Patna,(BiharTimes): Mineral-starved and landlocked Bihar got investment worth only Rs 268 crore in bank-assisted projects during the financial year 2013-14.

According to a Reserve Bank of India study five states have cornered 61.6 per cent of the total investments of Rs 1,34,000 crore.

Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, the five top states, received new project investments of Rs 82,544 crore during the year.

On the other hand Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar––which has a total of one-third population of the country––together got a measly Rs 3,216 crore in new projects.

The report said the power projects have attracted the maximum investments of Rs 44,756 crore, or 33.4 per cent of the total investments, the metal industry got Rs 21,574 crore worth of projects.

It said investments of around Rs 1,50,000 crore in the power sector are already under a cloud following the Supreme Court order on illegal allocation of coal-mines since 1993.

Maharashtra got maximum investments, worth Rs 25,862 crore, in 78 projects.

Gujarat with Rs 20,234 crore in 68 projects was second to be followed by Odisha with investments of Rs 14,874 crore in 10 projects.

Chhattisgarh with investments of Rs 13,668 crore in 16 projects was fourth while Karnataka fifth.

On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh got just 1.1 per cent of the investment––that is Rs 1,474 crore. Much industrialized West Bengal, which has mines as well as littoral area, also got Rs 1,474 crore, while Bihar received investment worth only Rs 268 crore.

The RBI report further said that major textile projects, along with ceramics and chemicals were taken up in Gujarat while Maharashtra became the favourite destination for power, agricultural and food products, sugar and construction.

Mineral-rich Odisha bagged the maximum share in metal industries.

Entertainment, electric equipment & electronics and hotel industry projects were well spread across a number of states resulting in an increase in the share of multiple-states based projects.

Incidentally, Odisha was in the top position (26.8 per cent of the total investments) in the year 2012-13 followed by Punjab (10.9 per cent).