Patna: Bihar’s newly sworn-in government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, presents a striking tapestry of educational diversity, with ministers ranging from engineering graduates and PhD holders to those who have studied only up to Class 12.
Nitish, who took oath for another term at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan on Thursday, was joined by his council of ministers in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah.
Engineers in key roles
Nitish Kumar himself is an alumnus of the erstwhile Bihar College of Engineering (now NIT Patna), holding an engineering degree.
Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha holds a diploma in civil engineering from Begusarai Polytechnic, while Deepak Prakash completed a BTech in computer science from Manipal University.
Only one minister, Narayan Prasad, has studied up to the matric level.
Four ministers with PhDs
The new cabinet includes four PhD-holders, underscoring a strong representation of higher academia.
They include:
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Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, PhD from BNM University, Madhepura
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Ashok Choudhary
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Santosh Kumar Suman
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Dr Pramod Kumar
Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary also holds an honorary doctorate.
Postgraduates and graduates form a major bloc
Four ministers have completed postgraduate studies — Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Sunil Kumar, Arun Shankar Prasad, and Shreyasi Singh.
Meanwhile, seven ministers are graduates, among them Mangal Pandey, Madan Sahni, Ramkripal Yadav, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Lakhendra Kumar Roshan and Sanjay Kumar.
Seven ministers educated up to Class 12
A significant segment of the cabinet comprises ministers who studied up to Class 12.
These include Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Shravan Kumar, Leshi Singh, Nitin Nawin, Jama Khan, Surendra Mehta, and Rama Nishad.
Notably, Rama Nishad is both a first-time MLA and a first-time minister, while the remaining six have previously held ministerial roles.
