Youths account for more than 50 percent of the population of Bihar, and the State Government wants these people to acquire one skill or the other, so that they go to the job market better equipped, Anjani Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar, tells Nirav Soni of Elets News Network (ENN) egov
What are the initiatives the State Government is undertaking to make Bihar one of the preferred states for development as well as investment?
The Government of Bihar believes in development with justice and that’s why all our departments function in a very transparent manner. If you want to do that, you will have to use computer education which is very important for the youth of Bihar, because people who are getting employed in the government or any other sector, they also need to be well-acquainted with the technology. Earlier, we were not equipped with that type of infrastructure, but for last a few years, we are emphasising on computer education and most of our departments are now trying to take the route of e-Governance.
We have undertaken various new initiatives, like providing various types of services online, including issuance of caste certificates, income certificates, etc. One doesn’t need to go to the office and can avail these services online only. More than six crore people have taken advantage of this facility. All other departments collecting tax have taken this route and made things fast and transparent.
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The other area we are focusing on is skill upgradation. Youths account for more than 50 percent of the population of Bihar, and we want that these people should acquire one skill or the other, so that they go to the job market better equipped.
What policies is the government pursuing to make Bihar an attractive destination for investment?
Bihar will always be a place for soft industries, like Information Technology, agriculture, processing, etc. We don’t expect that someone will come and start a steel plant industry or an iron-ore industry here. We will be making value addition to agriculture and the allied sectors, i.e. poultry, milk etc. We will also facilitate setting up of large-scale manufacturing industries here.
Are there any incentives that the government proposes to offer to entrepreneurs, who set up industries in Bihar?
Our industrial policy is one of the best, and we provide almost all facilities to entrepreneurs that any other state is providing; rather in some areas we are providing more incentives than others. However, acquiring a 1,000 acre of land is not possible, as the land is very fertile and agriculture is the mainstay here. So, those industries which require huge amount of land may not come. That’s why our focus is mainly on education, IT, agriculture, etc.
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What are the planned future initiatives of the Bihar Government?
We don’t have communal problem, law and order problem and of course, infrastructure is improving. We may not be comparable to Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu, but still things have improved a lot. Human resource is a big advantage as that is available in plenty in Bihar.
We want to convert Bihar into a professional hub, not only to cater to the requirements of the people of the State, but also from outside. We are spending almost 25 percent of our budget on Education to turn Bihar into a skill-oriented state
Besides, we also have the advantage of good quality human resource with us. So, with that in mind, we are emphasising on Higher Education. In the last seven years, we have started a law university, an Institute of Management, NIT, IIT, Institute of Fashion Technology and two central universities. And, that is not all, as another IIM is coming up. So, we want to convert Bihar into a professional hub, not only to cater to the requirements of the people of the State, but also from outside. We are spending almost 25 percent of our budget on Education to turn Bihar into a skill-oriented State.