BIHAR A progressive Stateof India

overview Contemporary Bihar actually came into

being through a state Reorganization Billin 2000 that separated Jharkhand fromBihar.

Bihar has farming as main method ofsubsistence; some ICT based industry.

87.5 percent of its population lives in ruralareas.

Literacy of 63.82 per cent in 2011.

The Ganges divides Bihar into two unequalhalves and flows through the middle fromwest to east. Other Ganges tributaries arethe Son, Budhi Gandak, Chandan, Orhaniand Phalgu.Though the Himalayas begin at the foothills,a short distance inside Nepal and to thenorth of Bihar, the mountains influenceBihar's landforms, climate, hydrology andculture.

Central parts of Bihar have some small

hills, for example the Rajgir hills.

To the south is the Chota Nagpur plateau,

which was part of Bihar until 2000 but

now is part of a separate state called

Jharkhand.

Bihar Bihar has alluvial soil, replenished by flood

waters, suitable for agriculture.

Often a governing elite that controlled both

the political and the economic aspects of

life.

Trade (and migration) is increasingly

important.

Bihar has a population of 104 million. It is a majority male population(52.6%) The total area of land is 94,163 sq. km This is divided into two main regions: the

North Ganga Plain and the South GangaPlain

Further divided there are 38 districts Capital city is Patna

Population and OtherStatistics

Per capita income was Rs. 28317 in 2012-13 Density: 880 people per sq. mile Birth rate: 30.9 per 1000 Death rate: 7.9 per 1000 Population grew 28.4% from 1991-2001 Rural development has three actors i.e.

officials, elected representatives andvillagers.

Bihar Economy Gross state domestic product of Bihar for the year

2013/2014 has been around 3683.37 billion INR. By sectors, its composition is:

– Agriculture = 22%– Industry = 5%– Services = 73%.

The economy of Bihar is largely service-oriented, but ithas a significant agricultural base. The state also has asmall industrial sector. More recently, Bihar's state GDPrecorded a very high growth (in the excess of 10%),making Bihar the fastest growing major state of India.

Geogr

Bihar is the tan state withinthe red shape.

Upper northeast corner ofIndia, right before it getssqueezed between Bhutanand Bangladesh.

Many important rivers passthrough Bihar.

In the southern foothills ofthe Himalaya MountainRange, touching Nepal.

Indo-Gangetic Plain

One of the mostnotable features ofBihar is its location inthe Indo-GangeticPlain.

This plain is veryfertile, making it idealfor an agrariansociety.

Recent History Located in the northeast of the country, on the

border with Nepal, Bihar was India’s third mostpopulous state.

Historically, it was the base of an agrarianmovement that championed the rights ofpeasant farmers. Most of its residents werescattered across 45,000 villages, where manycultivated the plain that surrounded the GangesRiver.

Bihar was the country’s poorest state, and morethan half the population subsisted on less thanthe equivalent of one US dollar a day.

Ancient History

Historically Bihar had been a major centerof learning

Originated from the time of Buddha oreven earlier

Home of one of the earliest universities,Nalanda, which dates back to the 5th

century Vikramshia, which is another university is

located there as well

Education: Medieval History

During medieval period, educationwas lost.Believed that marauding armies of

the invaders destroyed thecenters of learning.

Education

Has an overall literacy of 63.82% Male literacy rate of 73.39% Female literacy rate of 53.57% Only 21% of all primary school teachers have

completed the matriculation Because of the law of affirmative action that

reserves jobs and education for people ofbackward classes, students from Bihar areperforming well in respect to better economicallywell off states in India

Education

During 1970s and 1980s governmenttook control over private schools

Because government was ill-equippedthe standards of the schools began to fall

However, government did not take overschools ran by Christian missionaries,and these schools still provided qualityeducation

Education

Central government runs anumber of KendriyaVidyalayas (Central Schools)

Jawahar Navodaya Schoolswere made by the late PrimeMinister Rajiv Gandhi forrural children

Have been successful inproviding quality educationto the weaker sections of thesociety

Literacy rate from 1951 to 2011[99]

Year

1961

Total

21.95

1971 23.17

1981 32.32

1991 37.49

2001 47.53

2011 63.82

Education (In Earlier times) Modern Bihar had an inadequate educational

infrastructure which places a huge impactbetween supply and demand

The growing population had made the situationeven worse, and had led to a ―flooding‖ of thestudent population to other states in order toobtain better education and jobs.

Only 51% of the children enrolled in primaryschool actually attended, 59% of those who doattend did not have textbooks, and 13% of thechildren in Bihar were not enrolled at all.

Economy

Bihar lagged behind in the overall progress ofIndia.

Per capita GDP: Rs. 4000 per month in Bihar vs.national average of Rs.12000 per month.

Nearly 10% more people living below thepoverty line than the average for India

Reasons for slow development Inadequate investment in infrastructure,

irrigation, and technology. CM Nitish Kumar tried to change this from 2005.

Economy: Agriculture 2 crop seasons: Kharif

& Rabi Major crops:

– Rice– Sugar– Tobacco– Wheat– Jute

Other minor crops:– Chilli– Mango– Oil Seeds

Agro-products in Bihar

Bihar has significant levels of production of mango,

guava, litchi, pineapple, brinjal, cauliflower, bhindi, and

cabbage. Despite the state's leading role in food

production, investment in irrigation and other agriculture

facilities has been inadequate.

Historically, the sugar and vegetable oil industries were

flourishing sectors of Bihar. Until the mid-1950s, 25% of

India's sugar output was from Bihar. Dalmianagar was a

large agro-industrial town.

There were attempts to industrialise the state between

1950 and 1980: an oil refinery in Barauni, a motor scooter

plant at Fatuha, and a power plant at Muzaffarpur.

However, these were forced to shut down due to certain

central government policies (like the Freight Settlement

Policy) which neutralised the strategic advantages of

Bihar. Barauni is still one of the few old industrialised

towns in the state. Hajipur, near Patna, remains a major

industrial town in the Bihar, linked to the capital city

through the Ganges bridge and good road infrastructure

Economy: Agriculture

Economy: Mineral Production

Very little due to the division of southernBihar into the separate state of Jharkhand

Most mineral production takes place inJharkhand

Some Minerals Produced– Coal– Bauxite– Dolomite

Economy: Mineral Production

Economy: Attempts atIndustrialization

Oil refinery in Barauni Motor scooter plant at

Fatuha Power plant at

Muzaffarpur Attempt to bring in

I C T in Bihar recently.

Polity

Bicameral Legislature– Upper-house Legislative Council– Lower-house Legislative Assembly

Governor appointed by president of India– Head of state

Real executive power rests with Chief Minister 7 administrative divisions and 39 divisions Each division has a divisional commissioner District magistrate and collector in each

division Sub divisional officer in each of the 76

subdivisions

Polity (cont’d)

High court at Patna– Chief justice and several other justices– District courts and sub divisional courts, and village

councils

Currently 2 main political formations– NDA Janata Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party

– Rashtriya Janata Dal Indian National Congress

Past Polity 1995 – Lalu Prasad Yadav became chief minister

– Corruption charges forced his resignation butanointed his wife CM through proxy

– Led to deterioration of administration

2005 and 2010– In 2005, the RJD [Lalu] was voted out of power and

replaced by a coalition headed by his former ally,Nitish Kumar. In 2010 also his group won 206 out of243.Bihar e-Governance Services & Technologies(BeST) and the Government of Bihar have initiated aunique program to establish a center of excellencecalled Bihar Knowledge Center, a finishing school.

By 2012, Bihar had earned acclaim for its technology-

related gains, and the government of India recognized the

turnaround through e-governance awards. Kumar’s efforts

earned him the nickname Sushasan Babu, or Mr. Good

Governance.

Still, significant limitations remained: lack of integration

among information and communications systems prevented

proper coordination across departments. Lack of electricity

and Internet connectivity in many areas prevented citizens

from taking full advantage of the services.

Trained as an engineer, Nitish Kumar believed in

the power of technology to improve governance.

As India’s minister of railways from 2001 to 2004,

he had initiated an online ticketing process for the

100 million people who traveled by train each

year. His emphasis on ICT as a tool for

administrative reform built on broader technology

shifts taking place in India.

Bihar is pioneer in the field of yoga with its internationally

renowned institute Bihar School of Yoga in Munger. Bihar

e-Governance Services & Technologies (BeST) and the

Government of Bihar have initiated a unique program to

establish a center of excellence called Bihar Knowledge

Center, a finishing school to equip students with the latest

skills and customised short-term training programs at an

affordable cost. The center aims to attract the youth of

the state to improve their technical, professional, and soft

skills, to meet the current requirements of the industrial

job market

Recent Educational DevelopmentBihar, had female literacy at 53.3%. The

government has established educational

institutions to improve this.

Bihar has a National Institute of Technology (NIT)

in Patna and an Indian Institute of Technology

(IIT) in Patna. A recent survey by Pratham rated

the absorption of their teaching by the Bihar

children better than those in other states.

Said by ‘Aspiring minds’The best talent pool of engineers is in Delhi,

Bihar and Jharkhand says the National

Employability Report of Engg Graduates, 2014

by Aspiring Minds, which makes Bihar one of the

top three states producing best Engg Graduates

in terms of Quality and Employability.

Culture of Bihar: Festivals

Chhath– Worship of the Sun

God

Teej– Worship of Goddess

Parvati

Bihar has contributed to Indian (Hindustani) classical

music. Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan was from Bihar,

who, however, left Bihar at an early age. Dhrupad singers

like the Malliks (of the Darbhanga Gharana), and the

Mishras (of the Bettiah Gharana), who were patronised by

the Zamindars of Darbhanga and Bettiah respectively, have

produced masters like Ram Chatur Mallik, Abhay Narayan

Mallik, and Indra Kishore Mishra. While perhaps not as well-

known as those of the Dagar school of Dhrupad, these

masters have kept the Dhrupad tradition in perhaps the

purest

Status of Women

Women musthave a dowrybefore they getmarried.

A woman'spossessions go toher husband, andthen upon herdeath, to herchildren.

•A woman in Biharhas very fewpossessions, usuallyno education, andvery little autonomy.

The Ahirs (Yadavas), Kurmis and Koiris are land-owning castes, andthey live in the plains of Bihar.

The Ahirs or Yadavas are agricultural caste. Cattle-raising is theirhereditary occupation, and most are settled cultivators. Some stillroam about selling milk and ghee.

Koiris are agriculturists. They are distinguished from Kurmis andother purely cultivating castes by their skill in growing vegetablesand other special cash crops. They work as market-gardeners in theneighborhoods of the big towns. Many Koiris are rich land ownersthat still hold occupancy rights.

Ahirs = raise cattle Koiris

Most notable castes of Bihar The most notable castes are Bhumij, Chamar (Mochi),

Dhobi, Dom, Dusadh, Musahar, Nat and Pasi.

Their means of livelihood is hard manual labor or meniallabor.

About 92 percent of the total population of these casteslives in the village while those in the towns and cities areslum-dwellers who work on pavements (much like ourhomeless). Although education is free for them, the vastmajority of them still illiterate.

The Musahars are field laborers whose wages are paid incash or in kind according to the traditional custom in thevillages.

The Dusadhs are of aboriginal descent. A large numberof them serve as watchmen. They are also employed asvillage messengers, grooms, elephant drivers and woodcutters and porters.

The Dhanuks are servant class found in every placewhere there are high caste Hindus. They perform menialhousehold duties along with their family. Some Dhanuksare also cultivators while the females act as maidservants.

Musahars Dusadhs Dhanuks

Caste System Today Prejudice against the lower castes is gradually

disappearing in Bihar.In the country districts, the influence of Zamindar (land

lords) families is still considerable, but their influence isbased more on their position as landlords than aspersons of title.

The middle class is made up of professionals that for themost part have done away with caste prejudices.

Marriage is somewhat different: though inter-castemarriages are now relatively common in India, manyIndians still consider caste a major criterion formatrimonial choices.

Biharis still prefer to go in for arranged marriages in theirown community and caste.

Bihar: Music

Folksongs dealingwith everyday life– sohar - performed

during childbirth– sumangali - associated

with wedding– ropnigeet - performed

during the season ofsowing paddy

– katnigeet - performedduring the paddyharvesting season

Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_caste_systemhttp://www.country-studies.com/india/veiling-and-the-seclusion-of-

women.html http://orion.oac.uci.edu/~pranjan/bihar.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bihar http://www.bihar.org.in/economy/ ―Bihar.‖ Encyclopedia Britannica. Nolan, Patrick. Human Societies. Paradigm Publishers. Boulder, CO. 2004 http://www.webindia123.com/bihar http://gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/CensusStats-01.htm http://www.infochangeindia.org/bookandreportsst96.jsp http://www.newkerala.com/states-of-india/bihar.php