PATNA, Nov. 10 -- Deputy chief minister and patron of Bihar Foundation Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Monday launched the web portal of the Global Convention on Transforming Bihar 2027, which is slated for January 12 and 13 next year, to invite ideas of a prosperous state from different strata of society including scholars, policy makers, industry leaders and Bihar diaspora. Speaking on the occasion, Choudhary said that the state stood at a very critical juncture, where it needs a solid push to transform itself as a developed state. "The state has made a strong stride in varied sectors since 2005 when Nitish Kumar took over as the chief minister. The budget size of the state has grown to Rs.3.50 lakh crore from a modest Rs.32,000-33,000 crore on the foundation laid by Nitish Kumar," he added. Calling up on the intelligentsia, industry leaders and Biharis residing in other countries to offer their ideas for rapid growth of the state, Choudhary lauded chief minister Samrat Choudhary for striving hard to develop the state as a major destination for investment. "Bihar has the advantage of having the largest number of youth population in the country and hence they have the capability of transforming its landscape," he added. Speaking on the occasion, industries secretary, Bihar, Kundan Kumar, who is also the chief executive officer of the Bihar Foundation, said that the proposed conclave is the third in a series of global meet to discuss the development challenges and opportunities. Earlier, the foundation in association with the Institute of Human Development (IHD) had organised Global Meet on Resurgent Bihar in 2007 and Global Summit on Changing Bihar in 2012. "The 2027 convention would help the state chalk out strategies for the next phase of transformation towards a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy with a shared vision for Bihar by 2047," added the secretary. IHD director Alakh N Sharma said that the global conclave will follow a two-day brainstorming pre-conclave research session (on January 10-11, 2027), in which policy makers and researchers would discuss their papers on various issues of development of the state....