Photo credit: @AshokChoudhaary
Bihar has presented its annual budget for 2023-24, amounting to INR 2.61 lakh crore, an increase of almost 10% from last year, with a focus on education, youth and employment, health and infrastructure. Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary presented the budget, attributing the cap on the state’s fiscal deficit to better financial management. Chaudhary raised the demand for special status for Bihar, noting a drop in grants in aid received from the Centre compared to the previous year, while Bihar’s share in central taxes has risen.
The highest allocation in the budget has been made for education, with INR 40,450 crore allotted. INR 16,966 crore has been allotted to health, and INR 12,439 crore has been allotted to the social welfare sector. Additionally, the government is working towards generating ten lakh jobs for the youth, with work already in motion for 63,900 posts sent to Bihar Public Service Commission and Bihar staff selection board, and 48,762 teaching posts.
This was the first financial document of the Grand Alliance government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, after his Janata Dal (United) party severed ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party and joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, and Left parties. Choudhary also raised the demand for special category status, saying Bihar requires it to overcome its backwardness despite having clocked a 10.98% economic growth in the current 2022-23 financial year.
The state government has made provision of INR 2,374 crore for the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana in 23-24, INR 800 crore for providing financial assistance for self-employment, INR 100 crore for Mukya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana and other schemes. The financial assistance for self-empowerment of divorced Muslim women has been increased from INR 10,000 to INR 25,000. While no new schemes were announced in the budget, the government is focusing on youth development, women empowerment and infrastructure development.
The budget presentation has attracted mixed reactions from political leaders. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called it a progressive budget, while BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi criticized it as status quo and center-dependent budget, with an increase of only INR 2 crore for education. Despite the opposition’s criticism, the budget has been welcomed by many, given the state’s history of economic and social underdevelopment.
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