The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar faced sharp criticism after it distributed mangoes and mango saplings in the Bihar Assembly today. RJD leaders refused to accept the mangoes and the mango saplings. Rabri Devi, RJD leader and former CM of Bihar, condemned the state government for distributing mangoes and mango saplings while children are dying of malnutrition in the state. She led a protest outside the Bihar Assembly by holding placards.
However, the state government defended its acts by claiming that the gesture was intended to create awareness towards the environment.
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Defending the move, Bihar Minister Shyam Rajak said that mango saplings were distributed to urge people to plant more trees. “The environment is in danger these days. Mango saplings are a way to ask people to plant more trees so that the problem can be solved”, said Rajak.
The monsoon session of the Assembly is going on and today the budget of the Agriculture Department was tabled. It has reportedly been the convention that whenever the budget of a Department is to be presented in the Assembly, some gifts are presented to the Assembly members by the concerned Department.
Bihar has been struggling with the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which has claimed the lives of over two hundred children.