Nirmala Sitharaman Announces Rs 26,000 Crore For Bihar Highway Projects
While the central government refused special category status for Bihar yesterday, it has given highways and roads a boost in the Union Budget 2024. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a Rs 26,000 crore budget for road projects in the state.
Sitharaman said that the government “will formulate plan Purvodaya for all round development of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.”
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She added that an industrial node at Gaya on the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor is to be developed.
“It will catalyse the development of the eastern region. We will also support the development of road connectivity projects,” said the finance minister.
- Patna-Purnea Expressway
- Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway
- Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbhanga
- An additional two-lane bridge over the Ganga in Buxar
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The Bihar government’s requests for loan from multilateral banks will be expediated. The government will also set up new airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in Bihar, said Sitharaman.
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), a key ally of Prime Minister Modi, reportedly pressed for a Rs 30,000 crore infusion into Bihar’s projects. During a pre-budget meeting with Sitharaman last month, the Bihar Chief Minister’s government made the demand, according to Bloomberg.
