Sitharaman’s Look East In Budget: ‘Purvodaya’ For Bihar, Bits For Others

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a slew of announcements for the eastern states in the Budget 2024-2025, which she presented in the Lok Sabha. The Budget was a bonanza for a state like Bihar, where BJP is in power with its ally Janata Dal (United). Writes ETV Bharat's Dipankar Bose

Hyderabad: The first budget of the third edition of Modi-govenrment today saw a bonanza for BJP-allies, the JDU-ruled Bihar and TDP-JanaSena-ruled Andhra Pradesh. Amid all the brouhaha over the proposed allocations in the Budget of 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a chapter dedicated to the East, christening as the Government’s Purvodaya allocations.

According to Sitharaman, this Purvodaya scheme will include, “The states in the Eastern part of the country are rich in endowments and have strong cultural traditions.” With this renewed focus, the Government aims at formulating a new plan, the Purvodaya plan, for all development of the eastern region of India covering, "Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh."

The Finance Minister said the plan will, "cover human resource development, infrastructure, and generation of economic opportunities to make the region an engine to attain Viksit Bharat."

Other than the bonanza of airports, medical colleges, bridges and roads, exclusively for Bihar, the Union Finance Minister said, “On the Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor, we will support the development of an industrial node at Gaya. This corridor will catalyse the industrial development of the eastern region. The industrial node at Gaya will also be a good model for developing our ancient centres of cultural importance into future centres of modern economy. This model shall showcase 'Vikas bhi Virasat bhi' in our growth trajectory."

Keeping her focus on Bihar, unwavering, Sitharaman said, "We will also support the development of road connectivity projects, the Patna-Purnea Expressway, the Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway, the Bodhgaya, Rajgir, the Vaishali and Darbhanga spurs, and an additional 2-lane bridge over river Ganga at Buxar at a total cost of Rs 26,000 crore. Power projects, including the setting up of a new 2400 MW power plant at Pirpainti, will be taken up at a cost of Rs 21,400 crore. New airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in Bihar will be constructed," adding, "An additional allocation to support capital investments will be provided. The requests of the Bihar Government for external assistance from multilateral development banks will be expedited.”

Talking about the Government’s initiatives and planned approach towards Irrigation and Flood Mitigation, Sitharaman again went back to Bihar. "Bihar has frequently suffered from floods, many of them originating outside the country. Plans to build flood control structures in Nepal are yet to progress. Our government, through the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme and other sources, will provide financial support for projects with an estimated cost of Rs 11,500 crore such as the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link and 20 other ongoing and new schemes including barrages, river pollution abatement and irrigation projects. In addition, a survey and investigation of Kosi-related flood mitigation and irrigation projects will be undertaken."

In addition to the massive push for Bihar, the Finance Minister also focused on the devasting floods in Assam and the landslides in Sikkim, which have affected the land-locked state severely.

"Assam grapples with floods every year by the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries, originating outside India. We will provide assistance to Assam for flood management and related projects. Recently Sikkim witnessed devastating flash floods and landslides that wreaked havoc across the state. Our Government will provide assistance to the state,” Sitharaman said.

Adding to the Purvodaya push of the Modi-government, the Union Finance Minister laid out an elaborate plan for a push in the tourism sector in the East.

"Vishnupad Temple at Gaya and Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar are of immense spiritual significance. Comprehensive development of Vishnupad Temple Corridor and Mahabodhi Temple Corridor will be supported, modelled on the successful Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, to transform them into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations.

"Rajgir holds immense religious significance for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. The 20th Tirthankara Munisuvrata temple in the Jain Temple complex is ancient. The Saptharishi or the 7 hotsprings form a warm water Brahmakund that is sacred. A comprehensive development initiative for Rajgir will be undertaken," Sitharaman said adding, "Our government will support the development of Nalanda as a tourist centre besides reviving Nalanda University to its glorious stature."

With the BJP coming to power in the eastern state of Odisha for the first time, the Finance Minister had something for that state also. "Odisha’s scenic beauty, temples, monuments, craftsmanship, wildlife sanctuaries, natural landscapes and pristine beaches make it an ultimate tourism destination. Our government will provide assistance for their development," she said.

The Union Finance Minister also proposed to set up as many as 100 branches of the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) in Northeastern states.