HOW WILL BIHAR FIRST, BIHARI FIRST HAPPEN?

HOW WILL BIHAR FIRST, BIHARI FIRST HAPPEN?

16-SEP-ENG 11

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------It's election time. Your and our popularity has begun to grow. We're hearing many alluring promises and phrases. Some say things like Bihar First, Bihari First, one Bihari is superior to all, Bihar is a factory of IAS officers, Biharis are very hardworking, Bihar is the mother of democracy, Bihar has a glorious history, etc.

Do you think every Bihari should start dancing with joy at such phrases and promises? Should every Bihari, each with his own 56-inch chest, start singing praises during this election season? To be honest, please don't take this as anything other than an insult. If you dance to these phrases, you've lost your consciousness.

Just imagine, tomorrow the whole country will point fingers at Bihar and say, "It's because of you worthless people that we're unable to progress." Well, if you have ears and even a shred of consciousness, you're likely hearing echoes of this. The voices rising against Biharis from various states across the country are examples of this.

Have you ever noticed why most people outside Bihar sympathize with you? Sympathy isn't a positive word. Sympathy is usually expressed with those who are either suffering or have already suffered. Such general sympathy isn't shown towards the people of Kerala, Maharashtra, or Tamil Nadu because their financial situation is a thousand times better than ours. They are better than us in every way.

Don't be under the illusion that you, the Biharis, are needed by other states. Without them, those states' development is impossible. All this will be repeated in these elections, and every effort will be made to make you and us realize how important you are to the entire country. But you must pay attention to reality. First, it's important to start acknowledging your true situation. And yes, when you truly evaluate yourself, you'll realize it's not at all what you think. You're at the bottom of your country in every aspect of life.

Now you'll ask why this kind of advice is being given right now. Yes, you're absolutely right. Elections won't necessarily solve all your and our problems. But they can certainly bring to your service people who understand your problems well and have the intention to help you out. The illustrious position of a few wealthy people cannot represent all Biharis. Consider a brief example of our and your situation in the country.

In terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), Bihar ranks 14th out of 28 states. At the same time, a state with 9% of the country's population contributes less than 2% to the country's GDP. Consequently, 15.73% of Bihar's population lives below the poverty line. The per capita income (2023-24) here is ₹59,637, while the national average is ₹1,72,000.

Furthermore, the unemployment rate in Bihar is around 13%. Unemployment among people aged 15-29 is over 30%, three times the national average. Meanwhile, women's participation in the workforce in Bihar is less than 10%.

Socially, approximately 60% of Bihar's population is under the age of 25. Bihar has the highest birth rate in the country. 71.2% of men and 51.5% of women in Bihar are literate (according to the 2011 census). A large number of girls are still married below the age of 18. Regarding the literacy rate, Bihar has the lowest literacy rate, at 63.82%. Bihar ranks last in terms of lowest literacy, behind Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

There is also a significant lack of basic amenities here. Every year, millions of people are affected by floods and suffer heavy losses. According to one estimate, 73.63 percent of the population, or three-quarters of the population, faces the ravages of floods every year. Many cities in Bihar also rank well below average in the cleanliness survey. In other words, many cities in Bihar are among the dirtiest. Saharsa, a prominent city in Bihar, was recently listed as the dirtiest city.

According to the latest data and reports from 2024 and 2025, Bihar's situation remains worrisome on several socio-economic parameters, confirming the state's worsening situation. Bihar faces significant challenges in areas such as poverty, education, healthcare, and law and order.

According to a 2025 Vedantu report, Bihar is considered the poorest state in India in terms of per capita income and poverty alleviation.

A 2024 India Today report, citing NITI Aayog data, reported the highest number of people living with multidimensional poverty in Bihar, with 26.59% of the population falling into this category in 2022-23.

An indication of Bihar's literacy situation is also evident from the Productive Labour Force Survey 2023-24, which clearly shows that Bihar is among the states with the lowest literacy rates. School enrollment is also low. A 2025 report states that Bihar's secondary enrollment rate is 27.8%, significantly lower than other states.

Furthermore, Bihar lacks infrastructure. Bihar has a weak educational infrastructure that struggles to meet the demand and supply gap for its growing population. This makes a huge difference. Health services are in much the same situation. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report released in November 2024 also highlighted the dire state of Bihar's healthcare system, citing a severe shortage of doctors.

Contrary to the World Health Organization's recommendation of one doctor per 1,000 people, Bihar had one allopathic doctor for every 2,148 people as of November 2024. In the NITI Aayog's Fourth Health Index (2021), Bihar emerged as the second-worst performing state in terms of overall health performance among large states.

These data clearly demonstrate that Bihar faces major challenges such as poverty, education, and health, reflecting the state's deteriorating situation. Therefore, there is no need to be proud of slogans like "Bihar First, Bihari First," "Ek Bihari Sab Par Bhari," but rather to understand the reality and implement improvements.