Nitish urges people to give priority to literacy

Kishanganj, Apr 25: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who felt aghast at the lowest literacy rate of 31 per cent in general, and 18 per cent among women in Kishanganj district, urged the people to accord top priority to impart education among children.

Addressing a gathering here yesterday, Mr Kumar said the state was poised to spend a whopping Rs 59,000 crore over the next five years for laying basic infrastructure for the development of roads, irrigation, healthcare and other important areas.

He said he had envisioned a Bihar where people would not migrate to other states barely for the sake of earning two square meals a day. He said, ''the Biharis are not just very industrious but also far more meritorious and brilliant.'' He said the industrialists and corporate houses had expressed desire to invest in the state after his meeting with them in Patna on Monday.

UNI