Bihar’s Pivotal Moment

Rapid Summary

• Bihar has historically been associated with socio-economic backwardness, especially as a BIMARU state, reflecting its challenges such as high population growth rates, poor health indicators, low literacy, and poverty.
• over the years, political mobilisation of backward castes around reservation benefits and increased central allocations have brought uneven developmental changes.
• An e-book by The Hindu examines Bihar’s evolving trajectory through essays by experts addressing challenges and progress across political alliances, caste dynamics, advancement hurdles and opportunities.
• Key topics covered:

– Overview of Bihar’s identity-its idea, territory and people (Varghese K. George).
– Persistent developmental challenges and perspectives for progress (Bakshi Amit Kumar Sinha).
– The role of Nitish Kumar in shaping the state’s politics (Sobhana K. Nair & Amit Bhelari).
– BJP’s emergence from fringe to dominant player in Bihar politics (nistula Hebbar).
– Examination of leadership under Lalu Prasad yadav & his son amid concerns about “jungle raj” legacy (Sobhana K.Nair & Amit Bhelari).
– Decoding caste-based power dynamics influencing Bihar’s governance models (Sobhana K. Nair & Amarnath tewary).

• Readers can access sample content or purchase/view the book through platforms like Amazon or the Hindu’s subscription service.

Read more: https://www.thehindu.com/premium/ebook/
Sample available here: https://newsth.live/BiharSample

Indian Opinion Analysis

Bihar’s complex socio-political fabric continues to shape its development path amidst persistent systemic challenges rooted in historical neglect. While reservation-driven political activism has improved representation for backward castes over recent decades, tangible gains remain uneven due to deeply entrenched issues like poverty and low literacy rates-a challenge shared with other former BIMARU states.

This e-book provides valuable insights into factors such as caste dynamics playing a pivotal role in governance structures while also highlighting key stakeholders’ impact-from Nitish Kumar’s administrative model to BJP’s evolving presence-and represents an important resource ahead of what could be transformative elections for the state.

The multidimensional analysis underscores that resolving entrenched issues will likely necessitate sustained leadership reforms alongside innovative policy solutions targeting education gaps and inclusive economic growth for long-term resilience-a focus areas that could set precedent not only for Bihar but similar underserved regions across India.

Read more: https://www.thehindu.com/premium/ebook/