Nitish seeks PM'S help in resolving grave issues

New Delhi, Jan 31: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the delay in initiating work on the road projects in the state and sought his intervention to resolve the problem over the number of BPL families eligible for coverage under the Targeted Public Distribution System.

The Prime Minister assured all possible help to the state governemnt to resolve the two issues.

Mr Kumar also met Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgulam and invited him to visit Bihar from where his ancestors had gone to Mauritius. He also welcomed the contribution and investment by the people who had emigrated from Bihar. The two leaders discussed the possibility of cultural exchanges and strengthening Bhojpuri and other regional languages of the state.

Talking to reporters after about 15-minutes' meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Kumar said he told Dr Singh about the unnecessary delays in implementing the National Highway projects sanctioned for Bihar. At present, two central agencies--Central Public Works Department and IRCON Ltd--had been assigned the task of constructing these Highways two years ago but they have not yet started the construction work.

He said due to local bodies election in March moral code of conduct would be enforced so the work could not be started again.

After that the rainy season would come so the work would be stalled, he said and demanded that work be either immediately started or assigned to the state government which would complete it.

The Chief Minister also gave a representation to the Prime Minister regarding the anomalies in the figures of the Planning Commision, Rural Development Ministry and Food Ministry regarding the number of BPL families in the state which needed to be covered under TPDS.

Bihar is issuing ration cards and kerosene coupons to BPL families to ensure that they receive their quota of these essential commodities, he pointed out and said that due to the anomaly, about 26 lakh rural BPL families would be left out of the TPDS coverage and the opportunity to meet their minimum nutrtional needs to save off hunger.

''This is resulting in great injustice to these left out families who are living below the subsistence level and is also causing acute unrest in the rural areas.''

The Union Rural Development Ministry recently communicated a limit of 66.32 lakh rural BPL families for Bihar with an additional 10 per cent for the transient poor i.e., almost 72 lakh rural BPL families. However, the Union Food Ministry is allocating the foodgrains for only 65.23 lakh rural and urban BPL families under which only 55 lakh rural BPL families could be covered, he said.

The state, according to the Household Survey conducting on the Planning Commission's recommendation, has about 98 lakh rural and urban BPL families which need to be covered under TPDS.

The matter needs to be resolved to ensure that such large number of poorest families were not deprived of their rightful dues, he said and urged the Prime Minister to increase the foodgrain allocation for the state to cover the 98 lakh BPL families.

Earlier, Mr Kumar had also met Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on the same issue and had sought his help in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also reviewed the detailed Project Report on the proposed Nalanda University and said it should not only have ancient history but also modern studies in all the subject so that the ancient university of learning could have profound impact on the people.

UNI