Bihar floods: 160 people killed, 5.4 million people affected

As many as 160 people have died and 5.4 million others affected due to floods in Bihar this year, a disaster management official said on Tuesday.

The Disaster Management Department Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Vipin Kumar Rai said that as many as 20 districts of Bihar have been affected with floods of which the river Ganga has wreaked havoc in ten districts like Patna, Bhojpur, Buxar, Saran, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Vaishali, Begusarai. 

The Disaster Management Department has provided compensation to the kins of victims of floods, while the affected people have been shifted to safer places, he said.

Relief and rehabilitation works have been launched on war footing and one quintal foodgrain provided to each family in 20 flood-affected districts, Rai said, adding till date 2.9 lakh quintal foodgrain has been distributed among the affected people.

Besides, Rs 1,500 cash has also been given to all affected family, the OSD said, adding Rs 24.32 crore has been distributed among the flood-affected people till date.

A total of 50,550 polythene sheets have been distributed among the flood-affected people, while 2,799 boats pressed into service for ferrying the affected people from one place to another, he said.

Teams of state disaster response force and national disaster response force have been deployed to bring the flood-affected people to safer places, Rai said.

With regard to flood situation in Patna, he said the situation was under control and being monitored at the level of the chief secretary on day-to-day basis.

A safety wall has been created from Nasriganj to Ranighat, while 20 sluice gate and porous points at 130 places have been sealed to prevent flood-water from spreading to the state capital, he said.

PTI

Fastest growth of migrants from Bihar to Delhi in recent years

Patna,(BiharTimes): Notwithstanding tall claims that migration from Bihar has slowed down a recent study suggests that it saw a big rise in one decade, so far at least moving to Delhi is concerned. 

According to the the Institute for Human Development (IHD) for the Delhi government as part of Delhi’s Human Development Report 2013 (DHDR) survey the biggest change in the migrant profile is from Bihar. Migrants from this state have shot up from 14 per cent in 2001 to nearly 31 per cent in 2013.
However, Uttar Pradesh continues to be the state from which the largest share of migrants come to Delhi—about 47 per cent, up from about 43 per cent in 2001. 

A Perceptions Survey of 8,029 persons give an indication of the changing face of Delhi. People who came to Delhi up to 20 years ago were considered migrants for the survey. The bulk of migrants still give job related factors for coming all the way to Delhi.

The survey said there is an increasing proportion that gives 'education and training' as the reason. Among those who migrated to Delhi a decade ago, about three-fourths said they came looking for better salaries or employment, while only 18 per cent came for education. 

But the survey said among those who came to Delhi within the last one year, 40 per cent said they were studying while 57 per cent came for job related reasons. 

The IHD study says the national capital has emerged as a centre for the services sector. Its earlier base of industry has eroded. 

Over 85 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product of Delhi comes from the services sector while industry contributes just 14 per cent. The growth of the services sector in Delhi has also brought with it a growth of highly vulnerable, low-paid and informal jobs.

BJP refuses to buy Bihar DGP’s plea on Yasin Bhatkal

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday refused to buy the defence of the state police chief on not taking IM operatives in custody for interrogation to unravel their "Bihar connection" and questioned silence of the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Bhatkal arrest.

"Why Nitish Kumar is silent on Yasin Bhatkal arrest? Abhyanand (Bihar DGP) has been put forward to tell lies about the arrest and concealing the facts," Modi said on twitter.

"Why Bihar police was in haste to get rid of Yasin? IB chief persuaded Bihar to take Yasin in custody, but Bihar police handed him over to NIA," the former deputy chief minister said.

On report appearing in newspapers that Motihari Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar had interrogated Bhatkal and his associate, Modi said "Is East Champaran SP competent to interrogate Yasin? What does he know about Darbhanga module? Without remand, interrogation has no legal sanction."

The BJP leader reaction came after defence of the state government was done by Director General of Police Abhyanand at a press conference earlier during the day.

Modi charged the Nitish Kumar government with seeking to wash its hands off the arrest of Bhatkal and his associate Asadulla Akhtar alias Haddi for "political reasons" (to safeguard its minority votes).

PTI