Focus on Bihar: Here are the schemes announced for the state in the Budget

Here is a look at the schemes announced for Bihar in the Budget.

What are the schemes announced for Bihar?

NEW MAKHANA BOARD: The Board will aim to improve the production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana, also known as fox nuts or lotus seeds. The people engaged in these activities will be organised into farmer producer organisations (FPOs) — groups controlled by farmer-members who can gain economies of scale and improve their market standing by negotiating collectively.

“The Board will provide handholding and training support to makhana farmers and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant government schemes,” Sitharaman said in her speech.

SUPPORT FOR FOOD PROCESSING: In the Budget, Bihar also got a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management. This institute “will provide a strong fillip to food processing activities in the entire Eastern region,” the Finance Minister said. This will help increase income for the farmers, and provide skilling entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for the youth.

GREENFIELD: The state will also witness the development of greenfield airports — they developed on undeveloped land and their planning is done from scratch. This will be done in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport — they have existing infrastructure for airport development such as runways and terminal buildings — at Bihta.

WESTERN KOSHI CANAL PROJECT: Bihar will get financial support for the Western Koshi Canal Project, an irrigation project in the Kosi river basin, in the state’s Mithilanchal region. Sitharaman said this will benefit “a large number of farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares

of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar.”