The NDA Government in Bihar completed two years in office on November 24. Repeating what he did after the completion of the first year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar presented a report card outlining achievements of his Government in the past two years. Annual report card is a unique measure in Bihar as no Government in the past has done such a thing. Whatever may be the ground situation, the state Government through such a publicity strategy has made the people in and outside Bihar believe that it is seriously pursuing the task of transforming the state. Not just annual report cards but the state machinery has also adopted marketing strategies like publishing economic survey reports, as is done at the Centre, and organising international seminars to address issues like poverty and opportunities in a “resurgent Bihar”. The clincher so far has been the move to rope in corporate bigwigs in the country to form a committee to suggest ways to push the backward state on the path of development. Corporate giants like Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra and Ratan Tata have visited the state and praised the Government for its efforts in ushering an environment conducive to development. All these measures have gone a long way in marketing the state nationally and internationally.Despite a lack of professional finesse, the second report card merits some praise. The 36-page report printed on thick glossy paper is a much improved version. Unlike the last time, a photograph of Nitish has been avoided on the cover and instead two footprints have been aesthetically imprinted to symbolise Bihar’s march on the road of “Development with Justice”—the Government’s punch line. The report card starts with a lengthy foreword from Nitish and goes on to highlight all new measures adopted by the Government. It lists a total of 42 new steps taken by the state Government, 23 new Acts passed, seven new policies formulated and nine commissions constituted in the past two years. Besides focusing on the “massive relief” operations undertaken by the state after the “unprecedented floods”, the report card lays special emphasis on the improved law and order situation—crucial to the image of Bihar.Presenting a comparative crime statistics starting from 2001—when the RJD Government was in power—the report card shows a marked decline in crime figures. According to it, between 2001 and October 2007, the number of kidnappings for ransom has dropped from 314 to 74. The state Government has forcefully used this data to claim that the fear has vanished among the people in Bihar who were earlier migrating from the state in search of a safer place. Similar improvements have been listed in other areas too. The report card, printed in Hindi, Urdu and English, has been widely circulated in and outside the state. On the whole, the Nitish Kumar Government has tried its best to present a dramatically reformed picture of Bihar.
