Development Push For North Bihar: Darbhanga, Heart Of Mithilanchal, To Host New AIIMS, IIM, And Flight Services

The region of North Bihar — also referred to as Mithilanchal — is all set to host a series of big-ticket developmental projects as the Union government plans an upgrade of healthcare, education and aviation facilities in the region. Darbhanga, the fifth largest city in the state, is set to be the epicentre of these developments.

The Civil Aviation Ministry recently announced that North Bihar is all set to get daily flight connectivity with major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, before Chhath Puja.

These flight services from Darbhanga Airport are expected to start from the first week of November. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri while announcing these flights said that they will turn out to be a boon for the 22 districts of North Bihar.

Besides new flights, the Darbhanga Airport is also getting an infra upgrade in the form of a new 15,000 square feet terminal building with as many as six check-in counters and two aprons.

Apart from being able to accommodate 100 passengers during peak hours, other features at the terminal will include LED lighting, low VOC paint etc.

The Narendra Modi-led Cabinet has also given an approval for an All India Institute of Medical Scienes (AIIMS) and an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the region.

The Health Ministry and the Finance Committee under the Finance Ministry have already given the approval for an AIIMS at Darbhanga.

The AIIMS will be built with a capacity of 750 beds costing around Rs 1,361 crore. The Health Ministry has asked the state government to connect the proposed AIIMS site with the National Highway 56.

Darbhanga may also emerge as the site for Bihar's first Indian Institute of Management (IIM), which has been a long standing demand of the state.

The region of North Bihar is also connected via the four lane East-West National Highway corridor passing through major towns in the region like Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Purnia and Supaul.

The Modi government, since its first term, has made the development of eastern India a key plank. Under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project, residents of several cities of Bihar, including Gaya and Patna, would be provided piped cooking gas.

Bihar has a large labour pool as well as locational advantage. It has the potential for fast industrial growth. According to the Economic Survey, though Bihar contributed only 1.5 per cent of the total industries in the country in 2015-16, the growth rate of such industries was 10 per cent, much higher than the national average of 4 per cent.

Between 2011-12 and 2020-21, Bihar witnessed a compound annual growth rate of 12 per cent.

Crucial Bihar Polls

These developmental schemes assume significance in light of the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls in October-November. As per reports, air-connectivity and better medical facilities have been a key demand of the region, which comprises over 50 assembly seats.

The region's electorate is considered a stronghold of the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Mahagathbandhan which enjoys the support of the Yadav-Muslim combine in Mithilanchal.

The Nitish Kumar-led incumbent National Democratic Alliance government on the other hand is hoping to clinch the crucial region via the development schemes.

"Nitish Kumar has been a symbol of development which has rendered caste based voting a thing of the past. Even in 2015 assembly polls people voted for Nitish Kumar and not Lalu Yadav with whom we formed an alliance which lasted only two years. This time around people of Mithilanchal will again vote for development. Having AIIMS and airport in this area is not a small achievement," Bihar Water Resources Minister Sanjay Jha has been quoted as saying.