Recently, we have seen several posts, referring to the spectacular economic growth registered by Bihar. Bihar ranks in the forefront among the Indian states in several measures of development. It is indeed a matter of great pride for all of us. However, all is not well with Bihar. The state has made great strides in all fields under the current Chief Minister, but it still has long way to go. The cover story of BJ Mirror.com (an online monthly magazine dedicated to Bihar and Jharkhand), as reproduced below, gives a much truer picture of the state.

Neither black nor white

Unenviable Bihar dilemma to the fore

Alomit

Re-emerging Bihar is in the vortex of contradictions. Though the economic slowdown has crippled almost all nations; the state has recorded a magic growth rate during the Nitish Kumar regime. It is besides the point that Chief Statistician of India and Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Pronab Sen has disowned the growth figure, saying that ‘the data of 11.03 per cent growth rate between 2004 and 2009 is based on information provided by Bihar itself’ and it would not be correct to attribute it to the CSO.

Bihar is groaning under the lengthening shadow of drought. The Kharif yield would not go beyond 40 per cent. The paddy prices, however, are falling every day. The fine varieties of paddy were selling at Rs. 1300 per quintal when new crops started reaching the market. As the arrival picked up, prices started falling and now there is no taker even when it has slumped below Rs. 1100 a quintal. The coarse varieties are sold below Rs. 900 against the support price of Rs. 1000 plus Rs. 50 given as bonus by the Bihar government. Bihar government has no agency to buy grains and the FCI purchase centres have not been opened in rural areas. Thus the bonus price is not available to the farmers. The public distribution system (PDS) is in disarray. Grains for the poor (BPL families and Mahadalits) are freely sold in black market. Reports about starvation have started pouring in torrents. "It is a reality that the poorest of the poor Mahadalit families are starving in two villages in Gaya district”, said Harsh Mandar, a special commissioner to the Supreme Court to monitor the implementation of food-related schemes. Mandar visited Tetua Tola Kharuna village and Vanvara village near Dobhi in Gaya district recently to interact with the poorest of the poor residents there and verify a report saying at least 100 people had died of hunger in Bihar.

The state has been able to live down the image of Wild West but most of villages live and eke out a living under the naxal gun. The extremist organisations of all hues collect ten per cent money from all development schemes in the state. The PC system has almost been institutionalised as in many cases the fund disbursing officials themselves deduct the ‘share’ and give it to extremist groups. Mukhias, in ‘liberated zones’, function under the extremist diktats. The upper caste acting mukhia of (reserved for SC) Bhadara panchayat in Rohtas district would not be voted out as ward members are threatened to silence, reportedly by the zonal commander of MCC.

Man doubles up for wife

Contradiction does not end here. The Nitish Kumar government has notched up the first in the field of woman empowerment in the nation. Fifty per cent seats have been reserved for the fair sex in the grassroots democracy. But, husbands/sons of the women elected to gram panchayats and other local bodies double up for them. In many cases husbands are called mukhias in place of wives. The ambitious Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) provides pucca houses to the social serfs, but for a price. All beneficiaries of the IAY in the Bhadra panchayat told this correspondent that they had to fork out Rs. 3, 000 before getting the IAY house sanction.

It is a sight to see dalit girls cycling their way to schools. This scheme has raised the number of girls going to schools to a record level. But, every girl has to pay Rs. 300 to the school authorities for getting a cycle. It is besides the point that most of distributed cycles are not of reputed brands. A girl has to pay Rs. 50 for getting a dress worth Rs. 600 under the Bihar government’s Poshak Yojna (dress scheme). To cap it all, the Poshak Yojna funds for the last two years remained unused in Rohtas district for mere reason that a nationalised bank at Sasaram refused to open zero-balance accounts for the girl beneficiaries. Primary and secondary education has been the worst victim of bureaucratic bungling in the state. To meet the paucity of teachers Shiksha Mitras (friends of education or para-teachers) have been appointed without any test. These para-teachers rarely go to the school, not to talk of teaching. Many such teachers could not pass the recent eligibility test, conducted by the government.

Ever-mounting corruption has been eating into the government efforts to re-rail Bihar on the track of development. Funds are being gobbled up by the grassroots democrats and government officials. The fund leakage has distorted the village economy to a great extent. Money flow has pushed up prices of all commodities in rural areas. For example, potato is sold at Rs. 8 a kilo in villages where as it is available in Patna just for Rs. 5 to 5.50. Sugar prices range between Rs. 44 and Rs. 50 per kilogram. Prices of all consumer durables are rising but farmers do not get remunerative price for their farm produces. In farming season fertilizers are sold in black.

All these, however, are not to suggest that Bihar is in deep woods. Despite all odds and corruption the state is marching ahead on the path of development and progress. A new dawn is quite visible. People, now, freely talk and think of development schemes being carried out in their areas. They expect that the government would devise some quality control mechanism to ensure their durability and to stem the corruption rot.