ANURAG ACHARYA

The chief minister certainly has a vision for a prosperous Bihar but he is surrounded by the same people that were there when Laalu and Rabri were in office. After all, no matter how good your policies are, it is up to the authorities at the local level to execute them.

For instance, his incentive-based education policy has led to surge in the enrollment rate but the quality of education in public schools is still very poor. Whenever I pass by a public school in Mahnar and elsewhere in remote Bihar, I see children mostly playing in the field rather than studying.

Once I stopped by and asked the teacher why the children were not in class and guess what she says, "Hum kathi padhebei? Hamra apne nai kuchho abai." (What will I teach? I do not know anything myself.) From "santri to mantri" there is a strong nepotism and appointments are made on the basis of political affiliations. The entire system feeds on corruption.

When I completed my post-graduation from Bihar University in Muzzafarpur, I could not get a job because I did not have any political connections. Five decades down the line, things have not changed much for young graduates here who are all going outside Bihar for opportunities. In 1963, I applied for a job in Nepal and was sent appointment letter by telegram to teach in Mahendra Morang Campus. I was overwhelmed and shocked that they offered me a job without personally knowing me.

Nitish might be a good man but he is surrounded by crooks. The government is building bridges and constructing six-lane roads which will be useful to fuel industrial growth, but how is that possible when we have chronic power shortage? Children study in candle light and if generators don't work, the whole of Bihar, except Patna, is in dark.

Rice mills in Jainagar and Forbesgunj have been closed for ten years. A big sugarcane factory in Vaishali has been shut for the last 20 years another one in Darbhanga has been shut for years. Patna is safe these days but there is still widespread crime and Naxalite violence in the districts. This is largely, a manifestation of poverty and inequality.

People still go to Patna to get treated for minor ailments and although government hospitals there provide free treatment, they have to spend huge sums of money on pathological tests, medicines, food and accommodation. So, all this hype about 'change' mostly boils down to catchy slogans and good media management. Nitish might have come out with his own report card, but Bihar still has a long way to go.

Prafful Kumar Singh is a Professor at RPS College in Mahnar and a social critic. He was recently felicitated by the Nepal government for his outstanding contribution to Maithali literature.

Read also:
Left behind
Going the Bihar way, EDITORIAL
Glimpses of Bihar, ANURAG ACHARYA
When there is so much to do to catch up, progress can be slow
"We want to see Nepal develop"
Winds of change, ANURAG ACHARYA and NAVIN JHA in BIHAR
Bihar is on the right track, but it still has a long way to go