Bihar growth projected at 10.49% by CSO, more dn national average dis year-"Our pleas 4 special category status 4 Bihar still remain big issue-19/2/11

18 Feb, 2011, 10.33AM IST, Ashok K Mishra,ET Bureau


Bihar growth projected at 10.49% by CSO, more than national average this year

PATNA: Bihar is back again to double digit growth. Preliminary estimates based on the data available till December last year and projections for the remaining three month period from January to March, 2011, project the state growth rate for 2010-11 at 10.49%, which is likely to be more than the national average of 8.6%.

"The Central Statistical Organisation ( CSO )), after having worked on its calculations, has made these growth projections. The last few years have seen Bihar clocking growth rates more than national growth rates, which are largely an outcome of development initiatives taken by the state government," Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said.

The state's growth was in double digit in 2008-09, when it had touched 13.06%. In 2009-10, the growth was down to 8.56%. The comeback expected in the current financial year is confidence boosting, although the state is yet to touch the mark it had achieved two years back.

"This certainly augurs well for Bihar, which for decades was classified as being among the Bimaru states. But our good work has started yielding results. The Centre should now back our policy initiatives to help force the pace of development in the state," Modi said.

"Our pleas for special category status for Bihar still remain a big issue and these needs to be addressed by the Centre.

"The kind of growth we are now witnessing is mostly driven by public investment. But private investment was also necessary to give a further push to the state economy . Bihar will readily become an investment friendly destination for private players if the centre accorded special category status to the state" Modi told ET.

Bihar Chamber of Commerce president O P Sah said that the double digit growth projections lend credence to the turnaround story of Bihar . "The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government deserves all praise for extricating the state from the morass it was in even a few years back. At least I can talk of the business community which now does not have to fear anything about law and order issues" Sah said.