Jharkhand bearing brunt of migration, lawlessness, rampant corruption: Sitharaman

Ranchi, May 9 (PTI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday alleged that Jharkhand was bearing the brunt of rampant corruption, migration and lawlessness, and a change in governance was the need of the hour in the state.

Sitharaman, speaking at an event here, also said that allegations of step-motherly treatment towards Jharkhand were baseless.

“This land of (tribal icon) Birsa Munda with bounties of nature, has now become a victim of monumental corruption… It is also bearing the brunt of migration and lawlessness. And, there is no conducive environment for industries here,” she said.

Eastern India can become the engine of growth for the country with the restoration of industries, Sitharaman said.

The Union minister said focus should be on value addition to minerals, as Jharkhand has 40 per cent of the country’s mineral wealth.

“Jharkhand used to feature among the top five states in ease-of-doing business. But now, ‘jungle raj’ prevails here. The state will attract more investment if law and order improves… Change in governance is the need of the hour in Jharkhand,” the minister said.

“The allegations (of the opposition) about step-motherly treatment towards the state by the prime minister are baseless… Jharkhand was allocated a record Rs 7,200 crore for rail projects in the 2024-25 budget,” she said.

Speaking at the interactive session on ‘Eastern India – Engine of Growth for Viksit Bharat’, Sitharaman also said some places in the state, including Sahibganj, Santhal Parganas and Godda, were witnessing demographic changes “due to infiltration”.