Speed Post News Network
Patna: Governor Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that in spite of the historical legacy of under-development in Bihar, the state is one of the fastest growing states in India with overwhelming participation in the micro and small scale enterprises (MSMEs).
Inaugurating the two-day annual International Growth Center (IGC) Bihar Growth Conference, the Bihar governor said the investment potential of the state has increased. ” Bihar is endowed with human capital which needs diligent investment in enhancing their skills and promoting traditional knowledge base. Agriculture being the mainstay of Bihar’s economy, its potential should be exploited in the sector of food processing and improving farm productivities,” Governor Kovind said.
State education minister Ashok Chowdhary, Country Director, International Growth Center India-Bihar Programme Anjan Mukherji, Country Co-ordinator IGC India-Bihar Shaibal Gupta, and Director, ADRI, PP Ghosh were prominent among those addressing the conference.
The governor said it is especially rewarding to visit an organization that places such value on demand-led policy research and recognizes as to how research inputs could largely aid policymakers by augmenting knowledge base to them. He said it is also heartening to witness that such conferences are being organized at Patna which allows eminent researchers to share their valuable insights on various topics of social development and interact freely with policy makers. There is near unanimity that the growth should always be inclusive in nature especially in a country where we witness stark inequalities not only in outcomes but also in opportunities.
” In a developing country like India, social justice can be related to distributive justice. The main problem is not the scarcity of resources, but the misallocation and concentration of it in few hands. Much of the shares of means of production meant for the effective modernisation of our economy is concentrated in the hands of some people. At the same time, a large-section of the people are relegated to the lower ladders of society.In Bihar 34% of the population are poor,” the governor said. He said recent efforts, both within the Central and State government through programme planning and redefining of implementation and monitoring are aimed towards bringing the fruits of growth and development to the most disadvantaged section of the society.
The governor thanked the International Growth Centre, organizer of this conference, to select Bihar as one of the research centres.
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