Bihar Assembly passes third supplementary demand

The Bihar Assembly on Monday passed the third supplementary demand for grant of Rs 8,868.52 crore of the current financial year as well as the Bihar Appropriation Bill, 2020 amid a boycott by opposition MLAs. The Appropriation Bill is required for withdrawal of the supplementary demand from the treasury to meet various outstanding expenditure in addition to those sanctioned in the 2019-20 budget.

While giving a reply during a debate on supplementary demand for grant of Rs 2276.80 crore for rural development department, its minister Shrawan Kumar outlined the priorities and achievements of his department. He said the state government had set up a Management Development Institute (MDI) on February 13, 2014 and sanctioned a revised estimate of Rs 250 crore for constructing the institute's campus on 15 acres at Mega Industrial Park in Patna's Bihta.

The institute is currently being run from Udyog Bhawan in Patna. He said the state government intends to spend Rs 24,524 crore on 'Jal-Jiwan-Hariyali' drive. Kumar said Bihar's green cover has increased from nine per cent to 15 per cent in 15 years and the state government has set a target to increase it to 33 per cent. He said the state government has set a target of planting 8.50 crore saplings during the 'Jal-Jiwan-Hariyali' drive and 2.51 crore saplings will be planted on a single day on the occasion of 'Bihar Prithwi Diwas' on August 9. Opposition RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) legislators staged a walkout during the debate, expressing dissatisfaction over the minister's reply.

Later, during the debate on Bihar Appropriation Bill, 2020, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that out of Rs 8,868.52 crore supplementary budget, Rs 6,983.52 crore will be spent on annual schemes while Rs 1,876.22 crore has been earmarked for committed and establishment expenditure head and Rs 8.76 crore for central sector schemes.