No Need for SEZ in Bihar: Nitish
New Delhi: Oct. 5, 2007
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while talking to reporters at Bihar Niwas in New Delhi on Friday, dismissed the Center's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy as useless for a state like Bihar saying SEZ was only a slightly bigger version of any property business and not necessarily required for the development of a region or a country.
"Bihar is well on the path of development without the help of SEZ. Moreover, we don't have any infertile land that we can spare for SEZ," Kumar said adding the government's priorities were to develop and enhance agricultural sectors, sugar mills, cotton-silk industries and natural oil and gas reserve in the state.
"If we could just take care of these sectors, Bihar would no doubt be in the list of advanced states without ever having the need of setting of special economic zones," the Chief Minister said while predicting SEZ policy was doomed to fail for a number of reasons.
Kumar said that he had asked the Central government to grant Rs. 15,000 crore in federal aid to control flood in Bihar by connecting the basins of Kosi, Gandak, and other rivers while also reinforcing dams and providing relief to flood victims.
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