By: Smita Mishra
Bihar has a stigma attached to it. For years it has been an object of laughter, ridicule, mockery, prejudices; and everything shabby, base and ignoble has been branded as “Bihari”.
Bihar, which was famous as the birth place of Buddhism and the cradle of Jainism, converted into “Jungle Raj” in the last 15 years under the mis-governance of the RJD rule. The election of Nitish Kumar in November last year as the new Chief Minister had given a ray of hope for the development of the state. But one year is too short a span to clean the augean stable of Bihar that requires Herculean zeal and effort.
Legacy
Nitish Kumar no doubt gets the credit of dethroning Lalu Prasad Yadav. But what he inherited was an unbearable yoke of a state, which was in shambles- a tattered health and education system, lowest literacy rate in the country, highest crime rate, lowest employment and highest poverty rate. The state, marred by the problem of Naxalism, had empty coffers, red-tapism, corrupt and caste-ridden bureaucracy and practically no infrastructure. But these obstacles did not intimidate enthusiastic Nitish, who promised to change the face of Bihar.
For critics, the change may not be very apparent but there are many who believe that the ambience no doubt has softened a bit. The capital which was a den of criminals and where all developments took place only in and around 1 Anne Road, presents a slightly better picture. Good roads, brighter lights, more cleanliness, less hooliganism in trains and less fear among residents are compliments for the present government.
Change
The most recent incident which shows that things are changing is Nitish Kumar’s refusal to have any kind of celebration to mark the 1st anniversary of his coming to power. Instead, he said the government will release a report card of its one-year performance and achievements. This is a sharp contrast to the previous government which wasted enormous public funds on thoughtless extravaganzas.
The first most hyped event after Nitish Kumar’s entry into office was the NRI conference in Hyderabad, in which Bihar was represented for the first time. The CM’s appeal to NRIs to visit Bihar, to see the change, and then make investment made a great impact. Buoyed by the positive response from NRIs, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi proposed an NRI cell to facilitate investments in Bihar.
The Nitish government also cleared proposals for setting up of 14 new multi-purpose sugar mill complexes involving an estimated investment of Rs 3,624 crore. The new proposals were to enhance Bihar`s production of sugar and allied products, besides giving a boost to sugarcane farming. The investors besides being given the opportunity to choose their own locations for setting up the complexes, have also been gifted with the incentive packages like reimbursement of Central excise duty for five commercial years and exemption from purchase tax and registration fees.
Years back, the former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav had undertaken a foreign trip to woo NRIs, but he miserably failed in his attempts. On the contrary, Sushil Modi’s 10-day trip to Britain, Italy and Canada to market Bihar has reportedly made a mark.
Nitish understands that agriculture is vital to Bihar’s economy, hence taking a cue from successful land reforms of West Bengal set up a Land Reforms Commission to find a solution to the long-standing agrarian issues.
On social front too the government has adopted a positive agenda to do away with the caste politics of the erstwhile regime. Nitish is trying to concentrate more on social empowerment, especially of women. The state government is working hard to grant equal rights, equal social status and equal opportunities to women in almost every sector.
Hurdles
All these years Bihar has had the dubious distinction of being the most lawless and the poorest state in India. For Nitish Kumar, changing the state`s poor image and to turn it into a crime-free state within three months of his taking over is yet to see the light of the day. Even the Patna High Court has in its recent observation cautioned the government about unabated crime graph. Despite the stories of the new ministers spending 12-13 hours in office and the CM’s insistence on honesty, hard work and personal integrity, it cannot be forgotten that Nitish has a few MLAs who won elections not because of their popularity but due to their “Bahubali” image.
Hope
The achievements of the Nitish government may not be very significant and lofty, as the state is yet reflect pronounced changes and the declarations made in the beginning may still be a pipe dream. But political pundits believe that Bihar is changing and is changing for the better. The NDA’s recent bypoll victories are seen as a referendum on the new government.
