GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st Feb. Ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls later this year, the Centre has unveiled several significant offerings for the state, where it shares power with its key ally, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) [JDU]. These initiatives come in the wake of JDU’s critical support to the BJP after it fell short of the majority mark in the 2024 general elections.
Presenting her eighth consecutive Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the establishment of a Makhana board in Bihar. This board aims to provide Makhana farmers in the region with access to various Centre-led schemes, benefiting farmers, particularly in north Bihar. The announcement was met with enthusiastic cheers from the treasury benches.
Further expanding the state’s infrastructure, Sitharaman declared plans for greenfield airports in Bihar as part of the Centre’s civil aviation push. Additionally, the Finance Minister confirmed a canal project in the Mithilanchal region and outlined plans to increase the capacity of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Patna.
These announcements come just months before the crucial Assembly election in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar’s JDU is preparing for another electoral battle. Despite his political shifts, Kumar has held onto the Chief Minister’s position and is now poised to reap the rewards of the BJP’s support. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, JDU secured 12 seats, and its alliance with the BJP helped form the ruling government at the Centre.
However, the BJP’s announcements for Bihar have drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the Centre’s focus on Bihar, pointing out that Andhra Pradesh, another key state, has been left out of similar attention. “Bihar appears to have received a bonanza of announcements. It’s natural, given the elections. But why has Andhra Pradesh been so cruelly ignored?” Ramesh remarked.
As the state prepares for a pivotal election, these moves are seen as a strategic push by the Centre to bolster its prospects in Bihar, while facing growing opposition concerns over the fairness of such allocations.
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