Stage set for Rath Yatra celebrations in Patna

An artist was giving final touches to the chariot of Lord Jagannath for the Rath Yatra to be taken out from International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon ) temple in Patna on July 1. Preparations were in full swing for the Rath Yatra which is being taken out after a gap of two years due to Covid pandemic.  Along with Lord Jagannath, Lord Baldev and Goddess Shubhadra  will be on the chariot. A large number of devotees are expected to participate in the Rath Yatra.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddqui

Protest against Agnipath scheme continues

CPI-ML (Liberation), RJD and Congress MLAs and MLCs staged demonstration outside Bihar Assembly on the last day of the monsoon session of the state legislature demanding to pass a resolution against the Agnipath scheme in Patna on June 30, 2022. 

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

 

Massive fire breaks out at Hathua market in Patna

Patna, June 30, 2022: A massive fire broke out in Patna's Hathua market early Thursday morning. About 15 garment shops were gutted causing loss of property worth crores. As many as 18 fire tenders were pressed into service to bring the fire under control. However, it took more than six hours to tame the leaping flames.  

The cause of the fire is yet be ascertained. In the midst of bad weather, the reason for this horrific fire is being attributed to a short circuit while it is also said that the fire caused due to a lightning strike. 

A local resident said that lightning struck a parked bike in the wee hours of  Thursday and flames started increasing rapidly. It caught the nearby shops. When the fire department got information about the incident, several fire tenders reached the spot. Firefighters were engaged in extinguishing the fire, but even after a lot of efforts, when the fire could not be controlled, some more fire tenders were called to the spot.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 

Patna records 102 new Covid positive cases

Patna, June 29, 2022: Patna reported 102 new Covid positive cases on Wednesday. It was bit less than 124 cases that were reported on Tuesday. With this, the number of active patients in the district has reached 569. These new cases have been found from 47 areas of the district. Nine patients each were from Khajpura and Shastri Nagar.

In view of the increasing Covid cases in Patna, the district administration has decided to open the Covid Center at Kangan Ghat. Treatment of such Covid patients will start at this center from Friday, who do not want to stay at home and get their treatment.  At present 100 beds have been kept in this center, but if needed, the number of beds will be increased to 200. Patna district magistrate Dr Chandrashekhar Singh said that the Covid Center at Kangan Ghat will be opened from Friday.

Meanwhile, the health department has asked to investigate with more focus on people coming from Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, UP and Karnataka. It has been asked to focus on increasing testing, tracking, treatment, vaccination and following Covid rules. The health team has been asked to identify people coming from such places and do genome sequencing.

In the last 24 hours, 178 new Covid cases were found in the state. After Patna, 10 new cases have been recorded in Darbhanga, eight in Gaya, seven in Banka, four in Khagaria, three each in Araria, Saharsa and Muzaffarpur, two each in Katihar, Munger, Rohtas and Saran and Arwal, Aurangabad, Bhojpur, Buxar, Jehanabad, Madhepura, Madhubani and Nalanda. The number of active patients has now increased to 933.

Fair Price Dealers Association holds meeting

 Fair Price Dealers Association held a meeting in Patna on June 29, 2022 to discuss their problems.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 

35000 teachers to be appointed soon in Bihar schools

Patna, June 30, 2022: Bihar education Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday that more than 35000 teachers and physical education and health instructors (physical teachers) will be recruited soon.  He said 30000 teachers will be recruited in higher secondary schools by July. There will be an eligibility test for the recruitment of 5000 posts of instructor. Replying on behalf of the government on the demand of supplementary budget in the house, the minister tabled the expenditure on education and the efforts of the government.

He told the House that process was on to give appointment letters to 30000 teachers but due to the matter in the court, the recruitment programme had to be changed. Now a new programme has been released. By the end of July, 30000 posts of secondary-higher secondary teachers will be appointed. About 8386 posts of Physical Education and Health Instructor have been sanctioned. There is one post in each middle school. About 1500 instructors have been appointed. Rest is under process. We are going to make arrangements for the appointment of qualified candidates of physical education. 

Meanwhile opposition parties including RJD staged walk out from the House demanding a resolution in the House against the Agnipath scheme implemented by the union government. 

Photo caption: MLAs of the opposition parties staged demonstration outside Bihar Assembly in Patna on June 29, 2022. 

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 

Rain brings misery for citizens

Many areas of Patna including Patliputra Telephone Exchange, in front of Loyola School and Bihari Sao Lane witnessed water-logging after brisk rainfall in city on June 29, 2022. 

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 

 

Rain lashes Patna

 After a dry spell coupled with heat and humidity, moderate to heavy rains lashed Patna on June 29, 2022. The rain caught the commuters off guard. 

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Students stage rally to gherao Bihar Assembly in protest against Agnipath scheme

 An united front of students organisations took out a rally in Patna to gherao the Vidhan Sabha demanding roll back of Agnipath scheme of the central government for recruitment of Agniveer in Army, Navy and Air Force in Patna on June 29, 2022.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 

Tejashwi offers sweets to AIMIM MLAs for joining RJD

Leader of Opposition in Bihar legislative assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav offered sweets to four AIMIM MLAS who switched their allegiance and joined RJD in Patna on June 29, 2022.

Photo: Aftab Aalam Siddqui

Four AIMIM MLAs of Bihar join RJD

Patna, June 29, 2022: In a major setback to Asaduddin Owaisi’s  All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), four  out of its five MLAs have joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) here on Wednesday. With this, RJD has emerged as the single largest party in the Bihar Assembly with 80 members.  Earlier, RJD had 76 MLAs. 

Earlier, BJP was the single largest party in the state assembly with 77 MLAs. Except for AIMIM state president and Amour MLA Akhtarul Iman, the four other party legislator, Muhammed Izhar Asfi (Kochadamam), Shahnawaz Alam (Jokihat), Syed Ruknuddin (Baisi) and Azhar Nayeemi (Bahadurgunj) joined the RJD.  Before this development, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had met with four AIMIM MLAs in the room of Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Sinha.

Although, AIMIM contested the elections in 2015 but was not successful. AIMIM got its first success in the Lok Sabha elections in the year 2019 in Kishanganj seat. This time AIMIM gave 16 tickets out of 20 to Muslims. 

Photo caption: The four AIMIM MLAs of Bihar posed for a photograph with RJD leader Tejashwi  after joining the RJD in Patna on June 29, 2022. 

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddqui 

Sunshine School holds seminar on Career Growth Post Class 12

Patna, June 25, 2022: Private School and Children Welfare Association in association with Sunshine Prep/High School Muzaffarpur organized a conference on Career Growth Post Class 12 at the school hall in Muzaffarpur recently.

Anant Kishore Sharan, director police, ministry of home affairs was the chief guest and he inaugurated the function.  Syed Shamael Ahmad, president Private  School and Children Welfare Association and Vivek Kumar, former district governor of Rotarty 3520 were the guests of honour. 

Speaking on the occasion, Anant Kishore said that students should not only keep their focus only on education but also on overall development. He said schooling not only limited to study only but it also help build good personality and inculcate values. 

Dr Pallavi Sinha of Raja Bhasa Hindi Prachar Simit also expressed her views on he morale duty of the students in contemporary society.

President of Sunshine School Kumar Pranay was also present on the occasion.