Budget Bonanza for Bihar: New Airports, institutes to help in agriculture and more for the state

Bihar continues to hog the limelight in the Union Budget for the second consecutive year. Among states, only Bihar found a mention in the Budget speech of the union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with specific projects announced for the state.

Bihar has been promised a Makhana Board to help the Makhana farmers of the state in production, processing, value addition and marketing of the produce. Bihar contributes 85 per cent of the total makhana production of the country with around 10 lakh farmers over nine districts of the state engaged in it.

The union finance minister also announced the establishment of National Institute of Food Technology in Bihar which will promote food processing in the state and create employment opportunities for the youth of the state. LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan is the union food processing minister for the country, and he has been trying to get Bihar on the food processing map of the country. This will be the third institute in India after Kundli in Haryana and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.


In the budget special financial support for the West Kosi Canal has also been announced. The West Kosi Canal project is aimed at improving the irrigation facilities in the Mithilanchal region. “Financial support will be provided for the Western Kosi Canal ERM project benefitting a large number of farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar,” Sitharaman said in her Budget speech.

Sitharaman also announced new airports for Bihar apart from addition of capacity at the Patna Airport and a brownfield airport in Bihta, near Patna. Although the places have not been mentioned in the budget speech, there are two to three cities which are under the government agenda for air connectivity.

In addition, the infrastructure enhancement at the IIT Patna near Bihta has also been promised in the Union Budget. Bihar is headed for elections by the end of the year. With the announcements in the budget, the ruling NDA alliance will launch their campaign on a high note promising development for the hitherto neglected state.