FOR BIHAR IAS officer Mihir Kumar Singh, his father’s is the last word – literally.
The former Panchayati Raj Additional Chief Secretary has landed the state government in a spot by recommending 36 books written by his father Jagdish Prasad Singh for panchayat libraries across the state. Only ‘Rashtrakavi’ Ramdhari Singh Dinkar has more books, 47, in the list cleared by the Additional Chief Secretary.
A letter issued in June this year, by Kalpana Kumari, Under Secretary of the Bihar Panchayati Raj Department, to Panchayati Raj officials of all districts, cleared the list that contained recommendations for 303 books in all for libraries at 8,053 panchayats across the state.
A Panchayati Raj Department official said that the books were yet to be purchased. “It was about to be done, but since the minister has now called for a review of the book list, it has been put on hold.”
Prasad, who retired as professor of English at a Gaya college and died earlier this year, was awarded a Padma Shri in 2013 for his “contribution to the field of education”. Unlike other authors, none of his books in the list – all in Hindi – has won an award.
Though the book list order was issued officially by the Under Secretary, the file was finally approved by Mihir Singh as the department head. In-charge of the Panchayati Raj Department till August, Singh is now Additional Chief Secretary, Road Construction Department.
Singh did not respond to calls or text messages by The Indian Express.
Left red-faced over the issue, the ruling JD(U) has called for cancellation of the list. Its chief spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar called it “blatant misuse of power by IAS officer Mihir Kumar Singh”. “The list should be reworked immediately and any purchase of books by Jagdish Prasad Singh should be stopped immediately,” Kumar said.
Panchayati Raj Minister Kedar Prasad Gupta said: “The matter has come to my notice. We will review it and the purchase committee will have a serious look at the list and rework it with experts’ advice.”
Other authors with books in the list – though far fewer – include Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Maithil Kavi Kovil’ Vidyapati, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Fanishwar Nath Renu, Jaishankar Prasad, Mahadevi Verma, Nagarjun, Rahul Sankrityayan, Rambriksh Benipuri, Gopal Singh Nepali, Janki Ballabh Shastri, Nirmal Verma, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Amritlal Nagar, Acharya Chatursen Shastri, Shrilal Shukla, Amrita Pritam, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, Usha Kiran Khan, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Mrinal Pande, and others.
The libraries were to be opened in panchayats as per a recommendation by the 15th Finance Commission in 2020-21.
The letter issued by the Panchayati Raj Department on June 14, seen by The Indian Express, issued directions for purchase of the 303-book list cleared by Mihir Singh, adding: “Each panchayat can spend up to Rs 2 lakh in a year for purchase of books. A library can buy 50 per cent books in Hindi literature written by Bihar litterateurs, 40 per cent books by other famous writers of the country, and 10 per cent by writers in other languages,” said the letter.
The letter said that the department would release a second list of books on science, social science, general knowledge and competitive examinations.
Apart from Jagdish Prasad’s books and Dinkar’s works, the others with substantial books in the recommended list include 17 by Ballabh Shastri; 15 by Sankrityayan; 14 by Raja Radhikaraman Prasad Singh; 13 by Benipuri; 11 by Renu; seven by Vidyapati; six by Gopal Nepali; and five by Shivpujan Sahay. Besides, nine English novels and other fictions figure in the list.
Jagdish Prasad’s books which figure in the list include Nat Narayan, Bhagirathi, Mrigtrishna, Amavas Ki Raat, Indradhanush, Vijay Parv, Swapna Dansh, Godhuli, Ganga Snan and Shankhnaad.
Questions have also been raised about the notable writers of Bihar kept out of the list, such as Alok Dhanwa, Arun Kamal (the only Sahitya Akademi winner in Hindi from Bihar), and Anamika.
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