Step-Motherly Treatment to Bihar

Step-Motherly Treatment to Bihar

by Divyanshu Verma
Sept. 5, 2007

http://www.patnadaily.com/readerswrite/2007/sept/divyanshu_verma.html




I am a fellow Bihari, who is very sad and pained by the attitude of our own elected government at the Center for denying us a good institute of higher education and research.

Following is the reply of State Minister HRD (Govt of India) on a question regarding setting up of an IISER in Bihar

An answer by Smt. D. Purandeswari (minister of state in HRD) for the question raised by Dr Ramkripal Yadav in the Parliament indicates that probably the ministry is not considering the establishment of IISER in Bihar. Don't you think the advisory committee is biased and most ministers from our state are fooling us?

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1123
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.08.2007

OPENING OF IISER
1123. SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:-

(a) Whether the Government has opened three Indian Institutes of Science, Education, and Research (IISER) in the country;

(b) If so, the details where these Institutes have been opened;

(c) The details of the budget allocated for opening of the IISER during the current year,

(d) Whether the Government has any plan to establish one such IISER in Bihar;

(e) If so, the details thereof; and

(f) If not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. D. PURANDESWARI)

(a) to (f) : On the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM), the Government of India has set up three Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), one each at Pune, Kolkata and Mohali. During the current financial year, a budgetary allocation of Rs. 125.00 crore has been made for IISERs. At present, the Government is not considering setting up one such Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISR).

This the briefing of Lok Sabha, which states that Central govt has once again denied our demand to open an Institute of higher education and research (IISER) in Bihar. The new IISER will be opened one each in Pune, Mohali and Kolkata!!!!!

To add a little more, our Prime Minister announced the setting up of a National institute of Science Education and Research in Bhubaneswar.

Sir/ Madam, in the sixty years of independence it is ironical that neighboring states like UP has 2 IITs, 1 IIIT, 1 IIM, 2 central University (BHU and AMU), Bengal has been blessed with 1 IIT, 1 IIM, 1 IIIT, Indian institute of Statistics, and some central University like Shanti Niketan.

Just to bring to your kind notice, Roorkee has been elevated to IIT recently, even though IIT-Delhi is geographically very close to it. Similarly IIT has been opened in Allahabad even though IIT Kanpur is only 200 KM away.

But Bihar has no central university no IIT, no IIIT no IIIM, no IISER no IISC, no DRDO or other scientific labs even though Bihar is among the states which contributes highest number of students in these institutions.

I feel that this is an act of deliberate denial of rights of more than 6 crore people so that they can be subjugated with extra financial burden for getting education. For past 40 years all of us have been paying taxes like rest of the country, then why this discrepancy? It seems that we are living in the colonial era where government used to collect tax from the citizens and do no good work for the welfare of common people.

Sir/ Madam, The denial also has a great impact on our socio-economic condition, some of which I am listing down:-

1) No serious research on flood control: Absence of any such institute means we do not have world class professionals working in the state. If we had some institutes like these, then some scientists and engineers would have worked on the flood problem in Bihar and might have come up with some solution. The tangible example of this is the work done by Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis on floods when Bengal was the greatest sufferer.

2) Employment Generation: These institutes help to develop the ecosystem for a science and technology-based industry in and around them. This helps in attracting lots of investment from the world as well as act as a seed to produce world class professionals and entrepreneurs.

3) Help in motivating the youths to dream a better life: These temples of higher education also provide ambition to the crores of young children to choose science and technology as a profession and stay away from any unlawful activity.

I know most of these are known to all of us, but then I feel that till we fight it out we will not get our due and will only be known for bad incidents like Bhagalpur, flood victims, abductions etc.

I am requesting all of you to PLEASE highlight this issue and let our motherland get the due. All the 6 crore people of Bihar who want their children to grow and Bihar to prosper will remember you all for your contribution towards their better future.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Yours Sincerely,

A Fellow Bihari, who is forced to study and work outside Bihar, like thousands of brothers and sisters for every home in Bihar.