STATE OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN BIHAR POST THE 1980s
More than 30 years into Independence, how did industries shape with further advancement in Bihar? How was Bihar making its way to stand with Developing India? This piece will trace the state of Industrial Growth in Bihar in the 1980s.
“An area developing should stand strong on the roots of Industries”
It was nearly thirty years of India being independent, which in turn meant thirty years of owning up the industries and technologies. This was the time when India stepped up into being one of the Developing Nations, taking planned and strategic steps, trying to make a global space.
While the country was putting together it’s 30 years’ of growth, the state of Bihar was tiring hard to start over.
Industrial growth in bihar
Primarily fed on the Coal and Steel industry, Bihar saw a decline in other possibly flourishing industries. However, stats suggest that there was significant growth in the Bihar’s GDP rate, and it is said that the economy was one of the fastest-growing in the country.
The then 5-Year plan called for a huge amount of investment in Bihar, nearly $4 billion. Now, this translates to $12 per person if the investment is to be mapped with the then population of Bihar. Though the investments were huge, they failed to reach out to the larger mass. Economists alleged that a huge budget deficiency drove inflation, decaying the already low standard of living of the people’s poorest sections from the state.
STATE OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN BIHAR POST THE 1980s
This can pretty much be confirmed from the scenario in agriculture. Agriculture was supposed to be the largest sector. Around the early 1980s, the government sank to invest in the production of agriculture and preferably opted to import food grains from other parts of India. This decision helped increase problems faced by agricultural workers in the late 1980s.
Apart from the strong Agriculture base, Bihar is also known to be rich in mineral resources and forests. More than 40% of India’s coal, 32% of its bauxite, 59% of its copper, 17% of its iron ore, about 80% of its silver, and 60% of its mica comes from Bihar. Bihar and UP are also rich in mineral resources and forests.
Economy of bihar
More than 40% of India’s coal, 32% of its bauxite, 59% of its copper, 17% of its iron ore, about 80% of its silver, and 60% of its mica comes from Bihar. Such an extensive rich resource center would point to one to expect that Bihar would be analogously well-off as compared with other mighty states of India. Regrettably, Bihar remains to be trapped in the nets of underdevelopment.
There have been many efforts made to reduce poverty and expediting economic growth has been the key focus in development. But these efforts were nowhere to be visible. This was primarily the result of the failed attempt at understanding and judging the causes of economic growth. Bihar stood to be different from other states in India.
Therefore, the growth pattern in other states did not apply to Bihar. It needed some alterations and modifications simply because of the demographical diversity that exists in Bihar.
There was a prolonged hindrance in the path of development in Bihar. Not only the industries but the economy as a whole was decreasing instead of growing. Many would point out the corruption that was instilled in the political front, but none of us can deny the fact that true potential of Bihar’s industries and agriculture has been kept under the eye of ignorance.
There was a false lens of pride which made people and politicians brag with dignity about their state Bihar without actually giving it a chance to grow on its roots.
Bihar had the potential to grow like a lotus in the mud, but the negligence that our state faced right from the start managed only to reduce it to Mud. Consequently, a potential high yielder bagged the tag of underdeveloped state.