The Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Development Pathway for Bihar is a one of its kind collaborative efforts undertaken by Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), on behalf of Government of Bihar with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to mitigate  emissions and adapt to changing climate in Bihar while ensuring jobs, growth and sustainability.

 

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) is leading the mitigation analysis that  aims to explore Bihar's emissions in the Business-as-Usual (BAU) and alternative scenarios. This scenario analysis will be used to understand better the policy options to drive low-carbon development in Bihar.

 

The socio-economic growth parameters are critical to better understand the future energy system and emissions. Population, GDP, urbanisation, manufacturing share and income inequity etc. are some of the key drivers that will push the demand for goods and consumption of services. As Bihar is starting with a very low base of GDP per capita, it is expected that incomes in Bihar will rise in the future thus increasing ownership of assets. Similarly, if Bihar follows a high urbanization pathway in the future, it will have different energy needs and requirements. The energy system will completely transform depending on the socio-economic growth trajectory that Bihar is projected to follow.

 

The understanding of various aspects of the growth and development process is critical. This discussion intends to brainstorm on potential growth and development pathways for the state of  Bihar to understand and inform potential scenarios related to:

1. Growth in GDP

2. Change in share of agriculture, manufacturing and services in the economy

3. Urbanization pattern and pathways for the same

4. Urban rural income (in) equity and

5. Labour force participation

 

The insights would help us in charting pathways related to a net-zero economy for the state of Bihar.

 

Patna, July 01. The Centre for Studies on Environment and Climate (CSEC) at the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) co-hosted a roundtable discussion today on ‘Economic Growth Prospects of Bihar’ with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), which is leading the mitigation analysis under a project on 'Low Carbon Development Pathway for Bihar'.

Professor Prabhat P Ghosh, Member Secretary, ADRI welcomed the gathering with a glimpse of Bihar’s economic growth. In the special address, Professor Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Chairman, Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) highlighted the need to reduce the dependence on the agriculture sector and proposed the use of alternative sources, other than conventional energy, to supplement the economic growth rate of Bihar in a greener and sustainable manner.

Dr. Bakshi Amit Kumar Sinha of CEPPF, ADRI discussed the sectoral economic growth rate along with the socio-economic conditions of Bihar w.r.t. India and the historical growth patterns and management of Public Finance.

Dr. Vaibhav Chatturvedi, a fellow from CEEW highlighted the need to understand the future energy system and emissions through the different socio-economic parameters, in charting pathways related to a net-zero economy for the state of Bihar.

The programme was graced by Dr. Harishwar Dayal, Director in Chief, Centre for Fiscal Studies, Government of Jharkhand, Prof. Sankar Kumar Bhaumik, Director, Patliputra School of Economics, Prof. Anirban Sengupta, Asst. Professor, IIM Bodhgaya, and faculty members from CEPPF and CSEC, ADRI and CEEW.