SUITCASES TO MICROWAVE OVENS: IT’S RAINING GIFTS FOR BIHAR MLAs
Stacks of microwave ovens, airbags and briefcases lay in the Bihar assembly complex on Friday. The state government sent the gifts to lawmakers in keeping with an “old tradition” of thanksgiving during the budget session.
And among the contributors was the state education department, which is facing criticism for not being able pay teachers’ salaries. The other donors were the animal husbandry and sugarcane departments.
The education department was the most generous. It bought microwaves of a reputed company for the members, sources said. “An expenditure of ` 30 lakh from the state exchequer is not a big issue. There is no need to draw a comparison with teachers’ salaries and infrastructure in schools,” education minister Ashok Choudhary said. Moments ago, the Congress leader had an argument in the assembly with B JP’ sS us hil Kumar Modi over the delay in teachers’ salaries. Teachers and staffers of Jai Prakash University have not been paid since November.
Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav described the gift-distribution move as ‘customary’.
Parliamentary affairs minister Shravan Kumar said: “All departments give gifts. It is an encouragement to new members.” A couple of days ago, the JD(U) leader said attendance was poor in the important budget session. On Friday, he had no such complaints.
Two profit-making agencies of the education depart- ment — Bihar State Textbook Publishing Corporation Limited and the Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Corporation — paid for the gifts, sources said.
CPI’s Kedar Pandey said sending gifts was an old practice. “But only those departments provide for it that have surplus budget.”
The textbook-publishing agency is facing criticism for the lack of planning in book printing. It is also under scanner for investing surplus funds in 19 term-deposits.