Key Highlights
- Overall outlay reaches ₹3,16,895 crore, a rise of ₹38,169 crore over FY 2024‑25.
- Education receives the single largest allocation – ₹60,954 crore.
- Women‑centric programmes such as Mahila Haat, Pink Buses and dedicated marriage mandaps are introduced.
- Fiscal deficit stays within the FRBM ceiling at 2.98% of GSDP, while public debt stays below the 40.4% ceiling.
- Infrastructure, health, and rural development together command more than ₹40,000 crore.
Detailed Insights
The Nitish Kumar‑led administration unveiled a budget that is markedly larger than its predecessor, underscoring a fifteen‑fold increase since the 2005‑06 fiscal plan. Education tops the priority list, receiving nearly one‑fifth of the total outlay, followed by health (₹20,335 crore) and rural development (₹16,193 crore). Strategic spending on the “Saat Nischay‑II” initiative (₹5,972 crore) seeks to deepen the self‑reliance agenda.
Targeted welfare allocations total ₹32,021 crore, benefitting OBC, EBC, SC, ST and minority groups, with a dedicated ₹19,648 crore earmarked for SC/ST communities. Scholarships for disadvantaged students have been doubled to ₹2,000 per month, covering roughly 90 % of recipients.
Women’s empowerment features a suite of novel measures: a women‑only market in Patna, pink‑coloured buses staffed exclusively by females, construction of gender‑sensitive sanitation facilities, and the establishment of “Kanya Vivah Mandaps” at the panchayat level. Additionally, a 33 % reservation for women is mandated in the State Road Transport Corporation.
Health infrastructure expands with a new cancer hospital in Begusarai and the rollout of over one hundred primary health centres in remote locations. The transport sector anticipates new flight operations from Purnia airport and the completion of three additional airports.
Fiscal discipline remains a cornerstone; the state reports a revenue surplus and a fiscal deficit of 2.98 %, comfortably inside the FRBM limit of 3 %. Public debt stands at 38.94 % of GSDP, below the 40.4 % ceiling set by the 15th Finance Commission.