Andhra Pradesh and Bihar get a bumper advantage in the budget
After the Lok Sabha elections, the demand for special state status to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh began to rise. The Modi government may have rejected the demand for a special state, but has opened the coffers for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. While presenting the budget, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a special package for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. A number of different announcements have been made for Bihar, while 15 thousand crore rupees have been announced for Andhra Pradesh. Thus, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have got a bumper benefit in the budget. In such a situation, the question is whether this is political compulsion or meditation…?
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor will be built for the development of the industrial sector. Under this, Gaya will be made an industrial center in Bihar. This corridor will boost the industrial development of the North-East region. This center of Gaya will connect the ancient cultural centers with the modern economy. This corridor will implement industrial development. This model will be very good. This model will see development and also glimpse of heritage.
26 thousand crores for roads in Bihar
In the budget, the finance minister announced 26 thousand crore rupees for the road connectivity project in Bihar. Along with this, Patna-Purnia Expressway and Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway will be constructed. Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Vaishali and Darbhanga road connectivity projects will also be developed. Apart from this, an additional two-lane bridge will be constructed over the river Ganges in Buxar. A power project will be started in Bihar at a cost of 21 thousand 400 crore rupees. This also includes setting up a new 2400 MW plant at Pirpenty.
Nirmala Sitharaman announced that new airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure will also be built in Bihar. Additional allocations will be made available to support capital investments. Bihar government’s request for external assistance from multilateral development banks will be processed expeditiously. The Finance Minister said that the central government has a special focus on tourism development.
A corridor has been announced for Bodh Gaya’s Mahabodhi Temple. A corridor will be constructed for the Vishnupad temple in Gaya. This will be based on the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. Rajgir is also important for Buddhist and Jain devotees. The pilgrimage areas of Rajgir will also be developed. Development will also be done to strengthen Nalanda as a tourist hub.
Andhra Pradesh also got a bumper benefit
Like Bihar, Modi government has opened the treasury for Andhra Pradesh too. Announcing the Budget for Andhra Pradesh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that ‘the government has made a concerted effort to fulfill the commitments of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. Provide financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh through multilateral development agencies. In the current financial year Rs. 15,000 crore will be provided and additional funds will be provided in the coming years.
The Finance Minister said that he is fully committed to complete the Polavaram Irrigation Project of Andhra Pradesh at the earliest. It will also help our country in food security. Infrastructure will be emphasized in the Kopparthi area in the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor. Additional allocation up to one year for capital investment for economic development. Under this Act, grants will be given to backward areas of Rayalaseema, Prakasam and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the central government will also bring ‘Purvodaya’ scheme for the overall development of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Sitharaman said the government would support industrial corridors for development in the eastern region, the finance minister said the government would directly provide e-vouchers to one lakh students every year, which would also include three percent interest subsidy on the loan amount.
Nitish and Naidu had special expectations from the budget
The Modi government may not have given special state status to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, but it has tried to keep Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu in good stead by opening the government coffers for the development of both states. Like in 2014 and 2019, this time also BJP could not form the government single-handedly. This time the BJP managed to win only 240 seats and is far from the majority mark.
The government was formed with the support of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar. Both these leaders are demanding special status for their respective states. In such a situation, it is necessary for the Modi government at the center to keep JDU and TDP with it to maintain its stability. The first big test for the Modi government and the BJP was the budget. Both the leaders had special expectations from the budget. In such a situation, the Modi government has fulfilled their expectations and opened the government treasury.
