Three-day BiharTimes Conclave begins in Patna,
Vijay Chaudhary asks NRIs to join Bihar’s growth story

PATNA: Finance Minister of Bihar Vijay Chaudhary has called upon the Bihari diaspora to join the state’s growth story and assured the international community of government’s full support if they bring investment to the state.c Speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day NRI summit, the 5th Bihar Times Conclave, on Friday in Patna, the minister said that people from Bihar have been playing an important role in the development of various states of India as well as the country they are living in. This is the time that they must join hands for the development of their own state. He called upon the industry leaders, experts and professionals who have gathered from various countries including the US, Australia, Sweden, Japan, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia to brainstorm and come up with strong recommendations to make a better Bihar. “It is great to have experts from various fields and from different parts of the world at one platform with the sole aim to speed-up the momentum of growth in the state. We expect that you will brainstorm for the next three days and come up with the recommendations that can be applied to achieve the desired results. I assure you that the government will do everything possible to achieve this,” he said. Delivering keynote address at the conclave, Advisor to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former DG of ICAR Mangla Rai said that Bihar’s greatest asset is its human resources. He told the diaspora that Bihar lost its mineral rich part when the state was divided over two decades ago. But the state has two rich resources that will guide it to compete with other states soon. “Knowledge and water are your biggest resources. Use the human resources properly to achieve success,” he said. He told the participants that the government has adopted a roadmap to develop dairy and food technology. However, the government alone can’t achieve it. He stressed on the need for investment in natural farming, which should be evolved as per the state’s eco-system. He also called upon the participants to accelerate the momentum of growth by participating in the government’s efforts and set up food processing and packaging units to strengthen the agriculture industry. Experts will continue to deliberate on various aspects of Bihar’s development on Saturday and Sunday. A session on ‘Bihar’s water and ecological resources in changing climate era’ will witness participation of Bihar’s Minister for Water Resources Sanjay Kumar Jha as Guest of Honour on Saturday. The experts will also explore various sectors of health, education, economy as well as the potential of IT and knowledge industries in the state that gives a plethora of investment opportunities in Bihar.