Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary on Saturday called for a collective and sustained effort to make Bihar prosperous, saying people would have to work 20 hours a day to transform the state and accelerate its development journey.Addressing an investor awareness programme in the state capital, he said, “Neither will I sleep nor let others sleep. Na khayenge, na khane denge. I will neither indulge in corruption nor allow others to do so. Only then will Bihar prosper.”Samrat said the state govt is developing 12 new townships and work is being initiated on 6.25 lakh acres of land for the project. He said the initiative is expected to attract investments worth around Rs 6.5 lakh crore to Bihar. “Industrial corridors and industrial parks will also be developed in the proposed townships, while landowners whose properties are acquired will receive appropriate compensation from the state govt,” the CM said at the event organised by Zee Business.Emphasising Bihar’s importance in the country’s growth story, Samrat said India’s development is closely linked to Bihar’s prosperity. Recalling the state’s historical significance, he said Bihar had ushered in a golden era nearly 2,000 years ago and remained a major centre of governance for around 200 years. He added that subsequent invasions disrupted that legacy through large-scale plunder.Remembering Bihar’s first chief minister Shri Krishna Sinha, Samrat said he had played a key role in the state’s development. He noted that chief ministers between 1962 and 1990 had relatively short tenures, often lasting only one to one-and-a-half years, and said the system now needed to be strengthened by building a social structure that connects people with mainstream development.Describing Bihar as one of the most densely populated regions in the world, Samrat said the state’s growth rate has remained in double digits for the past two decades through its own resources and with full cooperation from the Government of India.He said basic amenities such as electricity, drinking water and roads have reached every household. Electricity generation capacity will rise significantly over the next five years and, within two years, Bihar will be equipped to meet consumers’ power requirements for the next 30 years. He added that industries being established in the state would require greater power availability and that the govt is providing Rs 23,000 crore as power subsidy, the highest in the country.Samrat also said J P Ganga Path, built over 13 years at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore, has emerged as Patna’s lifeline.
