BJP’s Bihar Manifesto: ₹50 Lakh Crore Promise — Is It Possible?
In the BJP’s manifesto for Bihar, the party has made a bold claim — a ₹50 lakh crore investment promise in Bihar over the next five years. The announcement has sparked curiosity and debate across the state. Can Bihar, which has struggled to attract major industries for decades, realistically expect such an unprecedented investment surge?
For nearly two decades, Bihar has attempted to push industrial reforms, but results remain modest. As per official data, about 3,289 manufacturing units operated in 2022, just slightly fewer than the 3,367 units in 2021. Even earlier MSME-DI reports counted only around 250 medium and large industries in the entire state.
Although the government received over 3,800 factory proposals after launching the 2016 Industrial Investment Promotion Policy, only a small share materialised. Transitioning proposals into functioning industries has been a persistent challenge. When twenty years could not deliver significant industrial growth, a sudden jump to ₹50 lakh crore sounds more like a campaign slogan than an economic roadmap.
Bihar’s Real Industrial Record Tells a Different Story
Despite its demographic advantage and strategic location, Bihar still struggles to attract meaningful industrial activity. Fewer than four thousand factories operate across the state today. Thousands of young men and women continue migrating to Delhi,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, and South India in search of stable jobs. Bihar’s promise of becoming an industrial powerhouse remains largely unrealised, and the public deserves clear answers. How many factories have been built over the past twenty years? What kind of employment did they generate? Which sectors saw real progress? Until leaders address these questions with transparency and data, promises like ₹50 lakh crore sound aspirational yet unbelievable.
There is no shortage of vision statements — semiconductor parks, global airports, mega-logistics hubs and smart industrial corridors. However, these plans frequently lack details: where will the land come from? How will investors be secured? Which industries will lead the growth? Bihar has the potential to grow, but progress demands execution, not only announcements.
Cash Before Votes and Slogans Before Strategy?
The state witnessed another dramatic event during the election period: multiple instalments of ₹10,000 each credited into accounts of women beneficiaries, right after the model code of conduct kicked in. The timing raises genuine concerns about electoral fairness and intent. While welfare is necessary, cash transfers during campaigning blur lines between governance and political strategy. When short-term financial gestures overlap with tall economic claims, credibility naturally suffers.
Bihar does not need slogans packaged as development. It needs consistent investment, real jobs and sustainable industry. Grand numbers may win applause, but they do not build factories, nor do they stop migration. Bihar’s youth expect opportunities rooted in real economic planning, not wishful figures and campaign theatrics. The future requires accountability, transparency, and clear sector-based execution plans.
A seasoned journalist with over 30 years of rich and diverse experience in print and electronic media, Prabha’s professional stints include working with Sahara English Magazine and JAIN TV and All India Radio. She has also produced several documentary films through her self-owned production house Gajpati Communications. She is also the Station Director of Aligarh-based FM Radio Station, and the General Secretary of WADA NGO.
