New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated three oil sector projects in Bihar, which is a voting destination, to the nation.
These projects that will help meet the demand for domestic cooking gas in the state include the 193 km long Durgapur-Banka section of the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation’s Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pipeline that will supply cooking gas for bottling at the new Banka plant in the state.
In addition to the oil pipeline and bottling plant in Banka, Prime Minister Modi also dedicated the state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd LPG bottling plant in Harsidhi, East Champaran district, via video conference, which he also attended the chief minister of the state, Nitish Kumar.
With the critical elections to the Bihar state assembly on the anvil, there have been a number of announcements and inaugurations to and from the state. Last Thursday, Prime Minister Modi launched initiatives related to animal husbandry and fishing in Bihar; including the ₹20,050 crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the e-Gopala mobile app.
PM Modi said around ₹21,000 crore has been spent on the 10 major oil and gas-based projects that are part of the PM package for Bihar.
According to the government, LPG penetration in Bihar has increased exponentially to 76.9% now from 23.5% in 2014. This in turn has also resulted in low kerosene use in the state which has dropped to 2 lakh kilo liter (kl) from 8 lakh kl in 2014.
Modi also spoke about Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) providing free cooking gas connections to poor families and has been hailed as the NDA government version of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The scheme has become a mainstay of the BJP’s political messages and has been increasingly used to add to the political lens.
Bihar is ready for the assembly elections in October-November. The Electoral Commission indicated that the voting process will be completed before the term of the Legislative Assembly ends on November 29.
“The projects inaugurated today in Bihar will meet the growing demand for LPG in the state and ensure the availability of clean fuel for the people of Bihar,” said Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Oil and Natural Gas.
These launches come at a time when the rural and agricultural economy has been severely affected by the covid-19 pandemic. The problems in Bihar, one of the worst affected states, were exacerbated by reverse migration. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including Janata Dal (United), has faced tough questions about reverse migration, unemployment, floods, and managing covid-19.
Bihar’s assembly elections are important not only for the current NDA government under Prime Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been the highest office for almost 15 years, but also for the alliance led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) , as it aims to return to power with Congress and other allies.
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