Centre must compensate for tardy flow of pvt funds in Bihar: Nitish

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Ahmedabad, Nov 26 (UNI) While admitting that reconstruction of Bihar is not a sprint but a marathon, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today called for larger public investments in the state to compensate for the tardy private fund flow during the transition period.

''A state like Bihar which has benefitted only partially from the recent liberalisation efforts and will take some time before private funds can be attracted, deserves much larger public investments,'' he said while addressing a business school meet at the IIMA this evening.

Emphasising that the gamut of Centre-State relations for 'endemically' backward states should be revisited, he said Bihar needed participation of not only the Centre, but other states, academic community, voluntary organisations, scientists and knowledge managers to meet the daunting development challenges.

''We need partnership. I am seeking to innovate and perhaps leapfrog,'' he said.

Calling for a policy of ''positive discrimination'' from the Centre, he said mere dependence on Planning Commission funds for backward districts was not enough to enable Bihar to join the national mainstream.

''We need to rethink most preferred forms and options on growth strategies, and measures to redress regional disparities.. ,'' he said.

He said Bihar has been weakened after the partition of the state an adverse land-man ratio and shortage of minerals and raw materials.

''In special circumstances like this, should not there be a coherent policy by which landlocked states like Bihar go for partnerships with states having long coast line and have joint ventre programmes as part of developmemt initiatives?'' he asked.

He said India is a sovereign country and the inter-state boundaries are merely for administrative convenience. The overall objective is to secure a balanced development and have policies to enable the weak to join the national mainstream, he stressed.

In this context, he quoted President A P J Abdul Kalam, as saying that if India had to become a developed nation by the year 2020, Bihar must progress by 2015 or the development of the entire nation would be stalled.

Talking about the initiatives taken by his government, Mr Kumar said, Bihar has become the first state to implement Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme (REGS) in 15 districts.

He said 50 percent reservation has been accorded for women in all posts in the panchayat.

UNI MMG GB/ADG SAM RAI1841

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