Why is Bihar so underdeveloped and what can be the possibility for development in Bihar?

Bihar, a state that has most of the IAS and IPS officers, is actually really underdeveloped at present. There are certain practical reasons behind it. Some of these reasons can be the rulers who ruled the state in the past, caste system there, lack of progressive culture, Communal riots, & the nasty growth of this state in the past 10 centuries.

The complete blog includes the reason for Bihar being so undeveloped, its growth from 2020 to 2023, aspects that Bihar (As a state) should focus to grow, effects of under-development in Bihar, & Bihar future in 2025 is given below here.

Why is Bihar so Undeveloped?

A great reason behind Bihar being so undeveloped is that the state is ruled by outsiders.

Throughout the Mediaeval Period, Bihar was ruled by Pala & Sena empires ruled it from Bengal, Mughals ruled it from Delhi.

• Sher Shah Suri, has been a great ruler of Bihar who defeated the Mughals. He ruled Bihar for a brief period of time. He was from Bihar & Patna was revived by him but soon he died due to an accident.
• Meanwhile, Nalanda University (Center of Culture) was burnt down and Vikramshila University died out of lack of funding and care. 
• Despite all this, the state didn’t lose its economy. Bihar had grown a flourishing textile industry by the 17th century. Then the Britishers came in and changed the entire game.
• The economy of the state shifted vastly to the port cities and Bihar had none at that time. Homegrown Textile industry destroyed by Mercantilism and Colonialism.
• In 1764, Bihar and Bengal became the first places to fall under British Rule. The plunder and looting began here.
• Zamindar’s became the economic goons and owned most of the lands. They would live a luxurious life and do nothing. It destroyed the morals and values of society. A culture developed that followed nepotism. Hard word - A trait of Poor & became a matter of shame.
• By 1947, Bihar had already fallen behind the majority of Indian states. Bihar got lucky to have minerals like coal and iron as the Modern Indian Economy was based on such industries.
• Tata’s built the first steel plant in Bihar. The Government adopted the Policy of Freight Equalization. Due to this the minerals in Bihar could be loaded to anywhere in India for no cost. This quality of the state also got neutralized.
• The policy continued till the 1990s, but then the state got divided and lost its mineral parts to Jharkhand, the new state.
• The people of Bihar lacked Sub-Nationalism. In recent history, Bihar, unlike Maharashtra, Punjab, or Bengal, lacked regional movements. Maharashtra had Shivaji, Punjab had Ranjeet Singh, and Bengal had its own artistic and cultural revival. Bihar didn't have any. 
• In reality, regionalism was dismissed as an ideology in Bihar.The development of caste politics was the final damage to Bihar.
• The game changed from 1970s onwards, when Lower castes started to replace upper classes in power politics. Till 1990’s, Bihar was in a state of political and social instability.
• Lower castes were overjoyed to have their fair share and as a result, were willing to tolerate any kind of misgovernance. Development & improvement became a secondary concern. Caste politics held the state down.

Bihar Development growth from 2020 to 2023

Talking about education, Bihar’s literacy rate is around 61.80% which makes it one of the least educated states in India, butthis state always stays in headlines of producing 10 of UPSC toppers or IIT Toppers.

Talking about Infrastructure, in the past decade during Nitish Kumar’s period, the single development that Bihar has seen was building roads, Bridges, Flyovers, Ring Roads & local roads. Most of the Hospitals and Universities are not that developed yet.

Some schemes offered by him to promote education were:

• Giving away cycles for students to easily commute from home to school.
• Scholarship for those passed with ‘A’ grade after 10th and 12th standard.

Talking about Politics, Nitesh Kumar is a safe politician under whose guidance Bihar is at present. None of his oppositions has the same calibre as Kumar has in the political arena of Bihar. He proved himself to be the best as per the present scenario.

Bihar is actually suffering from social problems and not political conflicts as most of the people believe. These social problems are Casteism, uncivilised people (That include Rich People) & Corruption.

What to do for Bihar growth and development?

• Bihar is in the eastern part of India and this state is surrounded by Nepal in the North, West Bengal in the East, Uttar Pradesh in the West, and Jharkhand in the South.
• The state benefits from a special geographic advantage due to its closeness to the significant markets of eastern and northern India, accessibility to ports like Kolkata and Haldia, and raw material and mineral resources from neighbouring states.

In order to grow the Bihar state should deal with the following issues:

• Educational Infrastructure
• Unstable Politics
• Unequal Land Distribution
• Lack of Funds Provided by Center
• Civil Services Mentality
• High Population
• Weak agrarian structure
• Governance and institutional factors

What are the effects of underdevelopment in Bihar?

Bihar is facing underdevelopment and requires a lot of serious attention to reach equal to the other states of India. 

In order for India to achieve its objectives for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Bihar needs to drastically decrease poverty. This presents an enormous growth challenge for both India and the rest of the world. 

The effects of Underdevelopment in Bihar:

• As the Educational infrastructure is weak, many potential students are lacking the chance to make a big name.
• Due to Instability in Politics, the people are unable to get the benefits offered by the government.
• The unequal land distribution will continue the communal riots.
• The lack of Funds may work as a roadblock for the overall development of the state.
• The high and uncontrolled population will increase the requirements of the citizens, leading to minimization of services.
• Despite having the land, due to the weak agrarian structure, Bihar may face starvation in the upcoming time.
• The Government and institute have no control over the illegal works.

Bihar future in 2025

• Bihar as a state is growing really slow, but it is expected that till 2025, Bihar may see some major developments in the Politics, Educational system and government fund distribution.
• It's been long that Nitish is ruling as a politician in the state of Bihar, but it is expected that the young emerging politician, Tejaswi Prakash may take up the position from Nitesh Kumar in the upcoming time.

Conclusion

The reason behind why Bihar is so underdeveloped and what are the arena’s where the state should focus in order to grow are given above here.