Patna, Oct 22: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on former Union minister and ex-CM Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family while showcasing his government’s two-decade-long record of development during an election rally in Gopalganj — the home district of the RJD supremo.

Addressing a large gathering, Nitish Kumar said that before 2005, Bihar was gripped by fear and lawlessness, but over the last 20 years, the state has witnessed unprecedented progress under his leadership.

“Before 2005, people were afraid to step out of their homes after sunset. But today, Bihar is safe, developed, and moving forward. The state has changed completely,” the Chief Minister said.

Listing the key achievements of his government, Nitish Kumar highlighted that over five lakh teachers have been appointed to strengthen the education sector.

He said that in the health sector, several new medical colleges have been established to improve access to healthcare across the state.

The Chief Minister also mentioned major welfare initiatives, including free electricity up to 125 units for households, increased old-age pensions, and various schemes to empower women through employment.

“Bihar today has the highest number of women in the police force compared to any other state in the country. We have ensured women’s participation in every field,” he added.

Nitish Kumar emphasised that his government works for all communities without discrimination, citing efforts to build boundary walls for temples as well as fencing for Muslim cemeteries.

“Earlier, politics was based on the Hindu-Muslim division. We have ended that. Our work is for everyone — irrespective of caste or religion,” he said.

During his speech, Nitish also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, acknowledging his support for Bihar’s ongoing development projects.

“Prime Minister Modi has done significant work for Bihar’s development. Together, we are ensuring the state’s growth continues,” the Chief Minister remarked.

Earlier on Tuesday, Nitish Kumar addressed rallies in Muzaffarpur, where he also detailed the NDA government’s achievements in education, infrastructure, and welfare ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s school system is facing a major crisis as over 10 lakh students risk being marked “out of school” due to Aadhaar validation errors on the national UDISE Plus portal. According to official data, out of 2,14,68,288 registered students, only 2,09,69,529 have submitted their Aadhaar details.

Among these, 2,03,21,408 students’ Aadhaar numbers have been verified, while 5,78,433 have been found invalid. In addition, 4,98,759 students have not submitted Aadhaar numbers at all, placing their enrolment in jeopardy. Another 69,688 records are still under verification.

Altogether, around 10,77,000 students could be classified as “out of school” in government records, even though they continue to attend classes regularly. The School Education Department has mandated that every student’s details must be linked with Aadhaar on the UDISE Plus database, which also affects staffing decisions and resource allocation for schools.

Teachers’ associations and education experts have raised alarm over this issue, warning that the classification contradicts the Right to Education (RTE) Act. They argue that technical data errors should not determine whether a child is considered enrolled or not. Many fear that such discrepancies could lead to reduced staff, loss of grants, and even closure of schools in some regions, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.

Education officials have acknowledged the problem and are working to resolve data mismatches. They have urged schools to revalidate and update student details at the earliest to prevent disruptions in records.

The situation highlights the growing dependence on digital databases like UDISE Plus and Aadhaar for education administration, and the serious real-world consequences when these systems fail to align.

Chandigarh, Oct 22: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday accused the state government of defrauding farmers, saying the procurement of crops “is missing, forcing farmers to sell them at below the minimum support price (MSP)”.

“Where are the BJP government’s Bhavantar Yojana and government procurement agencies? The government is continuously defrauding farmers by not paying the MSP for crops like paddy, millet, green gram, and cotton,” the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly questioned.

He said crops are being sold at throwaway prices, while the government and agencies are missing. “This is a betrayal of farmers. Long queues are forming for fertilisers. Farmers are struggling from sowing to selling their crops. The government has no time to care for them,” the Congress legislator said in a statement.

Hooda said millet is being sold from Rs 1,800 to Rs 1,850 per quintal in the Narnaul market, but not a single grain has been purchased by the government.

“Not a single grain of millet was purchased in the mandis of Nuh district either. Farmers did not receive a single penny above Rs 1,700-1,800 per quintal. The situation in Hisar mandis is even worse. Despite the MSP of Rs 2,775 per quintal, farmers are suffering losses,” he pointed out.

The Congress leader said 40,000 tons of moong arrived in Hisar markets, but government agencies did not purchase a single grain. He added that cotton and millet are also being sold at throwaway prices in Bhiwani. “Cotton is being sold at Rs 6,500-7,200 per quintal, while the MSP is Rs 8,100 per quintal. Due to the lack of government procurement, only millers are purchasing, resulting in complete losses for farmers,” he said.

Hooda questioned claims by government agencies that the crop does not meet standards, and therefore, procurement is not taking place. “What standards is the government talking about? If the standards were correct when the seeds were sold, how did they go wrong at harvest time?” he questioned.

“Did the farmer cultivate the millet crop at home? If the seeds were faulty, why did the farmer suffer losses? Was any action taken against those selling the faulty seeds? Were the faulty seeds sold throughout Haryana? Where were the BJP government and its representatives when the seeds were being sold? These are all mere excuses for not purchasing the crop under the government’s guise,” the two-time Chief Minister added.