Cool Bihari

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Investment potential in Bihar

Investment climate in Bihar has been improving over the last few years and more and more investors are showing keen interest in exploring the diverse investment and development opportunities in Bihar. In the last few days few big investors like Reliance, Tata, Bharti and other private and public bodies are exploring diverse options of investment.

Reliance Industries, Tata Chemicals, Bharti Enterprises’ Fieldfresh and Indian Oil are among several large companies that have evinced interest in leasing closed sugar mills that the Bihar government is offering, mainly to exploit opportunities to make ethanol to meet mandatory petrol blending norms that were introduced this year.

Last month, the Bihar government decided to offer 15 closed mills belonging to the Bihar State Sugar Corporation on a long-term lease of 60 years, extendable by 30 years, on the recommendation of SBI Capital Markets.

Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Renuka Sugars, Upper Ganges Sugar, Dhampur Sugar and India Glycols, which have acquired the Request for Qualification (RFQ) forms from the Bihar government.

A delegation of Manitoba, the western province of Canada, led by its deputy premier-cum-minister of agriculture, food and rural initiatives, Rosann Wowchuk, called on the chief minister, Nitish Kumar.The Canadian delegate showed its willingness to enter into collaboration with Bihar and expressed interest in reviving agriculture and marketing activities here.

The team comprises top-level executives from Candian agro-based organizations, including the International Grains Institute, Wheat Board, and the researchers of Manitoba University. The chief minister appreciated and promised full cooperation to the delegation.

Bihar’s CM Nitish Kumar also laid the foundation stone of a medical college at Bettiah, the headquarters of West Champaran, thereby fulfilling the dream of the last queen of Bettiah Raj, Maharani Janaki Kunwar. He laid the foundation stone of the first of the four medical colleges promised by his government at the Maharaja Harendra Kishore stadium, Bettiah, amidst great rejoicing. He said the construction work on the badly-needed college would start at the earliest possible, adding a polytechnic institute would also be established here.

Labels: Bettiah, Bihar 2.0, Development Projects in Bihar, Education in Bihar, Investment in Bihar, Revival of Bihar

Posted by Ajit Chouhan at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

Sunday, February 11, 2007

The Girl from Bettiah

After Manoj Bajpai we have a woman from Bettiah, Kanika Verma ,who is making her mark in Bollywoood. Her film Dansh earned a lot of kudos in Patna Film Festival, she first assisted director Hansal Mehta in Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar.

"After that I worked as an assistant director in Chhal and few other films. Dansh is my first venture as director," said Kanika who toured Mizoram extensively and also met family members of the late MNF leader Laldenga prior to making the film.

Though very few people knew that they were watching a film directed by the first woman director from Bihar, they appreciated the film and and it ran to almost a packed house at the film fest here.

"The film has been directed with aplomb and it has very powerful, thought-provoking dialogues," said Gyandeo Tripathi, who has been associated with filmmaking for a long time.

Kanika, too, was happy to see the response. "Two years ago when the film was released at the same Mona Cinema, not more than 10-15 people turned out to watch it. Today, the crowd is, indeed, huge," she said. Kanika finally tasted success at her native state and hopes she will making rapid strides in the world of cinema.

Labels: Bettiah, First Woman Director from Bihar, Kanika Verma

Posted by Ajit Chouhan at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

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