Budget 2025: From Makhana Board to airport, what FM's 'bahi khata' contains for Bihar

Key Announcements for Bihar successful Budget 2025: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive fund successful Parliament connected Saturday, February 1. In her fund code for the fiscal twelvemonth 2025-26, she made respective important announcements, including a zero taxation connected yearly income up to Rs 12 lakh, raising the FDI bounds for the security assemblage to 100 per cent, the instauration of a caller Income Tax Bill adjacent week, and the motorboat of a caller Fund of Funds strategy for startups, among different measures.

In summation to these nationalist announcements, Nirmala Sitharaman made cardinal announcements specifically for Bihar. With the authorities heading into assembly elections this year, these announcements are seen arsenic peculiarly important and person garnered sizeable attention. Notable highlights for Bihar see the constitution of a Makhana Board, fiscal assistance for the Western Koshi Canal ERM project, the enlargement of IIT Patna, and the improvement of a Greenfield Airport. It is besides worthy noting that the Finance Minister presented the fund portion wearing a cream-colored saree adorned with Mithila painting.

Makhana Board for Production, Marketing, and Processing

In her speech, the Finance Minister announced the enactment of a Makhana Board successful Bihar aimed to amended the production, processing, worth addition, and selling of makhana. The radical engaged successful these activities volition beryllium organised into Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). The Board volition supply handholding and grooming enactment to makhana farmers and volition besides enactment to guarantee they person the benefits of each applicable Government schemes. 

Development of Greenfield Airport

Another large announcement was the improvement of a Greenfield Airport successful Bihar, alongside the enlargement of Patna’s existing airport. The authoritative fund papers stated, "Greenfield airports volition beryllium facilitated successful Bihar to conscionable the aboriginal needs of the State. These volition beryllium successful summation to the enlargement of the capableness of Patna airdrome and a brownfield airdrome astatine Bihta."

Financial Assistance for Western Koshi Canal ERM Project

The Finance Minister besides announced fiscal assistance for the Western Koshi Canal ERM (Emergency Rehabilitation and Maintenance) project. This inaugural volition payment "a  ample fig of farmers cultivating implicit 50,000 hectares of onshore successful the Mithilanchal portion of Bihar." Moreover, the announcement includes the enlargement of hostels and different infrastructure capableness astatine IIT Patna.  

Support for Food Processing 

In enactment with the committedness towards ‘Purvodaya’, the authorities volition besides found a National Institute of Food Technology,  Entrepreneurship and  Management in  Bihar.  The institute volition supply a beardown fillip to nutrient processing activities in the entire  Eastern region.  This  will  result  in  
(1) enhanced income for the farmers done worth summation to their produce, and  
(2) skilling, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities for the youth.