Patna dist records highest per capita GDDP in state

Patna: The huge pump-in of money aimed at developing the cityscape and life in Patna, the only city in Bihar aspiring to be counted as metro, has spurred the per capita gross district domestic product (GDDP) of the district to Rs 57,843 making it the true “capital district” in the state for the 2010-11 financial year at 2004-05 constant prices. It defeated Munger, the second best district in line, by a whopping margin.

The per capita GDDP of Munger is Rs 21,019.

The per capita GDDP of Patna is over four times more than the per capita gross state domestic product (GSDP) of the state, which is just Rs 13,404. Interestingly, the per capita GDDP of three other districts is also more than the state average: Begusarai at Rs 18,447, Bhagalpur at Rs 15,886 and Muzaffarpur at Rs 14,097.

However, among all 38 districts, Sheohar has shown the lowest per capita GDDP at Rs 6,209. The three districts whose per capita GDDP hover around in its vicinity are Banka with per capita GDDP of Rs 7,764, Madhepura with its per capita GDDP of Rs 8,102, and Arwal placed slightly higher than it at Rs 8,148.

“It is the huge investment being made for urban growth of Patna which has also jacked up the per capita GDDP of Patna. This is the basis of obvious disparity that is palpable, but the money is being also spent in all other districts, which has increased their respective GDDP,” said planning and development department principal secretary Vijay Prakash, after releasing figures related to the per capita GDDP and their growth rates in different districts.

Indeed, as Prakash put it, the planners of the state’s turnaround story have something more to cheer about, since the compound annual growth of per capita GDDP for various districts is higher than the state average that is 7.32% for 2010-11 at 2004-05 constant prices. The growth rate of per capita GDDP of 17 districts is above average state growth rate, and that of 21 remaining districts is below it.

The per capita GDDP of Munger district has achieved the highest growth rate of 10.03%, followed by Bhojpur (9.16%), Nalanda (8.79%) and Begusarai (8.61%). The districts with lowest growth rate in the same category are Madhepura (3.74%), Jamui (3.80%), Banka (4%) and Supaul (4.36%).

Besides, even as public investment in all the districts has increased substantially since the 2004-05 fiscal, eight districts including Patna, Rohtas, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Begusarai, Munger and Saharsa have maintained the same position as was in the base year, Prakash said, adding that 18 districts have improved their ranking and 12 districts have declined in position.

Courtesy: TNN