BIHAR

COMPILED BY:

NAME ROLL NO.

SAM ALLWYN 1004

DEEPA DATTANI 1017

TANUSH KAGNE 1041

HETAL KATIRA 1043

NIDA KHAN 1044

STATE PROFILE

Bihar is located in the eastern part of the country. It is an entirely land-

locked state, although the outlet to the sea through the port of Kolkata is not

far away. Bihar lies mid-way between the humid West Bengal in the east

and the sub humid Uttar Pradesh in the west which provides it with a

transitional position in respect of climate, economy and culture.

Bihar is India’s third most populated state, and more than half the people

live below the poverty line. For many years the state has been immobilized

by an obdurate caste system and linked political corruption, and many have

little or no access to that essential provision: a consistent energy service.

It is bounded by Nepal in the north and by newly formed Jharkhand State in

the south. The river Ganga, cutting straight across Bihar from west to east

has rendered the region fertile and plentiful. Bihar, is the 12th largest state

in terms of geographical size and 3rd largest by population, has close to 85

per cent rural population. Bihar has been a great religious centre for Hindus,

Jains and most importantly, the Buddhists.

Patna its capital city today, Patliputra in those times was home to one of the

greatest monarchs in the history of the world who ruled over much of the

Indian - Subcontinent and extended as far as Iran and Afghanistan to the

West.

BIHAR STATISTICS

State capital Patna

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

Area 94,163.00 sq. kms

Area under forests 30078.03 sq km

Population (2001) 8,28,78,796

Population density 880 per sq km

Male population 4,31,53,964

Female population 3,97,24,832

Sex ratio 921

Literacy rate 47.53%

No. of districts 38

No. of towns 130

Largest city Patna

Languages spoken Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili

Literacy rate 66.60%

Per Capita Income (03-

04)Rs 21696

Temperature Min. 5 °C; Max. 45 °C

Average Rainfall 1200 mm

BIHAR ECONOMY

The economy of Bihar is largely service orientated, but it also has a

significant agricultural base. The state also has a small industrial sector. As

of today, agriculture accounts for 35%, industry 9% and service 55% of the

economy of the state.

The state has a per capita income of $148 a year against India's average of

$997 and 30.6% of the state's population lives below the poverty line

against India's average of 22.15%. However, Bihar's GSDP grew by 18%

over the period 2006-2007, which was higher than in the past 10 years.

The economy of Bihar is largely service oriented, but it also has a significant

agricultural base. The state also has a small industrial sector. As of 2008,

agriculture accounted for 35%, industry 9% and service 55% of the

economy of the state. Manufacturing sector performed very poorly in the

state between 2002–2006, with an average growth rate of 0.38% compared

to India's 7.8%. 

Bihar was the lowest GDP per capita in India, although there are pockets of

higher than the average per capita income. Between 1999 and 2008, GDP

grew by 5.1% a year, which was below the Indian average of 7.3%. More

recently, Bihar's state GDP recorded a growth of 18% between 2006–2007,

and stood at 94251 Crores Rupees. This makes Bihar the fastest growing

major state. In actual terms, Bihar state GDP is ranked 2nd out of 28 states.

Corruption is an import hurdle for the government to overcome according to

Transparency International India, which highlighted Bihar as the Union's

most corrupt state in a 2005 report. Despite the recent economic gains,

significant challenges remain and the government has also stated that

combating corruption is now the biggest challenge the administration is

faced with . The state's debt was estimated at 77% of GDP by 2007. The

Finance Ministry has given top priority to create investment opportunities for

big industrial houses like Reliance. Further developments have taken place

in the growth of small industries, improvements in IT infrastructure, the new

software park in Patna, and the completion of the expressway from the

Purvanchal border through Bihar to Jharkhand. 

Since the start of 2009, Bihar’s growth rate was one of those rare state-level economic variables hotly debated and discussed throughout the country.

Reports of Bihar being the fastest growing state in the country made every one sit up. Despite many academics and journalists poring over its economic data, consensus on its true growth rate has yet to be reached. And given that state-wise economic growth data tends to get reconciled with a lag of two years, consensus is elusive.

A cursory look at Bihar’s growth figures over the last decade explains why they lend themselves to such varied interpretations and analysis. Not only has the yearly growth rate swung wildly every year, the data also gets revised from the initial estimates. The initial estimates for 2007-08 and 2008-09 were nowhere near the final figures (see graph). As a result, the analysis on Bihar’s economy and Nitish Kumar’s rule could change between February and March (when the last state economic survey was released) since Bihar no longer grew at 6.35 percent — it grew at a more remarkable

10.74 percent.  

 

Given the volatile characteristic of growth data, observers like Shaibal Gupta of the Patna-based Asia Development Research Institute feel that Bihar’s economic growth has yet to stabilise and as such, it is too early to comment based on the growth data alone.

 Praveen Jha, professor of economics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University stops short of saying that the figures are fudged. “The volatility is simply inexplicable. In fact, a committee led by state cabinet minister, Jagdanand Singh, during the last year of RJD (Lalu Prasad’s party) rule concluded that the data collected within the state is not reliable,” points out Jha, who has done a detailed analysis of Bihar’s growth rate.

A look at Gujarat, which is close to two and half times Bihar’s economy and is seen by many as the fastest growing state in the country today, reveals a crucial difference. While the growth rate in Gujarat may occasionally decelerate from one year to another, it never registers negative growth or an actual decline in the state GDP. Bihar, on the other hand, is habituated to

going two steps forward and one step back. Arresting this tendency could just be the key thing that Nitish Kumar needs to focus on in his second term.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIHAR …….NOW…..

The IMF very recently revised the outlook of the world economic growth along with the other countries that will cilluminate the growth of the world GDP. The fund raised its 2010 global output forecast to 4.6% from 4.2% in April's review of the global economy, but kept its 2011 view unchanged at 4.3%. Similarly for India the growth rate was pegged at 9.5% for the year 2010. The IMF hiked its growth projection from the earlier estimate of 8.8% it made in April. GDP growth forecasts for Asia have been revised upward for 2010, from about 7% in the April WEO (World Economic Outlook) to about 7.5%Even our finance minister have raised the growth rate of Indian GDP to 9%.If Indian economy goes according to the estimated figures one can then imagine the growth one will find on the business street of India.

We all know that world GDP will grow when India and other Asian countries (China, India, Indonesia)  will participate as the western world is struggling to keep its head up. Likewise did we ever went for a thought that from where the Indian economy will get its growth rate of 9.5% or 9% as addressed by the powerful finance heads. It means which states will bring the growth of 9.5% for India likewise the cilluminate growth of the world GDP.

Once up on a time Bihar used called as naam hi kaafi hai". Actually, the name itself is good enough to infuse good amount of terror and insecurity amongst the majority. Screwed up law and order, politically incorrect education system, a state more owned than run by shrewd politicians good

enough to feed fodder amounting more than you can earn in your 7 lives, Bihar the name that makes every one count the nights and days of terror of living an normal life.

After SHRI LALOO PARSAD YADAV became the minister of railway Bihar still was under the threat of dacoit and air of other crimes. Each time he flagged off a new train in Bihar the brass of the Government Railway Police (GRP) anticipated more trouble. The anxiety kept of climbing higher and higher. The trains passing through Bihar have witnessed 963 incidents of dacoity and looting (439 dacoities and 524 lootings) in the last eight years. This boils down roughly to at least one train robbery every third day. Add to this 506 murders, over 6,000 burglaries, more than 850 cases of drugging and overall 20,000 cognizable offences committed on running trains during this period. The conclusion: more than seven crimes take place everyday on trains passing through Bihar.

One will be shocked to read all these statistics and imagining the quantum of terror one have witnessed particularly who lived in the state. All the above statistics make one thing clear about the healthy condition of the law and enforcement within the state circle. In fact Indian railways did not earn so much as compared to the dacoits who did the robbery and other practices on the trains passing in an around Bihar. This is the Bihar called out before 20 years back. This might be called as ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIHAR.

After the emergence of the Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and the New Bihar one will be compelled to say in real terms ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIHAR ……………. NOW……..

The recent developments in Chhattisgarh have changed the status and outlook of the globalised world as a new invented state. Today it is one the top ladder of investments and the growth imagined, not by the Indian corporate but by the global giants sitting across the world. In fact Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and the New Bihar is witnessing the turn around of its fortunes once the legal system became under real control of peace. The recent data by CSO indicates that from 2004-05 to 2008-09, Bihar on an average grew by a staggering 11.03% annually, almost neck to neck with India's fastest growing state. States like Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh which were ranked once upon a time as poor have now being crowned with growth rate of 11%, 8.5% and 7.5% respectively. This is not the pride of a state it's the pride of Indian that once upon time these states were avoided

form any important discussion tables are now on the top of the table. One might say the growth of these states is very low as compared to the other states of India's. I must argue that any thing which comes out from the dark is positive. If India need to achieve the growth rate of 9.5% then these states needs to come up with flying growth numbers to amplify the growth of India.If we look at some of the investments and growth dreamt by the Indian and global corporate for these three states we will find some proud making stories and the invisible growth and foresight of ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIHAR.

Big names like Vedanta Resources, Tata Steel, Mesco Steel and Bhushan Steel are all set to invest more than Rs.40,000 crore in these three states. All these might sound as foreseeable future activities . But some statistic will make you see clearly the real growth.

As per a study by ASSOCHAM ECO PULSE on "States Performance in Per Capita Income Growth" – Jharkhand's per capita income grew to Rs.14,990 (16.6% growth), Orissa to Rs.14,795 (11.5% growth) and Chhattisgarh to Rs.16,365 (8.8% growth).these numbers reveals the financial discipline being applied and followed in these three states. Their is balance being played in all corners of these states which makes these states to generate growth and attracting investments. One example of financial discipline being followed is that foreign travel has been banned to avoid unnecessary expenditures.

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has recently said, Love for Hindi does not necessarily mean to oppose English. English cannot be ignored. However, English could not be made compulsory language in schools, but all facilities should be made available to students to learn and read English. After almost four decades, Bihar has woken up to English education in the state, making English a compulsory subject in Board Examinations from the commencement of the academic session 2010. The Government of Bihar has taken the initiative to hone the spoken English skills of the government high school teachers  and thereby their students in the state to keep pace with the time.  This will change the upcoming new generation of Bihar. After a decade Bihar will be having equal quality students with skilled force to tackle the corporate jungles of India and global too.

Adequate steps have been implemented to stop reckless expenditure in administrative departments in these states. Expenditures are planned in such a way that where only guarantee growth of these State's GDP and improvement in productivity is achieved.

So now it can be said that I am proud to be from the state of Bihar and being a Bihari  I feel more pride. In fact in the coming days I might get more things to fill up the gap of ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIHAR………NOW………

BIHAR AT GLANCE

Sr. No. Indicators State National

1. Share of Agriculture in GDP 39.0 24.3

2. Rural Population (%) 89.5 72.2

3. Work force participation rate (%) 77.3 63.9

4. Population Density (Persons/Sq. Km.) 880 324

SWOT ANALYSIS OF BIHAR

STRENGTH

Great cultural and historical legacy.

Rich heritage and great potential for tourism

Cultural artifacts and global appeal of its legacy.

Diligent, smart and intelligent and competent human capital.

Highly passionate, young dynamic, never say die attitude gives Biharis the winning edge.

Global presence of Bihari Diaspora across the globe and great support groups of NRB’s. Biharis are highly successful in all walks of life.

WEAKNESS

Lack of proper infrastructure like power, road and health services.

Low employment opportunities and heavy dependence on agrarian sector.

High rate of crime , violence and governance issues.

Negative bias of media and lack of support from all quarters.

Society divided on the basis of caste, region and feudal mindset.

Casual approach towards the Brand Bihar ,self serving bias due to which Biharis fail to act collectively for the cause of state.

OPPORTUNITIES

High credit ratios and untapped human capital, if utilized in Bihar it can change the fortune of the state.

Global Tourism potential as it is known as the Land of Bhuddha and Ashoka

Highly fertile land and organized agricultural sector, if used till the

THREAT

Social division and political intervention in every sphere of society

Negative bias of media and history of neglect

Law and order situation and Kidnapping menace.

Huge number of dependent population as compared with

optimum level can boost up the state.

High expectations and dependence on government institution for bringing up change.

other states.

Unlike other states with similar problems Bihar has been slow to respond to external and internal challenges

SWOT ANALYSIS ON TRADE & COMMERECE OF

BIHAR

Strengths: -

1. Huge manpower of all types - laborers, engineers, CA/CSs, Lawyers,

MBAs, IASs, IPSs and forget not politicians if they are on good minds etc.

2.  Agricultural Land - Bihar has extensive cultivable land fertile enough to

grow all seasoned crops. Even cash crops like jute and sugarcane are

grown. Fruits and vegetables are exported. 

 

Weaknesses:

1. Corruption: Corruption at all levels, political, bureaucratic, social and at

individual level.

2. Social Divisions: Social divisions in the form of casts, subcaste and

religion.

3.  Lack of Minerals/Natural Resource: Bihar is not very rich in minerals

which are a major factors for many states for their development.

4. Poor Infrastructure: Infrastructure like roads, railways and

communications play a vital role setting up of industries, urbanization,

employment etc.

5. Lack of Industries

6. Public Vulnerability: Public of Bihar is so Bhola Bhala that they are always

taken for granted and a good ride as well by the shrewed politicians and

political parties. Once the public becomes wiser all the problems will be

solved.

 

Opportunities:

1. River Ganga: river Ganga is the life line for Bihar and it

can prove to be the blood of Bihar if it is economically exploited.

The other rivers along with the dams and barrages can be the

source for several industries and water related factories.Thermal

power, mineral water plants, textiles and tourism as well can be

developed harnessing/ utilizing river water.

2. Skilled Workers: As discussed above.

3. Industrialization: Once industries start cropping up in Bihar things will

automatically change and several opportunities will come up like

employment, economic growth, market growth and a chain of development.

4. Fisheries: Bihar has a lot of scope for Fisheries Sector. This can prove to

be the one of the most flourishing business opportunities. Export

opportunities a re very good in fish cultivation.

5. Tourism:  Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Patna, Vikramshila etc. can be

developed as tourist places. If rivers and rivulates can be well

captured/harnessed then Bihar has lots of opportunities for tourism sector.

6. Agriculture: Needless to say. Yes other than staple crops, if the

government and Private-Public Partnership(PPP) join hands and work

together for development and cultivation of Cash crops, fruits, herbs,

sugarcane et. it will be no less than Punjab or Haryana. 

 

Threats:

1. Corruption

2. Social Divide

3. Social evils like illiteracy, poverty and unemployment.

4. Annual Flood

 

Bihar has a tremendous prospect to be the most developed state. If a

scholar or an economist will do the SWOT analysis he will find the Bihar can

become a "Cash Cow" in no sooner time if politics is corrected.

INDUSTRIAL INCENTIVE POLICY

SUBJECT: INCENTIVE POLICY-2006 FOR ACCELERATEDINDUSTRIAL GROWTH OF THE STATE.

Today there is a requirement to provide a new industrialized shape full of industries to Bihar State. There is a need to establish new industries and to revive the sick and closed units of the state. For this purpose favorable environment should be created to attract the investors of state and from abroad. In this connection the Industrial Policy - 2003 has been reviewed. After reviewing the policy, a decision has been taken to prepare a new industrial policy in the present circumstances so that there may be a balanced industrial growth in the state. In the light of the aforesaid facts a new Industrial Incentive Policy - 2006 has beenprepared in consultation with Bihar Industries Association, Bihar Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Indian Industry and all concerned Government Departments. In the preparation of this policy the Industrial policies of different states have been kept in view. Under this Industrial Incentive Policy- 2006 there are provisions for granting preproduction incentive of subsidy /exemption from stamp duty and registration fee and post production incentive of grant/exemption for preparation of project reports, purchase of land/shed, technical know-how, captive power generation/diesel generating set, quality certificate. Vat, luxury tax, electricity duty, conversion fee, market fee etc. With the implementation of this Industrial Incentive Policy- 2006, it is expected that there will be growth in the per capita income of the state and industrial growth as well as accelerated employment opportunities.

1.2 STRATEGY

(i) To create favorable circumstances in order to establish industries in the State so that among the investors, there may be positive communication.(ii) Bihar Single Window Clearance Act - 2006 -To promote all round development of the state and industrial growth rapid clearance procedures for establishing industries, to issue license and certificates, to provide a congenial atmosphere to the investors of Bihar state and in this regard and for other concerned subjects Bihar Single Window Clearance Act - 2006 has been enacted.(iii) Bihar Infrastructure Development Enabling Act- 2006 –To provide for rapid development of physical and social infrastructure in the State and to attract private sector participation and to provide for acomprehensive legislation for designing, financing, construction, operation, maintenance of infrastructure projects, so that administrative and procedural

delays are reduced, for identifying generic project risks, Bihar Infrastructure Development Enabling Act, 2006 has been enacted.(iv) In order to simplify the inspection of factories, provision of self-certification will be made.(v) Industrial growth is adversely affected due to the complicated labour laws. Such labour laws will be made simple and development oriented.(vi) Human resources will be developed in such a way, which can promote and create industrialization of high degree. Besides existing different institutions will be strengthened to improve skill.(vii) Land Bank- To meet the requirement of land for industries and development schemes, Land Bank will be established in the state. By this Bank, Land will be made available according to the requirements to different industries and for development schemes.(viii) Marketing arrangements will be made for small, tiny, cottage industries, handloom and handicraft.(ix) For the creation of the basic facilities of international level, to enhance capital investment in the industrial areas and invite the private sector for investment and to encourage public private partnership for this purpose.(x) Development of Infrastructure.(xi) In order to revive sick units, to identify such units and to suggest necessary remedial measures and to prevent sickness by developing a district level monitoring system.(xii) To develop handicraft, handloom, khadi, silk and village industries.

Incentives/exemption facilities for Industries in Bihar to accelerateIndustrial development and to attract investments.

1. PRE - PRODUCTION INCENTIVES

Stamp duty and Registration fee:

Tiny, small, medium and large scale industries which are to be established in the industrial area / shed and outside the area of the Authority will enjoy the full (100%) exemption in stamp duty and registration fee in lease / sale / transfer. This facility will be granted only for the first time and thereafter will not be granted.

2. POST-PRODUCTION INCENTIVES

(i) Project- Report Incentive:

Reimbursement of the cost incurred in the project report preparation by the industrial units at the rate of 50% subject to a maximum of Rs.75,000/- will be made available provided, the project report is prepared by any of the firms recognised by the Industry Department. The reimbursement will be made to the unit after commencement of the production.

(ii) Incentive granted on land/Shed:

The Industrial Units located in Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority / Export Promotion Industrial Park / Food Park / Agri Export Zone would be eligible for the following incentive / subsidy. These facilities / concession to the industrial units will be made available only after the commencement of production.1. Small/Tiny units/Financial Limit. 50% or 7.50 lacs(Maximum)2. All large/medium/mega units/Financial Units 25% or 15 lacs(Maximum)(iii) Financial assistance for Technical-know-how:If an entrepreneur obtains Technical Know-how from any recognised National research center / laboratory or institution to establish or to expand his industry, he will be reimbursed 30% (maximum Rs. 15.00 lacks) of the fee paid to the institution/organization for the technical know-how. This facility will be provided to the unit after commencement of production.(iv) Incentive Grant for capital investment on Captive PowerGeneration/Diesel Generating Set:50% (Fifty percent) of the amount Spent on plant and machinery in the establishment of Captive Power Generation/Diesel Generating set will be granted to the industry. No upper limit for this amount has been fixed. This facility will be made available after the unit comes into production.(v) New industrial units will be granted relief from payment of electricity duty under the Bihar Electricity Duty Act, 1948 for the generation and for own consumption of electricity from D.G. Set and Captive Power Units.(vi) Subsidy / Incentive on VAT:This facility will be available to Small / large / medium industries. The industrial unit will get a passbook from the State Government in which the

details of the tax paid under Bihar VAT would be entered and verified by the commercial Taxes Department in the form prescribed. The Director, Industries will be authorised to pay the incentive amount on the basis of the verification. The new Units will avail 80% reimbursement against the admitted VATamount deposited in the account of the Government, for a period of ten years. The maximum Subsidy amount is payable 300% of the capital Invested.Clarification: The incentive would not be payable on the amounts imposed as penalty and the difference of amount between tax assessed and accepted under the Central Sales Tax/Bihar Value Added Tax Act, 2005 and Bihar Entry Tax Act.(vii) Zero VAT:Zero VAT means the production of items, which do not attract VAT. Such units which produce items attracting zero Vat and Pay income tax would be eligible for incentive upto a maximum utilization of 70% of the installed capacity (maximum limit) as per para (vi) above. Incentive will be payable after the inspection/recommendation by a committee constituted under thechairmanship of the Director Industries on the basis of inspection and recommendation by technical officer of the Department.

(viii) Besides aforesaid subsidy / concessions, the following exemptions will beprovided:a. 100% exemption for seven years in luxury tax for seven yearsb. 100% exemption in electricity duty for seven years.c. 100% exemption in conversion charge.d. 100% exemption in market Fee for seven years.(ix) Facilities granted for the units working under adverse situation:Such working units which have been working under adverse situation for years will be reimbursed 25 percent of the deposited VAT amount in the account of state government against admitted VAT amount. This reimbursement will be admissible for five years continuously.(x) Industrial Rehabilitation Fund:In order to revive the sick and closed industry, with the co-operation of the Commercial Banks, the State Government and Bihar Industry Association, a corpus fund will be created.(xi) S.C / S.T / Women / Handicapped:a. Under this category, entrepreneurs will avail 5% additionalgrant/exemption/subsidy than the limit fixed under this policy.

b. Up to a turnover limit of Rs.30 lakhs per annum S.C / S.T. / Women / Handicapped category entrepreneurs who run small and tiny industries will avail 100% subsidy of the deposited amount in the account of Government in the form of VAT for a period of ten years.(xii) Exemption from AMG / MMG:Working units at present and new units will avail exemption from AMG / MMG from the date of declaration of the New Industrial Policy. This facility will be granted for five years.(xiii) Central Sales Tax (CST):Only 1% CST will be payable on the items produced by the registered small and medium units in Bihar.

3. INDUSTRIAL SICKNESS:

3.1 Rehabilitation of Sick Units

Industrial sickness is a part of the process of industrialization. It leads to unemployment, blockage of capital, loss of state revenue and non-utilisation of assets. Hence it is necessary to take proper steps in order to rehabilitate the sickindustries. As such govt. is concerned about this and would take the following steps to stem sickness and revive sick industries.

3.2 Small Sector

(i) State Level Committee: For the rehabilitation of small industry a State Level Committee under the chairmanship of Director of Industries will be constituted. Its members comprise representatives from the banks, financial institutions, Reserve Bank of India, Industries Association, experts and Government.(ii) The above committee would be empowered with necessary statutory powers in order to rehabilitate the sick industry so that approved rehabilitation package may be implemented effectively.(iii) The guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India / IDBI / SIDBI would be relied upon to identify sickness in sick and small units. Appropriate rehabilitation package would be approved for their rehabilitation.(iv) The sick industries being revived will not require sickness certificate on an annual basis, instead the revival package shall specify the period of revival of sick units.

(v) The industry declared sick by the State Level Committee would be eligible to receive reliefs and concessions from banks and financial institution as per instructions of RBI. These concessions and reliefs will be considered to be given within a definite time frame.(vi) After the identification of sickness within a prescribed time frame the rehabilitation package would be prepared and the state level institutions would monitor the sick industries and their rehabilitation.(vii) Those sick and closed units which have availed the benefits of any Industrial Policy in the past can avail even second time the facilities under this policy. If any sick or closed unit wants to avail the benefits under the Industrial Policy for the second time it will avail only the difference between the prior availed amount and the proposed amount under new policy. But this facility for rehabilitation to the unit will be made availableonly on the recommendation of the concerned committee constituted by the State Government. Such facility to the unit can be made available maximum of two times only.

(viii) Facility provided to the sick and closed units:Exemptions from Annual Minimum Guarantee (AMG), MonthlyMinimum Guarantee (MMG) and Delayed Payment Surcharge (DPS) would be available to the unit from the date of declaration of the unit as a sick unit. This facility would be admissible for a period of five years.3.3 Sickness in Medium and Large Industries:(i) A committee would be constituted under the chairmanship of Secretary Industry to explore the possibility and determine remedies for the revival of medium and large scale industries and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUS) which are sick and not referred to the BIFR and have a potential for revival. The recommendations of the above committee detailing the reliefs and concessions shall be placed for approval before the highpoweredcommittee existing under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary.(ii) The rehabilitation package envisaged by BIFR /IRB I/BICICO /BSFC /Bank and state level inter institutional committee shall be placed before the committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Industry for consideration and recommendation of Government.(iii) Sick Industry means such industry, which has been registered by the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR).(iv) Decision regarding closed industrial units shall be taken by a State Level Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Secretary Industries Department.

(v) Those sick and closed units which have availed the benefits of any Industrial Policy in the past can avail even second time the facilities under this policy. If any sick or closed unit wants to avail the benefits under the Industrial Policy for the second time it will avail only the difference between the prior availed amount and the proposed amount under new policy. But this facility for rehabilitation to the unit will be made available only on the recommendation of the concerned committee constituted by the State Government. Such facility to the unit can be made available maximum of two times only.

(vi) Facilities to sick and closed units:Exemption of Annual Minimum Guarantee (AMG), Monthly Minimum Guarantee (MMG) and delayed payment surcharge to the unit will be granted from the date of declaration of unit as a sick unit. This facility will be available for five years.

4. FACILITIES FOR EXPANSION-DIVERSIFICATION ANDMODERNISATION OF UNIT:

Those units undergoing Expansion/Diversification/Modernisation will be eligible for incentives, upon their incremental production as described in Para 2.

5. INCENTIVE ON QUALITY CERTIFICATION:75% of cost incurred in obtaining certificate of I.S.O. standard (orequivalent) from reputed national/international level organizations, would be reimbursed by the State Government.

6. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MISSION:6.1 The State Government would launch an I.T Mission for the development of Information Technology Industries with the following objectives:

(i) Economic Development.(ii) Human Resource Development(iii) To provide simple, effective and transparent administration.(iv) State of the Art Communication System

6.2 The State Government will provide the following relief / incentive to the Information Technology Sector for its rapid development. It has been observed that several rules and regulations applicable to industry neednot be required for the I.T. industry. As such, there would be a provision of selfcertification and software units would be exempted from the following:(i) Pollution Control Act to be effective only as per Govt. of India guidelines.(ii) Legal Power Cuts.(iii) Zoning Regulations in respect of location.

The following exemptions under the relevant Acts will be applicable to theI.T industries:(i) The I.T. Industry will be added in schedule-1 of the Bihar Shops and Establishment Act 1953 and concessions under sections 7,8 and 12 (I) shall be extended to it. By this the industry would be given exemption from the provisions relating to the hours of business and weekly closure.(ii) The hours of work for women employees would be relaxed under section 66 of the factories Act, 1948. Accordingly for I.T. establishments, Women would be able to work between 5 Am and 10 Pm instead of 6Am to 7 Pm in suchestablishments.(iii) I.T industry will be provided with exemptions under section 87 of the Employees State Insurance Act 1948.(iv) The information Technology industry will be added as an independent employment in the schedule of minimum wages Act 1948 so that the workers may be classified separately.Information Technology and Biotechnology industries established in the state would qualify for the incentives under para-2 of the policy. All incentives applicable to industries would also be automatically available to I.T. and Biotechnology Industry. The Industry Department will promote Biotechnology and Information Technology on priority basis in industrial areas.

7. HANDLOOM SECTOR:

(i) Electricity Tariff- In view of the state powerloom to be competitive with the power loom sector of other states, there will be a provision of electricity grant of 75 paise per unit of in electricity tariff.(ii) Quality power supply will be made available for powerlooms.(iii) Workshop-cum-residence scheme for weavers- In weavers dominated area, scheme of construction of common facility centre and in case weavers

do not have the room, land, construction of Government shed would be implemented. All the facilities available under Cluster Development Programme would be available to weavers. Arrangements for training under the scheme would be made.(iv) Establishment of Integrated Textile Park- Textile Park will be established in the State. By this improvement and design, quality up-gradation and assistance in marketing would be available to the weavers.(v) Establishment of Urban Haat (market)- An Urban Haat will be established in Patna where there will be provision for sale of the handloom and handicraft products.(vi) Revival of Central Processing Plants -State Government will revive the central processing plant Biharsharif and Dye and Finishing plant, Darbhanga. In these, the weavers may avail the facilities of dying, finishing and processing of their products.(vii) Reimbursement of loan due of the weavers- Scheme of reimbursement of old loan dues and interest from weavers in the State would be implemented.

8. IMPLEMENTATION OF RESERVATION POLICY:

Those units which comply with the Reservation Policy of the Govt. of Bihar will be given an additional 10% over and above the fiscal incentives for which they are eligible under this Policy.

9. MONITORING AND REVIEW:

All concerned departments and organizations would issue necessary follow up notifications within a month to give effect to the provisions of this Policy. This will be duly monitored by Government so that the State Government may carryout a mid - term review of this Policy.

10. The incentives / subsidies / relief’s outlined in this policy shall be available to only such new industrial units which commence commercial production within five years from 01.04.2006.

List of Industries Not Eligible For Incentives:

1. Rice Huller2. Flour Mills (Including Besan, Dal & Chura Mills) of less than 50 TPD Capacity.3. Condiments (Masala & Papad) Mills4. Confectionery (Excluding Mechanised Confectionery)5. Preparation of Sweetmeat & Salted Snacks.6. Bread Manufacturing (Except Mechanized Bakery)7. Production of Ice Candy and Ice Food.8. Manufacturing and Processing of Betel Nut.9. Fireworks and Crackers Units10. Coal / Coke Screening11. Firewood and Charcoal Manufacture12. Painting and Spray Painting Units13. Fertilizer Mixing Plants.14. Brick Manufacturing Units (Except Units Engaged in Manufacturing RefractoryBricks and Bricks from Fly Ash, Red Earth, Raw Industrial Waste Material).15. Manufacture of Tarpaulins Made of Canvas16. Saw Mills and Wood Sawing17. Furniture and Wood Sawing.18. Drilling Rings, Bore Well and Tube Well Establishing Units.19. Tea Blending/Mixing Units.20. Units Connected with Cutting of Raw Tobacco and Gul Related Products and Guraku21. Bottling and Repackaging of Drugs/Pharmaceuticals/Chemicals without Processing and value addition (Excluding formulation and manufacturing units)22. Book Binding23. Rubber Stamp Making24. Notebook and Envelope Making.25. Photo Copying26. Stenciling Units27. Processing of Stencil Papers.28. Distilled Water Manufacturing Units.29. Tailoring (Except Readymade Garment Manufacturing Units)30. Sewing of Socks with Woven Cloth and their Repacking.31. Laundry/Dry Cleaning.32. Photography/Studio Labs.

33. Clinical/Pathological Laboratories/Nursing Homes/Clinics34. Beauty Parlours.35. Video Parlours36. Goods Transport.37. Video/Audio Cassette Recording/Watch Repairing / Vehicle Workshop and Service Stations.38. Lime Kilns.39. Petrol Pumps.40. Narcotic Drugs.

INDUSTRIES IN BIHAR

TABLE - 70 ---------- ANNUAL SURVEY OF INDUSTRIES, BIHAR ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sl.No. Item | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------| 1 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------| 1. No. of Registered | 3600 | 3617 | 3363 | 3297 | Factories | | | | | --------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------| 2. Number of Factories | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Reporting. | | | | | --------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------| 3. Productive Capital | 1711099 | 1989951 | 2345572 | 2018223 | (Lakh Rs.) | | | | | --------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------| 4. Number of Persons | 342854 | 336307 | 327711 | 272524 | Employed | | | | | --------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

5. Ex-factory value of | | | | | Output (gross) | 1916928 | 2207283 | 2505367 | 2593490 | (Lakh Rs.) | | | | | --------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------| 6. Value added by | 441951 | 528585 | 700410 | 928279 | Manufacturer(Lakh Rs.)| | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Source :- Annual Survey of Industries, Central Statistical Organisation, Industrial Statistical Wing,

Calcutta, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98

There are many various industries in Bihar. Their main focus is on

Agriculture.

Industries like :

Agro Product Industry, Sugar Industry, Metal Industry, Software & IT

Services industry, Drug & Chemical Industry, etc

Industries: Sponge Iron,, Oil Refinery, Forging, Fertilisers, Jelly Filled Commu nication Cables, Watch Factory, Fruit Processing, Bulk Drugs.

Crops: Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Pulses, Sugarcane, Potatoes, Tobacco, Oilseeds, Onion, Chilies, Jute, Mesta.

LEATHER AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES IN BIHAR – AN OVERVIEW ANDPROSPECTS

PART A: Indian Leather Industry – Importance and GrowthLeather and allied industries in India play an important role in terms of providingemployment to the large number of artisans and also earning foreign exchange throughexports. The major factors responsible for the growth of Indian leather industry areavailability of raw materials (hides and skins), cheaper labour, technology andGovernment policy support. Indian Leather sector exports account for Rs.10691 crores

and provides direct employment to more than 2.5 million people and among them many

belong to socially and economically backward communities.

PART B : Bihar Leather Industry and its ProspectsIndia’s leather sector sector growth is an apt example of export oriented industryrecording a phenomenal rate of growth and transforming towards production and exportof value added finished products. While we consider it a successful story, why did theBihar Leather industry (within the Indian leather) miss the growth path inspite of havinggood resource base – both raw material and technical skills?

Livestock Wealth(in million nos)Bihar All India Share of Bihar inthe country %Cattle 14.74 189.22 7.99Buffalo 4.04 95.48 4.23Goat 15.39 127.07 12.11Sheep 0.98 51.73 1.894Bihar state has sizeable share of goat and cattle population of the country. In case ofgoats, Bihar state accounts for third rank in the country next only to West Bengal and Rajasthan.

LEATHER INDUSTRY :

Very rich in cattle population.Hides of Bihar are of the best quality in the country.There are 50,000 footwear artisans in the State.State has tanneries in the private sector.More tanneries & footwear units are to be set up in the private sector. Central Council of Leather Exports are in the process of preparing project report. There is enough scope to develop leather & leather based industries in theState of Bihar. The approach can be two way;- Initially strengthening the tanning sector and developing local footwearmanufacturing artisanal units.- Simultaneously to develop separate industrial park for leather &leather products industries, preferably with SEZ status- Of course with overall improvements in Common infrastructurefacilities like Roads, Power supply etc.

TEXTILE INDUSTRY :

Total number of weavers in the State is more than 90,000.Strong weaving traditions in the state.Bhagalpur known as leading silk city.Gaya –another major weaving centre –around 8000 powerloomsoperational.Most of textile centres in state on decline, producing low value goods.Need of the hour-To move up the value added chain.Skilled and Cheap labour available.

Strong traditional handloom clusters in the districts of Bhagalpur, Gaya, Nalanda, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Siwan, Patna.Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services is preparing Project Report for Textile Parks and also for Cluster Development Programmes.Govt. have announced series of measures for improving the competitiveness.Action already initiated for strengthening the training institutions. Training in Computer Aided Design has been introduced.Nathnagar Silk Institute is being revamped and strengthened.

AGRICULTURE

QUALITY LAND RESOURCES*Type –Alluvial Plain*Texture –Loam*pH –6.5 –7.5*Medium to rich in NPKQUALITY WATER RESOURCESAnnual Rainfall –1297.2 mm.Irrigation PotentialSurface water –6.33 million HaGround water –4.85 million HaTotal –11.19 million HaIrrigated Area –4.88 million HaQUALITY HUMAN RESOURCES1145 Agriculture graduates trained in agri clinic /agri-business management Hard working farmers. AGRICULTURE IS CORE COMPETENCE OF BIHARWe can take three crops (Kharif, Rabi & Garma) a year!!!

BIHAR, MOST CONGESTED TELECOM CIRCLE SAYS TRAI

Telecom Regulatory authority of India has revealed its network congestion

report for the month of January to March 2009 which quotes Bihar as the

most congested telecom circle followed by Andhra Pradesh Kolkata ,Assam,

Himachal Pradesh  and Mumbai ,among telecom operators Reliance

Telecom and idea are most congested followed by  Vodafone.

The network congestion report analysis for the month January, February

and march 2009 shows that the performance of the telecom service

providers with respect to the congestion on POI’s has dropped in the month

of March 2009 as compared with the performance in December 2008.

During this period Cellular Mobile Telephone Subscriber base has increased

from 346.89 million in December 2008 to 391.76 million in March

2009.While comparing with private operators BSNL and MTNL the number

of POIs having congestion has decreased from 35 in December 2008 to 27

in the month of March 2009.

Bihar Sugar Industry

Bihar Sugar Industry Background 

The Bihar Sugar Industry has prospered in the past few years with all

courtesy to the efforts taken by the state government for revamping the

industry. The climate of Bihar has been a conducive factor towards the

flourishing Sugar industry of Bihar. Besides providing employment to the

majority of the population in the state, it also offers facilities of transport and

communication, and assists in developing the rural areas by mobilizing the

resources in the best possible manner. Till now, there are in all 28 sugar

mills in the Bihar Sugar Industry, out which only 9 operates. The area under

sugarcane production is 2.30 lakh hectares and the state produces around

129.95 lakh M.T sugarcane. 

Why Bihar is suitable for Sugar Industry 

The Northern Bihar is climatically apt to produce sugarcane. The inputs

used are comparatively lesser than that of other states. Obsolete equipment

and inadequate skills are the two factors which are driving towards the

closing down of many sugar mills in Bihar. Modernized plants and

equipments should be used and personnel should be retained in proper

manner. If the sugarcane and the sugar industry of Bihar is revived, then it

shall definitely generate both wealth and employment for the state. The

potential of the industry is huge. 

Bihar per capita Income is $94,where INDIA'S per capita income is

$255.

People live BPL(Below Poverty Line) is 46.2% against India's average

is 26.1% 

A/c to the 5th Economic census (2005) No of people employed Bihar

Rural/Urban is 1101857 and 864699 where is India’s average Rural

and Urban is 52069351 and 48834770.

Bihar Employment growth rate is not up to the mark, it grows 0.23%

annually(1998-2005)  

If we want to develop BIHAR than we have to attract the investor or

corporate to invest in BIHAR. Government Industrial policy should be

liberalised. Bihar is Agriculture based state so, we have pointed out some

sector /areas where BIHAR can grow.

Agriculture

Education

Infrastructure

Tourism  etc

We can work through BOT (Built Operate and Transfer) Pattern.

Government should Give priority to Agriculture Export zone, Food park,

Established Industrial Park, Set up IT Park. Through all these activities

government will increase the employability in the state.

Investment Possibilities in Bihar and Role of NRIs

Bihar is on the path of progress. The new regime in Bihar is taking serious effort in this direction and progresses have been in almost sectors like Infrastructures (Roads, Electricity), Primary & Higher

education and more than that progress have been made of even modus- vivendi of common man. In my recent India visit during April-May, 2007,

I found that in buses, trains, pan shops, tea shops, hotels and restaurants, people has started about talking about development in Bihar and new perspectives in the changed environment. Even law & order of

the state has improved; now you can roam in Patna till late night and other parts of Bihar also that fear has gone. Local businessman

community and educated community are now doing have been activated to do some things for the state.

In the changed environment, Now international business community and NRIs have golden opportunity to invest in Bihar ; Educated class of Bihar

have now better chance to look back to their motherland and start helping people of Bihar in their own way; start giving support to local

entrepreneurs and can work for entrepreneurship development among youths.

This article is aimed to explore those areas where NRIs /NRBs can pay their attention. Let’s call spade and spade and differentiate between

working NRIs (NRIs who are employee of any company, organization, R&D institute or University) and NRIs who are an employer and

businessman.

What working NRIs/NRBs/Scientists and Professors can do?

In my view, all erudite of Bihar who are working class living in different parts of Country and abroad can have better chance in following:

1. Financial helps: they can take School and colleges for their

infrastructure development as their pilot project, they can help in establishing R&D centers in Bihar to build working environment in the

state.

2. Help Talents and Help needy talents: Bihar is well known for genius brains; there is no doubt about it, but what I feel that there are big gap between rich and poor. Rich people can send their children outside or even give beter education in Bihar but poor after certain extent doesn’t

have capability to continue their education. We all need to help all those students. For that either they can explore individual way or can go for

society for giving their plan. BiharBrains www.biharbrains.org has started BiharBrains Talents search

scheme where any NRIs can give their plan to help needy talents and BB will be only the agent to executing it .

Recently some schemes have been started by BiharBrains. To name a few, Sri (Late) Anil kumar singh yojna for needy children (for the dist of Gaya), Janipur school yojna has already been started by the society.

This is to be noted here that this society is a platform of NRIs/NRBs and has chapters in 18 places in India and abroad.

3. Providing consultancy for enormous opportunities in Abroad: I do feel that the students of Bihar have less acquaintance about

opportunities in abroad. They can be very helpful in building their career and providing guidance in abroad.

BiharBrains is the best platform for doing this activity. Here everybody can take free online membership and help, guide those students.

CITIES

Bihar is a land of old historic cities. The capital of Bihar is Patna, a gateway to the Buddhist circuit in Bihar. Other major cities include Muzzafarpur, Gaya, Bodhgaya and Vaishali. An influence of Buddhist culture can be seen on the cities of Bihar. Ruled by the Lichchavis, the Gupta and the Mauryas, cities of Bihar had seen some glorious and royal days. Patna is the industrial hub of the state. Muzzafarpur is a major center for production of Litchis. Bodhgaya hosts the holy tree where Buddha got enlightened, while Nalanda is the site of the ancient Nalanda International

University. Travel to this state of India, which boasts some most rich and glorious cities of ancient India.

Patna Information

Location: Patna is the capital city of Bihar, India.Tourist Attractions: Gol Ghar, Museum, Harmandirji, Khuda Baksh Oriental Library, Kumhrar, Martyrs Memorial, Jalan Museum, Pathar Ki Masjid, Agam Kuan, Biological Park, Birla Mandir, Nawab Shahid-Ka-Maqbara, Pachim Darwaza, Padri-Ki-Haveli.Best Buys: Decorative pieces made out of stone, Bead-Jewellery, Tilcoot-a kind of sweet.Best Hangouts: An excursion to Kumhrar, a local village where excavations are going on to find out the hidden treasures of Mauryan and other dynasties.Best Activities: Take a boat ride in river Ganga and walk some part of Mahatma Gandhi Setu.Festivals: Chhatha, celebrated 6 days after Deepavali, is the most popular festival of Bihar. Pataliputra Mahotsav features parades, sports, dancing, and music.Nearest Tourist Destinations: Vaishali, Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Rajgir.When to Visit: February to April and August to November.

About Patna

Situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga, Patna, earlier known as Patliputra, is one of the most ancient cities of India. Capital of Bihar, Patna is known for its magnificent past and the historical buildings. Patna began as Pataliputra in the 5th century BC. In the 3rd century BC it became the capital of the Magadh kingdom and the seat of the Indian emperor Ashoka.

Patna is the gateway to the Buddhist and Jain pilgrim centers of Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodhgaya and Pawapuri, all located in the state of Bihar. After India attained independence, Patna became the capital of Bihar. It has some very attractive tourist destinations. The Mahatma Gandhi Setu over river Ganga stretches for 7.5 Km and is among the longest bridges in the world. The Golghar, Har Mandir, Kumrahar are the major attractions in the city.

Besides, it has long been a major agricultural center of trade, its most active exports being grain, sugarcane, sesame, and rice.

Major Tourist Attractions in PatnaGolgharThe huge, beehive structured building was built to store grains, following a terrible famine in 1786. The 29 mtr high building offers a scenic view of river Ganga and Patna city. This granary was never used for the desired purpose.

MuseumThe city museum is a collection of metal and stone sculptures of the Maurya and Gupta Periods, terracota figurines and archaeological finds from different sites in Bihar. It has the Ashes of the Buddha, image of Yakshi (3rd century BC), and a 16 mt long fossilized tree.

Har MandirA holy shrine of Sikhs, this is said to be the second-most important Gurudwara in India. The Gurudwara was built by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs. Built in white marbles, with kiosks on the terraces, it consecrates the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.

Khuda Baksh Oriental LibraryOne of the national libraries of India, it has a rare collection of Persian and Arabic manuscript. It also host paintings during Rajput and Mughal rule in India. A very unique collection, One-inch wide Quran is also kept here.

Martyrs MemorialThe memorial in front of the old secretariat, shows seven young men facing the bullets and sacrificing their lives during the '1942 Quit India movement'.

Getting ThereAir: The Loknayak Jaiprakash International Airport, Patna is connected to all the major Indian cities. The airport is 10 km from the city center.Rail: Patna is well connected to the rest of India via railways network. Direct trains to major cities of India are available

Road: Patna is well connected by roads. Bus services are available for places within the state as well as to other states.

Rajgir Information

Location: Rajgir is situated 34 Km from Gaya and 102 km from Patna, Bihar.Tourist Attractions: Amaravana, Venuvana, Ajatashatru's Fort, Bimbisara's Jail, Swarna Bhandar, The Cyclopean Wall, Griddhakuta, Jain Temples, Hot Springs, Pippala Cave, Jarasandha Ka Akhada.Best Buys: Though the city has nothing unique to offer, but one can go for the local handicrafts.Best Hangouts: Enjoy a dip at the hot water springs, located at the foot of the Vaibhava Hill. The source of hot water is the "Saptaparni Caves", up in the hills.Best Activities: Take the roapway tour and see the glorious city of Rajgir.

Festivals: The Malamasa Mela is celebrated every 3rd year (The Indian calendar every three years has a 13th month which is considered auspicious), and the Rajgir dance festival holds from Oct 24-26 every year.Nearest Tourist Destinations: Vaishali, Nalanda, Bodhgaya.When to Visit: February to April and August to November.

About RajgirRajgir, "House of the King", is an important religious place for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. This ancient town has reference in Mahabharata, Buddhist and Jain texts. Lord Buddha lived here in the sixth century BC while Vardhman Mahavir spent 14 years here. It was in Rajgir that Lord Buddha delivered some of his famous sermons. King Bimbisara of the Magadha Kingdom got converted here. A small town, Rajgir is witness to a glorious and legendary past. The historical monuments here presents the real scene of the glorious past. The monuments are said to be built by the business class who devoted themselves to Buddha. Jivaka, the legendary physician of Magadha kingdom, also resided here and once served Buddha for illness. Lately, the Japanese have built a Stupa on

top of the Ratnagiri hill, linked by a rope way. It was here that the teachings of Buddha were penned down for the first time. Rajgir also has the Nipponzan Myohoji, the Japanese temple, and the Centaur Hokke Club which offers some traditional facilities to Japanese pilgrims.

Major Tourist Attractions in Rajgir Amaravana (Jivaka's Mango Garden)Jivaka, the royal physician during the times of Ajatshatru and Bimbisara used to practice here. It is said that lord Buddha was also brought here for a cure of a wound. Swarna BhandarThe twin Rock-cut caves, are supposed to be the doorway to the treasury of King Bimbisara. One of the cave is said to be the guard room. While the other is supposed to be the passage to king Bimbisara's treasury. The treasure, according to folklore, is still intact.

The Cyclopean WallThe 40 km long wall encircles ancient Rajgir. Built from massive pieces of stones, it was constructed before the Mauryan rule.

Griddhakuta (Vulture's Peak)At the top of Ratnagiri hill, where Lord Buddha preached many inspiring sermons, a Peace Pagoda has been built by the Buddha Sangh of Japan. There is a roapway which takes around 8 minutes to take tourists on the top. It gives a splendid view of Rajgir.

Jain TemplesThere are more than 25 Jain temples around Rajgir. Situated on mountains, they are approached easily by those who love trekking.

Hot SpringsThe hot springs are a major tourist attractions. They are at the foot of the Vaibhava Hill. The hot water is supposed to come from the 'Saptaparni Caves', situated on top of the hill. Brahmaputra is the hottest spring with water temperature being 45 degree C. Separate bathing places for men

and women have been organised.

Getting ThereAir: The nearest airport is the Loknayak Jai Prakash International Airport, Patna, 100 Km away.Rail: The nearest railway station is Bhakhtiyarpur, 54 Km from Rajgir.Road: Rajgir is connected by an excellent road to Patna as well as to Bodh Gaya.

Vaishali Information

Location: Vaishali is situated 35 Km from Hazipur and 55 km from Patna, Bihar.Tourist Attractions: Ashokan Pillar, Bawan Pokhar Temple, Buddha Stupa-I, Buddha Stupa-II, Raja Vishal ka Garh, Shanti Stupa, Kundupur, Coronation Tank.Best Buys: The city has not much to offer, but 100 km ahead is Madhubani, famous for its paintings with same name.Festivals: The Vaishali Mahotsav in April celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira.Nearest Tourist Destinations: Patna, Rajgir, Bodhgaya, Madhubani.When to Visit: The best time to visit this place is October to March.

About VaishaliOne of Buddha's favourite resort, Vaishali, is said to be named after King Vishal, a ruler during the times of Ramayana. There exists a large, but a ruined fort, which is believed to be built by King Vishal. The city was ruled by the Lichchavis till 6th century BC. The Lichchavi state is said to be among world's first republics. The city was a major industrial center and an important town under the control of the Lichchavis. Ajatshatru, the great Magadh King, annexed Vaishali in the fifth century BC and after that Vaishali gradually lost its glory and power.

Vaishali, the birthplace of Lord Vardhman Mahavira, last Tirthankar of Jainism, is equally sacred for the Buddhists. Lord Buddha gave his last preaching in this city and announced his Mahaprayan. In tribute to Buddha, king Ashoka erected a pillar (Famous lion pillar) here. 100 years after the death of Lord Buddha, the second great Buddhist council was held here. Two stupas were made in remembrance of the event.

Today Vaishali is a small town and is surrounded by mango and banana groves.

Major Tourist Attractions in Vaishali Ashokan PillarThe Lion Pillar at Kolhua, was built by Emperor Ashoka. Made of single piece of red sandstone, the pillar is capped by a 18 m high bell shaped capital. On the top is kept a life-size figure of lion.

Bawan Pokhar TempleA Hindu temple, Bawan Pokhar temple is situated on the banks of a lake called Bawan Pokhar. The old temple, built during Pala period, enshrines beautiful images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

Buddha Stupa 1 and 2The Buddha Stupas were created in the name of the second Buddhist council. The outer stupa has a stone box, which has one-eighth of lord Buddha's ashes. The inner stupa was excavation in 1958 and it also held a stone box containing some part the ashes of the Lord Buddha.

Raja Vishal ka GarhThe fort of King Vishal is in ruins today. A huge platform here, which has a circumference of about one Kilometre and walls nearly 2m high with a 43m wide moat, is said to be the parliament house of King Vishal. More than seven thousands representatives could stand here to discuss the issues.

Coronation TankAn excavated site, this place is believed as an ancient parliament house of the Lichchavi government. The water of the tank was used to anoint the selected representatives. It is located near the Raja Vishal ka Garh.

Getting There

Air: The nearest airport from Vaishali is the Loknayak Jai Prakash International Airport, Patna, situated 55 km away.Rail: The nearest railhead is Hajipur, situated 35 km, which is well connected to the major cities of India.Road: Roads are the most suitable means to reach Vaishali. There are

regular buses for Vaishali from Patna and other major cities of Bihar.

Nalanda Information

Location: Nalanda is situated 90 Km from Patna, Bihar.Tourist Attractions: The Nalanda University Archaeological Complex, The Nalanda Archaeological Museum, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Hieun Tsang Memorial Hall, Silao, Surajpur Baragaon. Best Buys: Buy the famous local sweet 'Khaja', from Silao, a village between Nalanda and Rajgir.Festivals: The Chhath Puja is celebrated 6 days after Diwali, in mid November. Buddha Jayanti, celebrated in April, to mark the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of lord Budha.Nearest Tourist Destinations: Vaishali, Patna, Bodhgaya, Rajgir. When to Visit: The best time to visit this place is October to March.

About NalandaNalanda, a part of the Budhist circuit, is famous for the the ancient International Monastic University. Established in 5th century BC by the Gupta Emperors, it was a famous learning centres in ancient times. The university had centres for studies in Buddhism, Vedas, Logic, Grammar, Medicine, Meta-Physics, Prose Composition and Rhetoric. Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira have also taught here. The university library had a mammoth collection of 9 million volumes. The university remains are scattered around an area of 14 hectares. Though a large part of the university has been explored, a huge portion remains unexcavated. It is believed that the university could accommodate 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers easily. Hsuan Tsang, the renowned Chinese traveler was also involved with the university foe 12 years. There is a monument built here in his memory. In 12th century AD, the whole university complex was destroyed by Bakhtiar Khilji, a Turkish Invader. There is a museum where the rare collections of the glorious days can be seen. In 1951 an international center for Buddhist studies was founded. Another modern institution is the Nava Nalanda Mahavir Research Centre treasuring many rare manuscripts.

Major Tourist Attractions in Nalanda The Nalanda University Archaeological ComplexTotal excavated area of the complex is about 14 hectares. The university was built in Kushana style of architecture. There are huge gardens,

bronze statues and red-brick edifices all around. There are various temples here, of which temple no.3 is most interesting, as it has the statues of lord Buddha in various Mudras (poses). There is a half broken statue of Lord Buddha in the temple no.1.

The Nalanda Archaeological Museum Established in 1971, the museum has a beautiful collections bronze statues of Buddha, Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The collections here were found during excavation of the university site. The museum has rare manuscripts, copper plates, stone inscriptions, coins, pottery and a 12th century AD sample of burnt rice. Opens at 10 am till 5 pm. It is closed on Friday.

Nava Nalanda MahaviharaThis new international study centre for Buddhism and Pali literature was set up in 1951. It offers research works on the ancient Pali language and Budhism.

Hieun Tsang Memorial HallHieun Tsang was a famous Chinese traveler, who came India during 5th century AD to study the social and political conditions. He devoted 12 years in the ancient university as a teacher as well as student. The memorial hall was bulit in his memory.

Getting there:Air: The nearest airport from Nalanda is the Patna airport, 90 km away.Rail: The nearest major railway stations is Gaya around 65 km from Nalanda. Gaya is well connected to other parts of India.Road: Nalanda is connected through a good road network with Rajgir (12 km), Gaya (65 km), and Patna (90 km).

Bodhgaya Information

Location: Bodhgaya is situated 16 Km from Gaya and 105 km from Patna, Bihar.Tourist Attractions: The Bodhi Tree, Mahabodhi Temple, Vajrasana, Ancient Railings, Chankaramana, Animeshlochana, Ratnagar, Lotus Tank, Gaya, Barabar Cave, The Karan Chaupa cave, Tibetan Monastery, Myanmar Monastery, Chinese Monastery.Best Buys : Tilkuta (a sweet), souvenirs made of stone.

Best Activities: Learn yoga & meditation.Best Hangouts : The Monasteries. Festivals: The Buddha-Jayanti is celebrated every year in April as this date marks the birth of Lord Buddha.Nearest Tourist Destinations: Vaishali, Nalanda, Gaya, Patna.When to Visit: The best time to visit Bodhgaya is during winter October-March. December and January is the time when the place is filled with tourists from all around the world.

About Bodhgaya

A vital Buddhist center, Bodhgaya, is the most sacred place for Buddhists. Some 2500 years ago, Prince Siddhartha got enlightened here and became Buddha (The enlightened one). The prince wandered for 6 years in search of peace. Finally he achieved the desired peace of mind here, beneath the holy Bodhi tree and thus was born Buddhism.

Nearly 250 years after the enlightenment, King Ashoka visited the place and founded the Mahabodhi Temple. A monastery was also founded by Ashoka which had Vajrasana, the seat of enlightenment. The 52 m high temple has beautiful design. The temple is made on a square platform, with four pillars around the corners of the platform. The 1700 years old image of Buddha inside the temple is in the Bhumisparsha Mudra (Touching the ground). Devout Buddhists and tourists from all over the world visit Bodhgaya, to study Buddhism and the art of meditation, or to pay homage to Lord Buddha.

A small and quite town, Bodhgaya lies 16 Km from the holy city of Gaya. Gaya is a famous Hindu Pilgrimage, where people go to offer oblations for the salvation of their dead forefathers.

Major Tourist Attractions in Bodhgaya

The Bodhi TreeThe Bodhi Tree is the famous tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment. He meditated under the tree continuously for next one week. King Ashoka, after conversion to Buddhism, surrounded the tree

with 3m high stone wall. The present Bodhi Tree is most probably the fifth descendant of the original tree, as the original tree got destroyed. But the followers view the tree as the actual Buddha.

Mahabodhi TempleThe Mahabodhi Temple stands east to the Bodhi Tree. This huge temple is said to be constructed by King Ashoka. Shaped like a pyramid, it rises to 170 ft. The statue of Lord Buddha in the temple is made of black stone. The stupas in the temple were constructed during past 2500 years.

VajrasanaThe Vajrasana is a stone platform, under the Bodhi tree, on which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. Vajrasana means the seat of stability.

GayaSituated 16 Km from Bodhgaya, this holy city is a place where Hindus offer oblation for salvation of their forefathers. The temple of Vishnupad on the bank of river Falgu attracts a very large number of pilgrims.

Barabar CaveThe Barabar and Nagarjuni Hills are situated about 41 km. from Bodhgaya. There are total seven rock-cut caves here, of which four are in the Barabar hills. Barabar Caves carvings bear the details about Buddha's life.

Getting There

Air : The nearest airport is the Patna airport, 105 Km from Bodhgaya.Rail : The nearest Railway station is Gaya at 16 Km. Gaya is a major railhead and is connected to the rest of India.Road: Bodhgaya is connected by road to Gaya(16 Km) and Patna (105 Km).

In the above mentioned district wise investment opportunities is based on my personal experience and after talking to many business and educated communities of Bihar.In a nutshell, we can say that Bihar has enormous opportunities in

Higher education & Research, Tourism and hotel industry at Tourist spots, Agro-based industries and their export-import units, Food processing units’ etc where Bihar can give model to the nation in building strong India and developed nation by 2020.All NRIs /NRBs/Business Communities can give a thought for these sectors for investments in Bihar in a changed environment.

Economic Infrastructure of Bihar

Roads

The State is serviced by 2318 Kms. of National Highways, 4192 Kms. of

State highways, 12,579 Kms. of district roads and over 69000 Kms. of

other roads.

South Bihar has extensive network of roads linking major industrial

locations in the state. The state would also encourage private sector

involvement in maintenance of roads and bridges.

Bihar has taken a 420 million dollar loan (Rs 1,971 crore) aided by the

Asian Development Bank (ADB) for construction of the 820-km road,

known as the Bihar State Highway Roads Phase I Project. The loan

came into effect on December 2008 and the project has to be completed

by December 2011.

According to road construction department sources, around 50% of over

13,000 km of district roads, state highways and national highways have

been upgraded. The district roads are around 8,000 km long, followed by

2,035 km state highways and about 3,000 km national highways. A

major part of the work is likely to be completed by 2011

Railways

The State has extensive and well developed railway system providing

vital links to mining industry and tourism with important cities and ports

in the country. The total rail length is in excess of 5400 Kms.

Railways plan mega projects in BiharThe East Central Railway will

undertake railway projects worth between Rs 1,300 and Rs 1,500 crore

in Bihar, during the current financial year. These projects include laying

of new railway lines (646 km), doubling of tracks (311 km) and gauge

conversion work (713 km). The target for the current financial year for

laying new lines has been fixed at 425 km.

The laying of the new line between Sasaram and Bikramganj is

completed and Bikramganj to Ara would be completed by the end of this

year. Thus the entire broad gauge new line between Ara and Sasaram

would be open this year.

Important routes on which new line work is likely to be completed soon

are the Sakri-Hasanpur, Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi, Khagaria-

Biseswarasthan and other routes falling under the ECR's Sonepur and

Samastipur divisions.

The railways have already announced that in 2007 new line projects

under ECR will be completed. In 2008 gauge conversion work and in

2009, mega bridges would be completed by ECR.

The railways have expedited the track doubling work between Barauni

and Katihar. The track doubling work on the Samastipur-Khagaria route

will be completed this year.

However, work on the Jainagar-Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj route is to be

completed in 2007-08. Likewise, Saharsa-Purnea and Saharsa-

Forbesgang routes are to be completed during 2008-09.

'Railway Ministry's gift of Rs 15,000 crore projects to Bihar'

Projects worth Rs 15,000 crore have been cleared for upgrading the rail

network in Bihar, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Flagging off the new Patna-Ahmedabad Azimabad Express (weekly)

train at the Rajendranagar Terminal here, Yadav said "We have gifted

the state with projects worth Rs 15,000 crore".

Airports

Patna International Airport is directly connected with Kathmandu

(Nepal), New Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Lucknow, Varanasi & Ranchi,

Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Raxoul and Jogbani are the other domestic airports

in Bihar.

Air services are provided by Indian Airlines, Sahara Airlines and Royal

Nepal Airlines. 39 district Head Quarters have air strips/ aerodromes.

Small Air taxi/charter services are available at Patna and Jamshedpur.

Inland Water Transport

Bihar is traversed by several rivers. Some of the major rivers are the

Ganges, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, Damodar, Sone and Swarnarekha.

Total length of rivers in Bihar is 4,414 Kms. Navigable length of rivers is

1,325 Kms.

Farakka to Buxar in the river Ganges has been declared as National

Water Ways No.1. It is presently operative from Haldia to Patna. This

provides access to Calcutta Seaport (417Kms) and Haldia (517Kms).

Bihar to get Rs 1,000 cr for infra projects

The union government has approved an increase of Rs 1,000 crore in

grant for setting up infrastructure projects in Bihar during 2010-11, under

the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) scheme.

Infrastructure projects including power, road and irrigation sectors are

being put in place through the Special Plan for Bihar under the BRGF

scheme. BRGF, approved by the government four years earlier, was

being implemented in the state through a Special Plan, allocated Rs

1,000 crore annually over the entire 11th Plan (2007-12). However, the

total cost of the projects which were to be set up under the Bihar Special

Plan had seen a 57 per cent rise to Rs 8,753 crore since the August

2006 calculation.

Against this, around Rs 5,285 crore had been released for socio-

economic development in the state till March. Therefore, it has been

decided to enhance the allocation from the current level of Rs 1,000

crore to Rs 2,000 crore in 2010-11 and the balance Rs 1,468 crore in

2011-12.

Recent Happenings

Reliance Infra wins SCADA Consultancy Project for Bihar

Reliance Infrastructure has bagged its 5th Consultancy project under R-

APDRP Program of Union Ministry of Power. This time the company has

been awarded the project of SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data

Acquisition) – DMS (Distribution Management System) consultancy for

Patna City in Bihar State.

Earlier, in line with the MoP`s R-APDRP program, the Bihar State

Electricity Board had floated RFP for SCADA/DMS consultancy for

Patna, the capital city of the State. RInfra, being the only integrated

power utility, empanelled by the Power Finance Corporation for the

same, had participated in bidding process.

The project has been awarded to RInfra in line with its highest scoring in

the technical bid; which had a 70% weightage in the entire bidding

process; rest 30% weightage was for the financial bid. RInfra was

weighed at 57.5% as against its nearer competitor bidder who scored

only 17%. RInfra also supersede in financial bidding by offering low cost

of INR 5.4 million as against the cost offered at very high level by the

nearer competitor, ie INR 19.7 million.

Mr Satish Mishra senior vice president of Reliance Energy told reporters

that “We have been awarded the project of SCADA-DMS consultancy for

Patna City in Bihar state.”

Commenting on the development, Mr Lalit Jalan CEO & whole time

director of Reliance Infrastructure said that “We are happy to win the

prestigious project of SCADA-DMS consultancy for Patna city. We are

confident that our in house rich domain expertise would definitely add

value and enhance the performances of the utility and in turn extend

several benefits to the end users as well as utilities.”

He further added that “This shows high trust in our capabilities that have

been demonstrated successfully in our Mumbai and Delhi distribution

business, which have become now idols for any power utility that wants

to improve itself. Going forward, we would continue to look for more

opportunities in the sector.”

Bihar gets Rs 76 crore for education infrastructure growth

Patna, Feb 9 (PTI) Union science and technology ministry has

sanctioned Rs 76 crore for the next five years for infrastructural growth

in the field of science and technology in high schools and colleges in

Bihar. This information was given to the Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar by

Syed Ehtesham Hussain, Vice-chancellor of Hyderababd university and

member of the standing committee for special package for Bihar, state

Human Resources Development Principal Secretary, Anjani Kumar

Singh said today. Hussain had also informed that there would be student

exchange programme in science and technology. Kumar had sought

more grants for the purpose, Singh said.PTI AJK PR PR

Bihar More Happening Tourist Spot Than Goa? In 2009, More

Foreigners Visited Eastern State

Celebrated as the party destination in India, Goa appears to have lost its

`happening' tag to the humble Bihar. Data collected by the Union tourism

ministry appears to indicate that Bihar attracted a larger number of

foreign tourists in 2009 than Goa.

Rank State Foreign Tourists ’08

(in lakhs)

Foreign Tourists ’09

(in lakhs)

% difference

1 T N 20.2 23.69 16.7

2 Maharashtra 20.5 19.99 -2.8

3 Delhi 23.3 19.58 -16.3

4 U P 16.1 15.32 -4.8

5 W Bengal 11.3 11.8 4.1

6 Rajasthan 14.7 10.7 -27.4

7 A P 7.8 7.9 0.8

8 Kerala 5.9 5.4 -8.4

9 Bihar 3.4 4.2 22.4

10 H P 3.7 4 6.3

11 Goa 3.5 3.7 7.3

12 Karnataka 1.7 2.2 32

The government's India Tourism Statistics report shows that while 4.2

lakh foreign tourists visited Bihar in 2009, Goa drew about 3.7 lakh

losing its place in the top 10 destinations in India. Industry hands say

that the economic downturn was largely responsible for the sharp

decline in the number of tourists. Increasing number of adverse reports

on the safety of women and declining law and order situation may also

have been responsible for the drop in numbers. In fact states like Kerala

and Rajasthan that have been hot international favourites have suffered

the most in 2009 thanks to the global economic situation. While the

number of foreign tourist arrivals dropped by 27% in Rajasthan from

14.7 lakh in 2009 to 10.7 lakh in 2008, Kerala saw 5.4 lakh tourists

arriving in 2009. Andhra, that remains numero uno for domestic tourists,

also witnessed stagnation with tourist arrivals increasing from 7.8 lakh to

just 7.9 lakh between 2008 and 2009.

Delhi lost its place as the top ranking state in 2008 to Tamil Nadu that

saw a 16.7% increase in foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in 2009. The top

5 states in FTAs were TN (23.6 lakh), Maharashtra (19.9 lakh), Delhi

(19.5 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (15.32 lakh) and West Bengal (11.8 lakh).

United States continued to send the maximum number of tourists in

2009 as it had in 2008. The top 10 source countries in 2009 were USA,

UK, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada, France, Germany, Australia,

Malaysia and Japan. These countries accounted for 64% of the total

foreign tourist arrivals in 2009.

Transportation

Bihar has two operational airports: Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Patna, and the Gaya Airport, Gaya. The Patna airport is connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Bangaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Ranchi.

The Patna airport is categorized as a restricted international airport, with customs facilities to receive international chartered flights.

The Gaya Airport is an international airport connected to Colombo, Singapore, Bangkok, Paro and more.

Bihar is well-connected by railway lines to the rest of India. Most of the towns are interconnected, and they also are directly connected to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Katihar, Barauni and Chhapra are Bihar's best-connected railway stations.

The state has a vast network of National and State highways. East-West corridor goes through the cities of Bihar (muzaffarpur-darbhanga-purnia NH57) 4-6 LANES.

For Buddhist pilgrims, the best option for travel to Bihar is to reach Patna or Gaya, either by air or train, and then travel to Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali. Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh also is not very far.

The Ganges — navigable throughout the year — was the principal river highway across the vast north Indian Gangetic plain. Vessels capable of accommodating five hundred merchants were known to ply this river in the ancient period; it served as a conduit for overseas trade, as goods were carried from Pataliputra (later Patna) and Champa ( later Bhagalpur) out to the seas and to ports in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. The role of Ganges as a channel for trade was enhanced by its natural links - it embraces all the major rivers and streams in both north and south Bihar.[115]

In recent times Inland Waterways Authority of India has declared the Ganges between Allahabad and Haldia to be a national inland waterway and has taken steps to restore its navigability.

EDUCATION

About Bihar EducationBihar spread over an area of 94,164 sq. Km is the twelfth largest state in India. The capital city of Bihar, Patna is blessed with a rich historical past. The richest city in the state also houses some of the reputed educational institutes in India. Bihar was a major educational hub in the ancient times. It was home to two renowned universities of India namely the Vikramshila University and the Nalanda University. This system of education suffered a huge set back during the medieval period. The education of the area remained neglected during the time of British rule. However, the state witnessed some revival in the education sector later when the British established some prestigious institutions here in Bihar.

Modern Bihar lacks proper educational infrastructure and a huge gap exists between the demand for education and its supply in the present scenario of the state. The poor infrastructure of the state forces students to migrate from the state to another for pursuing their higher studies. As per the reports of 2001 census, Bihar has a literacy rate of 47.53% which includes male and female literacy rate of 60.32% and 33.57% respectively.

School Education in BiharBihar still follows the same system of schooling that prevailed during the

time of British rule in India. There are approximately 71,832 schools in Bihar which are either run by the government or by private organizations. The

state-run schools in Bihar are administered by the state government. One can also come across district schools in Bihar. The government schools in the state are affiliated to the Bihar School Examination Board. However,

most of the private schools in Bihar are either affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Council for the Indian School Certificate

Examination board. Hindi and English are the primary languages for instruction in Bihar schools. There is a great demand for more schools and

institutes to facilitate the Bihar education system. Kendriya Vidyalaya Khagaul Patna, St Joseph School Bhagalpur, Kendriya Vidyalaya Danapur Patna and Don Bosco Academy Patna are some of the popular schools in

Bihar.

Higher Education in BiharThe universities in Bihar generally dominate the scenario of higher education in the state. Some of the universities are counted among the oldest centers of higher learning in India. Most of these centers in Bihar offer a wide variety of courses in various disciplines. Some of the universities also offer professional courses for the students along with the conventional degree programs.

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Bihar Yoga Bharati, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University, BRA Bihar University, Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya Chapra, Lalit Narayan Mithila University Darbhanga, Nalanda Open University Reshmi Complex, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University Kameshwar Nagar Darbhnaga, Magadh University Bodh Gaya, Patna University, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University Bhagalpur, Veer Kunwar Singh University

Arrah, Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University and Rajendra Agricultural University are some of the main universities in Bihar.

CONCLUSION

Bihar has immense potential to emerge as the most industrialized state in

India. It possesses the richest mineral reserves in the country. It also is

endowed with resources such as surface and ground water, fertile land,

disciplined and skilled man power etc. with proper support from government

Bihar in coming years will grow as a major power hub which will help India

as a nation to further boost up its GDP. Government can utilize their

strength i.e. population with comprises almost around 70% of youth and

they can be employed and skill of this youth can be developed and can be

employed and utilize at cheap rate.