Bihar’s Finance Minister Chairs Pre-Budget Meeting Emphasizing Green Initiatives
Patna: In a significant pre-budget meeting chaired by Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, key discussions unfolded on Friday regarding industry, information technology, forestry, and environmental sectors. The gathering, hosted in the Chief Secretariat auditorium, emphasized the government’s commitment to promoting industries in Bihar while fostering environmental sustainability.
Minister Chaudhary addressed the assembly, stating, “The government is working diligently to make Bihar green, control pollution, maintain environmental balance, and expand green cover. Discussions on the industrial utilization of unused land from various departments will be held in collaboration with the concerned departments.”
Highlighting the importance of suggestions from various sectors, including industries, entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, and IT, forestry, and environment, Chaudhary acknowledged the positive and constructive discussions in the meeting. He assured that all significant suggestions would be thoroughly reviewed for potential inclusion in government programs and policies.
Considering Bihar’s high population density, Chaudhary emphasized the need for green budgeting and related activities. He announced plans to initiate a Climate Finance Cell, aligning Bihar with the efforts of developed countries in this direction.
Industries Minister Sameer Kumar Mahaseth contributed valuable insights during the meeting. Discussions touched upon encouraging exports, prioritizing local products in the purchase preference policy, boosting PNG production, reducing VAT rates, developing industrial areas along the East-West Corridor, and enhancing health education infrastructure, among other topics.
The forestry and environment sector discussions addressed eco-tourism promotion, Ganga Diara development, dolphin conservation, river restoration in Motihari, wildlife conservation, wood industry promotion, and budgetary provisions for solar energy initiatives.
The pre-budget meeting included representatives from various departments, including the Finance Department, Forest Environment and Climate Change Department, and Information and Technology Department. Bihar Entrepreneurs Association, Chamber of Commerce, Bihar Mahila Udyog Sangh, Weavers Association of Gaya, and stakeholders from different districts participated in the collaborative discussion.
Mani Bhushan Jha, Senior Program Associate at WRI India, expressed gratitude for the invitation, commending Bihar’s leadership for organizing the consultative meeting. He suggested the adoption of an international outcome-based climate budget tagging methodology (OECD CPEIR) to strengthen the state’s Green Budgeting efforts.
“WRI India has been working with the Government of Bihar towards preparing a climate resilient and low carbon development pathways for the state. The state government can further strengthen its leadership on Green Budgeting by adopting the international outcome-based climate budget tagging methodology (OECD CPEIR) also suggested in the G20 sustainable finance working group meeting,” Jha said.
He added: “Awareness and capacity building workshops can be organized this year for the departments concerned. There is plethora of climate finance opportunities which the state today can tap into and thus, creation of a climate finance cell to enhance the state’s capacity to access international climate finance and blended finance is very crucial and significant step.”
The pre-budget meeting marked a crucial step towards inclusive and participative budgeting, reflecting Bihar’s commitment to sustainable development.
