Bihar Govt. presents ₹2.79 lakh crore budget, growth rate 'highest' in country at over 10%

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar tabled a ₹2.79 lakh crore budget, asserting that the State’s finances were in “good shape”

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on February 13 tabled a ₹2.79 lakh crore budget, asserting that the State's finances were in "good shape" with the growth rate standing well above 10%, the "highest" in the country.

Presenting the budget before the State Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said it was a matter of pride for Bihar that its growth rate at "10.64%" was also much higher than the national average.

“We are committed to the state’s overall development. We succeeded in pulling out 2.5 crore people from the clutches of poverty in the current financial year”, asserted Mr. Choudhary who holds the finance portfolio.

He presented the budget amid a ruckus created by members of the opposition, who trooped into the well and later staged a walkout, shouting slogans like “palturam hosh mein aao [Mr turncoat, come back to your senses]".

Notably, the budget was presented a day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who dumped the RJD-helmed 'Mahagathbandhan' and returned to the BJP-led NDA, won a trust vote.

Mr. Choudhary also counted among the State’s major achievements a marked decline in maternity deaths, saying it has “fallen by 47%, which is remarkable by all standards”.

The State’s budget estimate for the next fiscal was ₹2,78,725.72 crore, an increase of ₹16,840 crore, compared with the current financial year.