Bihar Politics & Governance

Bihar Cabinet Extends Student Credit Card Scheme and Approves Development Measures

2 September 2026

The Bihar Cabinet approved extending the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme from 2026–27 to 2030–31, with education loans of up to ₹4 lakh continuing through the Bihar State Education Finance Corporation. It also approved ₹39.8 crore for widening Nehru Path in Patna, from Dak Bungalow crossing to Rukanpura, and transferring 700 acres at Malhipur in Begusarai for an industrial area.

Other approvals included transferring 25 acres in Karpi, Arwal, for a government medical college and hospital, and forming a state goat-rearers’ cooperative federation, with ₹14.795 crore approved for 2026–27 to 2028–29.

The same Cabinet meeting also approved consultancy for a tolling system on selected state highways and long bridges, including FASTag-based collection. The decision concerned system planning; tolls were not reported as being collected.

Notable Points

• Student finance: The Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme provides an education loan, reported here up to ₹4 lakh, through the Bihar State Education Finance Corporation; it is repayable credit, not a scholarship.
• Cabinet status: Road widening, land transfer and cooperative-federation funding are approvals for the next implementation steps, not completed works or disbursed amounts.
• Toll proposal: The Cabinet also approved consultancy for tolling on selected state highways and long bridges, including a proposed FASTag system; collection had not begun.

Bihar Starts Seven-Year Maintenance Programme for 13,033 km of Roads

26 September 2026

Bihar launched the third phase of its Output and Performance Based Road Assets Maintenance Contract (OPRMC) for 13,033 km of state highways and major district roads. The programme covers 66 packages, costs ₹10,590.5328 crore and is scheduled for 2026–2033.

OPRMC is a long-term maintenance contract linked to performance of road assets; the launch concerns upkeep of existing road networks, not construction of 13,033 km of new roads.

Notable Points

• Road maintenance: The seven-year OPRMC model links contracted maintenance to service and performance standards; its 13,033-km coverage is an asset-maintenance figure, not new-road length.
• Scale: The official release records 66 packages and a ₹10,590.5328-crore programme cost for state highways and major district roads.

Bihar Launches Three-Month Health-Screening Campaign

2 September 2026

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary launched the three-month ‘Jaanch evam Upchar, Chikitsa Aapke Dwar’ campaign on 2 September, scheduled to run until 30 November 2026. It aims to screen people aged 30 and above for non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disorders, cancers, and liver and kidney conditions.

Health workers are to conduct outreach through homes and health centres, with advice, medicines and referral or telemedicine support planned where needed. The campaign aims to screen around six crore people through approximately 14,500 centres.

Notable Points

• Public-health focus: The campaign targets non-communicable diseases among adults aged 30 and above; the six-crore figure is intended coverage, not the number already screened.

Patna Metro Completes Tunnel Excavation Between Moinul Haq Stadium and Patna Junction

2 September 2026

A tunnel-boring machine completed excavation of a 5.2-kilometre underground section of the Patna Metro priority corridor between Moinul Haq Stadium and Patna Junction. The breakthrough completed excavation on the route, while track-laying and other technical work remained ahead.

Notable Points

• Project milestone: The 5.2-km breakthrough completes tunnel excavation on this section only; track, systems, safety clearances and commissioning are separate steps before passenger service.

Bihar Requires Prior State Consent for CBI Investigations in Specified Cases

3 September 2026

A Bihar Home Department notification requires prior state-government consent for CBI investigations involving state-appointed public servants, state-owned or controlled companies and institutions, and organisations receiving state financial assistance in matters connected with their work. The government will decide separately on consent in each case; the notification covers offences under specified laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Information Technology Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Notable Points

• Legal basis: Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 requires state consent for the CBI to exercise its powers and jurisdiction in a state; Bihar’s notification is limited to specified cases and is not a blanket finding on every investigation.

Patna High Court addresses Navodaya admission denial after a school-record error

1 September 2026

The Patna High Court considered the case of Rahul Kumar, an East Champaran student who scored ...