Nitish Kumar cabinet passes resolution seeking special category status for Bihar
JD(U)’s renewed demand for the special category status has raised the political temperature in Bihar.
The development occurred after Nitish Kumar's cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution to amplify its demand for a special category status for Bihar from the central government.
“We have been demanding special status for Bihar since 2010. In 2012 we held a rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan and then a public meeting was also organised at Ramlila ground in Delhi in March 2013. Based on our demand the then Central government constituted the Raghuram Rajan committee, the report of which was published in September 2013 but nothing happened. We renewed our demand in 2017 and wrote to the central government to grant special status for Bihar.” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said.
He added that "a proposal has now been passed in the cabinet meeting to request the Centre for the special status category for the overall development of Bihar".
In a social media post, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said that Bihar has become the first state in the country to conduct a caste-based survey from its own resources.
Nitish Kumar said that the reservation limit of EBC, SC, ST and OBC was increased to 65 per cent on the basis of the findings of the caste-based survey and socio-economic report. When combined with the 10 per cent for Economic Weaker Section (EWS), the reservation quota has been increased to 75 per cent.
Highlighting the survey report, Mr. Kumar outlined that Bihar was home to “94 Lakh poor families” and the state government intends to provide an amount of Rs. 2 Lakh for employment to one member of each family
He said that the limit of Rs. 60,000 for 63,850 homeless and landless families has also been increased to 1 Lakh for land purchasing. Besides, these families will also get an additional Rs. 1 lakh 20 thousand to build houses.
The 39 Lakh families living in huts will also be provided permanent houses, for which the state government has decided to give Rs. 1 Lakh 20 thousand to each family. Under the sustainable Livelihood scheme, Rs. 2 Lakh will be provided to extremely poor families, Nitish Kumar added in his post.
According to Nitish Kumar, “the government schemes would incur an expenditure of nearly Rs. 2.50 Lakh Crore”.
“Since a huge amount of money is required for the implementation of these schemes, a target has been set to complete them in five years. If the Centre grants special status to Bihar, then it will be easier for the state to implement these schemes and complete them in a short span of time”, Nitish Kumar said in his social media post.
