Modi, Nitish Concerned about Bihar's Future

Patna: April 21, 2007

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, in his speech on the first day of the two-day Thakur Prasad Memorial lecture in Patna on Sunday, expressed his concerns over the condition of Bihar saying it neither had a port nor oil resources like some other states and his main concerns remained how to bridge this vast gap between Bihar and other developed states.Modi who just returned from a visit to Gujarat to get an insight into the reasons for its astounding economic success, said Bihar following its division in 2000, was not left with much natural resources and though the state was exploring various ideas to achieve economic freedom, the process was tough and time-consuming.Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who followed Modi at the lecture podium, was more upbeat, and said what Bihar needed was inspiration and encouragement. "Be it Haryana or be it Gujarat, they could not have achieved their successes without the participation of people from Bihar. So there is no reason why Bihar also could not economic success when we have such a talented pool of human resources," Kumar said.The Chief Minister further said that Bihar was blessed with fertile land, hard-working people, and there is a wind of development blowing in the state. "We have to ensure the plans and schemes introduced by the NDA government are implemented effectively and diligently and our youths are provided with right environment and opportunity to stop migration from the state," the CM said.Earlier, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the meet by lighting a lamp at the S. K. Memorial Hall in the presence of a host of Bihar leaders from various parties.