Editorials by Kanchan

Bihar and Pataliputra (modern-day Patna) has one of the most glorious histories in the world. It has been 101 years since Bihar became a state of India. It is not in the distant past when Bihar’s name was uttered with negative connotations, and at times even derogatory. The socio-economic condition of Bihar became the example of a worst case scenario. However, it took only few years to change the face and the reputation of Bihar. Kudos to the government and the people of Bihar under the able leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who powered a near miracle of sorts. There is a popular saying – if there is a will, there is a way. Bihar has found its way to better governance and better development after a long period of hopelessness. Even global icons like Bill Gates only have praise for the leadership and the state for its impressive achievements.

After a long wait, Bihar has finally built thousands of kilometers of tarred roads which have connected remote villages and towns with the rest of the country. Education and healthcare sectors have seen significant improvement in past few years., People till recently used to live under the fear of dreaded goons, where extortion was a parallel economy.

The present state government has been successful in allaying the fears of insecurity among the aam aadmi. Twin factors contributed to the success: Bihar has seen a hitherto unthinkable growth among all states of India, and clean governance and transparency.

During the 11th five -year plan (2007-12), Bihar has logged a record 11.95% growth. The World Bank has only praise for the state’s development. Bihar has a huge population below poverty level and per capita income for the state’s population has been one of the lowest. But a recent report shows that per capita income growth in the eastern Indian state also tops the country at a fast clip of 11.75%.

A major concern for Bihar in recent days is a high rate of population growth in the state (25.05 per cent decadal growth) which indicates of doubling the population by 2051. While the state will need more resources and infrastructure to provide all basic necessitates of life, it will have to plan ahead to avoid any slowdown or even a possible disaster. At the same time, through proper plan and execution, the working population can be converted from unskilled to skilled workers and Bihar can become source of huge supply of workers in all fields and thus making it a hub of several development projects. This is good news for the state since the government is focusing on manufacturing as the next big growth sector and as the new engine of growth..

Tourism sector has great scope to develop further. After all, Bihar is rich in history, and has unique tourism spots.

However, if planning is not done properly, situation can be disastrous – education, healthcare, water, sanitation, employment, energy, environment et al will be affected. People have faith in the current government and hopes are high that Bihar will remain an example of a growth rising from rock bottom to a level where people have plenty of opportunities for better quality of life .

There are huge investment, business, tourism and overall development opportunities in Bihar in this day and age. As Bihar celebrates Bihar Diwas, the 101st anniversary of its formation, one hopes that people of Indian origin everywhere, especially non-resident Biharis and others who want to see the state continue scripting the success tale and focus on its path of sustained development, will join hands for a better tomorrow. Congratulations Bihar!

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