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Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar is a senior Indian politician and the present Chief Minister of Bihar. This is his fifth term at the office and he has served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from 2005 to 2014. Nitish Kumar is the member of the Janata Dal (United) Party and has served as the Union Minister of India. He has been credited for initiating series of developmental and infrastructural reforms in Bihar, one of the most backward states in the country. Appointment of teachers in schools, initiating and implementing healthcare reforms, cutting female illiteracy into half, re-laying of roads, keeping a check on crime in the state, doubling the income of the average Bihari are few of the developmental reforms initiated by him in the state of Bihar, making him one of the most popular leaders in the state. The cumulative growth rate of GDP during his tenure as the Chief Ministers is higher than other Chief Ministers of the country in the same period. On May 2014, after his party's poor performance in the 2014 General Elections, Nitish Kumar resigned from his post taking the responsibility for the party's performance and was succeeded by Jitan Ram Manjhi. He returned to office in February 2015 after winning the state elections in November 2015. This is his fifth tenure as the Chief Minister (3rd March 2000 - 10th March 2000, 2005-2010, 2010-2014, February 2015 - 19th November 2015 and 20th November 2015 till present). He was also elected as the National President of his party on 10th April 2016. His political career includes different important positions in the state as well as in the parliament and includes his membership in different committees at different point in time. Hailing from the family of Kurmi, Nitish Kumar was born on 1st March 1951 in a place called Bakhtiyarpur, 50km from Bihar's capital city - Patna. His father Ram Lakhan Singh was a well known figure in the area and he worked in ayurvedic medicine. His mother was Smt. Parmeshwari Devi. Nitish Kumar's father was freedom fighter and was close to one of the founders of modern Bihar and Bihar Vibhuti Shri Anugrah Narayan Sinha. Ram Lakhan Singh was a member of the Indian National Congress but he left the party after the party denied him the ticket in 1952 and 1957 General Elections. He later joined Janata Party. Nitish Kumar's ancestral home is in a village called Kalyanbigha, which is adjacent to Bakhtiyapur. He did schooling from Bakhtiyapur completing matriculation and later studied in Patna Science College. Thereafter he completed his degree course in Electrical Engineering from Bihar College of Engineering (now known as NIT Patna). After completing his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering, Nitish Kumar worked with Bihar State Electricity Board for some time before joining politics. Nitish was highly inspired by Jaiprakash Narayan which initiated his entry into active politics. In the year 1974 he demonstrated a key role in the JP movement and came in contact with some of the senior politicians of that time like Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Kapoori Thakur, Ram Manohar Lohia, V.P. Singh and George Fernandes. Nitish belongs to a socialist class of politicians. In 1977, he contested for the first time as a member of the Janata Party in the assembly elections. He was elected as the member of the legislative assembly of Bihar in 1985 and in 1986 he was the member of the committee on petitions in the Legislative Assembly of Bihar. From 1987 to 1988, Nitish Kumar was the president of the Lok Dal for the state of Bihar and in 1989 he became Janata Dal's Secretary General in Bihar. He was elected as the member of Lok Sabha for the first time in 1989 and was re-elected as a member of Lok Sabha for the second time in 1991. From 1991 to 1993 he was the general secretary of the Janata Dal and became the deputy leader of the party in Parliament. He also had the portfolio of the Union Miniter for Railways and Minister for Surface Transport under the NDA government lead by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998. He was appointed the Minister for Agriculture in 1998-99. As a Railway Minister, he brought reforms like internet ticket booking facility, opening a record number of railway ticket booking counters and introducing the Tatkal scheme for instant booking. In August 1999, taking the responsibility for the Gaisal Train Disaster he resigned as Minister of Railways. He held the post again from 2001 to May 2004. In 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from two places. Though he was elected from Nalanda but lost from his traditional constituency of Barh. This was his sixth term as a member of Lok Sabha and he was the leader of the Janata Dala (U) in the parliament. In this term, he held memberships in General Purposes Committee, Committee on Coal and Steel, Committee on Privileges and Joint Committee on the Constitution. He became the Chief Minister of Bihar in November 2005 and continued as the CM till 2010. During this tenure, Nitish Kumar's government initiated the bicycle and meal program through which the government gave bicycles to girls who stayed in school which led to a considerable rise in the number of girls enrolled at the various government schools and reduced school drop out rates. In 2010, Nitish Kumar came back to power along with their allies of the time - Bharatiya Janata Party and on 26th November 2010 Nitish Kumar took the oath as a Chief Minister of Bihar. This was his second consecutive term as Chief Minister of Bihar. After the poor performance of the party in 2014 elections, Nitish Kumar resigned from the position of Chief Minister on 17th May 2014 and was succeeded by Jitan Ram Manjhi. Nitish Kumar again assumed office of the Chief Minister on 22nd February 2015. In the Bihar assembly elections of 2015, Nitish Kumar's JDU along with RJD and Congress formed the Mahagathbandhan to counter BJP in Bihar. The grand alliance won the assembly with a huge margin of 178 seats against 58 seats of BJP and its allies. He was sworn in as a Chief Minister on 20th November 2015 for a record fifth time. Nitish Kumar married Manju Sinha on 22nd February 1973. His wife was a teacher by profession and she died in 2007 when she was 53 years old. They have a son, Nishant who is a graduate from BIT Mesra. In 2007, CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times recognized him as the Best Chief Minister and in 2008, CNN-IBN honoured him as the Great Indian of the Year in political category. The Economic Times in 2009 recognized him as the Business Reformer of the year. In 2011, XLRI Jamshedpur bestowed him with "Sir Jehangir Gandhi Medal". The Foreign Policy Magazine ranked him 77 among the top hundred global thinkers. A non-smoker and teetotaler, Nitish Kumar's favourite pastimes include reading books and watching films. Of the many initiatives launched by him after his coming to term recently, the most famous and audacious ones remains of declaring Bihar a dry state.

Bihar Floods: State Forms 4-member Committee to Probe Lapses
India.com News Desk | October 15, 2019 9:25 PM IST
New Delhi: Bihar government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday formed a four-member hig...
Bihar Floods: State Forms 4-member Committee to Probe Lapses
indiacom
2019-10-15T10:25:19+00:00
2019-10-15T10:25:19+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
No-Show by Bihar BJP Leaders at Dussehra Event Attended by CM Nitish Kumar Stir Fresh Row of Controversy
India.com News Desk | October 8, 2019 11:30 PM IST
New Delhi: A section of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar on Tuesday witnessed sharp differe...
No-Show by Bihar BJP Leaders at Dussehra Event Attended by CM Nitish Kumar Stir Fresh Row of Controversy
indiacom
2019-10-08T12:30:11+00:00
2019-10-08T12:30:11+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Giriraj’s Fresh Attack on Nitish, 'Apologises' to Those Deprived of Durga Puja Festivities Due to Floods
India.com News Desk | October 7, 2019 9:37 AM IST
New Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday hit back at JD(U) as the war of words between the ...
Giriraj’s Fresh Attack on Nitish, 'Apologises' to Those Deprived of Durga Puja Festivities Due to Floods
indiacom
2019-10-06T22:37:50+00:00
2019-10-06T22:37:50+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Nitish Kumar Re-elected as JDU President Amid Bihar Flood Flak, Sushil Modi Praises CM
Poulomi Ghosh | October 6, 2019 11:43 PM IST
New Delhi: At a time when the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar is drawing flak for its inept handlin...
Nitish Kumar Re-elected as JDU President Amid Bihar Flood Flak, Sushil Modi Praises CM
indiacom
2019-10-06T12:43:39+00:00
2019-10-06T12:47:43+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar Floods: 'Nitish Kumar Should Take Responsibility And Resign,' Tejashwi Yadav Blames Admin
India.com News Desk | October 6, 2019 6:59 PM IST
Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday hit out at the Nitish Kumar led-Bi...
Bihar Floods: 'Nitish Kumar Should Take Responsibility And Resign,' Tejashwi Yadav Blames Admin
indiacom
2019-10-06T07:59:54+00:00
2019-10-06T08:07:51+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Patna Floods: JD(U) Hits Back at Giriraj Singh For Comments on CM Nitish Kumar
India.com News Desk | October 6, 2019 7:27 AM IST
New Delhi: A war of words has erupted between allies JD(U) and BJP in Bihar, with the former, on Sat...
Patna Floods: JD(U) Hits Back at Giriraj Singh For Comments on CM Nitish Kumar
indiacom
2019-10-05T20:27:51+00:00
2019-10-05T20:27:51+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
‘Change in Climate Led to Flood Situation in Bihar,’ Says Nitish Kumar
India.com News Desk | October 2, 2019 7:06 PM IST
New Delhi: In the wake of the severe flood situation that has claimed more than 40 lives in Bihar, s...
‘Change in Climate Led to Flood Situation in Bihar,’ Says Nitish Kumar
indiacom
2019-10-02T08:06:51+00:00
2019-10-02T08:06:51+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar Flood: Ravi Shankar Prasad Visits Affected Areas, Orange Alert Issued in Patna, Other Areas
India.com News Desk | October 2, 2019 3:49 PM IST
New Delhi: Union Law Minister and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday visited the flood-...
Bihar Flood: Ravi Shankar Prasad Visits Affected Areas, Orange Alert Issued in Patna, Other Areas
indiacom
2019-10-02T04:49:56+00:00
2019-10-02T04:49:56+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar Flood: Nitish Kumar Again Visits Affected Areas, Relief Work Underway
India.com News Desk | October 1, 2019 10:55 PM IST
New Delhi: A day after conducting an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas, Bihar Chief Minister...
Bihar Flood: Nitish Kumar Again Visits Affected Areas, Relief Work Underway
indiacom
2019-10-01T11:55:10+00:00
2019-10-01T11:59:20+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar Flood: Death Toll Reaches 40, PM Modi Extends Help to Nitish; All Schools in Patna to Remain Shut Today - Top Developments
India.com News Desk | October 1, 2019 8:58 AM IST
Patna: A total of 40 people have died in rain-related incidents across Bihar as heavy rains continue...
Bihar Flood: Death Toll Reaches 40, PM Modi Extends Help to Nitish; All Schools in Patna to Remain Shut Today
indiacom
2019-09-30T21:58:14+00:00
2019-10-01T02:43:02+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Monsoon Mayhem: Centre Ready to Provide All Possible Assistance to Flood-hit Bihar
India.com News Desk | September 30, 2019 9:07 AM IST
Mon, 30 Sep 2019 08:35:49 pmMonsoon Mayhem LIVE: Earlier today, PM Modi spoke to Bihar Chief Ministe...
Monsoon Mayhem: Centre Ready to Provide All Possible Assistance to Flood-hit Bihar
indiacom
2019-09-29T22:07:00+00:00
2019-09-30T10:55:57+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar Floods: ‘Arrangements Are in Place to Help Flood-affected People’, Says Nitish Kumar
India.com News Desk | September 29, 2019 3:47 PM IST
New Delhi: As heavy rains continued to affect Bihar for the third consecutive day on Sunday, throwin...
Bihar Floods: ‘Arrangements Are in Place to Help Flood-affected People’, Says Nitish Kumar
indiacom
2019-09-29T04:47:41+00:00
2019-09-29T04:47:41+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
73 Dead as Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar; Several Trains Cancelled
India.com News Desk | September 29, 2019 12:20 PM IST
New Delhi: At least 73 people have lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh, where incessant rainfall has t...
73 Dead as Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar; Several Trains Cancelled
indiacom
2019-09-29T01:20:23+00:00
2019-09-29T02:38:35+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
'People Target me to Get Publicity,' Nitish Kumar Takes Swipe at Opposition, Says 'No Rift Between JD-U & BJP'
India.com News Desk | September 20, 2019 6:32 PM IST
Patna: Taking a swipe at the opposition, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that they ...
'People Target me to Get Publicity,' Nitish Kumar Takes Swipe at Opposition, Says 'No Rift Between JD-U & BJP
indiacom
2019-09-20T07:32:01+00:00
2019-09-20T07:39:00+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
No Discord in Our Alliance, Will Cross 200 Next Year', Says Nitish Kumar Amid Talks of Rift Between BJP-JD(U)
India.com News Desk | September 20, 2019 2:53 PM IST
New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday rubbished reports that claimed a rift between...
No Discord in Our Alliance, Will Cross 200 Next Year', Says Nitish Kumar Amid Talks of Rift Between BJP-JD(U)
indiacom
2019-09-20T03:53:11+00:00
2019-09-20T03:56:25+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Greets PM Modi on His 69th Birthday
PTI | September 17, 2019 11:10 AM IST
Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief M...
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Greets PM Modi on His 69th Birthday
indiacom
2019-09-17T00:10:48+00:00
2019-09-17T00:10:48+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
7th Pay Commission Latest News: Over 3.5 Lakh Contractual Teachers to Get Pay Hike in Bihar, says Nitish Kumar
India.com Business Desk | September 12, 2019 11:35 AM IST
7th Pay Commission latest news: Protesting teachers in Bihar, hold your breath. Here comes a piece o...
7th Pay Commission Latest News: Over 3.5 Lakh Contractual Teachers to Get Pay Hike in Bihar, says Nitish Kuma
indiacom
2019-09-12T00:35:50+00:00
2019-09-12T00:38:34+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bodh Gaya to be Developed as Next Tourist Destination: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
India.com News Desk | September 10, 2019 10:35 AM IST
New Delhi: Amongst the 16 tourist destinations in the country, Bihar government's tourism department...
Bodh Gaya to be Developed as Next Tourist Destination: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
indiacom
2019-09-09T23:35:03+00:00
2019-09-09T23:35:03+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
Bihar: 'Why to Even Think About Others, When Nitish Kumar is Already There', JDU Asks Voters as Poster War Continues
India.com News Desk | September 8, 2019 1:32 PM IST
New Delhi: The poster war between rivals and former Bihar allies, Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtr...
Bihar: 'Why to Even Think About Others, When Nitish Kumar is Already There', JDU Asks Voters as Poster War Co
indiacom
2019-09-08T02:32:15+00:00
2019-09-08T02:33:26+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com
'Kyun Kare Vichar, Thhike Toh Hai Nitish Kumar', JD(U) Coins New Slogan For Upcoming Bihar Elections
India.com News Desk | September 3, 2019 8:43 AM IST
New Delhi: The Janata Dal United (JD-U) in Bihar has coined a new slogan for the state Assembly elec...
'Kyun Kare Vichar, Thhike Toh Hai Nitish Kumar', JD(U) Coins New Slogan For Upcoming Bihar Elections
indiacom
2019-09-02T21:43:08+00:00
2019-09-03T00:05:32+00:00
Nitish Kumar
India.com