Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary greets Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the pre-Budget meeting in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the Finance portfolio, on Saturday sought further assistance and additional packages for Bihar during a pre-Budget meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.
Choudhary said that Bihar’s growth performance was very good compared to other major states in the country and recorded higher growth than developed states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat (8.03%).
“However, to maintain the momentum of growth, the State needs additional funds for development needs. There is an allocation of Special Assistance to States for capital expenditure of ₹1 lakh crore during 2023-24. However, in the interim Union Budget 2024-25, this amount was reduced to ₹55,000 crore. I will ask you to order the same amount. This will help the United States to strengthen fiscal management through public investment,” he said.
Mr. Choudhary also urged the Union Minister to increase the debt limit to meet his development plans. He asked for an additional loan limit of 1% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) over and above the limit given to States like Bihar, without any conditions.
Expressing concern over the energy sector, Mr. Choudhary demanded the implementation of ‘one nation, one tariff’ across the country. He also emphasized on setting up coal-based thermal power plants at Pirpainti, Bhagalpur, and Chausa, Buxar.
He also bathed in nine airports to expand Bihar’s air connectivity. “I request to make provisions in the current Budget for nine airports in Dehri, Saharsa, Forbesganj, Munger, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Raxaul, and Gopalganj. The state is ready to provide land for these airports,” he said.
Talking about the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), he asked the Central government to bear the maintenance cost of PMGSY in the ratio of 60:40.
He proposed construction of metro rail in four big cities – Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur – to meet the growing population and traffic.
In the health sector, Mr Choudhary asked the Center to consider the establishment of seven government medical colleges – in Munger, Motihari, Gopalganj, Supaul, Begusarai, Mahua (Vaishali), and Ara (Bhojpur) – under the Center Sponsored Scheme.
He also spoke about the provision of additional funds of ₹17,686.25 crore for teacher salaries under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
Choudhary reminded the Union Minister that Bihar has submitted a proposal worth ₹369.60 crore under ‘Khelo India’, apart from releasing funds of ₹195.77 crore under the Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP). He also noted that the government is considering resumption of salaries and allowances for the Anganwadi Service, which was discontinued in August 2023; for this purpose, they have sought an additional sanction of ₹ 46.41 crore, which is now borne by the State government.
Despite Bihar’s outstanding agricultural potential, the State is facing disparities in allocation amid sponsored schemes, the Deputy Chief Minister argued. In 2023-24, Bihar received ₹58.30 crore under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), less than States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam. Therefore, he demanded that the NFSM allocation be doubled for Bihar, especially to support maize and millet cultivation.
Mr. Choudhary asserted that the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was affected due to inadequate allocation of funds in the Central Share related to pending responsibilities in material components and delays in settlement of material dues.
“Under the material component, ₹ 2410.57 crore is deferred in FY 2023-24. For 2024-25, only ₹ 247.57 crore has been allocated as Central Section for the material component. The decrease in allocation has the effect of complete clearance of the previous year’s dues, which affects the implementation of the current year’s scheme. Therefore, it is requested that the required amount be released to pay the deferred dues from the previous year,” he said.