Nitish, Sushil hail union budget; not impressed, say oppn

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Friday hailed the Union budget for the announcement of "har ghar jal" scheme, pointing out that a similar initiative has been taken by his government in the state.

Opposition parties like the RJD and the RLSP, however, decried it claiming it was pro-rich.

Kumar, who heads the JD(U) which is an NDA ally, also lauded the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for aiming at expanding the economy to five trillion dollars.

"The chief minister has welcomed the 'har ghar jal' scheme saying in Bihar. The 'har ghar nal ka jal' is already being pursued as part of the saat nishchay (seven resolves), an official release said.

The seven resolves were made by Kumar ahead of the 2015 assembly polls which included measures like employment to youths through skill development, uninterrupted power supply to all households and construction of toilets.

He also praised announcements with regard to promoting electric vehicles and solid waste management initiatives, stating that these were important for protection of the environment.

The former railway minister also cautioned that the proposal for raising funds for railway projects through public-private partnership model "should not send across the message that railways are being privatized".

Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, a senior BJP leader, lavished praise on the budget for aiming at "taxing the rich and providing electricity, housing, cooking gas and roads to the poor".

Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio, hailed provisions like Rs five lakh crore for infrastructure and incentives for start-ups.

However, opposition leaders were critical of the budget.

RJD leader Rabri Devi said, "The people of Bihar have been cheated. Special status or some sort of special status should have been announced for the state as the BJP is in power both at the Centre and in the state."