Patna, Aug. 15 : Nine people including four pilgrims and a woman were killed and 16 others injured when a bus plunged into a canal in Bihar''s Lakhisarai district on Friday.

The accident took place when the sari of a woman sitting on the engine cover caught fire.

The driver, who tried to extinguish the blaze as the vehicle was still moving, lost control and the bus plummeted into the canal.

The incident occurred near Jhulauna village when the bus was returning from Sikandra to Lakhisarai, Superintendent of Police S P Shukla said.

Patna, Aug. 15 : With the first Right to Information call centre of India existing in Patna for 11 years (January 1997), Bihar can today boast of being way ahead of other States in motivating its natives to seek information from government through the RTI.

The state has set an example for others to stay ahead of on development works and introducing schemes.

Patna (Bihar), Aug. 15 :A heavy monsoon downpour and flooded streets disrupted normal life here late on Thursday.

Pedestrians had to wade through filthy knee-deep water and faced a lot of difficulty in commuting. Clogged drains added to their woes as rainwater flooded streets.

Gobind , a local resident, said: "We have nothing to eat. The place where we used to sleep, we are cooking there and if a vehicle passes by the house it splashes more water into the house. The situation is very critical here."

"Wherever you go, the situation is the same in Patna. It is very difficult for the children. It is pathetic," added Arun Lal.

Patna, Aug 3 : Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will today launch an ambitious project aimed at improving condition of mothers and newborns in Bihar.

Under the ''Mamta'' scheme, trained midwives would be posted at hospitals and sub-divisional health centres to take care of mothers and their newborn babies, said Principal Health Secretary Deepak Kumar.

The midwives will be paid Rs 75 for taking care of a mother and her newborn, he added.

The scheme is expected to attract pregnant women, particularly in rural areas, to go for institutional delivery.

Patna, July 15: At least 20 people were killed when a jeep carrying a marriage party fell into a rivulet here today.

Patna, July 11 : Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will review the progress of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Bihar today.

Dr. Ramadoss is visiting Bihar in connection with a function to celebrate World Population Day.

Bihar is one of the 18 high focus States to be covered under NRHM. Before NRHM, Bihar was part of Empowered Action Group (EAG) States.

Under NRHM, a manifold increase in the allocation for the health sector in Bihar has taken place.

The State has shown significant improvement in outpatient load in government facilities, sterilization cases, immunization and institutional delivery.