WOMEN'S DAY
The curse of Kala-azar
WOMEN'S DAY : The curse of Kala-azar

Left to fend for themselves while their men look for work elsewhere, poor women find themselves trapped between the quackery of the limited medical attention and the social binds of their families.

#Women's Health #Women
INLAND WATERWAYS
National waterways in need of a new course

The Centre gears up to turn the Kosi and Gandak rivers into commercial waterways. Shripad Dharmadhikary and the Manthan team report on findings from a recent visit to the region.

#Economy #Environment
BLOG: RESISTANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION
Hope in Bihar
BLOG: RESISTANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION : Hope in Bihar

Recently, Ashish Kothari visited some areas in Bihar where interesting things are happening. Under progressive governance and grassroots action by its citizens when these are implemented state-wise, Bihar would be well on the path of progress.

#OP-ED
YOUTH AND ASPIRATIONS
Politics, through the eyes of Bihar’s Dalit students

Initiatives under the ‘My Space My unManifesto’ campaign to bring about a political reawakening and engagement among Dalit youth have led to a new-found consciousness and perspective among them. Manisha Prakash reports.

#Caste #Elections #Society
GANDAMAN
Snapshots of a poisoned future
It has been exactly a month since 23 tender lives were lost as children from a school in Gandaman village of Bihar died due to poisoning of the mid-day meals served at school. Anoo Bhuyan shares poignant shots from the village, capturing the sadness and sombre mood that prevails after the tragedy.
#Children
VISION
An eye for empowerment
Mritunjay Tiwary has brought eyesight to tens of thousands of people through his eye hospital in rural Bihar. But his vision of development extends much farther. Ruchi Choudhary reports.
#Disability #Health
OPINION: POLITICIANS
The lessons of Bihar
OPINION: POLITICIANS : The lessons of Bihar
Citizens of other states also could take hope from the results in Bihar, and demand that their politicians too provide enduring social benefits rather than simply stoking prejudice, writes Ramachandra Guha.
#Ramachandra Guha #OP-ED #A historian's view
PUSHBACK TIME IN BIHAR
They hit back, "and it felt good"
PUSHBACK TIME IN BIHAR : They hit back, "and it felt good"
A public hearing on NREGA in a remote village in Bihar created a confrontation between a leader accused of corruption and the workers who exposed him. Rajesh Veeraraghavan was there and he recorded this story.
#Labour Issues #Panchayats #Human Rights
KOSI FLOODS/NORTH BIHAR
Embankments that doom the people
KOSI FLOODS/NORTH BIHAR : Embankments that doom the people
The periodic floods in the Kosi basin and embankment breaches have landed the people of north Bihar in a perpetual mess. In assembly sessions, politicians discuss flood relief but seldom the cause behind the disasters, reports Surekha Sule.
#Displacement #Environmental Regulation #Environment #Government
NREGS
A new twist to social audits
The district administration in Bihar's Araria district collaborates with a local people's organisation to conduct a social audit of the national employment guarantee scheme. Ashish Ranjan and Purushottam Kumar report.
#Labour Issues #Poverty #Right To Info
CHANGE AND GOVERNMENT
e-Governance impact beginning to show
CHANGE AND GOVERNMENT : e-Governance impact beginning to show
e-Governance initiatives are paying off in states considered as difficult as Bihar, bringing to commoners easier access to public services. Some have been empowered by it to stop their exploitation. Ramesh Menon reports.
#E-Govt #Government
STATE REFORMS
Bihar's bridges, way to a new work culture
In a state dreaded for its work culture environment and record of poor public entrepreneurship, the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam, which was on the verge of being liquidated, has now turned the corner and built over 330 bridges in three years. Ramesh Menon chronicles the inspiring journey.
#Public Funds #Transport #Economy
SMALL TOWNS
Madhubani: The old and the new
The concrete road is a symbol of some development in this northern Bihar town, but it sits oddly with its surrounding landscape. The lack of jobs, the bane of many small towns, has affected Madhubani too, writes Kalpana Sharma.
#Cities #Kalpana Sharma #OP-ED #Kalpana's Commentary
KOSI FLOODS RELIEF
If this isn't hell, what is?
KOSI FLOODS RELIEF : If this isn't hell, what is?

When Neelam Devi and her children stepped into their courtyard, the sight that greeted them was a painful reminder of the Kosi river calamity that had forced them to leave in the first place. Manisha Prakash reports.

#Relief
BIHAR FLOODS - REMEDY
Repairing Kosi’s breaches not a longterm solution
A recent study on the Kosi deluge asserts that embankments are the root cause of the present crises. Only a longterm micro-level study of why the river course is changing along with firm policy decisions can remedy the situation, says Sudhirendar Sharma.
#Environment
  • Population : 124 m (2019 est)
  • Area : 94,163 sq.km.
  • Density : 1325/sq. km.
  • Sex Ratio : 918 (2011)
  • Child Sex Ratio : 935 (2011)
  • Literacy : 70.90% (2020)
  • Forest Cover : 7.76% (2019)
  • Lok Sabha MPs : 40
  • Rajya Sabha MPs : 16