Union Budget: FM showers election-bound Bihar with sops, projects
Unveiling the Union Budget 2025 in the Lok Sabha, the minister said the Makhana Board will be established to improve processing and for value addition
The Union government has unveiled several big-ticket plans for poll-bound Bihar in the FY26 Budget, which include setting up of a makhana board, a greenfield airport, as well as financial support for Western Koshi Canal Project in the Mithilanchal region of the state.
Unveiling the Union Budget 2025 in the Lok Sabha on Saturday (February 1), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the makhana board will be established to improve processing and for value addition. "A Makhana Board will be established in the state to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana," she said.
People engaged in these activities will be organised into FPOs (Farmer Producer Organization), which will provide handholding and training support to makhana farmers. These FPOs will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant government schemes, she added.
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What is makhana?
Makhana, also known as fox nut or lotus seed, is a popular snack and ingredient in Indian cuisine, particularly in the northern and eastern regions.
The board will provide handholding and trade-related technologies, said Sitharaman. It will also work to ensure farmers receive benefits of all relevant government schemes.
The plant is spread across over 15,000 hectares in Bihar. The processing of makhana includes farmers navigating murky waters where these lilies grow to extract the seeds of the plant, which are then dried and processed under high heat and popped into the form that fox nuts are sold.
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Food technology
Moreover, in line with the “government’s commitment towards ‘Poorvodaya’, we will establish a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar”, said Sitharaman.
Under the Poorvodaya scheme, the government is formulating an all-round development of the eastern region states covering Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The institute will provide a strong fillip to food processing activities in the entire eastern region. This will result in enhanced income for the farmers through value addition to their produce and skilling, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for the youth.
Infrastructural boost
Koshi canal project
The finance minister also announced support for the Western Koshi Canal Project in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar.
“Financial support will be provided for the Western Koshi Canal ERM Project benefitting a large number of farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar,” she said.
During the last budget in July 2024, the Centre announced several big-ticket measures for Bihar, proposing a total outlay of over Rs 60,000 crore for various projects, including funding for three expressways projects, a power plant, heritage corridors and new airports and sports infrastructure.
The assembly election is scheduled to be held in the state later this year.
(With agency inputs)