Arun Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times. He has spent two-and-half decades covering Bihar, including politics, educational and social issues.
Articles by Arun Kumar
Bihar government moves Patna HC for early hearing on caste survey
The HC hearing took place after the SC observed, while hearing the petitioners, Youth for Equality that the bench should hear the matter on merits before deciding on whether or not to grant interim relief
Updated on May 05, 2023 05:38 PM IST
HC stay on caste survey in Bihar: BJP seeks Nitish’s resignation
BJP’s state unit president Samrat Choudhary was quick to put the blame the HC stay on the Nitish Kumar government, saying the chief minister never wanted it to happen and “enacted a drama for public consumption at the cost of public money”.
Updated on May 04, 2023 09:34 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
JD-U demands ban on Bajrang Dal, Nitish says united opposition will take stand
Political analysts feel the trend of revolving politics around religion and caste would gather momentum in the days to come in Bihar, as well as, elsewhere to set clear-cut agenda ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Updated on May 04, 2023 05:20 PM IST
Bihar secondary school teachers plan statewide protests over pay scale, transfers
Additional chief secretary (education) Dipak Kumar Singh said that the detailed service conditions for teachers were yet to be notified and will be done in due course
Updated on May 02, 2023 12:53 PM IST
‘Now when it suits him…’: Sushil Modi targets Nitish Kumar on jail manual tweak
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Friday responded to criticism over the state removing “murder of a public servant on duty” from the list of offences for which remission of jail term couldn’t be considered
Updated on May 01, 2023 03:40 PM IST
New pay scale for 1.78 lakh teachers to be hired through BPSC finalised
Though the pay scale is significantly higher than what over 3.5 lakh teachers appointed through the panchayatI raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) since 2006 are currently getting, it is lower than the old prescribed pay scale for teachers, under which around 60,000 still remain in service.
Updated on Apr 30, 2023 09:03 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Noted economist appointed as Nalanda Univ chancellor
Renowned economist Arvind Panagariya has been appointed as the chancellor of Nalanda University, succeeding Dr Vijay P Bhatkar. Panagariya is a professor at Columbia and an expert on the Indian economy. He was also the vice chairman of the Niti Ayog and chief economist at the Asian Development Bank.
Updated on Apr 29, 2023 10:58 PM IST
Pay scale for 1.78 lakh teachers to be appointed through BPSC finalised
Under the new recruitment process, primary teachers (class 1-5) will have a basic salary of Rs.25,000 and the gross with dearness, house rent and medical allowances will come to around Rs.38,000, while for middle schools (class 6-8) the gross salary with Rs.28,000 basic will be around Rs.42,000
Updated on Apr 29, 2023 08:33 PM IST
Nitish Kumar defends release of ex-MP Anand Mohan
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday lashed out at the BJP for kicking up a storm over the release of politician Anand Mohan (of the now defunct Bihar People’s Party) and for “politicising a completely non-political issue”.
Updated on Apr 29, 2023 12:09 AM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Anand Mohan’s release as per norms: Nitish
Nitish Kumar said the release of prisoners on remission was not a new thing and it happens across the country in keeping with the provisions in the Central Prison Manual, 2016.
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 09:27 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Lalu Yadav director of Bihar’s grand alliance, others ‘dummy actors’: BJP leader
The GA is set to host an all-opposition meet after the Karnataka polls, for which chief minister Nitish Kumar has been on an outreach mission and the return of Lalu Yadav could be a key factor
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 04:28 PM IST
Key Opposition meet likely in Bihar after Karnataka polls
Bihar CM’s initiative to get all opposition parties to fight against BJP in the general elections has evoked positive response from several regional satraps.
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 03:27 AM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Three recent decisions by Nitish Kumar may turn Bihar's fate in 2024
Three political developments in Bihar in the past fortnight alone have the potential to play a big role. What are they? HT explains
Published on Apr 26, 2023 09:21 PM IST
BJP targets Nitish Kumar over Anand Mohan’s release, triggers row
A heated political debate ensued on Tuesday, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeting chief minister Nitish Kumar for ‘leaning on a criminal syndicate’
Updated on Apr 26, 2023 12:49 AM IST
Set to walk free, Anand Mohan cites release of Bilkis Bano’s convicts as BJP raises heat
A Rajput leader, Singh, who is out on parole for his legislator son Chetan Anand’s engagement, was awarded life sentence in the case involving the murder of the then district magistrate of Gopalganj, G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer, in Muzaffarpur on December 5, 1994.
Updated on Apr 25, 2023 09:49 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar preps for big fight as Mamata reminds Nitish of JP movement
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday reminded her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar that the movement of Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as JP, had started from Bihar
Updated on Apr 25, 2023 05:55 PM IST
Panchayati Raj Day: How Bihar’s village courts bring down case load on judiciary
A study has found that 87% of cases filed in the village court in Bihar were resolved between 2021-23, with only 10-15% cases landing up in the courts of sessions judge or sub judge for appeal
Updated on Apr 24, 2023 12:44 PM IST
BJP fumes as Bihar’s caste survey exercise hits teaching at Patna schools
Patna district education officer (DEO) Amit Kumar said it was a temporary arrangement decided at a meeting of stakeholders so that school work is not completely disrupted due to the exercise.
Updated on Apr 19, 2023 05:27 PM IST
ED raids offices, seize documents of Agrani Homes Pvt Ltd for cheating homebuyers
The authority had in November last year decided to proceed under the provisions of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 in order to complete the remaining work of the stuck-up project by the association of allottees as registration of the project granted by the authority had already lapsed on December 31, 2019
Updated on Apr 19, 2023 12:31 PM IST
BJP seeks general amnesty for those accused of violating Bihar’s prohibition law
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced a financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased on Monday. On Tuesday, the BJP sought assistance for those who have lost their eyesight due to toxic liquor and a general amnesty for people accused of violating the prohibition law
Updated on Apr 18, 2023 04:44 PM IST
Nitish Kumar takes a swipe at UP on Atiq Ahmad’s murder; BJP hits back
Atiq and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at nearly point-blank range in full media glare by three men posing as journalists in Prayagraj on Saturday night
Updated on Apr 17, 2023 03:23 PM IST
Motihari hooch tragedy: BJP questions CM’s silence on hooch tragedy, Manjhi demands all-party meet
Opposition BJP and partners of the Grand Alliance have criticised the Bihar state government over its inability to control hooch tragedies as the death toll from the Motihari hooch tragedy rose to 22. Although chief minister Nitish Kumar has defended prohibition, the BJP claims such tragedies are happening due to unscrupulous elements. The chief minister has argued that hooch tragedies are a bigger problem in states without prohibition. However, Nitish's ally, the Hindustani Awam Morcha, has called for an all-party meeting to discuss the future of prohibition, arguing that deaths are consistently taking place.
Updated on Apr 16, 2023 11:01 PM IST
No change in new recruitment policy: Nitish
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced that the government will make fresh appointments of teachers under new rules that will give them the status of state government employees and associated benefits while the existing teachers will continue under the prevailing system. The move comes after a joint committee of 28 teachers' associations in Bihar gave an ultimatum to the government to make changes in the new recruitment policy vetted by the state cabinet.
Updated on Apr 14, 2023 10:02 PM IST
Quickly clear retirement dues: Bihar Raj Bhavan orders state universities
Raj Bhawan secretariat joint secretary Praveen Kumar Gupta conveyed governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s emphasis on timely payment of retiral benefits including pension to retired staffers
Updated on Apr 14, 2023 03:19 PM IST
Teachers’ ultimatum: Withdraw new rules or face survey boycott, PK exhorts them to unite
All the teachers’ bodies, including those of the aspirants having qualified different teachers’ eligibility tests of the state government and the Centre, met under one roof in Patna and resolved to issue the ultimatum to the government.
Updated on Apr 13, 2023 10:42 PM IST
Nitish Kumar’s ally Jitan Manjhi meets Amit Shah in Delhi, denies alliance rumours
Jitan Ram Manjhi after his meeting with the home minister asserted that he has sworn to remain with Bihar chief minister and rejected any possibility of joining hands with the BJP
Updated on Apr 13, 2023 07:58 PM IST
Bihar: New rules for teachers’ recruitment stir unrest
New rules, approved by cabinet on Monday, are a clear departure from the current mechanism, in place under the Nitish Kumar government since 2006 and under which nearly 3.5 lakh teachers have so far been appointed through the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs).
Updated on Apr 11, 2023 09:58 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Kids aren’t chattels, says Patna HC while granting girl’s custody to father
The court said the girl will be happier with her father but the situation is not irreversible and would depend on the child’s will in the future
Updated on Apr 11, 2023 10:31 AM IST
Bihar cabinet clears new rules for teachers’ recruitment
Under the new rules, the appointments would be made through a centralised process, unlike before when appointments were made through panchayatI raj institutions, leading to much controversy.
Updated on Apr 10, 2023 10:40 PM IST
Arun Kumar, Patna
Bihar BJP organisational revamp under new leadership on cards
Speculations are rife about the composition of the new teams, as Samrat Choudhary’s elevation to the top position is seen as a message down the line that the party could further work to blend more youth with experience in view of the emerging social and political equations with an eye on the Grand Alliance’s vote arithmetic, which showed its prowess in n the 2015 Assembly elections.
Updated on Apr 09, 2023 10:34 PM IST
