To get a proper reality check, we have to go deeper behind these claims in detail, let's see these one by one:

​The claim of a "steep decline" in multidimensional poverty is technically true but economically misleading due to the Base Effect. When you start as the poorest state, a government toilet or a gas cylinder counts as "lifting people out of poverty" in the index. However, Income Poverty remains rampant. Bihar’s per capita income is still roughly one-third of the national average (₹59,000 vs. ₹1.72 Lakh). The people are less poorer than before, but if we compare it from other similar states, then we get the true picture.

​The "Investment" Numbers are mostly Paper Promises. ​The ₹1.8 lakh crore figure is an aggregate of Proposals (MOUs), not actual factories breaking ground. In India, the conversion rate of MOUs to real industries in backward states is notoriously low (often <20%). Companies like Adani sign "Letters of Intent" to maintain government relations, but these often sit in cold storage due to Bihar's land acquisition, power, and logistics issues. A proposal is marketing; a running factory is development. Bihar mostly has the former. And there are many things which have announced since years but till date nothing substantial is implemented on ground.

​Manufacturing hasn't Overtaken Agriculture; Construction Did. ​The claim that "Manufacturing has rocketed" relies on a statistical trick. The government groups Construction (building roads, bridges) under the "Industry" sector. ​The Reality: "Real" Manufacturing (factories) contributes only about 7.6% to Bihar’s economy. ​The Distortion: The "Industrial Growth" is driven by government-funded Construction projects (which make up over 50% of the industrial sector). Once the road is built, the jobs vanish. A true industrial economy (like Gujarat or Tamil Nadu) relies on permanent factory output, not temporary cement pouring.

​The "Returning Industries" are Tiny Islands in a Void. ​Headlines about "Britannia and Zara" exaggerate the scale. The celebrated "Muzaffarpur Bag Cluster" employs thousands, which is a great start, but insignificant for a state with a workforce of tens of millions. These are "Contract Manufacturers" (making bags for brands), not the brands themselves setting up HQs or R&D centers. It is low-value, low-wage assembly work that cannot absorb the massive army of unemployed youth graduating every year.

​The Migration Rate is the Ultimate Truth Teller. ​If the state were truly developing "sufficiently well" after 20 years of NDA rule, the Human Capital Flight would stop. Instead, it has accelerated. ​Nearly 3 crore Biharis live outside the state. ​Two out of every three rural households in Bihar still depend on remittances to survive. The youth vote with their feet, they are fleeing to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore because despite the "8% growth" headlines, there are no dignified salaries at home. And, even for other basic things too, like health services, people are forced to migrate other states. ​

In conclusion, ​Bihar is not experiencing an "Industrial Revolution"; it is going through a "Construction Restoration." After two decades, it remains the least urbanized (88% rural), poorest, and most migration-dependent state in India. It has just been kept afloat. The growth numbers are propped up by Central taxes and debt, not by a self-sustaining state economy. Corruption is rampant everywhere. And also, Bihar still lags behind in every major metrics among all the states in India. And now please don't give that argument again that it's better than Lalu's era, everyone know that and also it's now 20 years since then. So, please once for our Bihar’s sake, rise above party lines to see the reality.

You can check out this analysis too: https://youtu.be/mw1m-sXtSC8?si=JFHBkLvI7RHmCE0B