A 15-member team of journalists from Tamil Nadu, who are on a tour of Bihar, visited the historic Nalanda University yesterday (September 23), the third day of their visit. Following the visit, the journalists met and interacted with Nalanda District Collector Smt. Udit Singh, IAS, and shared their interesting field experiences from their visit to Bihar.
The team, comprising 13 journalists and two Press Information Bureau (PIB) officials from Tamil Nadu, is undertaking a tour of various important places in Bihar, organised by the Chennai office of the Press Information Bureau under the Government of India.
On the third day of their tour, the journalists visited the world-famous Nalanda University campus and witnessed its rich educational history and heritage.
Following the visit, the media delegation met Nalanda District Collector Smt. Udit Singh, IAS, and held discussions with her. During the interaction, the journalists shared with the District Collector their observations, field-level findings and experiences gathered during their visit to Bihar.
Speaking to the delegation, the District Collector said that parents in Bihar take great care to educate their children. However, she pointed out that students largely pursue education with the sole aim of securing government jobs, while the inclination among students to become entrepreneurs is not widely prevalent.
With regard to transportation and infrastructure, she noted that traffic congestion is relatively high in urban areas. The use of government buses and intercity buses in the transport sector is also relatively low. At the same time, electric autos (EV autos) are increasingly being used in place of traditional yellow-coloured autos, marking an environment-friendly transition.
In terms of urban and rural development, rural areas have witnessed growth with basic amenities, while the development of urban areas is yet to reach its full potential.
Higher education and placements are also given considerable importance. Although Bihar has a large number of higher educational institutions, students studying in educational institutions in Patna do not receive employment placement opportunities on the same scale as those available to students in educational institutions in Noida, she said.
The District Collector also extended her warm greetings and best wishes to all the Tamil Nadu journalists undertaking the tour.
The interaction provided an excellent opportunity for an exchange of views on the cultural and educational environments of Tamil Nadu and Bihar.
P. Velmurugan
Central Bureau of Communication
Tirunelveli