‘Bihar’s growth rate 3% higher than national average’

Bihar’s growth rate is 3% higher than the national average, and the state’s fiscal deficit is also under control, claimed the Economic Survey report for 2025-26 presented by the state government in the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday.

“Our GSDP growth rate at current prices has been 13.1% in this Economic Survey, whereas the national figure stands at 9.8%. Thus, compared to the national average, our growth rate is 3.3% higher,” said Anand Kishor, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Bihar.

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The report claimed that over the past three years, Bihar’s economic growth has consistently outpaced India’s GDP growth, both at current and constant prices.

“Bihar’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth rates reached 17.9 percent in 2022-23 and 14.9 percent in 2023-24, compared to India’s 14.0 percent and 12.0 percent, respectively, at current prices. As per the quick estimates for 2024-25, Bihar’s GSDP (current prices) growth is estimated at 13.1 percent and India’s GDP growth at 9.8 percent,” states the report.

After presenting the report, Finance Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said that the government’s goal is to make Bihar a developed state within five years. In 2024-25, per capita income has reached Rs76,490, which reflects that the efforts are being made in the right direction.

“Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has promised to make Bihar a developed state in the next five years. The vision is a prosperous and affluent Bihar. We are working sincerely in that direction. You will see glimpses of this in the budget,” he added.

However, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav questioned the facts mentioned in the report and asked why Bihar is still the most backward state in the country.

“If Bihar has developed so much, then why is it not moving ahead like other states? Bihar is at the bottom of ever index, and the only two areas where it is ahead are corruption and crime. Big claims are being made, but we feel this is merely a formality,” he said.

State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Ramnaresh Pandey, termed the Economic Survey report as “a bundle of lies.”

Pandey said that the state’s economy has been ruined. The state’s growth rate has been continuously declining, while debt has been steadily increasing. He said that Bihar’s debt has now reached Rs3,74,134 crore.

Pointing out financial inequality in the state, the Left leader said that the income of 94 lakh families in the state is less than Rs 6,000.