Bihar Foundation
[A Govt. of Bihar Society for NRI/NRB]
6th Floor, Indira Bhawan, R. C. S. Path – 800001
Ph – 0612-2231371, 9431424892
http://www.biharfoundation.in/, http://www.biharfoundation.blogspot.com/

PRESS RELEASE

PR No – BF/09/02

Date – 7-11-09

BIHAR TO GET MORE THAN 200 CRORE INVESTMENT THROUGH THE MUMBAI CHAPTER


Hon’ble Dy. C.M., Bihar Sri Sushil Kumar Modi inaugurated the Bihar Foundation MUMBAI CHAPTER on 7th Nov, 09 at Y. B. Chawan Auditorium, Nariman Point. Speaking on the occasion Mr. Modi said that Bihar Foundation Mumbai Chapter will work as an Umbrella organisation under whose guidance all other Bihari groups can pave the way for resurgence of Bihar. In a very short span of time many Bihar based groups assembled under the umbrella of the Mumbai Chapter of this unique initiative of the Govt of Bihar. Prominent among them are – Rastriya Bihar Sangh, Bihar Pravasi Mandal, Anjuman-E-Bashindgan-e-Bihar, Bihar Mitra Mandal, Bihar Nav Chetna Sangh. Bihar Vishwakarma Samaj Samiti.

Prominent Bihari Singer and Actor Manoj Tewari, Actress Neetu Chandra, graced the occasion by their invaluable presence. Ms. Chandra announced from the stage that She feels proud to be a Bihari and will play the role of the Ambassador of not only the Foundation but also of Bihar as offered by the Foundation. Mr. Tewari enthralled the audience by his mesmerizing voice and assured everyone that being a member of the Executive Committee of the Chapter he will work day and night for the promotion of Bihari art and culture worldwide.

Dy CM Bihar presented the Awards for excellence to various Bihari achievers who have made us proud. This year the Chapter recommended Mr. B.N. Singh, MD, Alkem Ltd in the field of Business, Mr. Uday Shankar, CEO, Star TV India in Corporate Career, Mr. Udit Narayan Jha, Singer in Performing art, Dr. Badrul Hassan, General Physician in the field of Social Service.

Mr. Modi was also the first person to register himself as a member of the chapter through a call by just dialling 022-67375400, a feature supported by the Spanco Ltd. Any one can be a registered member of the foundation by making a call. This feature will mainly be helpful for the illiterate or other persons who are not internet savvy.

Before this Hon’ble Dy. CM inaugurated the Bihar Foundation Mumbai Chapter office at Dharavi and addressed the gathering of more than five thousand people who were glad to listen about this unique initiative of Govt of Bihar of linking NRB with the State Govt and its people. Hon'ble Dy. C. M. cum-Chairman, Bihar foundation Shri Modi. presented three scholarships of Rs. 500/- per month each to Maharashtrian poor meritorious students namely Sitesh Bharat Shinde, Nilesh Suresh Kaale, Vinod Vijay Golani nominated by local corporators and other local leaders.
A fifteen bed ‘Bihar Medical Center’ was inaugurated at Nagpada The center has provided two general physician one Opthalmologist, one Orthopedic, one Paediatric and one Gynaecologist for the service of NRB and Biharis.

Representatives of some leading companies met Mr. Modi and Mr. Vivek Kumar Singh, CEO of Bihar Foundation and presented his expression to invest more than 200 crore in Bihar in Power and telecom sector. Also, One big power and infrastructure company has shown interest in investing more than Rs. One thousand crore in Power, Road and other infrastructure projects.

Mr. Ravi Shankar Srivastav, Chairman of the Mumbai Chapter of the foundation gave vote of thanks to the team of 22 artists from Bhartiya Nritya Kala Mandir, Patna who performed Bihari Lok Geet under ‘Sanskriti Bodh Srinkhla’ on the occasion and also to Gaurav Jha, Actor and Mime artist, Rashmi Priya, Singer and Akanksha who was the compeer of the show.

The function was also attended by Hon’ble Minister of 'Art, Culture and Youth' Smt. Renu Devi, Chief Executive Officer of Bihar Foundation Sri Vivek Kumar Singh, who is also Secretary, Department of Art, Culture and Youth, Govt. of Bihar and NRB from the diversified field residing in Mumbai.

Satyajit Narayan Singh

Manager Public Relation

Our Forthcoming Events of November, 09

Works we are going to do in November, 09 -

1. Inauguration of Mumbai Chapter by Dy CM Sri Sushil Kumar Modi on 7th November, 09
2. Prticipation in India International Trade Fair, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi [14-27th Nov.09] Bihar Day on 20th Nov. 09
3. To give final shape to the Delhi Chapter and finalize the schedule for opening
4. Preparation for Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, 2010
5. Expected Date for Kolkata Chapter Opening - 25-27th December, 09 [To be finalized in Nov]
6. Date for Banglore Chapter to be finalized

Our October Achievements

Main Works which we did in October, 09 -

1. Approval of UAE CHAPTER, headed by Mr. Omer Hezazin
2. Approval of SOUTH KOREA CHAPTER, headed by Mr. Bibhhuti Bikramaditya
3. Approval of MUMBAI CHAPTER, headed by Mr. Ravi Shankar Srivastava
4. Internal/Core Group Meeting for DELHI CHAPTER at Bihar Bhawan
5. Uploading of New Website of Bihar Foundation [www.biharfoundation.in]
6. Coordination in the projects of two NRIs - Dr. Mahima Pandeya, UK [Health Centre at his native village in Gopalganj Dist] and Dr. Sanjay and Dr. Tina Malhotra, UK [Psychiatry Camp at Sheikhpura Dist]

Bihar Foundation leased new life to my project

Dear Shri Satyajit Singh Ji,

Warm greetings from Widnes, Cheshire, England.

Thank you very much indeed for your encouraging e mail. Simply I have no word to express my gratitude. I was on the point of giving up my dream after struggling for the last three years on this project, but your e-mail has given the fresh life to the project. This is the first time that some one from the Bihar govt administartion has contacted me about this pilot project.

I have now got your telephone no and I shall be in touch with you early next month when I will be at the medical centre in my village.

With very best wishes and kindest regards.

Dr Mahima Pandey

Founder and Chairman

Indo-British Medical Association Limited, UK

(Registered in England and Wales as a limited company)

Letter of NRI of Bihar origin from UAE

Dear Mr. Satyajit,

Thank you very much for your time and courtesy you extended to me , when I visited your office in Patna. It was nice meeting you.

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks and admiration to you and Government of Bihar for doing everything possible in order to uplift the living standard of people of Bihar. The result is tremendous. One can see the development on all the fronts.

Good road infrastructure, reliable law and order situation, Empowerment of weaker section of society, cooperative government officials and people friendly government has given peace of mind and happiness to the people of Bihar for the first time.

I have spent almost 21 years out of India, first as student and now as an entrepreneur.

In some ways, I am also part of the initiative taken by Honorable Chief Minister and Hon'ble Dy Chief Minister to develop Bihar. My company Okpet Construction and Services Pvt. Ltd. Is constructing roads and bridges in interior parts of Bihar.

Our Charitable Trust (Madina Educational Welfare Trust) is also doing incredible job. You can visit the site to get an idea about its initiatives. http://www.mewtrust.org/

Our presence is in four continents and will be more than happy to work with your organization for betterment of the Bihari People.

We have very active presence in Bahrain, Bulgaria, Canada and United Arab Emirates.

Please let me know if I can be of any help to you.

Best regards

Omer Hejazeen
Chief Executive Officer

Oryx Productions L.L.C.
P.O.BOX 11830, DUBAI
United Arab Emirates
Tel:+971 4 3450044, 3460060
Mobile: +971 50 4528448
Fax:+971 4 3455145
Email: omer@oryxfilms.com
Website: http://www.oryxfilms.com/

NRI Bihari Group donated Ambulance to Patna Hospital

Deputy Chief Minister Sri Sushil Kumar Modi who is also Chairman of the Bihar Foundation, Patna handed over the key of an ambulance which was donated by the Bihar Development Foundation (BDF), UK, to the Director of the hospital Dr. V. N. Prasad in a function organized at Patna on 24th September, 2009.

"The ambulance will be used for organizing health camps in various areas of Bihar," said Dr. Rajay Narain, the foundation Secretary, Manchester, UK.

Dr. Narain further informed that the Foundation recently took over the Karjain Health Centre in Supaul with the help of PRAYAS, an NGO, and the Government of Bihar, to provide basic health care facilities in the area.

An eye camp was organized by the Foundation last month during which 50 patients with cataract problem were operated upon completely free of charge.

The Foundation will soon launch a number of health programs to address problems related to hypertension, diabetes, and Heart Disease, Dr. Narain said.

The BDF, in the last few years, has organized several health camps and flood relief operations in Bihar.

The organization consists mainly of Biharis settled in the UK. Some of the active members are Prof. G. K. Verma, Dr. Ashok Pathak, Dr. Murli Sinha, Dr. Amit Kishore, Dr. Rajay Narain, Dr. Chhitij Mohan, Dr. Anurodh Bhawnani, Dr. S. M. S. Raza, and Dr. Vishwajeet Kumar.

The function was attended by a number of physicians including Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal (MP), Dr. Bimal Karak, BDF National Coordinator, Dr. B. B. Verma, Dr. Jaipuriyrar, Dr. A. S. B. Sahay, Dr. Anurag Verma and Mrs. Chanda Prasad.

Courtesy - Dr. Rajay Narain, Secretary, Bihar Development Foundation, UK

OUR FORTHCOMING EVENTS (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER), 09

1. KOLKATA CHAPTER OPENING - 11th October
2. BANGLORE CHAPTER OPENING - Date to be finalised soon.
3. DELHI CHAPTER - Internal Meeting with the Diaspora at Delhi & NCR at 1st Oct., 09, Likely to be opened by PBD, 10
4. NE-USA CHAPTER - In association with BJANA, USA - Approval letter to be sent and List of Executive Committee members to be announced
5. S. KOREA Chapter - Headed by Bibhuti Bikramaditya, Chairman, Bihar Brains - Soon to be announced.
6. Mutual Partnership with Bihar Brains to be signed soon.
7. Proposal Invited from the NRBs for the SURAT, AHMEDABAD, HYDERABAD, JAIPUR & MUMBAI CHAPTER.
8. Coordination in the Health Project of Indo-British Medical Association of Dr. Mahima Pandeya, UK at Ameya village, Gopalganj.
9. Coordination in the 'Psychiatry Camp' Project of Dr. Sanjay Kumar & Tina Malhotra, UK at Sheikhpura

Bihar Chief Minister Sri Nitish Kumar : Business Reformer of the Year (2008-09)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the Economic Times Business Reformer of the Year. The jury members were unanimous in their choice, giving Mr. Nitish Kumar’s performance a higher rating than Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit.

The national calamity in Bihar following the Kosi river changing its course highlights the state of affairs in Bihar, once rated as the best in administration. Since taking over as the state chief minister, Nitish Kumar has been trying to rebuild the system of governance that has virtually broken down. When he came to power in Bihar in 2005, it was heralded as the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the state. Nitish Kumar became the chief minister, with a promise to turn the state around. Three years on, Mr Kumar seems to be on track, although Bihar might take a while to show results.

Mr. Kumar wants to make Bihar a developed state by 2015. Bihar being primarily an agricultural state, Mr Kumar has been stressing on agro-based industries . He believes this will help in keeping land acquisition to a minimum. The government has identified agro-processing, handloom and textiles, handicrafts, pharmaceuticals and leather as areas with comparative advantage. The other areas where he has made a good start are employment generation and infrastructure development. He beat other states to put in place an employment-guarantee programme for agricultural labourers, which promises 80 days of work, in addition to the 100 days mandated by the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. His government has adopted a new poverty measurement method, so that a bulk of the families living below the poverty line could be identified and have schemes targeted at them.

His goal to develop roads in Bihar has been tagged to a three-year timeline, by when he hopes to have Bihar rival the best road networks in India.

Even on the administrative front, there are several big tasks waiting for his attention. For almost 15 years, Bihar didn’t even have a proper budget. Mr Kumar has also identified promotion of investment opportunities as equally important. With poor infrastructure and the absence of long-term policies hindering private investment, he has kickstarted a series of legislative and administrative reforms. A new industrial policy was put in place in 2006, as was the Bihar Infrastructure Development Enabling Act. A new policy for the sugar processing sector — an important crop in the state — was also brought in. The new industrial policy makes land available at concessional rates and promises reimbursement of 80% of VAT deposited. And these initiatives seem to have paid off, with the government receiving proposals from a number of big sugar manufacturers. An industrial complex with sugar mills, ethanol and power generation plants has been cleared. Measures to revive the textile industry have also been pushed through. With the state relying almost entirely on the Centre for its power needs, Bihar plans to put up new thermal and hydel power plants.

Courtesy - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4931000.cms?flstry=1

Global recognition for Bihar's Husk Power Project

In my earlier post I mentioned about the Swadesh act of the NRI Biharis Gyanesh Pandeya and Manoj Sinha. The classic example of grass root innovation by Manoj Sinha was featured on NYT for his unique contribution of coming up with Husk power system for transforming rural power generation. Husk Power Systems won first place in 2008 in the University of Virginia business plan competition and the social innovation competition at the University of Texas, Austin.This model has been now won global recognition by beating more than 1,000 competitors from world over to bag the inaugural Global Business Plan Competition award.The award was sponsored by leading American venture capital firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Cisco. India's Husk Power System would receive $250,000 (nearly Rs 1.20 crore) as investment from Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Cisco to help take the technology to the next level; thus giving it an opportunity to expand to other parts of the state."Deciding on just one winner was difficult, especially with this caliber of candidates. We are excited to have chosen Husk Power Systems, which is especially remarkable for its alternative power technology, and we can't wait to see how this team becomes the next game changer," Draper Fisher Jurvetson MD Tim Draper said."Given Cisco's focus on emerging countries and the use of innovative technology to provide enhanced essential services, Cisco's investment in Husk Power Systems is a great way for us to accelerate these themes," added Hilton Romanski, Vice-President of corporate development for Cisco.The company, which the two venture capitals believe has the potential to change the face of rural areas, especially in the rice belt of Northern India, by converting rice husk into energy, was founded in 2007 by two University of Virginia, Darden School of Business 2009 graduates Chip Ransler and Manoj Sinha.

Bihar Foundation's 'Global Meet' in January

TNN 29 August 2009, 05:05am IST
PATNA: The next global meet of Bihar Foundation, formed by the state government to attract investments from Bihari NRIs and those living outside the state, will be held in the last week of January, 2010. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi.

The meeting also decided that a Bihar minister or a senior bureaucrat will interact with Bihari NRIs and those living outside their state through internet and will apprise them of the steps taken for development of the state. Suggestions would also be sought from them in this regard.

The meeting decided to open more chambers of the foundation outside Bihar and abroad. The chambers will be opened in Kolkata and Banaglore soon. There is a move to open chambers in Mumbai, Jaipur and Bhopal and also in the UK, the USA, Russia, Australia, Canada, Mauritius and Gulf countries.