With setting up of 35 km of roads daily, “better than scenic Goa”, Bihar is making faster strides on the path of development, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday.
“The Bihar model of development is fast catching up the imagination of other states and also by foreign countries,” Mr. Kumar said at a function after release of annual report card 2012.
“Ministers, officials and top industrial bodies are praising the Bihar model of development...with politicians and people of Pakistan, U.S. and other countries evincing interest to learn from Bihar model of development reflect that the state is on the move,” Mr. Kumar said sharing his excitement with those gathered.
The report card having details of progress in different departments during the year is part of the commitment made by the Chief Minister when he had assumed power for the first time in November 24, 2005.
The report released by the Chief Minister on Saturday in presence of Deputy Chief Minister S.K. Modi and the entire Cabinet was seventh.
Stating that Bihar, earlier rated as a “laggard state”, is fast moving on the path of development, Mr. Kumar said significant steps have been taken in all the sectors.
With his NDA coalition government completing second year in the second term, Mr. Kumar said special emphasis was being given to agriculture for which an ambitious five year roadmap has been prepared and strengthening core infrastructure like road, power and drinking water.
With the state recently rocked by certain incidents, including protestors torching a few police stations in Madhubani over denial of a beheaded body to the family of a school boy, death of four persons in a firing by anti-socials in Araria and agitating contract teachers violently protesting during the CM’s Adhikar rally, Mr. Kumar said, the law and order situation was in control.
“Some motivated people are trying to foment trouble by indulging in mischievous propaganda, but their efforts have boomeranged,” he said in a veiled attack on RJD president Lalu Prasad and his LJP counterpart Ramvilas Paswan.
Alleging that troubles are being “orchestrated” to keep them politically alive, Mr. Kumar said the solution to this “lies in keeping patience.”
“My government is accountable to the people and will go to them again on completion of five years to seek vote if they are satisfied with the works done by us,” he said and appealed to opposition to desist from playing politics in the name of development.
The Bihar Chief Minister identified power shortage as the main reason behind slow inflow of industrial capital in Bihar and said this was reason “we are seeking special status for the state which could galvanise investment through tax sops.”
On power front, he said efforts are on to increase generation, transmission and distribution of power in the state. “I have publicly said that I will not go to voters to seek their mandate in 2015 (next assembly elections) if I fail to improve power situation in the state,” he said.
In road connectivity, the Chief Minister launched a new scheme to connect every village having a population of 250 or above with the motorable road.
A total of 34,116 km of roads would be build under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojna in the next five years at a cost of Rs 23,000 crore, he said.
