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It
will be interesting to know where Bihar stands
today. We all knew that everything was at the
worst, but how was it in numbers? The idea is
not to discredit the previous party that was
ruling. It certainly did a lot of damage. But
the deterioration had started much earlier,
perhaps just after the first five years in post
independence era. It will be a challenging task
for the new government. The central government
will have to come out without any reservation to
assist Bihar. If any political constraint
appears it will harm Bihar, but as Nitish has
already said it will also harm the country as a
whole. I hope with a world-famed economist as
PM, the technocrat CM will find it easier to
convince for the steps, required to be taken for
the state. The case of Bihar will be a test case
for governance. The whole country will be
watching the expected transformation. Here are
the facts:
Poverty: While for the whole of India
those below poverty line form 26% of population,
the figure is at 42% in Bihar. More than 38
million people in rural Bihar are living below
the poverty line today. Four out of every 10
persons in Bihar live below the poverty line
against a national average of 2.25. Per capita
income in Bihar in 2002-03 was Rs 4,352 against
the national figure of Rs 13,820.
Electricity: 95% of rural households in
Bihar have no electricity. Only one in 10
families in the state has access to electricity
while the national average is six out of 10
families. Per capita consumption of power is 82
kwh in Bihar against 673 kwh in Andhra and 1,198
kwh in Gujarat. The power deficit stands at
24.4%. Transmission and distribution losses
stand at 38%. Only 25% users are metered. The
state produces only 10% of its consumption; and
draws only up to 500 mw from the Eastern grid
against its share of 700 mw. The state spent
only 0.7% of its budget on power in 1986-88. It
came down to only 0.1% in 2003-4. A study says,
at its current pace, it will take 600 years to
electrify the state.
Roads: Bihar has only 77km of road per
100 sq. km- less than half of neighbouring
Orissa. Almost 70% of the inhabited areas are
not connected by roads.
Literacy: Overall literacy rate in Bihar
is 47.5% against the national average of 70%.
Female literacy in Bihar in 2001 was only 34%,
while in Andhra, Gujarat, and Haryana it ranged
between 50-60%.
Public health: The percentage of
severely malnourished children below 3 years of
age stood at 25.5%, when in other states it was
10-16. A study shows that the maternal mortality
rate is 707 per1lakh women of reproductive age,
while the national average is 404. Number of
doctors per lakh of population is 40 against the
national average of 71.
Education: For engineering degree courses
Bihar catered to only 1,574 students in 2002-3
as against Andhra’s figure of 64,300. The net
primary enrolment rate in 2000 fell to 52%
against national figure of 77%. Drop out rates
in primary education is double of Haryana and
Gujarat. Number of teachers per 100 students
stand at 1.27 against 3.78 for the whole
country.
Industrial scenario: While Andhra
Pradesh and Gujarat invested Rs 14,000 and Rs
33,000 crore respectively between 1992-2003,
Bihar could only Rs 65 crore. The share of
investment in Bihar vis-à-vis the whole of the
country was 0.1%. In approval of foreign direct
investment between 1991-2004, while Andhra and
Gujarat posted Rs 13,745 and Rs 18,837 crore
worth of FDI approvals, Bihar posted only Rs 740
crore-0.3% share of approvals of the nation.
Population: Bihar tops the decadal rate
of increase in population (1991-2000) with 28.4
per cent against the national average of 21.3
per cent. Similarly, the density of population
per sq km in Bihar is double the national
average. Its sex ratio of 921 per thousand is
less than the national average of 933 (as per
the 2001 Census).
Law and order: A 2005 survey looked at
the recovery of stolen property and the
completion of trials and constructed a
`Protection Index' for a sample of States. Bihar
ranked 19th with a score of 0.14, just above
Jharkhand (0.13). Tamil Nadu topped the list of
big States with the highest score of 0.55 on
Index, followed by Madhya Pradesh (0.54) and
Kerala (0.49). The number of policemen per lakh
of people is 56 as against the national average
of 178.
GDP growth that was just below the national
average in the 1980s fell to less than one third
in the 90s. Agriculture accounts for 39% of
gross state domestic product and sustains 90% of
rural population, but agricultural growth has
fallen to less than 1%. Urban population is only
10% as against the national average of 32%. Only
3.7% of houses are having tapped water and 7%
with LPG against the national average of 45% and
31% respectively.
However, all the challenges provide a big
opportunity, Nitish and his team know it better
than anyone else. The government will certainly
not leave any stone unturned to improve the
figures provided above. I wish for the sake of
the state that has got an opportunity again to
restore its pride, all stakeholders will
contribute positively. People of Bihar must
present a different brand as achievers to the
nation.
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