Bihar

• 19 Dec 2022

Raxaul-Haldia Expressway will Start in 2023

Why In News?

According to information received from media sources on December 18, 2022, Bihar is going to get the gift of a new expressway soon. DPR is being prepared for the construction of greenfield expressway from Raxaul in the state to Haldia in West Bengal. Construction of the expressway will begin in 2023.

Key Points

• According to information received from sources, about 695 km. The Raxaul-Haldia expressway will be constructed at a cost of about Rs 54,000 crore. Along with this, the deadline for completion of this road has been fixed at 2025.
• The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved the Raxaul to Haldia Expressway to enhance connectivity from Nepal Port to Haldia Port in West Bengal. With the construction of this road, the distance from Deoghar to Kathmandu will be completed in just 12 hours.
• Raxaul-Haldia Expressway will pass through several districts of Bihar and reach Haldia in Jharkhand and West Bengal. During this time it will pass through about nine districts of the state. These include West Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Patna, Biharsharif, Sheikhpura, Jamui and Banka. After this, this expressway will enter Jharkhand and go from Saraiyahat, Nonihat and Dumka to Haldia Port from Panagarh in West Bengal.
• In fact, most of the goods for Nepal come from other countries other than India, but to go to Nepal, the goods land at Haldia Sea-Port. At Haldia Port, goods disembark from the ship and reach the Dryport at Sirisiya in Raxaul by truck and train. From here, goods are delivered to Raxaul and nearby cities of India. At the same time, goods coming to Nepal are sent to Jharkhand and West Bengal from Raxaul Dryport. The construction of the new expressway will also facilitate the transportation of goods.

Bihar's Green Budget decreased by 3.26 Percent Compared to Last Year

Why In News?

On December 16, 2022, Bihar's third financial year 2022-23 green budget was presented in the winter session. There has been a decrease of 3.26 percent in the green budget as compared to the previous years.

Key Points

• There has been a decrease in budget allocation on schemes and programs of the departments identified under the Green Budget. In the year 2021-22, the budget was Rs 79359 crore, which has come down to Rs 79255 crore in 2022-23, while the total budget allocation for programs has also come down from Rs 29337 crore to Rs 28380 crore.
• Significantly, Bihar is the first state in the country, which has been presenting a green budget. This helps in the implementation of the schemes being run by the departments for environmental protection. With the help of this budget, budgetary provisions are studied and assessed from an environmental point of view.
• The state government is focusing on this budget keeping in mind climate change. Bihar is one of the few states in the country that is also promoting agriculture according to climate change.
• The highest allocation in the scheme items in the Green Budget is made by the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In the current financial year, out of Rs 663 crore allocated for the scheme item in this department, Rs 655 crore has been reserved for green schemes. This is 98.74 percent of the total scheme item.
• In this case, the Sugarcane Industry Department is in second place. The allocation for the scheme item in the department was Rs 100 crore, out of which Rs 98.70 crore was allocated for green schemes. At the same time, small water resources is in third place, out of the total allocation of Rs 827 crore for the scheme, Rs 796 crore has been allocated for green schemes.