Bihar has caught the eye of people abroad: Sushil Kumar Modi/

Bihar has caught the eye of people abroad: Sushil Kumar Modi

Abhay SinghAbhay Singh, TNN | Sep 25, 2011, 12.42AM IST



PATNA: The economic and other transformations happening in Bihar under the Nitish government have caught the imagination of scholars and decision-makers in the developing countries of the Afro-Asian region, including terror-torn Pakistan, as well as developed Europe.

Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, chairman of the empowered committee of state's finance ministers on goods and service tax (GST), said this here on Friday after his return from an official tour of four countries of the European Union as head of 40-member Indian delegation. He, during his extended tour as an individual invitee to a global meet held in London, addressed the plenary session of an international conference jointly organized by London School of Economics (LSE) and Oxford University on September 20 under the aegis of International Growth Centre (IGC).

IGC had selected the theme of "Transformation to Developed State by 2015: Challenges Ahead" for discussion by Modi and others. The discussions were also marked by an interactive session. Over 350 delegates from 12 countries, besides scholars and policymakers, took part in it. Prior to the plenary session, the participants held discussions and shared experiences over the dominant theme "From Failed State to Effective State" for three days.

Modi added, "Bihar is on the mind of people internationally. It became evident when a Pakistani delegate at the IGC plenary session invited me to her country. She requested me to speak on the transformations happening in Bihar. She told me people in Pakistan would like to share my experiences about Bihar on building an effective state."

"The request made me feel that Bihar had finally begun to move towards its goal and a position in the category of developed states within India. More than that, we have become a model and an inspiration for many Third World countries," Modi said.

Modi said that wherever he went around Europe and UK, people of Indian origin inquired with dismay about the general situation in India, including scams, and changes occurring in Bihar. In one curious case, Modi's taxi driver, who had seen TV footage and clippings on the recent police lathi charge on women at Noorsarai in Nalanda district, asked him about it.

"I was not even aware of the incident. People come to know about India and also Bihar through global media," Modi said, adding: "But Bihar, with all its inherent problems, was high in popular esteem."