Bihar Deputy CM Unveils Rs 2.79 Lakh Crore Budget, Touts State's Economic Growth

Patna: The Bihar government on Tuesday tabled a Rs. 2.79 lakh crore budget. Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary who presented the budget asserted that the state’s finances with a growth rate above 10 percent were the highest in the country.

Highlighting the progress made, he stated that the current 2023-24 fiscal year saw 2.5 crore people rising above the poverty line in Bihar. Mr. Chaudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented the budget amid a ruckus by the opposition parties, who later walked out of the house.

A day earlier, the Nitish Kumar led NDA government proved its majority on the floor of the house.

Nitish Kumar had returned to NDA last month after snapping ties with the RJD led Mahagathbandhan. He was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time on January 28 along with BJP’s Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while speaking on the Governor’s address stated that the government’s focus is on employment and providing jobs to youth in the state.

“Jobs have been provided to more than 5 lakh youths and the government is also working towards creating more employment opportunities in Bihar”, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said.

While addressing the house, Mr. Kumar exuded confidence that the newly formed NDA government would sweep in the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar. He said that, “I had gone that side but now I have returned to where I was earlier. I am confident that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi we will win all 40 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections”.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also asserted that the JD(U)-BJP combine would easily sweep the 2025 assembly elections. He said that, “I am also very confident that we will win more than 200 seats during the coming Bihar assembly elections”.

Mr. Kumar reflected on the progress of the administration, noting a shift towards proactive governance. He highlighted the revamping of the police force and the strategic allocation of resources to various sectors such as education, healthcare and agriculture, with a particular emphasis on expanding infrastructure and other services.

He said that the state government was also focusing on sectors like construction of bridges, roads and culverts aimed at improving connectivity across the state. He also spoke about the goal to reduce travel time in Bihar.

During his speech, Nitish Kumar also took a swipe at his former Mahagathbandhan ally RJD and said that he would launch an investigation to find out “who did what” and “who gave what to whom”.

“Those who have been involved in such kind of dealings must understand what I am going to do. I am going to conduct an investigation to find out the truth”, Mr. Kumar said.

During the floor test on Monday, Mr. Kumar had alleged “corrupt practices” by his former allies.