Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25 | Bihar | 04 Mar 2025

Why in News? 

Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25 was presented in the Assembly by the Finance Minister on 28 February 2025.  

• This is the 19^th economic survey of the state, which discusses in detail the state of  Bihar’s economy and the direction of development.  

 Key Points  

• Economic growth rate:  
  • Bihar ranks second among the fastest growing states in the country. 
  • The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Bihar in the financial year 2023-24 is estimated at Rs 8,54,429 crore at current prices and Rs 4,64,540 crore at 2011-12 constant prices. 
    • The GSDP recorded a growth of 14.5% (at current prices) and 9.2% (at constant prices) in the financial year 2023-24. 
  • Per capita income increased to Rs.36,333 at constant prices and Rs.66,828 at current prices in the financial year 2023-24, which is higher than last year. 
  • Patna is the richest district and Sheohar is the poorest district in Bihar.  
• Fiscal deficit:  
  • The fiscal deficit was Rs 44,823 crore in the financial year 2022-23, which is reduced to Rs 35,660 crore in the financial year 2023-24. 
  •  It is estimated to be Rs 29,095 crore in the financial year 2024-25.  
  • The revenue saving stood at Rs 2,833 crore in the financial year 2023-24 while it is expected to be Rs 1,121 crore in the financial year 2024-25.  
  • The total expenditure of the state was Rs 2.52 lakh crore in the financial year 2023-24, which is estimated to increase to Rs 2.79 lakh crore in the financial year 2024-25. 
  • Development expenditure is estimated to increase from Rs 1.69 lakh crore to Rs 1.77 lakh crore. 
• Agricultural and Industrial sector: 
  • Rice production increased by 21% and wheat production increased by 10.7%. 
  • Livestock and fisheries have increased at the rate of 9.50%. 
  • The Bihar government is implementing the Agricultural Investment Promotion Policy for seven products. These products are makhana, fruits, vegetables, maize, medicinal plants, honey and tea. 
  • Investment of Rs 75293.76 crore proposed in the industrial sector of Bihar. 
  • The service sector (tertiary sector) remains the largest contributor to Bihar's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), accounting for 58.6%, followed by the industry (secondary sector) at 21.5% and agriculture (primary sector) at 19.9%. 
  • Investment in micro-enterprises has surged by 135%, accompanied by a 107% rise in employment.  
    • Similarly, investment in large-scale units has grown by 131%, leading to a 187% increase in employment opportunities. 
  • Additionally, Bihar's mining sector has recorded a 9% growth. 
• Roads and infrastructure 
  • During the year 2005-2025, rural paved roads have increased from 835 km to 1.17 lakh km. 
  • The transport system in the state is expanding with the construction of new expressways and national highways. 
  • Bihar recorded the third highest growth (7.6%) in the transport and communication sector during 2011-24, after Uttar Pradesh (10.1%) and Karnataka (7.7%). 
  • The road density in Bihar is 3167 per thousand square kilometres. It is at third place in terms of road density. 
•  Digital Governance and the Energy Sector 
  • The government adopted technologies like CCTNS, CFMS, Cyber Cell, e-Challan while promoting e-governance. 
  • Per capita energy consumption to increase from 134 kilowatt-hours (2012–13) to 363 kilowatt-hours (2023–24). 
    • The top five districts in electricity consumption are Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Rohtas and Nalanda. 
  • Public utility services like water supply, electricity and gas connections have registered an increase of 14.5% 
• Women empowerment: 
  • 1,063.5 thousand Self Help Groups (SHGs) were formed.  
  • Women empowerment was promoted by providing a cumulative credit of Rs 46.9 thousand crore to 2,198.4 thousand SHGs.  
  • Total deposits stood at Rs 5.27 lakh crore by FY 2024-25, of which Rs 2.97 lakh crore was disbursed as loans and the credit-deposit ratio stood at 56.3%. 
  •  The female labour force participation rate has improved from financial year 2022-23 to 2023-24. The rate increased from 24.8% to 33.5% among rural women and from 13.8% to 18% among urban women. 
  • The labour force participation ratio of men and women in Bihar is lower than the overall Indian average. 
• Education and Health Sector:  
  • In the last 18 years, expenditure on education has increased 10 times, on health 13 times and on social services 13 times.   
  • The child welfare budget was introduced in 2013–14 and grew by 19.4% annually between 2016–23. 
  • Dropout rate in government secondary schools recorded a decline of 62.25% in five years. 
•  Environment and climate change: 
  • Efforts have been made to tackle climate change in the state by implementing schemes like Green Budget and Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission . 
  • There has been an increase of 687 square km in forest cover in the state in 12 years.