Addressing the concerns of the three political stalwarts of Bihar, Nitish, Lalu and Ramvilas, Chidambaram said both he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to help the state in its march towards development, particularly in the fields of agriculture, health infrastructure building, industry and education.

He said Bihar, rich in agriculture and manpower, with Jharkhand and Orissa, which are endowed with rich mineral resources, have the potential to power the growth of the country. "These three states have the potential to lift India's growth rate far beyond 9.5 per cent," he asserted.

Later, Nitish Kumar made a presentation before Chidambaram to outline various steps undertaken by his government for the development of the state in past 21 months.

The presentation focussed on fiscal management, debt recovery and state-sponsored gramin rojgar yojana schemes.

There was special focus on the recent devastating floods in the state, which already claimed over 565 lives in 20 districts, besides damaging properties and crops worth crores. A detailed report on flood was handed over to the finance minister.

Chidambaram assured Nitish to send a high-level official team to assess the damage and decide the nature of special assistance, including agricultural loans, accordingly.