the roads.Here, an engineer comes e&enat night and does the testing. /tis only !air that he getssomething,5 says Omer. /n all,he says he has in&ested 7s crore o&er three years. /n time,

he ho%es to get it all $ack andsome.

Abandoned Kunwa Devi gets twokilos of coarse rice as daily wage,which she feeds her children !erhusband died of hunger last year

New & old " spanking new policestation built with private money

while policemen continue to live inhovels in old police stations



This is new Bihar, where the chie! minister talks to a $usinessman and things get started. learing%ro%osals !aster is one %art o! "itish #umar1s re!orm. The other $ig im%act is on law and order. Theroads in Patna are noisy and crowded till at least ;. %m most days. Many ignore the tra!!ic%oliceman or %olicewoman. Men tend to drink at roadside sho%s and kiosks, at times e&en during theday. Peo%le gather in grou%s to gossi% and discuss. The roads ha&e $ecome a %lace to just $e. Thisenrages dri&ers who ha&e to s>ueeze through narrower%aths, honking their way through. *or the momentthough, they are not com%laining. They are just ha%%yto $e there. The locals say the roads used to em%ty atsunset in the %ast. 'nyone out a!ter that was !air game!or looting, snatching and kidna%%ing. They say %eo%lereturning to Patna $y train or $us would s%end the nightat the railway station or $us station i! they arri&ed a!ter+ %m and reach home the ne=t morning.

"O4, THE7E is a sense o! relie!. )ome !amilies e&encatch the D%m mo&ie show. Mona inema, considered the $est theatre in Bihar at the moment,draws a$out a hundred %eo%le !or the late night show e&en on some weekdays. )ome o! them are

!amilies. The !ilm world is, there!ore, ha%%y. Prakash ha, !ilmmaker and entre%reneur, is making $igmo&es. ha has esta$lished his credentials with !ilms like Damul, *angaa al and ( aharan He is%utting together what he says is Bihar1s !irst multi%le= mall, the PCM Mall, in the heart o! Patna1sPatali%utra industrial estate. The mall is coming u% where sick units lay earlier. /t is e=%ected to $eready $y March this year, well in time the %remiere o! ha1s new !ilm "a neeti

THE M'99 has !i&e !loors with -D sho%s. /t will ha&e !our cinemas, each seating a$out a thousand.4hen o%erational, the multi%le= mall could ha&e +, %eo%le going home !rom the mo&ies e&erymidnight. /t should $e >uite a sight on the roads o! Patna. 't the moment, - la$ourers work here aday. 4hen ready, the mall could em%loy many more and trigger a $uzz in Patna. /n size, the PCMMall is roughly the same as the %arking lot in south (elhi1s )elect itywalk Mall. But !or Patna, it is$ig.

)ays haF 3/t has taken !our and a hal! years to re&erse the regression o! se&eral years. "ow, we aregetting a $etter en&ironment !or in&estment. But, %ri&ate industry will not ha%%en o&ernight when youha&e $etter o%%ortunities in Maharashtra, 'ndhra Pradesh, 2ujarat or Tamil "adu.3The mindset must change. /! Biharis don1t $uy $ack into Bihar, why will othersA My idea o! %olitics islinked strongly with the economy. 4ealth generation is the only thing that can iron out caste andclass. / am doing my $it. '%art !rom the mall, / am starting Bihar1s !irst !ully indigenous tele&isionchannel, Maurya TG, with %roduction entirely in Patna.5

The !ilmmaker comes !rom Bettiah, the head>uarters o! 4est ham%aran district near the $orderwith "e%al. Bettiah was notorious as the kidna%%ing ca%ital o! Bihar. 3"ow,5 he says, 3kidna%%ing isgone8 !inished. The law is getting a!ter the $ig cul%rits. "itish has done a great clean0u% jo$.5

Bhoj%uri !ilmstars 7a&i #ishanand Manoj Tiwari are ha%%y aswell. #ishan, who has acted in++ !ilms, many in Hindi, isworking on the cultclassic De das in Bhoj%uri, setin Patna. He is also lo$$ying !ora !ilm city close to Patna. 34ecouldn1t tra&el !or shooting atnight in the %ast in Bihar. /tused to scare %eo%le. "ow, thestate is $reathing. /t waschoked !or a long time. You cansee cou%les at the mo&ies a!ter;%m. There is a %ositi&e energynow. Earlier, Biharis were seen as criminals and du!!ers. "ow, it is our turn. The in&estors arecoming. 9ocal actors !rom Patna and elsewhere are $ooked with me in Bhoj%uri !ilms e&ery year. 4eused to o%erate !rom Mum$ai $ut now / can assure the state o! $usiness i! they gi&e us a !ilm city. '

MCH""NEE, Mauritian+igh 'ommissioner MAURITIUS IS ANE%TENDED LE# "&BIHAR$ PE"PLE&R"M BIHAR ANDUTTAR PRADESH ARE RUNNIN#MAURITIUS’

Night out Once deserted aftersundown, Patna now has crowds atlate night movie shows



hundred Bhoj%uri !ilms will $e made a year,5 says#ishan.

Tiwari, who also sings, says the Bihar go&ernment didnot res%ect artistes in the %ast. 3/ used to get calls !rom

ministers in the %re&ious go&ernment to %er!orm. Theywould terrorise us. riminals associated with %olitical%arties and the go&ernment also used to call. / wasa!raid o! getting hurt. )o, / used to %er!orm !or them."ow, i! the secretariat calls, they ask us !or our !ee and re>uirements. 'lso, location is now grantedon %riority !or shooting and the %olice %ro&ide security,5 says Tiwari.

"itish #umar is too canny to miss the signs. He senses that the mood could $e in his !a&our and it is$eginning to show in his walk and talk. He is Mr Bihar now and he lo&es it. He calls a ca$inetmeeting on $oard a shi% in the 2anga, and the local media la%s it u%. He holds cam%s in &arious%arts o! the state, during which time he also chairs a ca$inet meeting on site, and the %eo%lea%%laud. He $elie&es he is heading the $iggest reconstruction story in /ndia. He also $elie&es he isright. He is $eginning to ac>uire the same sel!0righteousness that 9alu Prasad Yada& once had. /tled 9alu into a world o! his own where he did no wrong. Bihar went into the dark ages $ut 9alu sawthe re&erse in his mind.E&eryone in Bihar has an o%inion on e&erything. They are asserti&e and di!!icult to dislodge !rom the%ositions they hold. /t is a curious trait o! Bihar, %ossi$ly /ndia1s most %olitically conscious state. Yet,when it comes to go&ernance, Bihar tends to idolise a man at the to% and make him think he isa$o&e the crowd. 9alu was king once. "itish is now. 9alu was a man o! the %eo%le, a P7 man1sdream. He could connect. He ruled $y instinct. He knew the &alue o! gesture. "itish is a $ureaucrat1sdream. He can %er!orm. He rules $y reason. He knows the &alue o! deli&ery.

/T /) not all hunky dory, howe&er. Most o! the $uzz is $eing generated !rom a km $elt aroundPatna. Beyond that, li!e can $e cruel. "iranjan Paswan is the 2aya district secretary o! the P/0M9?9i$eration@, a 9e!t %arty that once o%erated as a guerrilla unit. 2aya is Bihar1s second $iggest towna!ter Patna. /t also has an air%ort, which largely caters to the tourists who !lock to Bodh 2aya, wherethe Buddha is $elie&ed to ha&e attained enlightenment. Paswan sits in an o!!ice co&ered $y as$estos

sheets. ' tele&ision set sits on $ricks. 4ooden %oles su%%ort the entire structure. Paswan1s wi!e andson also work in the same o!!ice !or the %arty. He deals mostly with the rural %oor, argua$ly the worsto!! in Bihar. 4orking among the de%ri&ed, Paswan sees little change in Bihar. 3/t is a routine with us.4e hear o! %eo%le dying o! hunger, we &isit them, we make a noise, and the administration saysthey died o! disease. Please tell me where the change is,5 he says.

2ajichak &illage in 2aya1s (o$hi $lock seems to $e a century $ehind Patna. /t is a$out noon on a)unday and a $oy is stu!!ing what a%%ears to $e the hind %ortion o! a dead goat. Only the skinremains, with the hind legs dangling. There is no !lesh. The $oy care!ully stu!!s the carcass with hay.He then gets a !ire going. He is joined $y a !ew other children. 3He will cook it now,5 says Paswan.

'%%arently, the !ire will $urn the hair on the goat skinand roast it !rom the outside. The hay inside, used !orthe stu!!ing, will catch !ire and cook the skin !rom theinside. This will $e the )unday meal. 'nywhere else,

the skin would $e chucked as waste. Here, it is adelicacy.

#unwa (e&i, who li&es in the same &illage, has !our childrenF three girls and a $oy. )he says she is- years old. Her hus$and used to work in a near$y !arm. /n May D he died, a%%arently o!

hunger. #unwa (e&i says her hus$and de&elo%ed a !e&er, which the local >uack said was malaria.There was no money !or medicines, so some o! the &illage !olk %ooled money !or the medicines.They ran out o! the medicine e&entually. 'lso, there was &ery little !ood in the house when herhus$and couldn1t work $ecause he was ill. )he says her hus$and sto%%ed eating so that the childrencould eat. 34e used to get grass !rom the jungle to !eed him. /t was not enough,5 she says.

"MERHEJA'EEN, %on3"esident /ihari I& I HAVE T" C"MET" BIHAR, I HAVET" &EELC"M&"RTABLE$

S", I STARTED A C"MPANY T"BUILD R"ADS’

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Paswan says #unwa (e&i1shus$and died o! hunger. Theadministration says he died o!illness. The !amily li&es in ahutment with three small rooms.There are just the walls and a!ew &essels. There is a small$ag o! coarse rice, which shesays she gets as daily wageswhen she works in a !arm. )hegets no money, she says. )hehas just !ed the children withthe rice and the gruel that!ormed while the rice wascooked. )he cannot see withher le!t eye. )he says a $ranch%ierced her eye. "o one in her !amily uses !ootwear. The children1s hair is matted. They ha&en1t hada $ath !or days.

Paswan1s $oss, (i%ankar Bhattacharya, 2eneral )ecretary o! the P/M9 ?9i$eration@, is in his Patnao!!ice. Most %olitical %arties in Bihar ha&e their head>uarters on the same road, Gir hand PatelPath, and the P/0M9 is a neigh$our o! the Bharatiya anata Party. There is a maze o! wireshanging !rom a %lug %oint, a la%to% waits on the ta$le and there is a $on!ire going. There is a suddenshar% drizzle $e!ore Bhattacharya comes. His wi!e and daughter are in 9ondon, and he s%ends hisli!e !ighting !or $etterment in the li&es o! the rural %oor and the most economically $ackward o! Bihar.He has $een general secretary !or ++ years. His %arty has !i&e mem$ers in the legislati&e assem$ly.

3/t will $e wrong to say there has $een no change in !i&e years. 9alu1s +-0year reign wassynonymous with a$solute stagnation. There is a decline in $ig crime. )ome sort o! a nationalisationo! crime has taken %lace. The $ig criminals are earningas much through trans%ort. /! you ha&e the state1sco!!ers o%en to you, why would you loot and kidna%A

'lso, the discourse has changed. /t has mo&ed !romsocial justice and dignity to good go&ernance andgrowth,5 says Bhattacharya.

3But, there is a $ig %ro$lem. *eudal Bihar is a stu$$ornsur&i&or. The go&ernment will %retend to do land re!orm$ut will sit on actual re!orm. )ocially, there is &ery little%rogress. hange is not !ree. You ha&e to %ay a $ig %rice. *or a small change, there has to $e a $ig!ight.5

) HO9'7) '"( academics !ind the hy%e o&er Bihar1s growth $a!!ling. "# haudhary, Pro!essor inPatna 6ni&ersity1s (e%artment o! Economics, is gra%%ling with a sudden teacher1s strike in theuni&ersity. 3 an you imagine a strike anywhere whose sole demand is %ayment o! salaries on timeA5he says. 9ike many in Bihar, haudhary is %er%le=ed at the ++. %er cent growth !igure !or Biharreleased $y the entral )tatistical Organisation in "ew (elhi early anuary. The !igures made%eo%le look at Bihar anew and generated a $ig $uzz. Peo%le $egan to com%are Bihar with 2ujarat,which haudhary says is ingenious.

3The growth may not $e real $ecause Bihar is not a miracle economy. The $asis o! the !igures isalso weakened a!ter Prona$ )en, hie! )tatistician o! /ndia, said it was wrong to attri$ute the !iguresto the )O. Much o! the hy%e created $y "itish then !alls !lat. /t is too good to $elie&e. 'll o! asudden you tell a $eggar you are a rich man. /! your $ase is low, e&en a little !orward mo&ement will$e $ig,5 says haudhary.

haudhary says Bihar may $e shining !or a !ew, $ut !or the rest, Bihar is sinking. He lists theim%ro&ementsF in health, law and order, and roads. He lists the non0im%ro&ementsF a $ureaucracythat has su%reme %ower in a democracy, no rule o! law, no land re!orm, no water resourcemanagement, no %ro%er !aculty in higher education, increase in scale o! corru%tion $ecause o! more

!unds !low, no action against $ureaucrats !or gra!t, and distress migration.

Selling roots Nitish Kumar alsowants to boost religious tourism andethnic pride

/* 26 '7'T H'( )T'7TE( *7OMTHE )'ME B')E ') B/H'7, /T4O69( H'GE PE7 E"T27O4TH. B6T "O4, THE7E /)OPT/M/)M



B/H'7 H') not !ound %anacea. /! 2ujarat were to start!rom the same $ase as Bihar, it would %ro$a$ly register

%er cent growth. /t is di!!icult to s%ot a !unctioningstate in Bihar o&er the %ast < years. "ot a single newarea has $een de&elo%ed !rom the %re0/nde%endence%eriod in Bihar. There is no history o! entre%reneurshi%!or at least three generations. There is no renaissancein Bihar, now or in the %ast. There is no nan%ith 'wardwinner in Bihar. There is &irtually no cor%orate %resence. The e=tent o! ine>uity is high. 'nd yet,there is a sense o! o%timism. /t raises the %ossi$ility that Bihar may attem%t the long haul honestlythis time.

)hai$al 2u%ta, Mem$er0)ecretary o! the 'sian (e&elo%ment 7esearch /nstitute, a leading think0tankin Patna, thinks there is signi!icance in recent e&ents. 34hy is "itish #umar im%ortantA He is the !irstchie! minister o! Bihar to take cognisance o! the a$sence o! the state in the state. He has succeededmarginally in the mammoth task o! $uilding state structures. He was the !irst to set u% an

'dministrati&e 7e!orms ommission. He was the !irst to set u% a 9and 7e!orms ommission. He isstarting !rom scratch. He is creating an atmos%here where the Prakash has can !lourish,5 says2u%ta. He says what ha%%ens in Bihar now is critical $ecause in two years, 3Each o! the < districtsin /ndia will ha&e a Bihari (istrict Magistrate or )u%erintendent o! Police5. 3Bihar has mo&ed !rom aItouch0me0not1 society to a Itry0me0now1 society. This is a $enchmark !or a resistant state.5

Brand Bihar is also getting noticed $ecause o! the Bihar *oundation. O%erating under the statego&ernment, the *oundation works on a sim%le $rie! o! I$onding and $randing1. /t $onds $y creatingcha%ters in &arious cities in /ndia and outside. The newest cha%ter is in Bengaluru and there arecha%ters in Mum$ai, (elhi, hennai and #olkata, andin (u$ai, (oha and )outh #orea outside /ndia. Thecha%ters think a$out what a!!ects Biharis in their areas,and hel%s non0resident Biharis trace their roots and dosomething !or where they came !rom.

The theory o! roots is a %ower!ul conce%t. /t can make strong men and women yearn !or memories

as children. O!ten, this yearning can take the sha%e o! catharsis. Mookhesswur hoonee isMauritius1 High ommissioner to /ndia. He gets astonishingly sentimental when it comes to Bihar. Hedescri$es Mauritius as an 3e=tended leg o! Bihar5. He says he is %roud to see how Bihar has%rogressed. 3Peo%le o!ten ask me are you the high commissioner o! Bihar,5 he says. hoonee saysthe %rime minister o! Mauritius 3$elongs to Bihar5 and that 3%eo%le !rom Bihar and 6ttar Pradesh arerunning Mauritius5.

'nil #umar Bachoo, Mauritius1 Minister o! Pu$lic /n!rastructure, 9and Trans%ort, and )hi%%ing, canget touchier a$out Bihar. 3/n the +D: s, / was a student in (elhi. My seniors told me not to interactwith anyone !rom Bihar $ecause they are $ackward and cannot rise in li!e. 4ell, a !ew weeks ago,my %rime minister told me to go and get some Biharis to Mauritius. 4e ha&e retained in Mauritiuswhat they ha&e lost in Bihar. Mauritius is a little Bihar. 4hen they catch cold in Bihar, we sneeze inMauritius. 4e are %roud o! our roots. Bihar was the !ount o! ci&ilisation. /t is the torch$earer o! /ndiain !uture,5 says Bachoo.

That may take some doing, $ut there are nuggets that suggest that res%ect !or honesty and hardwork may yet sa&e Bihar. 7akesh )harma is a $usinessman who rents out a community centre indowntown Patna !or marriages and runs a cooking gas agency. The community centre can host ama=imum o! a thousand guests in com!ort. 3/n "o&em$er0 (ecem$er D, we used litres diesel!or the generator during %ower cuts. /n ;, we needed litres.5

These are the %arts o! the whole that "itish #umar ho%es to $uild o! a new Bihar. *or too long, thestate o! Bihar has not deli&ered. This is rock $ottom. /t1s a good %lace to start.

!RITER’S EMAIL&ijsimhaJgmail.com


PRAKASHJHA, Filmmaker andentre reneur THE MINDSET MUSTCHAN#E$ I& BIHARISD"N’T BUY BACK

INT" BIHAR, !HY!ILL THE "THERS(’

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CURRENT AFFAIRS cover story

)I Do*’t H+ e A Switc- T-+t I C+* Pre.. A*/ M+0eT-i* . H+22e*’It is ele4tion year 8or /ihar and 'hie8 Minister %itish umar is 8eeling 4om8ortable The big it4h 8orhim is the 9ork ethi4 he brings to /ihar and its e88e4t +ere, he e: lains ho9 /ihar is going about thebig three ; in estment, edu4ation and hunger ; and 9hy he thinks the 'entre may not be toohel 8ul

H3* er i* Bi-+r i. too 4+.ic +* i..3e to 4e 0e2t +.i/e$ !e .+w + 5+6i7ycoo0i* +*/ e+ti* t-e .0i* o5 + o+t$ How 7o* wi77 yo3 t+0e to re+c-t-i. Bi-+r( There is great %o&erty in Bihar. More %eo%le li&e $elow the %o&erty line here

than what the entral go&ernment claims. 4e ha&e made our assessmentand it shows +. crore destitute in Bihar. The entre says there are <- lakh%eo%le $elow the %o&erty line in Bihar. /! we ha&e to reach the hungry, the$iggest thing is to ha&e clarity on %o&erty.

So, -ow 7o* 4e5ore t-e .t+r i* et 5oo/(9et me e=%lain how it works. Our teams go $y names in the list o! !amilies$elow the %o&erty line. 4e say +. crore names must $e on the list. The

entre says there are <- lakh %eo%le. How can / reach these %eo%le whenwe cannot agree on how many destitute there areA The states don1t run theP(). /t all de%ends on the entral go&ernment. /! the %oor are to getsu$sidised !ood so they don1t eat animal skin, we must agree on who toreach. 4e are the su!!erers. / wrote to the entre on a !ood security law.

/ told them to identi!y the BP9 !amilies i! they are not satis!ied with our sur&eys. But, it cannot $e thatthe entre takes the credit !or a !ood security law and we get the a$uses $ecause %eo%le say theirnames are not on the list o! BP9 !amilies.

&re.- i* e.t6e*t c+* i*53.e 7i5e i*to +* 3*/er/e e7o2e/ eco*o6y$ Bi-+r i. 6+0i* + .erio3.2itc- 43t t-e 4i i* e.tor. /o*’t .ee6 to 4e co6i* $ !-y i. t-i. .o( Big in&estors are interested in two areas in BiharF thermal %ower and ethanol. Thermal %ower %lantscannot come u% without coal. oal needs water and water is a state issue. But now, they ha&estarted a new system o! seeking clearance !rom the central water resources ministry. This ministryhas said that the 2anga $asin water will not $e a&aila$le !or coal. /n Bihar, there is only the 2anga$asin. 4hat else is thereA

/! they o$ject to water !or thermal %lants, how can in&estments comeA 9ikewise, the %ro%osal tomake ethanol !rom sugarcane is %ending with the entre since :. Things are not mo&ing$ecause o! the entre.

I* e.tor. .+y 7+*/ i. + 2ro47e6 i* Bi-+r$ T-ey +7.o .+y yo3 +re too c+3tio3. + c-ie5 6i*i.terto -e72$4hy should / ac>uire land !or themA 4e are ac>uiring land !or roads, railways and $ridges. 4e areo!!ering hea&y com%ensation !or that. 4e are ac>uiring !ar more land now than in the %ast !or %u$lic%ur%oses. 's !ar as %ri&ate in&estors are concerned, we ask them to negotiate on their own. /! weget into the %icture, there will $e two issues. One, the land cost will $e more $ecause we ac>uirea!ter %aying a he!ty com%ensation. There!ore, our land will include the charges we %ay !or ac>uiringand the de&elo%ment cost. )econdly, we can only o!!er land on lease. /! the %ri&ate in&estorsnegotiate on their own, they can get the land title on their name. Besides, K4estL Bengal is ne=t door.Ha&en1t "andigram and )ingur ha%%ened thereA You may ha&e met the window sho%%ers, who arenot really interested. They look !or ali$is. "o real in&estor has asked us to ac>uire land. Only thenon0serious in&estors are com%laining.

E/3c+tio* i. +*ot-er 2ri6+ry i..3e$ Yo3 rew 32 +. + c-i7/ i* Bi-+r$ How i. it /i55ere*t 5orc-i7/re* *ow( The $iggest change is that we are sending children to school. There were - lakh children out o!



school when we came to %ower. "ow, that !igure has come down to less than eight lakh. The secondchange is that we are trying to o!!er them >uality education once they are in school so thatattendance im%ro&es. 4e must ha&e good midday meals and good teachers to im%ro&e attendance.)o, we are !ocusing on teacher training and management o! midday meals. 4e ha&e just $eguntraining , teachers with the hel% o! /2"O6. You must remem$er that / don1t ha&e a switch that/ can %ress and make things ha%%en. 4e can only tackle things one $y one.

Things are $etter than in the %ast, $ut we ha&e to do !ar more. 4e ha&e $een success!ul in gettinggirls into schools $y gi&ing them school dresses and money. 4e $egan gi&ing $icycles to highschool students, $oys and girls. 'll students $etween lasses and - are gi&en 7s - a year,whiche&er community they come !rom, !or school uni!orm.

"*ce i* .c-oo7, t-e i*te77i e*ce 7e e7. o5 c-i7/re* 4eco6e + 5+ctor$ T-ere +22e+r. to 4e + 7+c0o5 i*te77ect3+7 c+2+city i* Bi-+r to/+y$ This is not a Bihar0centric %ro$lem. You will !ind it elsewhere also. The whole country lacksintellectual de%th. But, the children o! Bihar are ahead o! others in learning languages and math. /1dlike to remind you that we ha&e only now $egun to work in Bihar. Peo%le had lost the ha$it o!working. "ow, they are starting to work again. )o, don1t look !or solutions e&erywhere. You can1t dothird and !ourth stage e&aluation now.

Our %riority was to see that no children stay out o! school. 4e ha&e o%ened +-, new schools andrecruited two lakh teachers. Yet, there are eight lakh children still out o! school. 4e !ound that !i&elakh are either !rom Maha (alit !amilies or !rom the Muslim community. They need s%ecial care.

4e ha&e o%ened centres where we kee% these children and %re%are them !or school. 'll thisre>uires constant e!!ort. There was no e!!ort all these years. /t has only $egun now.

T-e 4r+*/i* o5 Bi-+r +22e+r. to 4e etti* .tro* er o3t.i/e I*/i+$ Are yo3 o2e*i* 32 Bi-+rto M+3riti3.( I. t-i. + *ew tre*/ 5or Bi-+r, tyi* 32 wit- + 5orei * co3*try(4e are doing a lot with Mauritius. They will ha&e a consulate here. 4e are willing to %ro&ide landand they are willing to o%en an o!!ice. lose to hal! the %eo%le in Mauritius are o! Bihari origin. / ha&etold the central go&ernment all this. The E=ternal '!!airs Ministry now has to take the initiati&e with%rotocol.

How wi77 it 27+y o3t(Peo%le !rom Mauritius want to trace their roots. 4e are ready to hel% them. The Mauritius PrimeMinister came here and o%ened schools and hos%itals.

&+6i7y 27+y. + /i.2ro2ortio*+te ro7e i* I*/i+* 2o7itic.$ T-e w+y yo3 /e+7 wit- 5+6i7y i./i55ere*t 5ro6 6+*y ot-er 2o7itici+*.$ How /oe. it wor0 wit- yo3(E&eryone has their way o! looking at !amily and %olitics. / am also a %er!ect !amily man $ut what hasthat got to do with anythingA 4hen you get into %olitics, you must treat e&eryone as a !amilymem$er. There isn1t a human $eing on earth without a !amily. But how does that matterA 4e ha&e to$e !aith!ul to the duty and the o%%ortunity we ha&e got. / think many %eo%le ha&e a sense o!insecurity. They !eel they will $e secure only i! their !amily gets em%owered. / ha&e no insecurity. /know death is imminent in e&ery$ody1s li!e. 4hy get insecureA


)Di/ I E+t U2 Bi-+r Li0e Ter6ite(’%ight 8alls early in 1atna these days and there.s a biting 9ind as 9ell )alu 1rasad, the man 9hosaid he 9ould be rime minister one day, is 9earing thermals and a heran This is the o88i4ialresiden4e o8 the )eader o8 the $ osition o8 /ihar (ssembly and the name late sho9s his 9i8e,"abri De i.s name There.s a bon8ire going in the 4ourtyard and an attendant is busy gi ing )alu a

edi4ure <The 8eet get hard,= he says

(nother attendant is busy rubbing toba44o on his alm 8or )alu.s ne:t 8i: ( third attendant is4lut4hing a hand8ul o8 a ers, hoto4o ies o8 data to rubbish %itish umar.s 4laims o8 gro9th )aluis still a natural, trans8orming the moment he sees a 4ro9d

/ut, there.s a sense that this year.s /ihar ele4tion may be a huge test There 9ere about >00



eo le 8or his Makar &ankranti lun4h o8 4urd, 8lattened ri4e, otato 4urry and a s9eet made o8sesame seeds and sugar That is 8ar 8e9er than 9hen he lorded o er /ihar +e ans9ers a 8e9?uestions

!-+t’. yo3r t+0e o* t-e rowt- o5 Bi-+r 3*/er Niti.- K36+r(The )O ? entral )tatistical Organisation@ has retracted the growth!igures that you re!er to. How can you com%are Bihar to 2ujaratwhen the agriculture sector, the %rinci%al acti&ity in Bihar, has $een%er!orming negati&ely !or three o! the %ast !i&e yearsA an yougrow o&ernightA / am not a child. / ha&e $een in %ower !or +- years.(on1t / know how things are doneA

I. it +* i773.io* t-e*((oes "itish #umar ha&e a magic wand that he can wa&e andtrans!orm e&erythingA /t seems that Manmohan )ingh and BarackO$ama should learn !rom "itish #umar. "itish must $e gi&en the"o$el Prize, it a%%ears. The growth story is an illusion created $ymedia and go&ernment hy%e. /t will take a long time in Bihar. 4eare not dealing with !airytales.

!-+t +4o3t yo3( Yo3 -+/ 1 ye+r.$Bihar is a com%le= state where you ha&e to know how to takee&eryone along. / tolerated humiliation. / went to %rison. They said / had swallowed !odder. (id / eatu% Bihar like a termiteA / ga&e dignity to the des%erately %oor. / did all that / could as railwayminister. "ow, they want to run down e&erything / did. 9et them...

Niti.- +22e+r. to -+ e 7e+r*e/ 5ro6 yo3r e82erie*ce$ "itish #umar is a toy in the hands o! the u%%er castes. /t takes a lot to run Bihar. "itish will alsolearn. / am the &oice o! the $roken and the destitute. You ha&e seen, at the lunch, the kind o!%eo%le who come to me. 4ho else will treat them with res%ectA 9alu is not done.

!-+t *ow(4e will hit the streets. 4e will hold the go&ernment, $oth at the state and the entre, accounta$le!or the %rice rise. You will see what 9alu is made o!. You will see how hollow the claims o! growthare.


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26093770 the Truth About Bihar