Vijay is chief of bureau, Patna. He has spent 21 years in journalism and covers political beats and public affairs.
Articles by Vijay Swaroop
24 or 42? Bihar Class 12 arts topper held after row over age, music knowledge
Ganesh Kumar of a Samastipur school was announced the topper in arts stream. An official said Kumar, who bagged 82.6%, is 42 years old.
Updated on Jun 03, 2017 08:36 AM IST
Patna, Hindustan Times | Vijay Swaroop
Opposition unity in jeopardy? Nitish skips Sonia’s meet ahead of Prez poll
While the JD(U) rejected suggestions that the Bihar chief minister was deliberately keeping away, the BJP said sending Sharad Yadav instead made no sense because he holds ‘no clout’ in his party.
Updated on May 26, 2017 12:02 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Bihar rail stations fare no better than cities in cleanliness
With the highest ranking Patna junction figuring at the 28th position in east central railway zone, no A1 category railway station in Bihar has made it to the top 20 list in terms of cleanliness.
Published on May 17, 2017 08:47 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Double SC relief: Bihar IAS officer cleared of graft charges, shifted to Haryana
The Supreme Court judgment, which reconfirmed that IAS officer Jitendra Gupta was falsely implicated in a case of bribery, is a serious indictment of Bihar government.
Published on May 10, 2017 05:39 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
SC ruling against Lalu Prasad: Political equations may be redrawn in Bihar
Political observers say that the latest ruling could be a death knell to Lalu Prasad’s political career.
Updated on May 08, 2017 01:15 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Unsmart Patna ranked 262nd among 434 cities, in new cleanliness survey
The outcome of the survey, commissioned by the union urban development ministry, appears to pour cold water on Patna’s hopes of winning the ‘smart city’ tag.
Updated on May 05, 2017 12:00 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Bihar bans beacons for VIPs after Centre overrules state’s objections
The decision to ban the use of beacons was taken after the Union cabinet on April 19 decided to discontinue the display the ‘symbol of VIP culture’ atop cars of dignitaries and government officials..
Updated on May 14, 2017 02:01 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
CRPF jawan who lost kin in Sukma Maoist attack speaks out against Rajnath
The video posted by Pankaj Mishra is the latest outburst by the men in uniform against alleged government’s apathy.
Updated on Apr 26, 2017 10:53 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Basics missing in Gandhi’s buniyadi schools in Bihar
As Bihar celebrates centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha, the basic schools founded by Bapu have failed to achieve desired results.
Updated on Apr 20, 2017 07:05 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Bettiah | Vijay Swaroop
No liquor ban impact on revenue, says Nitish
The Bihar chief minister said the socio-economic returns from the complete liquor ban in Bihar with effect from April 5 last year, was much more than the deemed excise revenue loss to the state.
Updated on Apr 05, 2017 06:59 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
BJP attends Nitish’s dinner, adds to rumours of realignment
The dinner invite was the first after the BJP and JD(U) ended their alliance in June 2013.
Updated on Mar 28, 2017 11:24 AM IST
MLAs question entrepreneurs’ detention during Nitish Kumar’s event
The detention of two budding entrepreneurs for eight hours by Patna police during the Bihar Entrepreneurship Summit at the Sri Krishna Memorial Hall.
Updated on Mar 24, 2017 10:40 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Bihar IAS officers show caused for protest
The officers had formed a human chain outside Raj Bhawan and submitted a memorandum to the Governor, in protest again the arrest of fellow officer Sudhir Kumar in an alleged corruption case
Published on Mar 16, 2017 08:27 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
RJD, JD (U) spar over Bihar council post
The RJD makes it clear it wants the Bihar Legislative Council chairman’s post but its ruling ‘grand alliance’ partner, the JD (U), is non-committal
Published on Mar 16, 2017 07:47 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
UP assembly election result effect: JD (U)-RJD fight gets murkier
The fresh round of war of words started when Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav and JD(U) MLA Shyam Rajak went to meet JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Sanjay Singh at his residence on Monday. The meeting in the backdrop of the Uttar Pradesh assembly results was enough to spark alarm in the RJD camp.
Updated on Mar 14, 2017 08:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
UP poll result may spur rejig of political forces in Bihar
The BJP’s big victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections has set off speculation that JD (U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar may take a fresh look at his political options ahead of the next Lok Sabha poll, due in 2019
Updated on Mar 14, 2017 08:35 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
UP election: Flowers gone, fragrance gives way to thorns in poll-bound Sikanderpur
Horticulture made Sikanderpur a famous centre for perfumes of gulab and kewda, jasmine oil, rose oil and attar. Farmers who cultivated them in acres after acres are now wary.
Updated on Mar 04, 2017 09:46 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Sikanderpur | Vijay Swaroop, Sikanderpur (ballia)
Amid UP poll storm, former PM Chandrashekhar’s influence fades in Ballia
A sense of disillusionment had gripped the people of Ballia last July when none of Akhilesh Yadav’s cabinet ministers or ruling party MLAs turned up for the ninth death anniversary function of former prime minister Chandrashekhar. It was a clear departure from past practice.
Updated on Mar 04, 2017 03:18 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Ballia | Vijay Swaroop
Bihar bureaucracy, police on warpath
Indian administrative service officers in Bihar are strongly protesting against the ‘unwarranted’ arrest of a colleague, while the state service bureaucracy and police are mulling similar action over analogous grievances
Published on Feb 27, 2017 08:49 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
IAS-IPS showdown over arrests? Not for now!
The arrest of two IAS officers over allegations of corruption in the past eight months has left the fraternity in Bihar fuming. But a showdown with the IPS lobby in not on the cards, yet
Updated on Feb 27, 2017 11:37 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Rabri wants Tejashwi as CM, sets tongue wagging
Former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi caused a furore, on Thursday, when she advocated the elevation of her son, deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, as CM of Bihar, headed at present by Nitish Kumar
Updated on Feb 24, 2017 10:26 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Prohibition has changed Bihar society, says Guv
Gains accruing from the Nitish Kumar government’s policy of total prohibition was one of the main focus areas of Governor Ram Nath Kovind’s address to a joint sitting of two houses of state legislature
Published on Feb 23, 2017 08:12 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Anirban Guha Roy / Vijay Swaroop
‘Collective failure’ to blame for Sankranti boat tragedy in Patna
The two-member inquiry team of disaster management department principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit and Patna range DIG Shalin on Friday submitted its report on the boat tragedy that claimed 23 lives near Patna on January 14.
Published on Feb 10, 2017 07:14 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
16.5% rise in railway fund for Bihar
From Rs 3171 crore in 2016-17, the allocation for Bihar has been increased to Rs 3696 crore in the fiscal 2017-18. The average allocation for the state in the rail budget from fiscal 2009-10 to 2013-14 had been Rs 1133 crore.
Published on Feb 03, 2017 07:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Major political parties in Bihar vie for Karpoori’s legacy
Karpoori Thakur’s birth anniversary turned into a political function with the JD(U), RJD and BJP showing their love for the backward communities and singing reservation tune.
Published on Jan 25, 2017 02:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
Human chain: Women in Bihar take the centerstage again
The exuberance of women was evident as they turned up in large number to participate in the human chain programme to create awareness about de-addiction
Updated on Jan 21, 2017 07:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
68,000 panchayats in Bihar still to become open defecation free
Out of a total 68,495 panchayats, the Bihar government has so far been able to make only 152 open defecation free. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has resolved to make the state ODF by 2019.
Published on Jan 11, 2017 11:29 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Patna | Vijay Swaroop
JD(U) backs Centre’s ordinance on note ban while Bihar alliance remains critical
Contrary to the ruling grand alliance’s critical stance on the “adverse impact” of demonetisation, alliance partner Janata Dal (United) backed the Centre's ordinance to penalise those in possession of scrapped banknotes beyond the deadline.
Published on Dec 29, 2016 06:18 PM IST
Patna, Hindustan Times | Vijay Swaroop
Ashok Kumar, Bihar’s budding sand artist, strives for attention
The sands on the Saryu may not be the same as the sands on the beaches of Odisha. But that has not deterred Ashok Kumar -Bihar’s Sudarshan Pattnaik - state’s budding sand artist, who has caught the fancy of art admirers through his creations.
Updated on Dec 12, 2016 06:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vijay Swaroop, Patna
SP should first join hands with BSP for grand alliance: Nitish to Mulayam
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar says for an effective alliance, SP should tie up with BSP
Updated on Nov 03, 2016 12:35 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vijay Swaroop, Patna