Bihar Special Status A No-Go, How Modi 3.0 Made It Up To Ally Nitish Kumar | Read

A month after N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JDU helped the BJP cobble up a majority to return to power for the third time, the Modi 3.0's Budget 2024 has earmarked key projects for the two states ruled by its friends in need -- Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Close on the heels of the Centre ruling out any plan to grant Bihar a Special Category Status, a longstanding demand of the JDU, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced multiple development projects for the state.

With an aim to boost road connectivity in Bihar, the government has announced plans to develop expressways connecting Patna and Purnea, and Buxar and Bhagalpur and another connecting Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Vaishali and Darbanga. The government has earmarked a sum of ₹ 2,600 crore for this purpose. Additionally, the state will also get a two-lane bridge over Ganga in Buxar district. The Finance Minister also announced a 2,400 MW power plant at Pirpainti in Bhagalpur.