Why was Janakidham Sitamarhi ignored in the budget?
While Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and those close to him are happy after Bihar got a special package in the Union Budget 2024-25, opposition parties are on the offensive. Opposition parties have accused the government of ignoring other states in the budget. But few would have noticed that the special package has overlooked many important areas of Bihar apart from Nitish Kumar’s spheres of influence. Nitish Kumar has also forgotten the demand for special state status in the face of a special package of around 59 thousand crore rupees. He has put his old demands on hold for now. The Bihar Special Package has largely focused on areas which are said to be strongholds of Nitish Kumar or his supporters. Many important sectors of Bihar have not found a place in the budget or have not been given due attention.
It is true that Kosi has been mentioned for flood control and development in the Union Budget but Bagmati’s devastation has not been mentioned. If we turn the pages of the geography and history of Bihar, it can be seen that during the rainy season, the water of Nepal not only submerges the Kosi region but also submerges the Bagmati region. It destroys crops here, people are forced to live on high dams, poor, laborers and farmers face great hardship. Villages in Sitamarhi, adjacent to Nepal, are still submerged. Its effect is seen from Shivhar, Champaran to Muzaffarpur.
Sitamarhi, Champaran and Muzaffarpur were ignored in the budget
It would have been better if the development of Sitamarhi, Champaran and Muzaffarpur, along with Kosi and Darbhanga-Purnia, had been mentioned in the Union Budget, but that could not happen. Beyond Nalanda, Rajgir, Bodhgaya these areas were neglected. There is no discussion in the budget about developing Sitamarhi town as a religious tourist destination like Bodh Gaya and Vishnu temple. There is no plan for development of Ma Janaki Mandir or Sita Janmabhoomi area of ​​Sitamarhi. Janakpurdham and Sitamarhi in Mithila are directly related to Ayodhya and Sri Ram Temple. But despite the commitment, there is no mention in the budget regarding the development and beautification of these places.
Beautification of Sitamarhi and neglect of Janaki temple in budget
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had promised at the Nalanda rally to develop Sitamarhi as a religious tourist destination and to build a grand Janaki temple. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also announced in his rallies to build a grand Janaki temple on the lines of Ram temple. But when the opportunity came to present the budget in the third term of the Modi government, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda were mentioned at length, but neither Sitamarhi, the birthplace of Janaki, nor Muzaffarpur, the martyrdom site of Khudiram Bose, nor Bapu Dham in Motihari was mentioned.
These areas are also deprived of expressway routes
Bihar has been gifted express in a special package. One is: Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway, the construction of which will directly benefit the people of Buxar, Rohtas, Bhojpur, Arwal, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada, Jamui, Sheikhpura, Banka and Bhagalpur. And the second is – Patna-Purnia Expressway, the construction of which will benefit the people of Vaishali, Begusarai, Nalanda, Lakhisarai, Munger, Khagaria, Madhepura and Purnia. If seen this way, the people of Sitamarhi, Champaran or Muzaffarpur will not benefit from the construction of these two expressways. While these areas have their own cultural and historical significance. Compared to Gaya, Rajgir or Nalanda, the heritage here is also world class and important for religio-cultural tourism.
