Kumar Rohit's column: The dream of a developed India will not be fulfilled without the development of Bihar.

When India is moving forward with the resolve of a "developed India" by the year 2047, the question becomes imperative as to what will be the role of Bihar, which has a population of 13 crores. The contribution of top states to India's GDP can be commendable, but unless the eastern heartland of the country becomes a center of economic production, innovation, and industrial renaissance at its full potential, the dream of a developed India cannot reach its culmination. Bihar's economic reality has come out of the old discourse of despair. In 2024-25, the state's GSDP growth rate was recorded at 8.6% at constant prices and 13.1% at current prices, which is higher than the national average. According to the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (2023), the state's multidimensional poverty has come down from 51.89% (2015-16) to 33.76%, which is the fastest pace of poverty alleviation. The backwardness of Bihar has not been an inevitable situation, but the result of specific historical, policy and structural shocks. Magadha and Vaishali gave India the First Empire, the democratic republic and the economics of Chanakya. Nalanda and Vikramshila were global centers of knowledge. But in the 12th-13th centuries, these knowledge centers were brutally attacked and in the colonial period, the "permanent settlement" (zamindari system) of 1793 made the agrarian economy and rural society bondage. Millions of workers migrated under the indentured labor system. The "Freight Equalization Policy" of 1952 eliminated the industrial advantage of Bihar by making the minerals of eastern India available at the same cost throughout the country. Finally, after the bifurcation of the state, all the mineral wealth and heavy industries went to Jharkhand. Today more than 50% of the state's population is below 25 years of age. Bihar's talent is shining in various fields including administrative services. Local ecosystem is essential to convert this brain drain into "Reverse Brain Gain". National Waterway-1 on the Ganga directly connects Bihar to global maritime trade. The proposed multi-modal logistics parks in the state can make the state a trade gateway to South-East Asia. Mega food parks for makhana, shahi litchi, maize and banana can increase farmers' income. Buddhist, Ramayana, Jain and Sikh tourism circuits can become major sources of foreign exchange earnings. A phased national action plan is necessary for this transformation. The first phase of 2026-2030 will have to modernize infrastructure and institutional financing. By 2031-2040, the focus will have to be on industries such as manufacturing, semiconductor packaging, information technology and green hydrogen. In the final phase of 2041-2047, knowledge-based economy, per capita income through innovations will have to be brought at par with the national average. It is imperative to take the female labour force participation above 45%. The National Waterway-1 sprawling on the Ganges connects Bihar directly to global maritime trade through the ports of Haldia and Kolkata. The proposed multi-modal logistics parks at Patna, Bhagalpur and Saran can make the state the trade gateway to Eastern India and South-East Asia (ASEAN). The transformation of a state cannot happen only through government schemes and financial allocations. For this, merit, innovation, and entrepreneurship have to be given social prestige. (These are the author's own views)