Bihar’s Nitish Kumar-led government on Saturday drew praise from a host of economists, policymakers and investors for the state’s rising GDP and sure-footed governance model, but the praise came with loads of caution.
The rapid changes taking place in Bihar since Kumar’s JD(U)-BJP coalition government took over in 2005 were described by speakers at the “Global Summit on Changing Bihar” conference as positive developments for the region and the country. While full of praise for the government’s achievements so far and it stated aims for a future growth roadmap, several speakers stressed the need for inclusive development and ensuring lasting availability of critical growth stimulants such as power.
“Bihar is growing very well at this moment and it will take some time for the state to catch up. But amid this positive growth, critical areas such as care for the girl child and nutrition of all families have to be given complete attention,” said well-known economist and British MP Lord Meghnad Desai. Speaking at a session on challenges before Bihar on the three-day summit’s second day, Desai advocated abolition of subsidy in electricity, saying this system was like “a free feast and destruction of financial resources”. Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the state had already come far from its “age of backwardness to an era of change.”