Bihar Darpan

Category: Bihar Industry

  • न्यूज नालंदा – डायरिया ने ली बच्ची की जान, कई आक्रांत… –

    रोहित – 7903735887 

    रहुई थाना क्षेत्र के बारांदी गांव में डायरिया से एक बच्ची की मौत हो जाने का मामला सामने आया है। जबकि, कई आक्रांत हैं। कुछ का इलाज सदर अस्पताल व विम्स में कराया जा रहा है। मृतक धर्मेंद्र रविदास की 10 वर्षीया पुत्री रेखा कुमारी है।

    परिवार ने बताया 19 जुलाई को बच्ची की तबियत बिगड़ी। जिसके बाद उसे इलाज के लिए स्वास्थ्य केंद्र लाया गया। 20 को विम्स में इलाज के दौरान बच्ची की मौत हो गई। सदर अस्पताल में मृतक बच्ची की मां सोनी देवी, 5 साल की बच्ची सरिता कुमारी और 7 माह की सुप्रिया कुमारी इलाज है। कुछ अन्य के विम्स में इलाजरत होने की सूचना है।

    सीएस डॉ. अविनाश कुमार सिंह ने बताया कि बारिश के मौसम में डायरिया की बीमारी बढ़ जाती है। जरूरी सावधानी बरतने पर डायरिया से बचा जा सकता है।




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  • Still a ‘silk city’? The Decline of Silk Industry in Bhagalpur

    Still a ‘silk city’? The Decline of Silk Industry in Bhagalpur

    We remain in a custom of glorifying beauties of past, with our reminiscence of the good old days. Dipankar Ghose’s article in The Indian Express drew my attention to the presence of the sobriquet “Silk City”, on the traffic signals, district administration websites, advertisement boards, milestones, and where not, in Bhagalpur. We, unfortunately, couldn’t move beyond this.

    The Decline of Silk Industry in Bhagalpur

    I believe, these are a deliberate attempt of escapism from the fact that we have, at present virtually lost the right and meaning to call Bhagalpur “silk city of India”. Hard to accept? Google ‘silk city of India’. Pochampally leads the search results, followed by some other cities, and Bhagalpur somehow finds its way in some corner, because past glory still has some wisps left behind.  

    The Bihar Spun Silk Mill, at Zero Mile which started functioning in 1972, is now almost entirely in ruins. The mill stopped production in 1993 when its 300 employees stopped getting their salary. It still has traces of hefty Japanese machines, and silk cocoons in its ‘densely forested’ ambit. Few of the erstwhile workers still reside around the industry, looking forward to the Utopian Days when the mill would resume functioning.

    Not a forest; it’s the ambit of the deserted Bihar Spun Silk Mill, at Zero Mile, Bhagalpur

    Why did the silk industry of the silk city decline?

    New centres have emerged in ‘big cities’ like Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, against which Bhagalpur isn’t yet prepared to compete with. There had been chronic power shortages for long, due to which many weavers were forced to sell off their power looms. Ijaz Ahmed, a co-owner at one of the silk manufacturing units in Bihar, speaking to Livemint said that a decent supply of electricity in the town could have cut down the cost of production by almost 25% and increased productivity by almost 50%.

    There has been large-scale migration of weavers to other cities over a period of time, and the government has done little in this regard. Alim Ansari, a member of the Bihar Weavers Welfare Association told the Asian Age that political neglect and government’s indifference has driven loom workers and traditional weavers to other states. Business Standard puts this across firmly and blatantly, “Whatever industries are left in Bhagalpur today are not because of the government but despite it”.

    Weavers are under the debt burden. They take credit from markets but are unable to pay back, as their payments get delayed. The import of silk from China and South Korea has reduced the demand for our Tassar Silk. Added to this is the challenge of a lack of marketing.

    Lack of transport facilities is yet another cause of the decline of the silk industry. Bhagalpur doesn’t have a functional airport and lacks direct connectivity with major South Indian cities. The Roads also are apparently ‘non-perennial’. The demand for Tassar silk coming from Europe and the United States have fallen, owing to logistic problems.

    Business Standard reports that big ‘seths’ from metro cities control the silk trade through local agents. The role of intermediary, therefore, becomes paramount. I wouldn’t refrain from calling such an arrangement a form of neo-feudalism, inherently exploitative towards the working class.

    An ordinary weaver earns only as much as ₹50-70 /day, making 4-5m of silk clothes. Md. Shoaib Ansari told The Indian Express how his income declined from ₹500-600 per day to ₹100/ day and that too from selling vegetables. ANI reports that in Radha Nagar, a centre point of handloom silk work in Bhagalpur, families, despite working 18 hours on a saree earn merely ₹150.

    The decline in education leads to institutional, structural, economic, and social degeneration. This is what the Bihar Institute of Silk and Textile faced. It used to offer a four-year Bachelor of Engineering/ B. Tech degree in Silk and Textile. After severe neglect on the part of the state government, the college was eventually shut down. There have been no concrete plans for its revival thenceforth. The building remains discarded, deserted, partly in ruins.

    The Bihar Institute of Silk and Textile

    In an interview given to Livemint, a top district administration official of Bhagalpur, who didn’t want to be identified revealed that the subsidies Bihar state government gave to the silk-producing units in Bhagalpur were siphoned off by certain groups (the groups weren’t named).

    Law and order situation had also always been a major hampering factor. M.D Agrawal, one of the former chiefs of the local unit of the PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry said that many industrialists, despite coming to Bhagalpur with an aim to deal in silk, left very soon. “Who wants his son to be kidnapped every now and then for ransom?” remarked Agrawal.

     What could be the possible solutions?

     Was the decline inevitable? No. Is revival possible? Definitely yes.

     Ijaz Ahmed further spoke of the threat of large orders being rejected on small quality issues. A better-organized industry would omit the problems of quality issues. Heterogeneity in the form of minor differences would continue, but that would not amount to being rejected on the grounds of quality.  

     Zia Ur Rahman, a weaver from Nagara locality estimates that the worth of the silk industry of Bhagalpur has fallen from over ₹500 crores to under ₹100 crores. While speaking to Business Standard, he urged that the conditions of weavers could improve greatly, if the government provides some capital through banks and schemes made for them, for instance, the Bunkar Credit Cards. 

    Pranav Kumar, DM, Bhagalpur has assured that they are looking at this sector. The long-term plan includes planting trees for cocoons and subsequent availability of raw materials. As short-term plans, they are urging small factory owners to increase work opportunities for weavers.

    In his project report published on ResearchGate, Chandan Kumar has come up with some interesting findings. The report remarks that weavers lack a strong union to negotiate on their behalf to the government and the companies. Very few NGOs or Self-Help Groups are dedicated specifically to weaver’s welfare.

    The Bihar Institute of Silk and Textile needs a revival. Not only would this provide students with an alternative career option, but would also increase the employment opportunities for a manifold section of job-seekers. The institute can work closely in terms of Research and Development with similar institutes across the globe. This would help to increase productivity, develop a new marketing strategy, facilitate direct advertisements, investments and trade.

    Tassar (also spelled as Tussar) Silk of Bhagalpur

    Bhagalpur had once been a prosperous town on the ancient Silk Route, a major trade link between China, India, and Europe. The potential to become a trading centre still exists in the city. Bihar needs to push this forward as a popular mandate, to make sure that political establishment considers this as an exigent point in their manifesto. And we must be hopeful that the city that once used to take pride upon a silk industry with an estimated turnover of around ₹500 crores will regain its lost glory.

    References

    • Bhaskar, Utpal (2009, May 8). Bhagalpur silk industry losing its sheen, Livemint.

    https://www.livemint.com/Politics/O6FfsID95g9wVf1H0SdIXO/Bhagalpur-silk-industry-losing-its-sheen.html  Accessed on 08.07.2020

    • Singh, D.K. (2013, Jan 28). Bhagalpur silk industry, a tale of political neglect, Business Standard.

    https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/bhagalpur-silk-industry-a-tale-of-political-neglect-105102401018_1.html Accessed on 08.07.2020

    • Ghose, Dipankar (2020, July 7). In Bhagalpur silk hub, looms tell a story: ‘95% collapse’, The Indian Express.

    https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-in-bhagalpur-silk-hub-looms-tell-a-story-95-collapse-6476659/ Accessed on 08.07.2020

    • Azad, Nayear (2017, June 9). Bhagalpur silk industry victim of political neglect, The Asian Age

    https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/090617/bhagalpur-silk-industry-victim-of-political-neglect.html Accessed on 18.07.2020

    • Prasad, Archana (2019, April 17). Bihar: Handloom weavers seek govt support to revive ‘dying art’, ANI

    https://www.aninews.in/news/national/features/bihar-handloom-weavers-seek-govt-support-to-revive-dying-art20190417101225/ Accessed on 18.07.2020

    • Kumar, Chandan (May, 2000). Blueprint for Development of Weavers of Bhagalpur, ResearchGate
    • IL&Fs (2007, April 24). A Report on Diagnostic Survey and Business Plans for Handloom Sector in Bihar, department of Industries, Govt. of Bihar.

    http://industries.bih.nic.in/acts/ad-02-24-04-2007.pdf  Accessed on 18.07.2020

    • Sarmistha, Uma (2015). Rural Handloom Textile Industry in Bihar: A Case of Rural Informal Sector.Social Change, Vol. 45(1), pp 107-117.

  • INDUSTRIES IN BIHAR: THE CURRENT FACE

    INDUSTRIES IN BIHAR: THE CURRENT FACE

    Bihar as a state had to face various ups and downs ever since India was set free. This article explores the impact of all those years that this state had to go through in the new era of 21st Century.

    “Development of Industries pave the way for Economical Sunrise”

    Over the years of Independence, by now India started emerging as a strong face among the Developing Nation, targeting to enter the world of Developed Nations. Bihar too, having faced the turbulence in the industrial and economic front, was putting together to keep up with the entire country. 

    Major industries in bihar

    Bihar held strong to the agricultural base that it had since the pre-independence era. The state enjoys a unique location-specific influence because of its vicinity to the vast markets of eastern and northern India, admittance to ports such as Kolkata and Haldia, and to raw material sources and mineral reserves from the neighbouring states.

    The new government that took over analysed these benefits to channel along with the new policies that were set to introduce. This government gave priority to create investment opportunities for big industrial houses, investing well in the industrial growth of the state. There were proposals related to the re-establishment of sugar mills, ethanol, engineering and medical colleges and power production in the state. 

    Industries in bihar – wikipedia

    The early tenure of the new government started smooth and was seen as a ray of hope for the state of Bihar. But soon this rise in the development was challenged by the 2008 depression, followed by natural calamities like Kosi floods, furthermore weakening the state of Bihar. The waves of these calamities managed to wash away the sandcastle of Industrial development that took so long to finally shape up.

    By now Bihar and the people of Bihar had become tough. They knew how to gather the pieces and start over. But this start over was not as easy as it had already been in the past. With the population taking upsurge and the world being connected globally over strong phone networks, people started losing hope in their state’s government and did no longer believe that employment would be easy for them on the lands of their state.

    Consequently, the inflow and outflow of the population were witnessed. The people from the towns and cities migrated to ‘better off’ towns and cities in search of work, and people from villages came to the cities and towns in search of a better and uplifting lifestyle. Since the entire state was turbulent, people assumed that there would be a lot better opportunities in other states.

    Consequently, people from towns and cities along with people of villages started moving to other cities in search of work and hence to achieve the dream of more money. They managed to find work in abundance, but again the quality was compromised and hence, they either had to turn up to become migrant workers, guards, vendors etc. These people often took double, triple shifts to manage their needs in big cities and also to send money home. 

    Industrial growth in bihar

    Bihar surely appears to be coming back to the track of Industrial development, but the process needs a lot of speed. The land of Ashoka the Great, has every ounce of potential to make it up to the leading industrial hub if the investments are done properly. This state has always been a gem which is lying undiscovered. Once identified, it can prove its worth again.

    As a state with immense potential and resources on our side, a booming industrial growth is very much possible for this state has never learnt to bow down no matter how much weight you put on its shoulders. The toil and turmoil of so many years have made this state immune to fighting every calamity with a promise to shine brighter. 

  • STATE OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN BIHAR POST THE 1980s

    STATE OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN BIHAR POST THE 1980s

    More than 30 years into Independence, how did industries shape with further advancement in Bihar? How was Bihar making its way to stand with Developing India? This piece will trace the state of Industrial Growth in Bihar in the 1980s.

    “An area developing should stand strong on the roots of Industries”  

    It was nearly thirty years of India being independent, which in turn meant thirty years of owning up the industries and technologies. This was the time when India stepped up into being one of the Developing Nations, taking planned and strategic steps, trying to make a global space. 
    While the country was putting together it’s 30 years’ of growth, the state of Bihar was tiring hard to start over.

    Industrial growth in bihar

    Primarily fed on the Coal and Steel industry, Bihar saw a decline in other possibly flourishing industries. However, stats suggest that there was significant growth in the Bihar’s GDP rate, and it is said that the economy was one of the fastest-growing in the country. 

    The then 5-Year plan called for a huge amount of investment in Bihar, nearly $4 billion. Now, this translates to $12 per person if the investment is to be mapped with the then population of Bihar. Though the investments were huge, they failed to reach out to the larger mass. Economists alleged that a huge budget deficiency drove inflation, decaying the already low standard of living of the people’s poorest sections from the state.

    STATE OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN BIHAR POST THE 1980s

    This can pretty much be confirmed from the scenario in agriculture. Agriculture was supposed to be the largest sector. Around the early 1980s, the government sank to invest in the production of agriculture and preferably opted to import food grains from other parts of India. This decision helped increase problems faced by agricultural workers in the late 1980s.

    Apart from the strong Agriculture base, Bihar is also known to be rich in mineral resources and forests. More than 40% of India’s coal, 32% of its bauxite, 59% of its copper, 17% of its iron ore, about 80% of its silver, and 60% of its mica comes from Bihar. Bihar and UP are also rich in mineral resources and forests.

    Economy of bihar

    More than 40% of India’s coal, 32% of its bauxite, 59% of its copper, 17% of its iron ore, about 80% of its silver, and 60% of its mica comes from Bihar. Such an extensive rich resource center would point to one to expect that Bihar would be analogously well-off as compared with other mighty states of India. Regrettably, Bihar remains to be trapped in the nets of underdevelopment.

    There have been many efforts made to reduce poverty and expediting economic growth has been the key focus in development. But these efforts were nowhere to be visible. This was primarily the result of the failed attempt at understanding and judging the causes of economic growth. Bihar stood to be different from other states in India.

    Therefore, the growth pattern in other states did not apply to Bihar. It needed some alterations and modifications simply because of the demographical diversity that exists in Bihar. 

    There was a prolonged hindrance in the path of development in Bihar. Not only the industries but the economy as a whole was decreasing instead of growing. Many would point out the corruption that was instilled in the political front, but none of us can deny the fact that true potential of Bihar’s industries and agriculture has been kept under the eye of ignorance.

    There was a false lens of pride which made people and politicians brag with dignity about their state Bihar without actually giving it a chance to grow on its roots.

    Bihar had the potential to grow like a lotus in the mud, but the negligence that our state faced right from the start managed only to reduce it to Mud. Consequently, a potential high yielder bagged the tag of underdeveloped state. 

  • बिहार का बेटा, अनुज झा बना राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट के नॉमिनी मेंबर

    मधुबनी, बिहार के लाल को राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट के नॉमिनी मेंबर बनने पर सारे बिहारवासियों को अपने लाल पर गर्व है। 

    अनुज झा, जो अयोध्या के डी. म. पद पर कार्यरत हैं, को राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट के नॉमिनी मेंबर में शामिल किया गया है। हालाँकि, आइएस (IAS) अफसर अनुज कुमार झा बिहार के मधुबनी के रहने वाले हैं। 39 वर्षीय अनुज झा 2009 बैच के यूपी कैडर के आइएएस (IAS) हैं और यूपी के सबसे अच्छे अफसरो में गिने जाते हैं। अनुज कुमार झा और अवनीश अवस्थी को यू. पी. सरकार की ओर से राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट में नॉमिनी मेंबर्स के रूप में शामिल किया गया है। 

    अयोध्या के डीएम का नाम
    अयोध्या के डीएम का नाम

    अयोध्या के डीएम का नाम

    अनुज कुमार झा पिछले साल ही अयोध्या के D.M. के पद पर कार्यरत हुए थे, और तब से उन्होंने अपने काम को बखूबी निभाया है। जब सुप्रीम कोर्ट का राम मंदिर पर फैसला आने वाला था, तब अयोध्या में लॉ एंड आर्डर को बनाये रखना एक पहाड़ तोड़ने जैसा काम था , लेकिन तब भी  मधुबनी में जन्मे, अनुज कुमार झा ने लॉ एंड आर्डर को बखूबी निभाया था। इसके बाद सीएम योगी आदित्‍यनाथ के निर्देश पर डीएम अनुज झा को यूपी सरकार की फेवरिट अफसरों की लिस्ट में  शामिल किया गया था। अयोध्‍या के पहले अनुज झा बुलंदशहर, कन्नौज, रायबरेली, महोबा आदि जिलों में भी डीएम के पद को बखूबी निभा चुके हैं। 

    मधुबनी, बिहार के लाल को राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट के नॉमिनी बनाये जाने पर मधुबनी जिले के लोग काफी उत्साहित हैं।