Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been using statistics to good effect to pin down his political rivals in election year. The CM,who often uses the catchline of inclusive growth,is now thrilled at the latest data of Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) that has put Bihar's growth rate at 11.03 per cent as against the national average of 8.49 per cent. The most flattering aspect of CSO data is that Bihar has almost caught up with developed Gujarat that recorded an average of 11.05 per cent during last five years. The growth rate assumes all the more significance as it comes after a negative 5.15 % growth of 2003-04. Bihar,that otherwise bears the tag of BIMARU state,is also way ahead of its poor cousin states (see box). Nitish Kumar said: I always talk of inclusive growth that started with change in basic health,education and infrastructural sectors. The cumulative development expenses of Rs 35,364 crore in the last four years has led to such a growth. Even Planning Commission deputy chairman,Montek Singh Ahluwalia,who recently visited Bihar,admitted that Bihar has recorded a desired growth in the past three years. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told The Indian Express: The CSO data shows that Bihar is actually progressing faster than Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. We have closed in on Gujarat growth that has become the ideal benchmark of Indian progress. Modi explained that 11.03 per cent growth could be achieved only because the state had spent Rs 35,368 crore in the last four years of NDA rule as against only Rs 25,000 crore spent during 15-year long RJD-Congress rule. He said the UPA government must now lend credence to Bihar government's serious efforts and help it achieve better results. Last July,the World Bank had ranked Bihar 14th ahead of Chennai,Kochi and Kolkata for being the easiest place to start business in India in its report "Doing Business in India 2009. The report presents indicators on business regulations,compared across 181 economies.
