Patna, (Samajweekly) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi on Saturday sounded different in her opinion regarding the long standing demand of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on special status for the eastern state, saying the Central government has given the state “much more privileges including funds than that of a special status state”.
Interacting with the media persons in Patna after her views were sought on the Niti Aayog report, and JD-U ministers’ special status demand for Bihar, Renu Devi said: “All development work is taking place in Bihar is due to the financial help from the Central government. The construction of six to eight lane roads is taking place in Bihar under National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)… colleges and hospitals are being made due to funds given by central government, and it is more than the fund allocated to a special status state.”
It needs to be mentioned here that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and ministers of his government from the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), are dissatisfied over the latest reports of Niti Aayog.
As per the latest Niti Aayog report, 52 per cent people of Bihar are living below Poverty line. The state is also on the bottom in health, education and road infrastructure.
Bijendra Kumar Yadav, the energy and planning development minister in the Nitish Kumar government on Friday said that the way Niti Aayog evaluated the development of Bihar was unacceptable. In a nine page memorandum handed over to Rajiv Kumar, the vice president of Niti Aayog, Yadav said that report is based on the data of 2015. It is completely unacceptable method a premier Institute opted to evaluate Bihar.
“Bihar is a backward state. It needs special status to achieve national average of development… a special status is required. Justice with Bihar would be done only after it will get special status,” Yadav said.
“The state has been gradually developing in every sector every year but the Niti Aayog has used old parameters to evaluate Bihar. The evaluation process of Niti Aayog was wrong. Hence, we have strong objection on it,” Yadav said.
Earlier, Ashok Chaudhary, the building construction minister in the Nitish Kumar government had said: “Whatever Bihar has achieved on development front, are being done by its own resources in last 16 years. We need financial help of the Centre in future.”
