Nitish govt charms women, farmers, youth in pre-poll budget

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented the last budget of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government with 13.69% increase compared to the previous budget and a slew of initiatives and announcements on expected lines to reap the political benefits in the election year.

Presenting the ₹316,895.02 crore Budget for 2015-26 — up from ₹278,725.72 crore in 2024-25 by ₹38,169.30 crore — Choudhary made a string of announcements with focus on women, farmers, youth and migrants in keeping with the priorities of the 7-Resolves programme of Nitish Kumar.

Of this total, scheme expenditure is set at ₹1,16,759.60 crore, which is 16.7% higher than last year. The establishment and commitment expenditure of the state government is estimated at ₹2,00,135.42 crore, with a significant portion allocated for salary expenses due to large-scale recruitment, which the government claims would go past 12-lakh mark.

The budget allocates ₹81,473.45 crore for salaries and ₹33,389.43 crore for pensions.

Interest payments on the state’s outstanding debt will amount to ₹23,013.94 crore, while ₹22,819.87 crore is earmarked for the repayment of public debt. The budget aims to maintain fiscal discipline by keeping the fiscal deficit at 2.98% of the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), which is below the 3% prescribed limit.

The total outstanding debt of the state government is expected to reach ₹4,06,476.12 crore, representing 37.04% of the state’s projected GSDP of ₹10,97,264 crore for 2025-26. The expenditure from the state’s revenue account is budgeted at ₹2,52,000.26 crore, while capital expenditure is set at ₹64,894.76 crore, accounting for 20.48% of the total expenditure.

Additionally, the capital expenditure may receive further support from the central government in the form of a loan, Choudhary said adding that Bihar would get an estimated ₹138,515.85-crore from the Centre against the earlier estimate of ₹113,011.92 crore as the state’s share from central taxes, besides an estimated ₹54,575 crore in grants-in-aid – an increase of ₹2,414-crore from the earlier estimates.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for adding pace to the state’s development in the quest for developed Bihar to align with the goal of developed India by 2047, the Deputy CM said that state would make the maximum expenditure of an estimated ₹60,964.68-crore on education , followed by health ( ₹20,035.80 crore), urban and rural roads ( ₹17,908.18- crore), home department ( ₹17,831.21-cr) and rural development ( ₹16,093.46-cr).

“Modi’s vision of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas aur sabka prayas’ and the CM’s motto of ‘nyay ke saath vikas’ are the two guiding principles to take the state forward. Bihar has come a long way, leaving behind years of anarchy, but it still has a lot more to do,” said Choudhary, in an apparent dig at the opposition RJD-Congress combine.

As he concluded his Budget speech, in a rare gesture Nitish Kumar got up from his seat and hugged him with a smile, apparently pleased with the budgetary accouncents.

The Deputy CM also made a string of announcements, viz. doubling of per-metric scholarships, and doubling of hostel grant for SC/ST, plying of pink buses with all women crew in important towns and construction of pink toilets, development of residential facilities for women in police and hostels for working women, ₹1,000-crore Budget for student credit card scheme, revival and modernisation agriculture markets across the state and opening of vegetable outlets in every block on the lines of Sudha dairy.

The FM said that migration counselling-cum-registration centres would be opened in Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Surat, Ludhiana, Coimbatore etc.

“Of the 524 blocks in the state, 358 do not have degree college. The colleges – government or privatewill be opened in all the uncovered blocks in a phases. Ubder the Public-Private Partnership mode, new government medical colleges will be opened in the state, including an additional referral hospital in each subdivision,” he added.

He said Bihar would build “greenfield airports” at Rajgir, Sultanganj (Bhagalpur) and Raxaul, while small airports would come up in and Valmikinagar, Beerpur (Supaul), Madhubani, Munger, Muzaffarpur and Saharsa. “Purnea airport would be made operational in three months time,” he added.

In a bid to strengthen the health network in the state, a dedicated cancer hospital has been proposed for Begusarai district. The budget also spoke of the government’s resolve to make “paperless” the registration of property

“We also propose the establishment of ‘Kanya Vivah Mandaps’ in all panchayats, which will serve the needs of poor rural families with girls of marriageable age,” Choudhary said.