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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget 2025-26 in Parliament, on Saturday announced several sops for Bihar where assembly polls are due towards the end of this year. She announced several schemes for Bihar which included establishing the National Institute of Food Technology to boost food processing in the Eastern part of the country. Advertisement Announcing the formation of the Makhana Board in Bihar, the Union Finance Minister said it will provide hand-holding and training support to the Makhana farmers and will also ensure that they have access to all the benefits of government schemes.
Advertisement Capacity addition at IIT Patna was also among Sitharaman’s announcements while she unveiled the government’s plans to augment infrastructure in the existing five IITs. The Budget allocation for additional investments in the UDAN scheme also found mention of Bihar. Sitharaman said the greenfield airports will be facilitated in the state to meet its future needs and these will be in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna Airport and Brownfield Airport in Bihta.
In her budget speech, she proposed establishing a Board for makhana or foxnuts, a nutritious food that is widely produced and consumed in Bihar. “A Makhana Board will be established in the state to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana. The people engaged in these activities will be organized into FPOs.
The Board will provide handholding and training support to makhana farmers and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant Government schemes,” Sitharaman said. Presenting the Union Budget, FM Sitharaman said, “Greenfield airports will be felicitated in Bihar to meet the future needs of the state. These will be in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport in Bihta.
” She also highlighted the Western Kosi Canal ERM project in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar. “Financial support will be provided for the Western Kosi Canal ERM project benefitting a large number of farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar,” she said. The Finance Minister also announced the establishment of the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar to provide a strong fillip to food processing activities in the entire Eastern region.
Bihar’s agriculture minister Mangal Pandey hailed the ‘gamechanger’ Makhana Board initiative and said that this will benefit hordes of farmers and villagers. Bihar, a state ruled by BJP and its key alliance partner JD(U), got repeated mentions in Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech as she went to announce several measures including the Makhana Board, giving wings to Bihar’s aviation industry and also augmenting capacity at higher educational institutions in the state. Bihar Agriculture Minister said that the Makhana Board will improve production, processing, value addition and marketing of Makhana (fox nuts), an Indian superfood, of which Bihar is the biggest producer.
“On lines of the Central rubber board, there was a demand for Makhana Board. On the request of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, we all had requested this from the Centre. When the Union Agriculture Minister came to Patna, we had made this request.
Today, the dream of Makhana producers has come true that now the Makhana Board will be formed in the country,” he said. Advertisement.
