Budget 2024 | Finance Minister announces airports, medical colleges and road projects for Bihar – CNBC TV18
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday (July 23) proposed an outlay of ₹26,000 crore for various road projects in Bihar.
Presenting the Budget in the Lok Sabha for 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Union government will arrange financial assistance to Bihar through aid from multilateral development agencies.
Sitharaman announced the Centre’s support for the 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.
The government will also set up airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in Bihar, she said. The union government will also formulate a plan ‘Purvodaya’ for the all-round development of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.
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Further, the Finance Minister announced that the government will undertake power projects, including the establishment of a new 2,400 MW power plant at Pirpainti in Bihar, at a cost of ₹21,400 crore.
Additionally, the government will allocate ₹11,500 crore to Bihar for flood mitigation efforts. Sitharaman said the Union government will be developing an industrial corridor in Gaya, Bihar.
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 an estimated cost of ₹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, a 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 the 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.
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“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.
Under the Poorvodaya scheme, the government is formulating for an all-round development of the eastern region states covering Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
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