‘Issues of Bihar close to Harivansh’s heart’

PATNA: JD(U) Rajya Sabha member Harivansh Narayan Singh, who was re-elected deputy chairman of the Upper House of Parliament on the first day of the monsoon session on Monday, did not sever his connection with Bihar even during his short first term.

Singh was first elected deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha on August 9, 2018. The JD(U) had nominated him for the Rajya Sabha for his six-year term first time in 2014.

During his first term, he allotted all of his MP local area development (MPLAD) fund to IIT-Patna and Aryabhatta Knowledge University for conducting research on the Ganga, sources said.

The river had earlier been on the agenda of the then Mahagathbandhan government led by Nitish Kumar on account of the acute problem of siltation that had led to annual inundation of the banks of the river from Bhagalpur to Buxar district, causing floods.

Sources in Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), Patna, said Singh had also been key speaker at its two-day international seminar held here on the issue having bearing on Bihar. The seminar had been organised by International Growth Centre, ADRI and four other civil society organisations working on the gender issues.

While the seminar was held on December 6 &7 last year, its theme was, ‘Closing the gender gap: Health, education and economic development’. In his address, Singh, had presented perspective on the issues, backing them with both statistical data and other human details from the state.

State science and technology minister Jai Kumar Singh said it has been a matter of satisfaction that Singh’s performance as Rajya Sabha deputy chairman during the first term won appreciation from all the members.

Information and public relations department minister Neeraj Kumar said Singh had excelled as a journalist and he also set a milestone in the capacity of the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha.