Nirmala Sitharaman unveils coalition dharma Budget
Image credit X.com Sansad TV
Bihar & Andhra Pradesh gain special attention in Budget 2024
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, July 23: Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday presented her seventh straight Budget in the Lok Sabha. Sitharaman in a ‘to-the-point’ budget listed out key emphasis for Bihar, employment, and spurring domestic manufacturing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre had ruled out granting special category status for any new state yesterday. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen irritated at reporters seeking his reaction to the Centre trashing the demand for the special category status.
But Sitharaman sought to make amends to anger in Bihar. She announced a wholesome package for Bihar in the Budget.
Bodh Gaya will be the key industrial hub in the Amritsar-Kolkata corridor. The rail corridor has been built with the assistance of the World Bank. Sitharaman said that Bodh Gaya industrial hub will spur industrialisation of the eastern parts of the country.
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Sitharaman proposed infrastructure projects worth ₹26000 crores. This included Patna-Purnea and Buxar-Bhagalpur Expressways. Besides, a power plant in Pirpainti in Bhagalpur district was also proposed in the Budget.
Sitharaman also proposed projects worth ₹11500 crores for floods mitigation efforts with thrust on the Kosi River. Bihar is perennially ravaged by floods on account of water released from Nepal, said Sitharaman.
She also proposed a two-lane bridge over the Ganga River in Buxar. Besides, Sitharaman proposed redevelopment of two main temples in Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, and Nalanda.
The Bihar chief minister had sought a special category status and a special package. Sitharaman almost delivered a special package for Bihar.
Sitharaman also proposed funding the completion of the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh. Sitharaman also proposed enhanced Backward Region Grant Funds (BRGF) for Andhra Pradesh.
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The minister also proposed a funding of ₹15000 crores for Andhra Pradesh through multilateral agencies. Besides, she lent her weight for Visakhapatnam-Chennai corridor.
Sitharaman struck a fine balance in the Budget for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), hold keys to the stability of the Modi-led government at the Centre.
To show that she was not paying special attention to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Sitharaman also mentioned the Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh and the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand.
Sitharaman proposed budgetary support for the reconstruction efforts in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. She said that both the hilly states had seen the nature’s fury in the form of cloudbursts and flash floods last year.
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