Union Budget brings bonanza for Bihar; over Rs 60k outlay for airports, e-ways

New Delhi: The Union Budget for FY25 on Tuesday unveiled big-ticket measures for Bihar, proposing a total outlay of over Rs 60,000 crore for various projects, including funding for three expressways, a power plant, heritage corridors and new airports and sports infrastructure.

In the annual Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Centre's support for development of three road connectivity projects -- Patna-Purnea Expressway, Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressway, and Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Vaishali and Darbhanga spurs, and an additional two-lane bridge over river Ganga at Buxar.

These four projects will have "a total cost of Rs 26,000 crore," Sitharaman said.

Other bonanza for Bihar, currently ruled by the NDA government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, include setting up of a 2,400 MW power plant at Pirpainti, in Bhagalpur district, which "will be taken up at a cost of Rs 21,400 crore".

"New airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in Bihar will be constructed," said Sitharaman.

In addition, the Centre would also help Bihar, which has frequently suffered from floods in many of rivers originating from Nepal.

"Our government, through the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme and other sources, will provide financial support for projects with 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," she said.

Besides, survey and investigation of Kosi related flood mitigation and irrigation projects will be undertaken, Sitharaman added.

The budget also provided for an additional allocation to support capital investments in Bihar.

"The requests of Bihar government for external assistance from multilateral development banks will be expedited," said Sitharaman.

The finance minister also proposed the development of Vishnupad temple at Gaya and Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya by creating a corridor modelled on the Varanasi-based Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor.

"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," she said.

Besides, the budget also proposed a comprehensive development initiative for Rajgir, which holds religious significance for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.

"Our government will support Nalanda as a tourist destination centre besides providing Nalanda university its glorious stature," she added.

While under the Poorvodaya scheme, in which the government is formulating for an all-round development of the eastern region states covering Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

"On the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial corridor, we will support development of an industrial node at Gaya," she said, adding, "this corridor will catalyse the industrial development of the eastern region." The proposed industrial node at Gaya will also be a good model for developing ancient centres of cultural importance into future centres of modern economy, Sitharaman said, adding it would show "development and heritage" on a growth trajectory.