71,672km power cables to be replaced across Bihar in 3 years
Work on replacement of 71,672km damaged power cables that transmit
electricity across 38 districts of the state is expected to begin by the end of
May.
Last year, the state government had sanctioned Rs 2,827.51 crore for the
project that is likely to be completed in three years
Of the total amount that was sanctioned, Rs 1,520.62 crore will be used for
replacing 39,541km power cables in north Bihar region (Muzzafarpur, Vaishali,
Sitamarhi, Siwan and Gopalganj, among others).
Similarly, Rs 1,306.89 crore will be used for changing 32,131km cables in south
Bihar (Bhagalpur, Munger, Nalanda, Patna, Bhojpur, Gaya and Sasaram,
Power minister inaugurates solar lamp distribution centre in Bihar
Union Minister R K Singh inaugurated an assembly and distribution centre for
solar study lamps at Mahuli village in Arrah and also laid the foundation
(remotely) for a photovoltaic module manufacturing plant in Sherghati block
of Gaya district (Bihar).
Local women Self Help Group (SHG) will assemble solar study lamps in the centre and distribute them to underprivileged students who do not have
access to electricity.
Thus the Centre will not only provide kerosene-free affordable illumination to
students, but also empower rural women with the skills to assemble,
distribute and repair solar lamps.
The initiative is part of the central government’s scheme of providing 70 lakh solar
study lamps in five states, where rural household electrification levels are low
In Bihar, the target is to provide more than 18.84 lakh underprivileged students
with solar study lamps. Around 4.57 lakh such lamps have already been distributed to the students.
The solar photovoltaic module manufacturing plant will be first of its kind in the
state, and will be entirely owned and operated by local women Self Help Group Federations.
For this purpose, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between
the Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (BRLPS) – Jeevika, IIT-Bombay, and
the Cluster Level Federation of women self-help group members.
As part of this initiative, 16,000 Indian villages with a significantly large number
of low income households will be able to buy LED bulbs for a special price of Rs
50 under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) programme.
In Bihar, 635 villages will benefit under this programme. The 70 Lakhs Solar Study Lamp Scheme
Ministry of New & Renewable Energy – Government of India, has sanctioned the 70 Lakhs Solar Study Lamp Scheme, that aims to provide 70 Lakhs rural
students with high quality, affordable clean light in the form of solar study
lamp through skill transfer to local communities in the five states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh
Available to those which have more than 50% un-electrified households, as per the status
reports generated by Ministry of Power and available on the Garv dashboard.
The key objectives of the scheme include supporting education, livelihood generation, curbing
kerosene dependency, generating awareness and confidence in solar technology and reaching
out the most marginalized communities.
Blocks will be the unit of intervention and have been identified based on:
Blocks with more than 50% households dependent on kerosene as their main source of lighting
as per census, 2011 blocks with significant percentage of scheduled tribe and scheduled caste
population.
All enrolled school students (Class 1 to Class 12) in the intervention blocks will have an
opportunity to buy the solar photovoltaic technology based lamp at a discounted price of Rs.
100 per lamp.
HDFC Bank opens its 100th branch in Bihar
Private sector bank HDFC opened its 100th branch in Bihar at Patna
with an aim to expand banking services in the state.
The new branch, which is located on Fraser Road in Patna, was
inaugurated by Navin Puri, Country Head, Retail Branch Banking, HDFC Bank.
At present HDFC bank has 100 branches and 273 ATMs in the state, it
said and added that the bank’s journey in Bihar began in 2002 by
opening its first branch at Exhibition road in the state capital.
Bihar Budget 2018
The Finance Minister of Bihar, Mr. Sushil Kumar Modi, presented the Budget for
financial year 2018-19 on February 27, 2018. The Deputy Chief Minister
presented a budget of 1.76 lakh.
The Gross State Domestic Product of Bihar for 2018-19 (at current prices) is
estimated to be Rs 5,15,634 crore. This is 11% higher than the revised estimate
for 2017-18. Note that the GSDP in 2017-18 is expected to be 26% lower than
what was estimated at the budget stage.
Total expenditure for 2018-19 is estimated to be Rs 1,76,990 crore, a 2.4%
increase over the revised estimate of 2017-18. In 2017-18, the revised estimates
indicate that expenditure is expected to be Rs 12,799 crore (8%) higher than the
budget estimate
Total receipts (excluding borrowings) for 2018-19 are estimated to be Rs 1,60,735
crore, an increase of 19% as compared to the revised estimates of 2017-18. In 2017-18, total receipts (except borrowings) fell short of the budgeted estimate
by Rs 4,048 crore.
Revenue surplus for the next financial year is targeted at Rs 21,312 crore, or 4.13% of the state Gross Domestic Product (GSDP). Fiscal deficit is targeted at Rs
11,204 crore (2.17% of GSDP).
Departments of Rural Development, Education and Home saw the highest increase in allocations.
Education: Rs 32,126 crore has been allocated towards education. Of this, Rs
14,039 crore has been allocated towards the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. Rs 2,171
crore has been allocated towards the Midday Meal Scheme.
The World Bank’s project on Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar will be
implemented. Rs 116 crore has been allocated towards it.
Agriculture: An agriculture road map has been set for the state for the period
2017-2022. This road map will provide for the overall development of the
sector, food and nutrition security, and improving farmer income.
The total allocation towards this road map is Rs 1.54 lakh crore (for 2017-22).
Home: A National Emergency Response System will be set up for citizens to
provide them with essential services during difficult situations.
Through this system assistance will be provided in the areas related to police,
health, firefighting, and female harassment.
SC and ST Welfare: Rs 16,734 crore has been allocated towards SC welfare, and Rs 1,565 crore has been allocated towards ST welfare.
Bihar’s Economy
Economy: The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Bihar grew by 7.5% in 2015- 16, and by 10.3% in 2016-17 (at constant prices). In 2016-17, the GSDP (at constant
prices) was Rs 3.32 lakh crore.
Agriculture: Agriculture in 2016-17 grew at 6.6%. However, the sector witnessed
negative growth of 1.2% between 2011-12 to 2015-16.
Total crop production in the state increased from 173.64 lakh tonne in 2011-12 to
180.99 lakh tonne in 2016-17.
Per Capita Income: The Per Capita Income of Bihar has grown from Rs 23,525 in 2011- 12 to Rs 29,178 in 2016-17 (an increase of 24%).
The per capita expenditure on social services has increased from Rs 1,878 n 2011-
12 to Rs 3,767 in 2016-17.
The total expenditure in 2018-19 is targeted at Rs 1,76,990 crore. This is 2.4% higher
than the revised estimates of 2017-18. This expenditure is proposed to be met through
receipts (other than borrowings) of Rs 1,60,735 crore and borrowings of Rs 20,520 crore.
Total receipts for 2018-19 are expected to be Rs 1,81,255 crore, which is 17.6% higher
than the revised estimate of 2017-18.
Capital expenditure for 2018-19 is proposed to be Rs 40,250 crore, which is a decrease
of 2.4% over the revised estimates of 2017-18. This includes expenditure which affects
the assets and liabilities of the state, and leads to creation of assets (such as bridges
and hospital), and repayment of loans, among others.
Revenue expenditure for 2018-19 is proposed to be Rs 1,36,740 crore,
which is an increase of 3.9% over revised estimates of 2017-18. This
expenditure includes payment of salaries, maintenance, etc.
In 2018-19, Bihar is expected to spend Rs 18,089 crore on servicing its debt (i.e., Rs 7,326 crore on repaying loans, and Rs 10,763 crore on
interest payments). This is 25.7% higher than the revised estimates of 2017-18.
Budget Highlights :
❖The allocation towards pension is Rs 15,829 crore, which is 20% lower than
the revised estimates of 2017-18.
❖Rs 4,308 crore has been allocated towards power companies.
❖The state government has guaranteed Rs 1,700 crore towards Bihar State
Power Company Limited. This will be provided through consortium of banks.
❖In 2018-19, 9,000 km of roads will be constructed.
❖Under the Jeevika scheme, 10 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) and 15,000 Village
Organisations will be set up. Further 2.25 lakh SHGs will be provided with Rs
3,500 crore from banks.
❖8 lakh farmers will be provided with new technologies in agriculture
❖Rs 4,729 crore will be allocated towards Panchayats as per recommendations of the
14th Finance Commission
❖A National Emergency Response System for citizens will be set up.
❖Rs 2,477 crore has been allocated towards the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network
System.
❖An allocation of Rs 120 crore has been made to set up a State Cancer Institute in the
Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. A cancer hospital will be set up in
Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur at a cost of Rs 150 crore.
❖Rs 2,440 crore has been allocated towards the construction of 330 km length across
6 state highways (SH 58, SH 82, SH 84, SH 85, SH 102 and SH 105).
❖Has set a target of providing electricity to all households by December 2018, besides
creating a separate agriculture feeder for providing irrigation facility to every field by
the end of 2019
❖The government will be setting up 3 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras in this budget in
Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.
❖In order to promote organic farming, the Bihar government will give 6000 rupees to
each farmer.
Receipts in 2018-19
The total revenue receipts for 2018-19 are estimated to be Rs 1,58,051 crore, an
increase of 18.7% over the revised estimates of 2017-18. Of this, Rs 35,448 (22.4% of
the revenue receipts) crore will be raised by the state through its own resources, and Rs
1,22,603 crore (77.6% of the revenue receipts) will be devolved by the centre in the
form of grants and the state’s share in taxes.
Non Tax Revenue: Bihar has estimated to generate Rs 4,446 crore through
non-tax sources in 2018-19. Of this, Rs 1,600 crore will be received from non-ferrous mining and metallurgical industries.
Tax Revenue: Total own tax revenue of Bihar is estimated to be Rs 31,002
crore in 2018-19. The tax to GSDP ratio is targeted at 6% in 2018-19,
which is marginally lower than the revised estimate of 6.9% in 2017-18.
This implies that growth in collection of taxes will marginally reduce as
compared to the growth in the economy.
❖State GST is expected to be the largest component of Bihar’s tax revenue. It is
expected to contribute Rs 15,000 crore.
❖ Sales tax is expected to be the second largest component of tax revenue for the
state. It is expected to generate Rs 7,890 crore.
❖The Bihar government expects to generate Rs 4,700 crore from stamp and
registration fees. This is 2.2% higher than the revised estimates of 2017-18.
❖Tax on vehicles will contribute to about 7% of the tax revenue, which amounts to Rs
2,000 crore.
❖The remaining amount will be generated by the state through land revenue, and
taxes and duties on electricity.
Education: Bihar has allocated 18% on education in 2018-19. This is higher than
the average expenditure allocated to education by 18 other states (using 2017-18 BE).
Health: Bihar has allocated 4.4% of its total expenditure on health, which is marginally lower than the average expenditure of 18 other states.
Agriculture: The state has allocated 1.6% of its total budget on agriculture and
allied activities. This is significantly lower than the allocations of 18 other states (6.4%).
Rural development: Bihar has allocated 8.7% of its expenditure on rural development. This is higher than the average (5.6%) of the 18 other states
NITI Aayog releases Baseline Ranking of Aspirational Districts
The NITI Aayog launched the baseline ranking for the Aspirational Districts based on published data of 49 indicators (81 data points) across five
developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic
Infrastructure.
The CEO also announced that the ‘Champions of Change’ Dashboard for realtime data collection and monitoring will be open for public viewing from 1
April.
The dashboard will facilitate District Collectors of all the aspirational districts
to input the latest available data of their respective districts
The Aspirational Districts programme, through real-time monitoring and
proactive course corrections, reinforces the mechanisms of cooperative &
competitive federalism between the Centre and the States, down to the Districts.
From May 2018, Districts will be ranked on their “incremental progress” i.e.
Delta Ranking, exemplifying the spirit of competitive federalism.
Districts can learn from each other’s experiences using the “Best Practices”
document that NITI Aayog has prepared and circulated to the district
collectors.
About ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme
Launched by the Hon’ble PM in January, the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’
programme aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most
underdeveloped districts of the country.
The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes),
Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and
Competition among districts driven by a Mass Movement or a Jan Andolan.
With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each
district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress,
and rank districts.
The Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and
ensuring inclusive growth for all – SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas.
To enable optimum utilization of their potential, this program focusses closely on improving
people’s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy. Health & Nutrition,
Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this programme’s core areas of focus.
After several rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, 49 key performance
indicators have been chosen to measure progress of the districts.
Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch-up with the best district within their
state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with,
and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.
NITI Aayog in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh has
created a dashboard for monitoring the real-time progress of the districts.
District Information Officers underwent training on March 23, 2018 on how
to enter data to the dashboard and generate MIS (Management Information System) reports.
On April 1, 2018 districts will start entering data.
Beginning May 2018, districts will be ranked based on progress made (‘delta ranking’) on a real-time basis. The dashboard will be open to the public to
monitor the progress of the Aspirational Districts.
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