As Bihar is set to witness state assembly elections soon, the performance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led-government will now regularly be brought under scrutiny by the opposition leaders as well as the voters.
It is no secret that the Janata Dal (United) leader has had an immense stronghold over the voters in Bihar for the past two decades. This is evident as Kumar is currently serving as the chief minister for the ninth time.
The Quint's WebQoof, in this series, will publish different stories that will highlight how the JDU-led government (with different alliances) has fared in the state. This part will focus on what impact the government has had on the per capita income of people.
The Rule of RJD in Early 2000s
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led by the then CM Rabri Devi remained at the helm of power in Bihar in the early 2000s.
As per data available on the official website of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the per capita income at constant prices in the financial year of 2000-01 was Rs 6,554.
It should be noted that the next three financial years saw an irregular growth rate, with alternate years experiencing a negative growth rate. The financial year of 2002-03 saw a growth rate in the per capita income at 11.07 percent.
This was also in line with the Gross Domestic State Product (GSDP) growth rate in the state for the same time period.
The Rise of CM Nitish Kumar: What Was the Impact?
The year of 2005 saw a major shift in the state politics of Bihar, when the JDU emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections.
It propelled Kumar into the centre of politics in Bihar and set into motion his unprecedented rule in the state.
The per capita income in FY '06 saw a negative growth rate of -4.11 percent, however, the next financial year witnessed a sharp rate of 15.43 percent. While the trend of irregular growth rate continued for the following years, the percentage remained in positive.
The Dominant Years of Kumar
The per capita income growth rate largely remained in the positive in Bihar from FY '13 to FY '20, however, the financial year of 2020-21 saw a massive drop of -9.93 percent.
This was consistent with other states as the entire country was plagued with issues related to COVID-19 pandemic.
It should be highlighted that Bihar's per capita income in FY '24 of Rs 32,174 remains in the lowest in the country.
(Data sourced: Year and State-wise Percentage Growth Rate of Per Capita Income for the Base Years 1980-81, 1993-94, 1999-00, 2004-05 and 2011-12 at Current and Constant Prices [Dataset]. Dataful.)