Ruchir writes on health, aviation, power and myriad other issues. An ex-TOI, he has worked both on Desk and in reporting. He over 25 years of broadcast and print journalism experience in Assam, Jharkhand & Bihar.
Articles by Ruchir Kumar
Bihar serves notice to NTPC to surrender 854 MW power by Oct
Bihar power officials, however, allayed fears of any power shortage following the power firm’s decision to surrender 854 MW.
Updated on May 07, 2023 10:13 PM IST
Bangladesh Airlines flight makes emergency landing at Patna, flies back to Kathmandu
“The Boeing 738 aircraft from Dhaka to Kathmandu, carrying 77 passengers, was diverted to Patna due to technical problem. The flight landed here at 12:01pm and departed at 4pm after aircraft engineers attended to the fault,” said airport director Anchal Prakash.
Updated on May 05, 2023 09:36 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Biman Bangladesh flight to Kathmandu makes emergency landing at Patna airport
Airport director Anchal Prakash said the Boeing 738 aircraft, flying from Dhaka to Kathmandu was diverted to Patna following a technical problem
Updated on May 05, 2023 04:59 PM IST
Patna high court halts caste survey in Bihar
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the resignation of chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had spearheaded the demand for the caste survey.
Updated on May 05, 2023 02:34 AM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Patna high court stays Bihar’s caste-based survey
A division bench said prima facie the state government has no power to carry out the survey and directed the authorities to secure the data collected
Updated on May 04, 2023 04:51 PM IST
Bihar caste survey: Patna HC reserves verdict for today
The Patna High Court has reserved its judgement on a petition seeking an interim stay on the caste-based survey in Bihar. The court will grant interim relief to the petitioners if it finds the state government had exceeded its powers, not followed due process of law, or infringed on privacy of respondents. The Bihar government launched the caste survey exercise on January 7, compiling data on each family in physical form and digitally through a mobile application as part of the survey from the panchayat to the district level.
Updated on May 03, 2023 09:49 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Bihar caste survey: Patna HC completes hearing, reserves judgement for a day
Relief will be granted if bench found the state govt had either exceeded its powers to commission such a survey; not followed due process of law; or if there was an infringement of privacy of the respondents
Updated on May 03, 2023 06:43 PM IST
Caste census in last stage, halting it will cause loss to exchequer: Bihar govt
The Bihar government has already spent around ₹115 crore for the ongoing caste survey, the Patna high court was informed on Monday.
Updated on May 02, 2023 04:14 AM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Patna high court adjourns hearing on caste survey
The high court had taken up the writ petition challenging the decision of the state government to conduct the caste survey, pursuant to the order passed by the Supreme Court on April 28
Updated on May 01, 2023 03:04 PM IST
Few takers for booster jabs as Covid-19 cases decline in Bihar
The state reported 179 fresh cases on Wednesday. The daily new cases have been declining since April 22 when the state reported the month’s highest single-day spike of 198 infections
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 08:14 PM IST
Covid-19: Hospitalisation low in Bihar despite rise in active cases
Despite an increase in the number of active cases, only 20 patients required hospitalisation, while the bulk of the remaining 837 were under home isolation across the state, the government data said.
Updated on Apr 23, 2023 10:50 PM IST
SC agrees to hear on April 28 plea against caste survey in Bihar
The petitioner has said that the caste-based survey was violative of the right to privacy under Article 21 of Constitution
Updated on Apr 21, 2023 12:42 PM IST
Marital discord among HIV discordant couples on the rise in Bihar
Bihar’s total cumulative HIV/AIDS burden was 60,544 in 2019-20, which rose to 63,448 in 2020-21; and 67,601 in 2021-22, revealed BSACS data.
Updated on Apr 20, 2023 09:38 PM IST
Patna HC refuses to stay caste survey in Bihar
Appearing for one of the petitioners, senior advocate in the Supreme Court, Aparajita Singh said the survey was being held without any legislation in place.
Updated on Apr 19, 2023 12:06 AM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Patna HC refuses to stay caste survey
A division bench of chief justice K Vinod Chandran and justice Madhuresh Prasad refused to stay the exercise, saying that it was not inclined to pass any interim order, and fixed the next hearing for May 4.
Updated on Apr 18, 2023 11:16 PM IST
Second phase of caste census starts in Bihar
The first round of the so-called caste census was conducted between January 7 and 21.
Published on Apr 16, 2023 05:00 AM IST
TG writes to CM for mentioning them as ‘caste’, instead of gender for caste survey
Reshma Prasad, founder secretary of Dostana Safar, which espouses the concerns of members from the third gender community, in her letter to the CM, requested him to issue orders to mention TG as a gender; remove its reference as a caste, and to allow them to specify their caste at birth, along with their TG identity, during the survey.
Updated on Apr 13, 2023 10:42 PM IST
Bihar will buy Covid vaccines in absence of supply from Centre: CM Nitish
Nitish also directed officials to conduct mock drills to check the preparedness for Covid-19 across all hospitals in the state.
Updated on Apr 10, 2023 10:38 PM IST
Bihar’s unmet demand of vaccine goes up with Covid cases
Over 3.49 crore precautionary doses or as many people are still to take their precautionary dose among the 5.9 crore adult population in the state, said health officials.
Updated on Apr 09, 2023 10:34 PM IST
Infected by Covid, 70-year-old Bihar woman dies of heart attack
A 70-year-old woman from Bihar died of a heart attack on Friday, becoming the first reported Covid-19 related death in the state in three months. The patient had tested positive for Covid-19 via a confirmatory RT-PCR test and was referred to a Covid ward, where she died. Bihar currently has 76 active cases of Covid-19.
Updated on Apr 08, 2023 09:29 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Infected by Covid, 70-year-old Bihar woman dies of heart attack
Health officials said this is the first death arising out of Covid-19 in Bihar over the last three months and the body was cremated following Covid protocols
Updated on Apr 08, 2023 04:12 PM IST
HC: PIL against Bihar caste survey maintainable, hearing on April 18
In the second phase, which is scheduled to begin from April 15, data pertaining to people’s castes and religions will be collected.
Updated on Apr 08, 2023 04:01 AM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Patna HC says PIL against caste survey ‘maintainable’
“The court will now examine the decision of the government of Bihar with respect to the caste-based survey and see whether it is in public interest,” said Dinu Kumar, counsel for petitioner Akhilesh Kumar, a social worker.
Updated on Apr 07, 2023 10:21 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Woman infected with new Covid variant in Rohtas
According to health officials, the woman who tested positive for the new variant had no travel history and was asymptomatic.
Updated on Apr 05, 2023 09:42 PM IST
Not possible to cater to Bihar’s 100% emergency cases: AIIMS-Patna
There is a trend in Bihar where private and government hospitals refer emergency patients to AIIMS for ICU admissions in the evening, medical superintendent Dr CM Singh said
Published on Mar 30, 2023 10:33 AM IST
Covid-19 after-effects: Bone complications on the rise due to use of steroids:Experts
Organising secretary of the conference, Dr Amulya Kumar Singh said the use of steroids to save lives during the pandemic, especially of patients who were on a ventilator and in the intensive care unit (ICU), has had a cascading effect and was leading to osteoporosis, AVN, back pain, sarcopenia (muscle pain), rheumatoid arthritis and weight gain.
Published on Mar 26, 2023 11:14 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
203 castes in Bihar to choose from as 2nd leg of survey begins April 15
Over 3.04 lakh enumerators will now ask respondents 17 questions, including caste among the 203 notified castes in Bihar, during the month-long second phase of the survey.
Published on Mar 23, 2023 09:55 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Power tariff up by 24.1% in Bihar, industry demands subsidy hike
The net hike in power tariff will, however, be known only after the state government announces its subsidy, which is likely next month.
Published on Mar 23, 2023 09:54 PM IST
Ruchir Kumar, Patna
Bihar power regulator BERC okays 24% hike, says power discoms sought 54% rise in tariff
The net hike in the power tariff for consumers, however, will be known only after the state government announces its subsidy over the next few weeks.
Published on Mar 23, 2023 08:56 PM IST
Bihar to get 405 MW more power from NTPC by May
The state’s average daily allocation from the NTPC will go up to 6,950 MW as against a total of 7,350 MW (approx) from central sectors, including 400 MW hydel power from the NHPC, after the commissioning of the fourth unit of the Barh plant by May this year.
Published on Mar 19, 2023 11:11 PM IST