As Bihar move towards the second phase of voting in the assembly elections, a large hoarding supporting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been set up in Patna. The hoarding reads, "25 se 30, phir se Nitish" (From 2025 to 2030, Nitish once again).
The hoarding was spotted in the Kotwali area in the state capital city. Meanwhile, CM Nitish Kumar on Saturday reaffirmed his government's commitment to build a disaster-resilient state, recalling how, before 2005, the state lacked any effective system for dealing with floods, droughts, and other natural calamities.
In a letter addressed to the people of Bihar, Nitish outlined two decades of reforms--from the creation of a dedicated Disaster Management Department and the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) to the establishment of relief camps, community kitchens, and modern flood-control infrastructure.
"On November 24, 2005, when the new government was formed in the state, we prioritised the field of disaster management and undertook many initiatives. The first step we took was to establish a separate Disaster Management Department, so that all kinds of disaster-related work could be managed under one roof. In 2010, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for disasters was created, clearly outlining the steps for preparedness, relief, and rescue operations before, during, and after floods and droughts. The system ensured that relief materials could reach affected people without delay so that immediate assistance could be provided in times of crisis," he highlighted.
Nitish Kumar mentioned that during emergencies, necessary dry relief materials such as flattened rice, jaggery, flour, rice, pulses, chickpeas, drinking water packets, essential medicines, tarpaulin sheets, sanitation kits, buckets, soap, candles, matches, and clothes were arranged for quick distribution. -- ANI