Bihar governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Monday said the state government’s commitment to ‘good governance’ was reflected through its pursuit for development with justice, peaceful social order and zero tolerance to corruption.
Arlekar, who took oath as governor earlier this month, was addressing the joint sitting of the Bihar legislative assembly and the Bihar legislative council on the first day of the budget session in the central hall.
Highlighting the government’s achievements in various sectors, the governor said despite drop in the intensity of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state was still carrying tests.
He said that establishment of rule of law and zero tolerance to corruption remained the state government’s top priority to ensure hassle free life for the common masses.
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“There is a comprehensive plan for police strengthening and 75,463 additional posts have been created. The police lines, police station buildings and outposts are being constructed on large scale at an estimated cost of ₹875 crore in the fiscal 2022-23. To speed up investigation in a soviet IGIC way, the government has planned setting up of forensic science laboratories in 12 divisions,” he added.
He said that in 2022, vigilance investigation bureau and special vigilance units registered 85 cases, including 52 trap cases and 29 disproportionate assets cases.
“Besides, chargesheet has been submitted in 86 cases under investigation. To check corruption and misuse of public money, vigilance cells have been set up at the district level,” he added.
The governor said the ongoing exercise for caste-based survey in the state was an extension of its “development with justice” mantra to ensure inclusive growth.
“The number of tests in Bihar was 8.41-lakh per 10-lakh population, while the national average is 6.65-lakh. Bihar has administered 15.72-crore vaccinations and it is the only state that gives ₹4 lakh to the family of Covid victims, apart from ₹50,000 central assistance,” he added.
The governor said that in order to enforce prohibition, the government had carried out campaigns against smuggling and sale of illicit liquor and 2,611 arrests, including 115 big traders, were carried out on 2022. Simultaneously, the government is also encouraging people involved with liquor trade to avail the benefits of sustainable livelihood scheme for alternate livelihood,” he added.
Leader of opposition (LoP) Vijay Kumar Sinha, however, said the government’s speech scripted by the government was a bundle of lies and far removed from ground reality.
“In the last six months, the speed at which the state has slid, with crime graph going up 2.5 times and liquor smuggling going up three times, has alarmed the people, who foresee a repeat of 1990s. This is reflected in the way attacks on police has increased. This government has thwarted infrastructure growth by delaying land acquisition for important projects like AIIMS (Darbhanga), airports, national highways and others,” he added.
