Nitish Kumar

Former Chief Minister
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Interviewers
Rushda Majeed
Country of Reform
India
Town/City
Patna, Bihar
Country
India
Date of Interview
Friday, August 15, 2014
Abstract

In this interview, Nitish Kumar explains the role of the Chief Minister and the progress made in Bihar through governance and reform. Kumar talks about initial challenges and a changing atmosphere in Bihar over the course of his administration, with the mood shifting from fear and mistrust to confidence in government and law and order. Detailing major reforms in governance, law and order, education, healthcare, and more, Kumar describes specific actions taken by Bihar’s government. These include passage of an Arms Act to secure public spaces, expansion of and increased attendance in public schools, increased infrastructure and transportation, delegation of responsibility in government offices, implementation of a Rights to Public Services Act and more. Kumar discusses what he sees as successes from his time in office, and the steps he takes to effectively govern the people of Bihar.

Profile

At the time of this interview, Nitish Kumar was the former Chief Minister. Kumar had previous experience in governing from his work as a Minister in the Union Government of India. Before that, he briefly worked with the Bihar State Electricity Board, putting his Electrical Engineering degree from NIT Patna to use. Kumar belongs to the Janata Dal (United) political party in India, and has gained popularity by initiating a series of developmental reforms in the state of Bihar during his times as Chief Minister there. His supporters and fans nicknamed him “sushasan babu,” which roughly translates to “man of good governance.”

Keywords
building citizen support
strategic planning
governance
monitoring
accountability
Not specified