- People in the know would be wondering why Bihar continues to be bracketed as the least developed state in the country despite boasting such a historically amazing rich background vis-à-vis culture, tradition, heritage, and higher education of learning like world-renowned Nalanda University of yore. That it remains confined to a dubious-sounding BIMARU state speaks poorly about the skewed and unyielding priorities accorded by the successive governments post-Independence. Of course, the liberalization and globalization measures adopted by the central government in the 1990s had a less significant impact on the overall growth of the state as compared to others is a telling tale of missed opportunities by the political regimes as well.
PC: Sambit Rath
- That one-and-a-half-decade rule of Lalu Prasad Yadav-led political dispensation hardly served the purpose of upliftment of the majority population is a stark reminder of how badly Bihar has gone wrong in those hands. Further, Nitish Kumar being in the saddle of chief ministership for such a long period on the back of administering corruption-free government has done little to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and downtrodden is also an indisputable reality. Yes, the only progress or change witnessed by Bihar has been the constant shifting of allegiance of Nitish Kumar from being aligned with communal forces to switching sides to embrace the secular forces.
- No wonder, he has assumed the mantle of chief minister for the eighth time recently by doing what he does best, by switching sides yet again. Now, can he be expected to do anything different this time around? Nah! As expected, the new Bihar cabinet started by playing a wearingly old tune: CM Nitish Kumar has promised plenty of jobs, 20 lakh to be precise. Mind you, voters have become cynical for a long time now, and hence, don’t believe politicians anymore when they promise jobs. Paradoxically, they don’t seem to punish them for failing to keep those promises either. Look not far than the most notable example of the BJP having made plenty of job promises, and failing miserably to keep them but maintaining an excellent win record.
PC: MAYANK MISHRA
- Having had enough of hot air and no substantial changes visible on the horizon, Bihar’s voters may, maybe just, run out of patience this time. We know how RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav rallied young voters by vowing 10 lakh government jobs in 2020 and Nitish had faced repeated heckling back then. Will the fortunes of the job seekers change this time around? Note that young Biharis are among the most anxious job seekers in the country, as the intensity of the recently announced Agnipath agitation showed. Reports suggest agriculture employs 76% of its workforce. There are 1.83 crore landless labourers, and the average landholding size of 0.39 hectares means its 1.64 crore farm holdings are unviable.
- The problem area is the low urbanization and poor facilities majorly discourage private trade. The only way to break the cycle is to set up labour-intensive manufacturing units in large numbers. Setting up SEZs to successfully deliver unencumbered labour laws, guaranteed power supply, and in-house basic infrastructure can, given low wage costs, change the depressing employment situation in Bihar. Would this alone be sufficient enough? None at all for a state with India’s lowest per capita income. Bihar must encourage massive internal migration to employ its young by ensuring the perpetual emergence of market-driven job opportunities. Did someone mention a very tall order? Indeed, it is.
