PATNA, Feb. 3 -- The Bihar Economic Survey, which was tabled in the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday, presented a paradox of high growth rate and lowest per capita income -- a chronic feature with the state. It notes that Bihar's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at constant (2011-12) prices increased by 8.6%, while at current prices it grew by 13.1%, reaching 5,31,372 crore and Rs.9,91,997 crore, respectively. Finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said that the state was progressing along a "high-growth trajectory with sustained focus on human capital development, employment generation and infrastructure enhancement". Although the growth rate of Bihar's GSDP has moderated since 2021-22, it has consistently outpaced India's GDP growth. Bihar's economic growth is estimated to have surpassed India's GDP growth in 2024-25, which stood at 6.5% at constant prices and 9.8 percent at current prices. At current prices, Bihar recorded GSDP growth of 17.9% in 2022-23 and 14.9% in 2023-24, compared to India's 14.0% and 12.0%, placing Bihar among the fastest-growing states in the country. However, the Economic Survey of India, presented in the Lok Sabha a couple of days ago, put Bihar at the bottom of the list as the poorest state in the country in terms of annual income per capita. The average annual income of a person is reported to be a little over Rs.70,000. The Bihar Economic Survey also notes a significant increase in total government expenditure, with a higher share devoted to capital expenditure which is 22.3% of total expenditure, while maintaining the fiscal deficit below 3% of GSDP remains a key challenge, even as outstanding debt stays within prescribed limit at 37.7% in 2024 - 25. The Bihar report presents a comprehensive overview of the performance of various sectors of the state economy, highlighting the achievements of the State government and the current status of key socio-economic indicators. Quick estimates for 2024-25 indicate robust sectoral performance, led by the secondary sector with Gross State Value Added (GSVA) growth of 11.1% at constant prices, followed by the tertiary and primary sectors. Structural changes reflect growing economic diversification, with the secondary sector's share rising due to expansion in construction and manufacturing. Per capita GSDP has shown a steady upward trend, with significant district wise variation, while Patna recorded the highest annual per capita GSDP at Rs.1.31 lakh among districts, Sheohar has the distant lowest annual per capita at Rs.24,332. The trend in outstanding liabilities points to steady rise. As on March 31, 2025, the outstanding debt of the state government stood at Rs.374,134-crore (37.7% of the state's GSDP). The proportion of public debt within the outstanding debt increased from 78% to 84.6% during the period of 2020-21 to 2024-25. Bihar's fiscal trajectory demonstrates disciplined financial management, as total expenditure by the State government increased from Rs.1.66 lakh crore in 2020-21 to Rs.2.82 lakh crore in 2024-25. The State government's revenue receipts increased from Rs.1.28 lakh crore in 2020-21 to Rs. 2.18 lakh crore in 2024-25, with tax revenue emerging as the dominant source. The share of tax receipts in total revenue rose from 70% to 84%, while non-tax revenue declined from five percent to two percent, and grants-in-aid declined from 25 percent to 14% over this period. According to the report, despite low per capita income, the road transport sector has recorded a high growth of 13.4% annually during the last 15 years. Bihar ranks fifth among the major states of India on account of highest registration of transport motor vehicles, while the state is on the seventh position in terms of non-transport motor vehicles during the calendar year 2024. A total of 13.95 lakh motor vehicles has been registered in Bihar, constituting 5.3% of the country's registered motor vehicles during 2024. The per capita energy consumption in Bihar has risen significantly from 134 kWh in 2011-12 to 374 kWh in 2024-25, highlighting expanding access and demand. Domestic consumers are projected to account for nearly half of total power demand (47.78%), followed by non-domestic users such as industrial and commercial sectors at 35.43%, while agriculture is expected to consume 16.79%. An expert, who did not want to be quoted, said that the figures suggest a Herculean task for the state to achieve the target of doubling per capita income in the next five years, which is also the first point in the government's 7-Resolves Peogramme, as the state would need to grow at 16.4% for the next five years to reach there. "At present, Bihar's per capita income is just 37% of the national average despite having economic growth rate higher than the national average. The present numbers and the recent experiences are not encouraging as the state has very little elbow room with just 27% of the revenue coming through its own resources," he added....