Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Bihar on March 2, marking his first trip to the state since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar aligned with the BJP. The Prime Minister is scheduled to launch nationwide projects worth over Rs 1.64 lakh crore, with nearly Rs 29,000 crore specifically earmarked for Bihar. The projects span various sectors, including oil, gas, fertilizers, and railways.
Official sources indicate that out of the 39 projects to be inaugurated or initiated in Begusarai, 39 are related to the oil and gas sector, while 10 are associated with railways. Additionally, six new trains are slated to be flagged off during the visit. A significant highlight will be the inauguration of the revived Barauni fertilizer plant, expected to boost urea production domestically and create employment opportunities.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Modi has been actively launching projects in education, health, rail, and infrastructure sectors, underscoring his government’s pro-development stance in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls. He often emphasizes the unprecedented speed and scale of the country’s development work.
The projects unveiled in Bihar, particularly those targeting the economically challenged state, aim to reinforce the pro-development image of the BJP-JD(U) alliance. This move comes at a time when the opposition, led by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, attempts to claim the development agenda. Yadav has asserted that his role as deputy to Nitish Kumar was instrumental in providing employment before the JD(U) aligned with the BJP, a claim dismissed by the chief minister.
Rail projects are expected to primarily benefit north Bihar, a densely populated and economically challenged region. The rail ministry has allocated over Rs 10,000 crore of the rail budget for the state this year. In the petroleum sector, Modi is set to launch 39 projects totaling Rs 1,49,823 crore, dedicating the “first oil” from the KG Basin and inaugurating the first crude oil tanker, Swarna Sindhu, from the ONGC Krishna Godavari deep-water project. This milestone is anticipated to significantly reduce India’s dependence on energy imports, with expected increases of 11 percent and 15 percent in ONGC’s oil and gas production, respectively.