PATNA: Bihar's economy has registered higher growth than that of India's in the last three years, claimed Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi after presenting the 14th Economic Survey Report for 2019-2020.
"The growth rate of Bihar's economy in 2018-19 was 10.53 per cent at constant prices and 15.01 per cent at current prices," he said.
Interacting with media persons, he said that the prime growth drivers of the economy of Bihar during 2018-19 were air transport (36.0 per cent), other services (20.0 per cent), trade and repair services (17.6 per cent), road transport (14.0 per cent) and financial services (13.8 per cent).
He also said that the 15th Finance Commission in its report for 2020-21 stated that the share of Bihar in the total shareable resource pool of the centre had increased to 10 per cent.
He added that per capita consumption of electricity in the state has also increased immensely, contrary to what poll strategist turned politician Prashant Kishor had claimed in a media conference after getting expelled from JDU on February 18.
Focussing on the children welfare index, Sushil Kumar Modi said that Bihar accounted for 11 per cent of India's total child population with 4.98 crore children.
"It is good to know that the child sex ratios among the SC (962) and ST (969)are better than the state average of 935 in Bihar," he said.
He added that to provide a boost to child welfare-related works, Bihar has started the 'child budgeting' as well as recorded a decrease in total school dropouts from 2.17 lakh in 2016-17 to 1.44 lakh in 2018-19, further stating that the percentage of elementary schools with drinking water facilities in the state increased from 93 per cent in 2011-2012 to 99 per cent in 2016-2017.
These developments in Bihar are part of its "sabka saath, sabka vikas" motto, claimed Modi.