As focus shifts to formation of new Nitish government, 5 of its likely priority areas

The government has already implemented the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyami Yojana that provides a Rs 10-lakh grant to women for entrepreneurship. Of the grant, 50% is a non-repayable grant, while the remaining half is an interest-free loan. Then, just before the polls, Nitish announced the much-discussed Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana — popular as the “dashazari” scheme — under which eligible women entrepreneurs are eligible to receive Rs 2.1 lakh. The first, non-refundable instalment of Rs 10,000 was rolled out for 1.51 crore women. But there is a rider for the next tranches of disbursal of up to Rs 2 lakh in two or three equated instalments, depending on the viability of the business proposals submitted.

The government has assessed that it may receive about 1 crore business proposals. That equates to a massive Rs 2-lakh crore. Besides, the government hopes to create at least 5 lakh government jobs in health, education and other sectors.

* Investment in agro and food processing

The government has received investment proposals worth Rs 66,000 crore in the last three years in sectors such as cement, tannery, garments, hospitality, and IT. But it has set its eyes on attracting investments in the agro and food processing sectors, especially in the makhana, banana, maize, mango, tomato, potato, and litchi-processing industries. Government officials estimate this can generate lakhs of jobs in semi-urban and urban areas.

* Medical and educational centres of excellence

A senior bureaucrat said the state has set a target to upgrade or open multi-speciality hospitals in districts to avoid rush at hospitals in Patna. The government also has plans to replicate the Navodaya or Simultala model of schools at the district level in the next five years, according to an official.

* Transportation

Government insiders said road transport had been identified as one of the areas where not much has happened beyond Patna. The state transport department is likely to start more pink buses at the district level, according to an official. Besides, there is also likely to be an increase in the frequency of government buses running between district headquarters and Patna. The government also expects the Patna metro project to expand in the next two years. The Metro started functioning in a 3-km stretch just before the Assembly polls.

The state government is also expecting that half a dozen expressways the Central government has announced will be completed in the coming years.

* Enhancing youth initiatives

PM Modi, in his victory speech on Friday, said the new M-Y was not Muslim-Yadav, the RJD’s core base, but Mahila-Yuva. This is likely to reflect in the government’s initiatives in this term. In July, the state administration had announced the setting up of a state youth commission to work on providing the youth with better education and job counselling, engage them in various sports, and encourage start-ups for self-employment. The commission has also been mandated with facilitating vocational training and skill development for the youth.