Nitish complains to PM for ’ignoring’ Bihar in union budget

Alleging that the Centre has not responded to any of the state’s developmental challenges in the union budget, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday expressed his annoyance to the Prime Minister.

Alleging that the Centre has not responded to any of the state’s developmental challenges in the union budget, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday expressed his annoyance to the Prime Minister.

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In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Kumar said that “some of the issues which are central to our development strategy do not find any mention in the union budget”.

“If Aila could mean Rs 1000 rehabilitation package for West Bengal, one fails to understand what prevents the Centre from considering Bihar’s claim for a package of Rs 14,800 crore for rehabilitation following devastation caused by river Kosi, which was declared a national calamity by your good self,” he wrote in the letter.

Alleging that development schemes for Bihar would be affected due to the lowering of central allocations, Kumar said the state deserved a mega cluster for its large number of minority hand loom weavers.

Reiterating his demand for according special category status to Bihar, Kumar wrote, “Given our development deficit, low tax base, high population density, poor infrastructure and low energy intensity, according special status is the only way to quickly improve our development matrix and entice private investments”.