Bihar Breakthrough: The Turnaround of a Beleaguered State

by Rajesh Chakrabarti

This is the incredible story of Bihar's transformation from an almost hopeless state to one of the fastest growing states in India.

In 2005, Nitish Kumar first came to power in Bihar on the basis of a promise to its people that of Sushasan (good governance). And his first term as chief minister was nothing short of a miracle. He managed to pull the beleaguered state back from the brink of anarchy by establishing law and order and building infrastructure at breakneck speed.

What were the specific innovations and changes that made this possible? Did Nitish's leadership style, governance methods and political management encourage and sustain these changes? How did Nitish Kumar convert the entire development thrust into a landslide re-election in a state famously known for its caste politics? Extensively researched and engagingly written, Bihar Breakthrough is the most detailed account ever of the revival of the poorest state in India, which had been betrayed, plundered and looted by the enemy within its politicians, bureaucrats, mafias and caste militias. This is a book that captures the drama of a unique turnaround journey and holds important lessons for governments, organizations and policy watchers worldwide.

Genres: India

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ashish · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 star for covering the subject close to my heart. It's story of my homeland andit also give brief knowledge about it reachead the abysmal condition in late 1990s. Another star because I couldn't have given it less.
There is hardly any groundwork done, Book keeps referring to the facts which are easily available in national newspapers and it seems there also not much effort has been put. It lacks opinions of local journalists, politicans, social workers, middle class. All the examples of change are only from the same 1-2 places over and over again. It seems author only visited those places or had source of infomation from that place. The book disappoints mainly becuase I had high expectations and in fact I know my state much better than the author seems to know or is he just trying to say what has been the story in mainstream media in post 2010.

[Abhïshék Ghosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I expected was deep insights and an objective stance on some of the most challenging policy environments in India. What we are served however, is research that is quite shallow, and with a premise that already seems pre-decided. While it is a good source to pick up best practices, with the turnaround of the state infrastructure firm being related with relatable anecdotes, the book teeters on self-proving prophecies of the effectiveness of policies, and is finally inconclusive of how much caste, and political calculations trump development initiatives when it comes to the polls.

[Om Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rarely has a failed state escaped political bankruptcy so fast"
'Bihar Breakthrough' delineates the transformative journey of Bihar between 2005 and 2010. It mostly focuses on the policy, administrative and governances aspects of change which enabled Bihar to rise from pre 2005 'Jungle Raj'.
The role of the organisation under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar and his style of functioning has been highlighted well in this metamorphosis. Additionally, it also highlights the instrumental role played by these key actors like Law and Order(Abhayanand), Transport(RK Singh, Pratyaya Amrit) etc
Renewable of key sectors such as Law and Order, Transport, Health, Education etc have been brought out to elucidate the processes and mindset in the process of change. It also touches upon the political side of things to set the context under which the government's policy unfolded.
The books is written in a very lucid language and is very helpful(especially for people hailing from Bihar) to understand the sea change after 2005. It also helps to understand the present era written on the same bedrock.

[Deepanshu Aggarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book on how Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, worked relentlessly to turn around the poorest state of India. The book describes several initiatives launched by him and his team of bureaucrats aimed at making Bihar a breakout state. Though branded as being policy-oriented, the book in my opinion is more political than governance related and fails to talk about the issues in depth. Emphasis was on covering everything at the cost of covering in detail the policies concerned. The book is more about Nitish Kumar's and his bureaucrats' charisma than about their popular and effective decisions. Thus, the book is less of a piece on governance induced change and more of a 250 page op-ed.

[Ashwath · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story about the turnaround in Bihar and what went behind all that change.

[Hitesh Chauhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very definitive account of revival of Bihar. Anybody willing to know about the basic pragmatic processes involved in reviving the administration of a state should read this book

[Jahanvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though a good collection of data-driven research, the book, however, lacks indepth analysis of Lalu era in Bihar. Author's reason for not dealing with the pre-Lalu era for comparative analysis is attributed to the lack of data which, can't go uncriticised as his reliance on data is reflected throughtout. However, it is commendable of him to focus on steel industry and the lack of any MNCs in Bihar.
Lucid read with a lot of data.

[Shashank Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant account of what defines Bihar in political terms, how Nitish Kumar was able to achieve turnaround in a state that had become a four-letter word in itslef!

[Hitesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It actually deserves 4.5 stars. The book is a good case study in management and administration. Except for the repetition of some ideas in different chapters, it is a good read!

[MD KHALID · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clean and clear review of Bihar Progress. I was expecting some biasness about the current govt. but Rajesh Chakrabarti have done a tremendous and honest work. Must read for all Bihari.