In Bihar, 22 out of 29 newly sworn in ministers are facing criminal cases, which is more than the previous government, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) declared. In previous grand alliance Cabinet, 19 out of 28 ministers were facing criminal charges.
The report was prepared by the Bihar Election Watch and ADR following a study of the affidavits of the 29 ministers including the Bihar CM, Nitish Kumar. The report further specified, out of the 22 ministers who have professed to have criminal cases, nine of them are facing severe criminal charges.
Notably, nine ministers have declared their educational qualification to be between class 8 and 12 passed. Only 18 are graduates or have higher degrees.
Also, there is only one woman minister in the new Cabinet. The average assets of 29 ministers are Rs 2.46 crore. The number of crorepatis has come down slightly to 21 from 22 in the last one.
Kumar had resigned as the CM of Bihar, ending the two-year-old alliance with the Lalu Prasad-led RJD on July 26. He joined hands with the BJP to reclaim the government. Kumar was again sworn in as the chief minister, the next day.
