Winds of change sweeping Bihar

Patna, Sep 24 (ANI): Bihar is pioneering development in the country, as it is being able to effectively transform itself from a failed state to a developing one.
The state has earned much praise for the initiatives taken by the government, including the school cycle scheme to increase the enrollment of girls in schools and the scheme of 50 per cent reservation for women at village-level politics.
Praising the winds of change that have swept Bihar, locals said that this development has earned them the praise of other countries.
"Patna has developed over the last few years. There are new buildings and malls that are being constructed. In fact, there are a lot of avenues for marketing. A lot of tourists come here. The city has become beautiful. There is a lot of cleanliness in the city. So, everything is nice here. The roads here are very wide too," said Tahur Ahmad.
There has been a wave of development in Bihar, which has changed the face of the poor and backward regions, fast-tracking the process of growth.
There have been a slew of policy measures that have been in operation slated to bring benefit to communities including Antyodaya, Annapurna, Vikas Mitra, Maha Dalit Poshak Yojna, and Dashrath Manjhi Kaushal Development Schemes.
In addition, foreign investors are also looking at Bihar in a positive light.
"Bihar has really developed. The most important thing is that an atmosphere of development has been created here. There is an atmosphere of happiness too and the environment is conducive for traders to flourish. Foreign investors come here since there is scope for growth. If we are in difficulty, then they would be turned away as well. You can see that a lot of big companies like Britannia, Parle and Nestle are venturing into Bihar," O.P.Saha, Chairman, Bihar Chamber of Commerce.
"The last five to six years have been a turning point for Bihar. After independence, we have seen the rate of development and the situation of non-development, since we have been residents of Bihar from the very beginning. We have studied as well as worked here. So, we have seen that 2005-2006 was a turning point for Bihar," said Puro Kumar Ahsan, economist.

I have a soft corner for Bihar.
It was the state which provided me employment between 1977 to 1979.
It was the state where I passed my Mechanical Engineering.
It was the state which gave us a home after we came over from Bangladesh in 1963.
However, we always used to say in hushed tones that we were from Bihar for fear of becoming the target of ridicule of our audience.
And why not?
It was the state with the highest incidence of crime of all types. Rape, murder, extortion, Bihar led it.
It was also the state where bonafide train passengers were made to sit on their reserved berths while rowdies occupied their reserved berths.
Thanks to Nitish Kumar, that has all changed and Bihar is now a shining example to the rest of India.
Can Bengal, under Mamata Banerjee show the same turnaround?
Only time will tell.
However, it cannot go below the level to which the CPM had taken to Bengal in its three decade rule.