Some Repackaging, No Deadlines: Modi's Bihar Package
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the public in Ara, Bihar on August 18, 2015.
At least some schemes of the Rs 1.25-lakh-core package Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced for Bihar on August 18 are repackaged versions of existing schemes.
Also, Modi mentioned no deadlines for any of the projects.
IndiaSpend had earlier reported in a three-part series how Bihar is still underdeveloped even after record economic growth over the last 10 years (You can read the first part here, second part here and the third part here).
Here are the highlights of the mega Bihar package:
| Modi’s Rs 1.25-Lakh-Crore Bihar Package | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Amount (in Rs crore) | Highlights |
| Highways | 54,713 | * 2,775 km of National Highways (four-laning & widening) |
| * Construction of bridges (across Ganga, Sone, Kosi) | ||
| * Construction of 12 rail overbridges | ||
| Petroleum & Gas | 21,476 | * Expansion of Barauni refinery + new petrochemical plant |
| * Construction of gas pipelines, new LPG plants and massive expansion in domestic LPG connections | ||
| * Petrol-diesel pipeline from Raxaul to Nepal | ||
| Electricity | 16,130 | * 1,300 MW new power plant at Buxar |
| * Electrification of villages under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Vidyut Yojana (sufficient for farms, uninterrupted for homes) | ||
| * Electrification of towns and cities under Integrated Power Development Scheme | ||
| Rural roads | 13,820 | 22,500 km of rural roads |
| Railways | 8,870 | * Doubling and tripling of 676 km of railway line |
| * Electrification of 574 km | ||
| Farmers’ welfare | 3,094 | * Upgradation of Rajendra Prasad Agriculture University to central university, creation of new research centre |
| * Development of fisheries, farm water management, storage capacity, farm mechanisation, seed production systems | ||
| * Construction of new godowns for foodgrain | ||
| Airports | 2,700 | * Construction of new airport at Patna |
| * Development of airports at Gaya, Raxaul, Purnea | ||
| Skill development | 1,550 | * Establishment of Mega Skill University |
| * Training 1 lakh youth | ||
| Education | 1,000 | * Central university near Bhagalpur |
| * IIM at Bodhgaya | ||
| Health | 600 | * Upgradation of three medical colleges at Patna, Bhagalpur and Gaya |
| Tourism | 600 | Development of seven tourist circuits |
| Digital Bihar | 449 | * Software Technology Parks, rural BPOs, training centres |
| * 1,000 new mobile towers to increase coverage and quality | ||
| * 30 Wi-Fi hotspots across prominent tourist places | ||
| * Common service centres to be scaled up from 8,800 to 26,000 | ||
Source: Press Information Bureau
Roads: The major thrust of Modi’s deal is building roads across the state; the package announced has around Rs 68,500 crore ($10.7 billion) riding on highways and rural roads.
Bihar has only 4,168 km of national highway or 5% of India's total of 79,116 km at the end of 2013, according to data released by the Ministry of Transport.
Modi has promised to spend more than Rs 54,700 crore to widen national highways across the state and construction of bridges.
Of three million km of rural roads nationwide, 167,579 km are in Bihar, the state with the fifth-longest length of rural roads.
Petroleum and gas: Rs 21,476 crore--the second-largest component of Modi's package--has already been promised by his government, as this Times of India report shows.
Electricity: The third-largest component of the Bihar package --electricity--includes a 1,300-MW power plant at Buxar. The plant has been progressing since 2013, according to SJVN, the company involved.
Airports: A new airport in Patna has been in the making for some time, according to an answer in Rajya Sabha by Minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma.
Image Credit: Press Information Bureau
