98.8% Bihar villages now have electricity: Nitish Kumar

Patna: Only 477 of Bihar's 39,073 villages are now left to get electricity connection as the state has now provided electricity to 98.8 per of its villages. This was revealed at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday.

Altogether 38,596 villages have been electrified and the remaining 477 villages would be get power connection by the end of December, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh said, briefing about the review meeting.

Under "seven resolves" of good governance, the state government had set a target to provide free electricity connection to every household of Bihar by the end of 2017.

Singh said the energy department was instructed to replace worn out 11 KV and LT (low tension) wires soon.

The department was also told to set up Solar Power Stations at Kajra and Pirpainty in place of thermal power stations as proposed earlier.

At the marathon review meeting, Nitish Kumar took stock of several departments including energy, excise and prohibition, and registration, sugarcane and minority welfare.

During the review of excise and prohibition department it came to light that 68,579 persons have been sent to jail under the new liquor law in Bihar so far.

A total of 3,88,864 raids have been conducted and 60,232 cases registered for violation of liquor law. Total prohibition is in implementation in Bihar since April last year.

The Energy department was asked to provide the control room number of the excise/police department on transformers and electricity poles across the state, the chief secretary said.

Kumar said that on the pattern of other schools, students of madrasas would also get incentive money for passing 10th and 12th class.

The state government would provide fund for construction of class room, drinking water, toilet and library in government authorised madrasas, Singh said.