Let Bihar Colleges Hold Classes Till 8 PM: Samrat

He made the remarks on Thursday at the foundation day ceremony of AN College, which is affiliated to Pataliputra University and named after late Anugrah Narayan Singh, the state's first Deputy CM, whose birth anniversary falls on the same day.

Pointing towards Ratna Amrit, the principal of the college, Choudhary said, "I just asked her till how long do classes take place in your institution? She said the campus gets deserted after 2 pm. I see an opportunity here. I say let classes run till 8 o'clock in the evening." The chief minister added, "Please do not think I am indulging in rhetoric. We intend to build a structure where this becomes possible. Our children travel to far-off places like Punjab and Maharashtra for higher education. We must strengthen our higher education system to ensure their needs are met on home soil".

The state's education infrastructure is inadequate for a population of 13 crore, but changes will be visible from July onwards, he said.

The CM said his government is setting up more than 200 colleges, besides open universities and deemed universities.

"I have told my officers that although the density of population in Bihar is high, paucity of land must not be seen as a roadblock for new universities. They have been instructed to bring the files in the cabinet where clearance shall be given expeditiously, and availability of land will be ensured," he said.

The 58-year-old, who in April became the first BJP leader to head a government in Bihar, also took a veiled dig at the RJD, the main opposition party, which ruled the state for several years until it was ousted from power in 2005.

Referring to his predecessor Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, who stepped down to enter Rajya Sabha, Choudhary said, "We shall build on the strong foundation laid down by Nitish ji. Bihar saw a 15-year-long gap before it could be brought back on the path to progress".

Choudhary said that when he held the finance portfolio in the Nitish Kumar government, he learned how grave the situation had been.

"There was a time when Bihar had a paltry Rs 6,000 crore budget, and when Jharkhand was created, it robbed us of 87 per cent of our revenue. But we have come a long way. Today we have a Rs 3.17 lakh crore budget," added the chief minister.