Patna, Dec 29: The 3,300MW power project in the making at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district apparently holds the key to chief minister Nitish Kumar’s promise during the 2010 Assembly election of making Bihar self-sufficient in electric energy within five years.

On the first day of his Seva Yatra in the south Bihar district, about 140km from here, Nitish, however, tried to stick to the defined itinerary of the yatra. Befitting to what he is supposed to do at his eight Seva Yatra, the chief minister inspected the Goh block office and reviewed delivery of goods under the Right to the Public Services Act that his government implemented on August 15 last year.

Accompanied by development commissioner A.K. Sinha and other senior administrative officials, Nitish asked the block functionaries to use modern technology, including computers and Internet, in delivering the services to the people.

The chief minister also inspected a paddy procurement centre at Goh to find out the updated status of the procurement of kharif crops and reviewed the schemes for providing land to Mahadalit families for building houses and providing job to the rural workforce as part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaran tee Act.

Old-age pension, pension for widows and handicapped and other welfare measures for the poor families, too, figured in the list of areas that Nitish inspected and reviewed in the district.

Obra and its surrounding areas have been the traditional centres of weaving and carpet making. Hundreds of weavers are involved in the trade that has been in danger following the influx of factory-made products.

Nitish made it a point to inspect the Khadi Gramodyog Samiti (a village body to promote khadi clothes) set up by Jaiprakash Narayan at Obra. The chief minister promised the people involved in the trade of weaving blankets and carpets that his government would take up programmes to promote the traditional cottage industry.

There are as many as 77 committees of weavers in Aurangabad. Nitish also said that the government would evolve a mechanism to link the committees with the cooperative movement.