PATNA: Not satisfied with the Centre’s Rs 1.25 lakh crore Bihar package, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday reiterated his old demand that big ticket investments would come to Bihar only if the state got special status.
Nitish said he would soon expose the truth behind the special package, recently announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Merely giving a depreciation allowance of 15 per cent and other allowances won’t work. We want a complete tax holiday,” Nitish said, while laying the foundation for development projects worth Rs 19,499.48 crore here.
Earlier, the Centre had announced an income tax rebate to manufacturing plants and machinery to be set up in 21 backward districts of Bihar.
Perceiving it as a ploy by the saffron brigade to dilute his main political agenda ahead of the Assembly polls, Nitish said he would continue to fight for the genuine right of the state, being a true Bihari. He said many projects mentioned in the Centre’s special package have been pending with the Centre for several years. He claimed that many ongoing projects and some benefiting adjoining states were also mentioned in it.
The state government also gave a department-wise breakup, quite similar to the way Modi Government publicised the special package. Nitish’s list included six-lane road overbridge from Kachhi Dargah near Patna to Bidupur in Vaishali costing about Rs 5,000 crore.
The other projects mentioned were related to construction of flyovers and stadiums.