Bihar’s Budget Prioritizes Farmers, Youth, and Women Ahead of Elections

Patna, March 3 (NationPress) As the Bihar Assembly elections approach in 2025-26, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary unveiled a budget designed to resonate with farmers, students, and women, boasting a total outlay of Rs 3.17 lakh crore.

Bihar, being primarily an agriculture-centric state, has approximately 80 percent of its populace relying on farming. The government has thus prioritized farmers' needs to garner their backing for the upcoming elections.

Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary allocated Rs 3,528.22 crore to the agriculture sector, representing 1.11 percent of the overall budget. Additionally, Rs 1,289 crore will fund the modernization and development of 21 agricultural production market premises and cold storage facilities at subdivision and block levels.

The government will collaborate with NCCF and NAFED to procure tur, moong, and urad at minimum support prices (MSP).

In a move similar to Sudha Dairy, the government plans to launch vegetable outlets at the block level, ensuring farmers receive fair compensation for their produce and expanding primary vegetable producer cooperative societies (PVCS).

Currently, 302 PVCSs operate under the Bihar State Vegetable Processing and Marketing Federation (VEGFED), with plans to extend PVCS to every block and link them with unions by 2025-26.

The government aims to enhance air travel amenities for the middle and upper classes, with air services from Purnea set to commence within three months. Airport developments are planned in Rajgir, Sultanganj (Bhagalpur), and Raxaul, alongside small airports in Bhagalpur, Valmikinagar, Virpur (Supaul), Madhubani, Munger, Saharsa, and Muzaffarpur under the UDAN scheme.

These small airports will cater to 19-seater aircraft. The Nitish Kumar administration has also significantly boosted the education sector with an allocation of Rs 60,964 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26. Plans include establishing degree colleges across 358 blocks in Bihar to attract student voters.

Minister Samrat Choudhary presented various initiatives aimed at empowering women and enhancing their safety, such as the Kanya Vivah Mandap, which will provide marriage halls for underprivileged girls in all panchayats, hostels for working women in urban areas, pink buses operated by women drivers and conductors in major cities, and housing for women constables near police stations.

The budget also targets Dalit and Backward caste communities, with welfare programs like doubling scholarships for Backward Classes and Dalits.

An allocation of Rs 20,335 crore was made for the health sector, with plans for referral hospitals in major subdivisions and a new cancer hospital in Begusarai.

In a bid to ensure accessibility from Patna to any remote area within 4 hours, Rs 17,908 crore has been allocated for urban and rural road infrastructure.

To promote sports, the government intends to construct outdoor stadiums in all remaining blocks and continue the ‘Medal Lao, Naukari Pao’ (Win medals, get government jobs) initiative.

The budget also earmarks Rs 100 crore for building smoke towers to mitigate pollution. With elections approaching, this budget strategically focuses on backward classes, farmers, women, and infrastructure development, while also addressing healthcare and environmental issues.

The budget garnered commendation from CM Nitish Kumar, who expressed his appreciation for Samrat Choudhary post-presentation.

The concentrated emphasis on agriculture is designed to appeal to farmers’ votes ahead of the 2025 assembly elections. With provisions for MSP, market modernization, and cold storage, the government aims to fortify Bihar’s agrarian economy and uplift rural livelihoods.