The decline of Bihar started with the foreign invasion in the Middle Ages when Bihar was being torn apart with the external invasions and internal agitation. This period ended with India, and precisely, passing under the domain of the British.
British followed an expansionist policy. They never bothered about the standard of living of the common people. In fact, it was the duty of the local rulers to keep a watch on the well-being of the common people. But, as a matter of fact, they turned out to be selfish. Therefore, the condition of Bihar government and politics deteriorated even further.
Even today, the condition of Bihar government and politics has not improved. It is, indeed, very unfortunate that Bihar, in spite of being a great deposit of mineral resources is still lying in the dungeon of poverty.
It was Bihar, where Gandhi had launched his first struggle of independence. But, if we look at the socio-economic or socio-politico condition of Bihar, it still is in that nascent state.
Furthermore, government and politics of a state determines the future of a place; therefore, it can be said that Bihar government and politics has chalked this weak image of Bihar out.
Bihar Commissions
There are 2 major Bihar Commissions. These are Bihar Public Service Commission and Bihar State Election Commission. Both these Bihar Commissions carry out very important functions of the state of Bihar. Some important information about these two major Bihar Commissions are given below.
Bihar Commissions: Bihar Public Service Commission: The Bihar Public Service Commission, one of the 2 major Bihar Commissions carries out the following duties:
- To select persons who can man the various posts and services of the state government..
- Recruitment to posts and services under the state by conducting competitive examinations.
- Recruitment to posts and services under the state government by selection which is done through interviews.
- To advise on the suitability of officers for promotion, appointment and transfer-on-deputation.
- To advise the government on all affairs related to recruitment methods in various posts and services.
- Disciplinary action related to different civil services.
- Miscellaneous matters ranging from reimbursement of legal expenses to grant of special pensions.
Bihar Commissions: State Election Commission: The Constitution of India has given Bihar State Election Commission the direction, superintendence and control of the preparation of Electoral rolls and process of conduct of elections by Rural and Urban Local Bodies.
Bihar Government
Bihar Government have been playing a very significant role over years in the overall development of the state of Bihar. The government of Bihar has been divided into several departments for efficient execution of work.
The chief minister in Bihar Government is Nitish Kumar. He has twice become the chief minister in Bihar Government in 2000 and 2005. He is an agriculturist and also an engineer. He is successful as a political and social worker. From 1974 to 1977, he has been an activist of JP Movement. The chief minister was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) in 1974 and during emergency in 1975. The chief minister is the founder-member of Samata Party Movement.
The governor in Bihar Government is Ramkrishnan Suryabhan Gavai. He is the president of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Shiksha Prasarak Mandal, Amravati and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti, Deeksha Bhoomi, Nagpur. By profession, he is an agriculturist. He has taken part in freedom struggle. The governor has to his credit various educational institutes including high schools and colleges (arts, law, commerce, science, and MBA) as well as hospitals. He has worked as the vice-president and member of Maharashtra Branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Executive Committee of World Fellowship of Buddhists.
The major departments and institutions in Bihar Government are:
- Energy
- Finance
- Health
- Board of Revenue
- Medical Education and Family Welfare
- Food and Consumer Protection
- Human Resource Development
- Commercial Taxes
- Disaster Management Industries, and
- Information and Public Relations.
Chief Minister of Bihar
At present, the prestigious position of Bihar Chief Minister is held by Nitish Kumar, an eminent politician of the Janata Dal United (JD-U) party. He is mostly famous for his development initiatives for Bihar.
Early life and education of Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar was born in Bakhtiarpur in Patna district, Bihar on March 1, 1951. His father was Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh and his mother was Parmeshwari Devi. Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh fought for the freedom of India and was an associate of Anugrah Narayan Sinha, a Gandhian leader who is considered to be one of the pioneers of contemporary Bihar. Nitish Kumar is also popularly known as Munna.
He is an alumnus of National Institute of Technology, formerly known as Bihar College of Engineering.
He does not smoke, drink, and is a sparing eater.
Political career of Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar is a socialist political leader. His mentors include top-rank politicians like Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, Karpoori Thakur, George Fernandes, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, and SN Sinha.
In the beginning, Nitish Kumar took part in the campaign led by Jayaprakash Narayan during 1974-1977. His electoral journey first became successful when he was elected as a legislator in 1985. He won the election as an independent.
Nitish Kumar was nominated as the President of the Yuva Lok Dal, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Lok Dal. Subsequently, he was chosen as the Secretary General of the Janata Dal in the state. Nitish Kumar made his entry to the 9th Lok Sabha in 1989. The same year, Kumar won the berth of the Union Minister of State for Agriculture in the V.P. Singh Government. He again won the Parliamentary Polls in 1991. Nitish got the position of the Deputy Leader of Janata Dal in the Upper House and General Secretary of the Janata Dal.
From 1989 to 2004, his Parliamentary Constituency was Barh, a subdivision of the Patna District.
In 1998, Nitish Kumar became the Union Cabinet Minister for Railways and Minister for Surface Transport and then the Minister for Agriculture in 1998-99. As Minister for Railways, he did a commendable job and developed the infrastructure of railways phenomenally.
From 2001 to May 2004, Nitish Kumar served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Railways in the National Democratic Alliance regime under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In the Parliamentary Elections of 2004, he participated from Nalanda and Barh, two separate constituencies. Nitish won from Nalanda but could not win from his conventional stronghold Barh. Nitish was nominated as the floor leader of JD(U) in the Parliament.
As Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar became Bihar Chief Minister on three occasions and the terms are given below:
- 1st Term - from March 3, 2000 to March 10, 2000
- 2nd Term - from November 24, 2005 to November 24, 2010
- 3rd Term - from November 26, 2010 - till date
- "India's Person of the Year", rated by Forbes in 2010
- NDTV Indian of the Year in the field of Politics in 2010
- NDTV Indian of the year in the field of Politics in 2009
- "Indian of the Year Award" rated by CNN-IBN in the field of Politics in 2010
- 'Polio Eradication Championship Award' by Rotary Internationals in 2009.
- "Business reformer of the Year 2009" rated by the Economic Times
- The Best Chief Minister, as rated by the Hindustan Times State of the Nation Poll 2007 and CNN-IBN.
- Great Indian of the Year rated by CNN-IBN in the field of Politics in 2008
- He took part in the first assembly polls as a Janata Party candidate in 1977
- From 1985 to 1989, he served as a member of the state legislative assembly and this was his first term in Bihar Assembly
- Nitish Kumar was a member of the Committee on Petitions of the state legislative assembly from 1986 to 1987.
- He was president of the Yuva Lok Dal in the state from 1987 to 1988.
- He was member of the Committee on Public Undertakings in the state assembly from 1987-89.
- He became the Secretary General of Janata Dal in the state in 1989.
- He became a Member of Parliament in the 9th Lok Sabha Elections in 1989. This was his opening term in the Parliament
- He was member of the House Committee from 1989 to 1990. However, he quit the post later.
- He became the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Co-operation and served from April 1990 to November 1990.
- He again won the General Elections in 1991 and this was his second term in Lok Sabha
- He served as the General Secretary of Janata Dal from 1991 to 1993.
- He was elected as the Deputy Leader of Janata Dal in Lok Sabha.
- He was a member of the Railway Convention Committee from December 1991 to May 1996.
- He was nominated as the Chairman for the Committee on Agriculture from April 1993 to May 1996.
- He won the parliamentary elections in 1996 and was a member of the 11th Lok Sabha.
- Nitish Kumar was a member of the Committee on Estimates in the Lok Sabha.
- He also served as a member of the General Purposes Committee.
- He served as a member of the Joint Committee on the Constitution during his third term in the Parliament.
- He was member of the Committee on Defense from 1996 to 1998.
- He contested the 1998 Parliamentary Elections and was elected. This was his fourth term in the Parliament.
- Nitish Kumar was given the responsibility of the Union Cabinet Minister for Railways from March 1998 to August 1999.
- He also served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport (additional charge) from April 1998 to August 1999.
- In 1999, he contested the General Elections and emerged victorious once more. This was his fifth term in the Parliament.
- He served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport from October 1999 to November 1999.
- He was given the responsibility of the Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture from November 1999 to March 2000.
- He served as the Chief Minister of Bihar just for seven days in the year 2000.
- He served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture from May 2000 to March 2001.
- He served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture with additional charge of Railways from March 2001 to July 2001.
- He continued his tenure as the Union Cabinet Minister for Railways from July 2001 to May 2004.
- He contested the 2004 Parliamentary Elections and was successful in becoming a Member of Parliament for the sixth time.
- He served as a member of the Committee on Coal and Steel in the 14th Lok Sabha.
- He was also a member of the General Purposes Committee.
- He was nominated as a member of the Committee of Privileges.
- He was elected as the leader of the floor for Janta Dal (United) in the Parliament.
- He served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from November 2005 to November 2010 (31st CM of the state).
- He is currently serving as the Chief Minister of the state from November 2010 till date as the 32nd CM of the state.
Governor of Bihar
The governor of Bihar is Ramkrishnan Suryabhan Gavai. He is the president of two organizations- Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Shiksha Prasarak Mandal, Amravati and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti, Deeksha Bhoomi, Nagpur. He is an agriculturist by profession. He has participated in freedom struggle. The governor runs various high schools, colleges (arts, law, commerce, science, and MBA), and hospitals. He has been the vice-president and member of Maharashtra Branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Executive Committee of World Fellowship of Buddhists Member.
- Date of Birth: 30th October, 1929
- Place of Birth: Village Darapur in the district of Amravati in Maharashtra
- Father's Name: Suryabhanji Gavai
- Spouse's Name: Kamaltai Gavai
- Educational Qualification: BA
- Educational Institutes: Vidarbha Mahavidyalay and Nagpur University in Amravati, Maharashtra
- Permanent Address: 44, Kamalpushpa, Congress Nagar, Amravati, Maharashtra - 444601
- Present Address: 151, MP Flats, North Avenue, New Delhi-110001
- Phone: (0612) - 2226207
Important Positions Held by Bihar Governor:
1998-99: Member of Committee on Urban and Rural Development and Member of Consultative
Committee under Ministry of Agriculture
1998: Elected in 12th Lok Sabha
1986-88: Opposition Leader in Maharashtra Legislative Council
1978-84: Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council
1968-78: Deputy Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council
1964-94: Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council
Books Published:
5-Year Plan in relation to the Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes
Facilities to Buddhists converted from Scheduled Castes
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar... Deserved the thanks of the country
Reports on Employment Guarantee
Report for Eradication of Leprosy
Awards Won by Bihar Governor:
- National Integration awards for peace and harmony
- Kusta Mitra Award
Political Parties in Bihar
Presently, the state of Bihar comprises of two chief political formations: National Democratic Alliance, which includes Janata Dal, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party. There are numerous other Bihar Political Parties like Lok Janshakti Party, Bihar People's Party and many more.
National Parties:
The national parties have played a significant role in starting Indian independence. These national parties originating from Bihar have proved their presence in the pre-Independence revolt of 1857 to the Quit India Movement of 1942.
Throughout these 60 years of post Independence of India, the national parties in Bihar have been making their root more strong day by day. They have transformed the state of Bihar to a most technically sound and advanced place of the country. The main national party of Bihar, who has got a remarkable contribution towards this transformation of the state, is:
The NDA:
The NDA (National Democratic Alliance) of India is a government spinning around the coalition brought forward by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal. The Janata Dal is an expert flock of the Janata Party. The Lok Dal, together with another group of Congressmen was guided by V. P. Singh. The year 1989 observed the achievement of the desirable acknowledgment of being an authority to be deemed with. Bharatiya Janata Party, the other division of the NDA was formed in 1980. This party was fortunate enough to be led by eminent leaders like Mr. Atal Behari Bajpayee, Mr. Lal Khrishna Advani and many more.
State Parties:
The State Parties in Bihar comprises of some major political parties leading the Bihar Political Parties. The three political parties without which there cannot be any State Parties in Bihar are:
Janata Dal (United):
The Janata Dal (United) is the first and foremost political party of the state of Bihar. This state level political party has been predominant in the state of Bihar as well as Karnataka. This party was formed as a result of the combination of the Samata Party and the earlier Janata Dal (United) on October 30, 2003. The union of these two parties opposes the Rashtriya Janata Dal, one of the prominent State Parties in Bihar.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha:
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is one of the important state level political parties of Bihar. Led by Mr. Shibu Soren, the President of the party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party is quite influential in the state.
Rashtriya Janata Dal:
The Rashtriya Janata Dal came into existence in the year 1997, when Laloo Prasad Yadav left his earlier party Janata Dal. This party in coalition with the Indian National Congress is under the leadership of world famous politician, Laloo Prasad Yadav. During his leadership, the party dominated the whole political domain of Bihar. Laloo Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi even governed the political affairs as the Chief Minister of Bihar. The Indian National Congress was guided by knowledgeable Shrimati Sonia Gandhi. Rashtriya Janata Dal was acknowledged as a nationalized party of Bihar in the year 2008 for its remarkable work in north-eastern India. Though, it was again degraded as one of the state level Bihar Political Parties on July 30, 2010.
Other political parties in Bihar:
To name a few other political parties working in Bihar are:
- Bharatiya Jan Congress
- Bihar People's Party
- Bihar Vikas Party
- Kisan Vikas Party
- Krantikari Samyavadi Party
- Rashtrawadi Kisan Sanghatan
- Samajwadi Krantikari Sena
- Sampurna Vikas Dal
Ministries in Bihar
Ministries in Bihar Legislative Assembly is one of the largest in India. The number of ministries have been toned down from what it used to be in the times of the previous RJD government. The present ministries of Bihar amounts to 28. It includes the new Health and Family Welfare joining the previous departments. A legislation was brought in the Union cabinet to cut down on the size of the ministries at Bihar for a smooth and more efficient running of the government departments. Every party welcomed the move and it was accepted. The move was to cut down on the existing size of the ministries by a margin of 15 %.
A total number of 15 cabinet ministers and ten ministers of state look after the departments. A smooth running of all the departments is integral for a smooth running of the state's administrative policy. Headed by the Bihar Legislative Council and the Bihar Legislative Assembly, the departments are devoted for the all round development of the state. The Governor's Secretariat and the Dy. Chief ministers office are responsible for the executive. A smooth coordination is expected between the Bihar ministries to take the state out of the law and problems that the state lately felt and also to improve the civil and financial infrastructures of the state.
A list of the ministries of Bihar is provided below
- Environment and Forest
- Food and Consumer Development
- Commercial Taxes
- Energy
- Disaster Management
- Environment and Forest
- Human Resource Development
- Law
- Revenue and Land Records
- Labor, Employment and Training
- Industry
- Minority Welfare
- Information and Public Relations
- Registration
- Public Health Engineering
- Planning
- Science and Technology
- Road Construction
- Transport
- Science and Technology
- Urban Development
- Sugarcane
- Tourism - Discover Bihar
- Welfare
- Water Resources
- Youth, Art and Culture
Secretariat departments of Bihar
Secretariat departments of Bihar work under Bihar ministries for an effective running of the state's governance. The various departments are particularly focused towards an all over development of Bihar. All secretariat departments in Bihar are ultimately under the supervision of a minister and directly function under a secretary and a deputy secretary responsible for the smooth operation of the department.
The directorates and the regional levels of the departments function under the secretariat departments. The Bihar secretariat departments not only cover every important aspect of the civic life of the inhabitants of the state successfully, but also provide important guidelines and directions for the government to plan and systematize their activities.
The Bihar state legislature consists of 15 cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state. Many ministers are in charge of more than one department among the 26 secretariat departments of the state. Bihar's secretariat departments coordinate the operations of the state legislature and the executive, as well as act efficiently to finally put into practice the laws laid down by the legislature. There have been a complete overhaul in the layout of the Bihar secretariat departments under the present legislative assembly with Sri Nitish Kumar as the chief minister. A list of the secretariat departments of Bihar are provided below:
- Energy
- Commercial Taxes
- Finance
- Food and Consumer Protection
- Disaster Management
- Board of Revenue
- Environment and Forest
- Health and Family Welfare
- Industry
- Law
- Human Resource Development
- Information and Public Relations
- Revenue and Land Records
- Labor, Employment and Training
- Public Health Engineering
- Minority Welfare
- Planning
- Registration
- Science and Technology
- Transport
- Road Construction
- Rural Development
- Urban Development
- Tourism
- Water Resources
- Youth, Art and Culture
- Welfare
Last Updated on 30 March 2012
