New Delhi The Union Budget on Saturday announced a slew of schemes for Bihar aimed at job creation and infrastructure development, months ahead of scheduled assembly elections.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman presented the budget draped in a Madhubani sari designed by Padma awardee Dulari Devi. She announced a number of airport projects, support for a canal extension, a makhana (foxnuts) board, expansion of IIT-Patna as well as food processing technology. The announcements totalled an outlay of over ₹60,000 crore for various projects. In addition, the government’s decision to develop sites related to the Buddha for tourism will also help Bihar, which houses several key holy Buddhist sites.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar hailed the budget. “The budget is progressive and futuristic. It will help accelerate the state’s growth,” he said in a statement. Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) rules Bihar in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and is a key ally in the National Democratic Alliance.
A senior BJP leader said the announcements should not be seen as an election sop, but as the party’s commitment to the state and its people.
“It is for the first time that Bihar has been comprehensively covered. During the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, the most that was done was announcing a new train… Considering the potential, the prowess and the need of the state, all aspects from agriculture, irrigation and flood control have been addressed. The fiscal deficit and the borrowings have been taken into consideration and the mainstreaming of Bihar’s development has begun,” said Vivek Thakur, BJP MP from Nawada.
A second party functionary said the announcements are an indication of the party’s adherence to coalition dharma. “We are committed to Bihar’s development with our partner…if the opposition sees it as an electoral move, so be it. We are answerable to the people,” the second functionary said.
Sitharaman said the makhana board will be established to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of foxnuts. The board will handhold and train makhana farmers and will ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant government schemes. A second announcement was of the Centre’s financial support in the Western Koshi Canal ERM Project, which can benefit farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar.
JD(U)’s working president, Sanjay Jha, said financial support for the canal project will ensure improved irrigation and a brighter future for the farmers. He also hailed the setting up of the makhana board and said the budget will pave the way to reduce the regional inequality of development. “It is unfortunate that the leaders of the parties whose central governments had completely neglected Bihar for decades are calling it Bihar’s Budget,” he said in response to the Opposition’s jibe that the announcements were linked to elections.
Sitharaman announced greenfield airports for the state in addition to upgradation of existing airports in Patna and Bihta. A Greenfield airport refers to an entirely new facility built on undeveloped land. Given Patna Airport’s increasing footfall and operational constraints, the new airports are expected to significantly improve air travel facilities in Bihar.
She said hostel and other infrastructure capacity at IIT-Patna will be expanded and a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management will be established in Bihar. This will result in enhanced income for the farmers through value addition to their produce, and skilling, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for the young.
The JD(U), with 12 lawmakers in the Lok Sabha, is a key partner of the NDA and was instrumental in helping the BJP form the government at the Centre for the third time this summer. In assembly elections scheduled for later this year, Kumar hopes to retain power for a fifth consecutive term.
The Opposition criticised the announcements. Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said the projects for Bihar were motivated by electoral politics. “It is natural since elections are due there later in the year. But why has the other pillar of the NDA, namely Andhra Pradesh, been so cruelly ignored?” He said in a post on X. He was referring to the Telugu Desam Party, which rules Andhra Pradesh and is also a key partner of the NDA.
Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said the budget was just ‘(jumlabaazi) rhetoric’ and repackaging of old promises, alleging that the Centre had meted step-motherly treatment to Bihar.
“The announcements relating to Bihar are nothing but a mere tokenism. It is just to raise the Bihari pride ahead of assembly polls. An effort has been made to connect vote politics with regional aspirations and it is also to counter Tejashwi Yadav’s talks of Mithilanchal state. Both Delhi and Bihar are headed for polls. In Delhi, the targe is middle class, while in Bihar, effort has been made to play with people’s sentiments,” DM Diwakar, former director, AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies, said.