Bihar- Some Possibilities

by Indra

April 16, 2006

It must be a difficult thing for Nitish. Nitish must be in dilemma of a sort. There are many advisors and wishing him and more specifically Bihar well including the author bombarding him with many ideas. I don’t know if he has that many missionary executors in his administrative team. I don’t know why he doesn’t want to pick up some good advisors. To my mind, if he can bring in Kalam to State, he can also request for the services of N. K. Singh or Bimal Jalan, or for that matter, any one to help him in his gigantic task of rebuilding Bihar. He can also approach Narayana Murthy and ITC’s Deveshawar to provide some roadmaps for Bihar. And I am sure they will love to do that and help him. He can also offer to Kurien to come and spend rest of his life in Bihar and bring in another cooperative white revolution here too.

As reported, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to approach global steel majors, including Mittal Steel, and urge them to set up a steel plant in the state near its border with Jharkhand, close to Nawada. Advised by some Ramesh Yadava based in Silicon Valley, Kumar has requested The Indus Entrepreneurs, a global not-for-profit organisation focused on promoting entrepreneurship, to help in Bihar’s efforts to find a company that will invest in a steel plant.

Perhaps instead of planning for a steel plant in Bihar that does not provide any location advantage, I wish instead he had requested Ratan Tata and Ambani to set up two mega power projects on the border with Jharkhand. With ensured power availability, many enterprises will automatically come up to invest in Bihar.

Nitish must give priority, where Bihar has some natural strength. For Bihar, tourism and hospitality will have some natural advantages.

Nitish can go for a 8-lane Expressway connecting Muzaffarpur on the East-West Corridors project with GQ (Golden Quadrilateral) in south of the state. Along this connector, he can build a great tourist corridor with Vaishali, Pataliputra (Patna), Pawapuri, Nalanda, Rajgriha, Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Rohtas, and Sasaram. The state can think of SEZs, Knowledge Cities along with rural malls along this Expressway. Both Gaya and Patna airports can get effectively into International ones.

Two such projects, already on hand or in planning stage can be the starting points:

Maitreya Statue Project

The prestigious Maitreya statue project is one that has been shifted back from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh to Bodh Gaya in Bihar. The project will highlight Bodh Gaya, the site of the historical Buddha's enlightenment, as the holiest place for Buddhist pilgrimage in the world. The project has already 22 acres of land in Bodh Gaya. However, the project- the installation of the statue and its associated infrastructure requires approximately 75 acres of land. Three kilometres away from the Bodhi tree and the Mahabodhi stupa, the centre-piece of a beautiful landscape park will be a 150 feet bronze statue of future Maitreya Buddha. Additionally, a separate 175 acres area will house the international standard hospital, educational complex and other community development centers. The project will bring employment to thousands of people, and if well executed build a different perception of Bihar. Nitish’s state machinery can certainly network effectively with the other developing South East Asian countries with large number of Buddhist population.

Nalanda International University

As proclaimed in the President’s address to the joint session of Bihar assembly, there is also a proposal to establish a Bodh Gaya Nalanda Indo-Asian Institute of Learning in partnership with select Asian countries. Singapore has shown keen interest to partner with India. The Institute will have the status of University and will be shaped to be unique in the world. In addition to teaching and research in traditional areas of sciences, engineering, medicine, technology, humanities, social sciences, linguistics, management studies, a strong component of Buddhist studies will be introduced not merely as a separate department but also a part of the work for all faculties. In addition, a number of multi-disciplinary studies on conflict resolution, peace, sustainability and eco-systems will also be a part of this Institute's agenda.

The Institute is proposed to be located in about 200 acres of land with modern facilities to service Indian, Asian and other foreign scholars. The initial tentative estimates for the facilities would be about Rs. 500 Crore. It is proposed to make a beginning by India and Singapore with Government support but managed totally independently by a group of professionals from India and Singapore and with a provision to add other countries like Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and others when their partnerships are firmed up. This university can be a place for meeting of minds from the national and international arena to do research on unity of minds with focus on philosophy linking science, technologies, economy and spirituality with reference to ancient and modern thinking. The focus of this university can be the evolution of world, free from crime, terrorism and war. Above all this institute will engage in research in the role of human values and ethics for universal development and peace.

Moreover, many elderly Buddhists from those countries will like to have a home in this place of the initiator of the religion. An International city on the line of Pondicherry can come up in the vicinity of Vaishali, Rajgriha or Buddha Gaya. And all these activities will be mean economical growth of the region.

Interestingly, as reported a Japanese delegation is knocking at every possible door in the Capital to revive the historical Nalanda University into a global seat of learning. They would pump in as much funds as required to realise the cherished project. It will not be a religious university, but one where quality education in all streams is imparted. "We wish to see the historical Nalanda University, playing the key role as a great centre of learning. The university would be unparallel in more ways than one. We will raise the funds on our own to rebuild the university," Rev DS Uchide, the leader of the visiting Japanese delegation said. I wish all the union cabinet ministers would assist in the projects forgetting the political alliances.

With these two projects already initiated and supported by the central government, the state government must go whole hog to get it moving fast. I must appoint an efficient and missionary officer to liaison and facilitate, and go all out to get this project going under the direct supervision of the CM. These opportunities don’t come very often. No politics should come on its way.

Bihar has a natural strength of its glorious past. Why should it not exploit it in the interest of the people of Bihar? While Bihar has been the birthplace of the two great religions - Jainism and Buddhism, it has also Gaya where every Hindu from all over the world will like to visit at least once in life for the rituals prescribed in Hindu scriptures. Unfortunately, Gaya is having the worst of infrastructures for any visitor of some worth.

All the Buddhist countries are rich enough to invest in Bihar so are the rich Jains. Possibilities for Bihar’s growth are limitless. It will be only the initiatives of political leaders and bureaucrats at test.

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