Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made special announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in the first budget of the third Narendra Modi government. The ruling parties of both states are allies of the current NDA government.
It is raining bonanza for Bihar with the government earmarking several infrastructure projects for JDU-ruled Bihar. A sum of Rs 20,000 crore has been allocated for various road projects in Bihar, including
Patna-Purnia, Buxar-Bhagalpur and Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbhanga Expressway and an additional two-lane bridge over river Ganga in Buxar.
The Centre also plans to set up airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in the state. Financial assistance to Bihar will be arranged through aid from multilateral development agencies, said Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech. "On the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor, we will support the development of an industrial nod at Gaya in Bihar. It will catalyse the development of the easter region," said the Finance Minister in her budget speech.
The state's tourism sector will also have major allocations with plans afoot to develop Vishnupad and Mahabodhi temple corridors into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations. The Centre also plans to comprehensively develop Rajgir and Nalanda. "We will formulate plan Purvodaya for all round development of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh," the Finance Minister added.
The finance minister also said the government will provide e-vouchers directly to 1 lakh students every year with interest subvention of 3 per cent of the loan amount.
Andhra Pradesh
The TDP-ruled Andhra Pradesh will be provided Rs 15,000 crore in financial assistance for the development of its capital Amaravati. The Polavaram Irrigation Project too got a major boost with the Centre promising financial assistance. The project is considered a lifeline for Andhra's farmers.
"Our government has made concerted efforts to fulfil the commitments in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. We are recognising the state's need for capital. We will facilitate special financial support through multilateral development agencies. In the current financial year, Rs 15,000 crore will be arranged with additional amounts in future years," she said.
Funds will also be provided for the development of industries and essential infrastructure such as water, power, railways, and roads for backward regions of Rayalaseema, Prakasam North coastal Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act.
The FM also also announced Visakhapatnam-Chennai and Hyderabad-Bangalore industrial corridors.
