The poll bound Bihar is playing in crores.After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dramatic announcement of Rs1.25 lakh crore special package, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday joined the war and came out with a huge development plan for Bihar worth Rs2.70 lakh crore to be invested and implemented in the next five years if he comes back to power. Nitish’s move is seen as yet another counter-attack to blunt the PM’s special package declaration.
The CM has identified seven recourses to provide basic amenities and other facilities to the people of the State that include students’ credit card, drinking water supply through pipes to each home, construction of toilets in rural and urban households and above all 35% reservation for women in all the Government jobs.
Saying that it was his vision for next five years, he claimed, “This is not like the package the PM announced. We will get funds for these projects and implement them as soon as possible.”
Nitish said apart from all the ongoing projects he would implement new schemes to accelerate the process of the development of Bihar. “Bihar is already on the path of development with justice which means development of all sections and regions. The projects including agriculture roadmap, human resources development mission, skill development and industrial promotion will continue. All these and other programmes will be implemented in a missionary zeal,” he said.
He announced an integrated plan for the youth and said all the students passing +2 will be issued student credit card to continue their education and they can obtain education loan from any bank upto Rs4 lakh. Of the interest on this loan the State Government will bear 3%. He said in the districts, employment advisory centres will be opened where they can register and they would get information about job opportunities. Skill development centres would be opened in each block. The students would also get training in foreign languages.
The CM announced his plan of self help allowance scheme to the unemployed youth. For the youth in age group of 20-25, a monthly allowance of Rs1000 for nine months in bid to give them support to search for the jobs. “A venture capital fund with a startup capital of Rs500 crore will be established through which such youth will be assisted who desire to start their own ventures. A free Wi-Fi connection will be provided in each University and college,” Nitish said.
For the supply of drinking water through pipes to all households in urban and rural areas totaling about 2 crores will cost about Rs47,700 crore over the next five years. For the women empowerment, Nitish announced 35% quota for the fair sex in all the Government jobs. They had already been given 35% reservation in police constable and sub-inspectors job while in teachers appointment they are entitled for 50% quota.
He further announced that a scheme of constructing toilets in 1.64 crore rural and 7.52 lakh urban households with an expenditure of Rs28,700 crore. By 2016, electricity in each habitat will be provided and power connections to all those houses of BPl and APl where there is no connection on its own. It is estimated to cost Rs55,600 crore.
Reiterating his charge that the announced Rs1.25 lakh crore package was a repackaging of old and ongoing projects, he said schemes only worth Rs10,368 crore were new. “The PM’s package is totally a farce. They only react when I act,” said Nitish.