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It
is heartening to hear and read that the
exhaustive poll conducted across 19 states with
over 14,000 samples covering a large section of
rural India by CNN-IBN and Centre for Studies of
Developing Societies (CSDS) found you as the
most popular chief minister in the country. As
the report goes on, ‘Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar was Number 1 after being elected in
November last year, and the honeymoon period
continues for him - he is still at Number 1.’
There are some more good media reports. The
Central Road Transport and Highway Minister T.
R. Balu, on Friday, acknowledged that things had
vastly improved in Bihar since the NDA
government assumed power in the state; and there
was no complaints of any disruption in the
construction of roads due to road mafia.
And finally, we heard and read mentions of Bihar
in the President’s Independence Day address
right in the beginning. “In the agriculture and
farming sector, more than doubling the
productivity of Rice and Wheat in areas near RP
Channel-5 in Bihar has been achieved through the
TIFAC mission using innovative integrated
farming and marketing methods. These results
have spread to many areas through people’s
efforts and are applicable to the whole of
Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and other areas,
which have similar agro-climatic conditions.
These regions could be transformed into the
granaries of India"
However, I keep on looking for good news from
Bihar with a microscope very day in a hope to
some great happenings as the media gives from
other states, I get disheartened. Perhaps, we
shall have to wait for more time.
I am certain with persons like N. K. Singh in
State’s Planning Commission the things to change
soon. I have few suggestions. You can follow a
little different but useful path.
Bihar has a huge human resource. Can we not
ensure that all of them are skilled in one or
the other trade? Can we not use the excellent
masons, carpenters, electricians, and other
technicians to train our children in the age
group of 10-16 years if we can’t have 100% trade
training for these boys through it is because of
capacity constraints there? Can’t the government
start a set of skill awards at panchayats,
blocks, and district levels for the artisans and
for those who part with their skills with the
younger population freely? Unlike other states,
can’t Bihar lead the country by having a large
number of high standard trade training schools
with capacity that will be sufficient to take
all the children of age between16-18 that wish
to get into them? If necessary, educational
pre-qualification must be relaxed for children
of craftsmen’s community.
Can you not ask each of your DM to take
initiative for an education hub in their
district head quarters? They are smart and young
enough to do this work all on their own. They
can create a campus. They can contact industrial
houses to have quality schools including some
for specialized trade training. Some of the
facilities such as playgrounds, conference hall,
and laboratories can be common to cut down the
cost. Can’t these DMs be the PMs of their
districts as you once told them? Can’t they be
kept to head the district for all the time you
wish? Why can’t their performance be judged by
some development parameters of their districts
such as all the central projects of ‘Bharat
Nirman’ or ‘Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan’? Why can’t
there be a strong competition between the DMs of
districts for various achievements?
If agriculture sector is the strength of Bihar,
why can’t the farmers be encouraged to go for
‘contract farming’ for established corporate if
it cuts out the unscrupulous intermediaries? Let
the farmers prosper.
Bihar must market the advantages of cheap labour
to the investor. However, you are to ensure the
employment flexibility. Investors are also
scared of Bengal type trade unionism or maphia
in industry. Can you isolate the investors from
them? Why can’t Bihar focus on labour ecosystems
that attracts investment and in turn create
jobs?
‘Business World’ has come out with ‘The
TeamLease Labour Competitiveness Survey’.
Unfortunately, Bihar ranks at the bottom. Very
soon ‘India Today’ will publish the rankings of
different states on varying development
parameter. Will your ministers ensure
improvements over the rankings?
You are fortunate to have access to all
successful developmental projects. Your
ministers and officers can follow them. But one
thing is sure unless they are really ambitious,
they can’t bring about a perceptible change in
Bihar.
Can your government decide on 10 major projects
that it will like to be remembered for and that
it is sure of completing in next 4 years so that
we can gauge its performance?
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