Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: In a key decision-making meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, the Bihar Cabinet on Monday approved 25 important proposals, including an increase in land survey fees and major allocations for flood control, irrigation, and urban infrastructure projects.
The Cabinet meeting was held at the Main Secretariat, with all ministers in attendance. It was convened after the nomination process for the ongoing Legislative Council elections covering 10 seats. Although the Chief Minister had been holding Cabinet meetings every Wednesday since taking office, this week’s meeting was held on a Monday.
One of the key decisions was to raise the fees for measuring privately owned (raiyati) land. In municipal corporation, council, and nagar panchayat areas, the survey fee has been fixed at ₹2,000 per plot, with a maximum limit of ₹8,000. In rural areas, the fee will be ₹1,000 per plot, capped at ₹4,000. For urgent surveys, the charges have been set at ₹4,000 per plot (maximum ₹16,000) in urban areas and ₹2,000 per plot (maximum ₹8,000) in rural regions.
The Cabinet also approved significant financial allocations for the 2026–27 financial year. A total of ₹400.66 crore has been sanctioned for flood management works, ₹250 crore for land acquisition, and ₹120 crore for river management activities in border areas.
In Munger district’s Kharagpur, the cost of constructing a gated weir at the confluence of the Mani and Sindhwarni rivers, along with restoration of a 9.66-kilometre main canal, has been increased from ₹125 crore to ₹196.89 crore. This project is expected to provide irrigation facilities to 671 hectares of land.
Several urban infrastructure projects also received administrative approval. These include ₹131.88 crore for a water supply scheme in Hajipur, ₹375.86 crore for a sewerage network and sewage treatment plant in Begusarai, and ₹127.45 crore for a water supply project in Saharsa.
The Cabinet further approved the ‘Viksit Bharat Rozgar Evam Aajeevika Guarantee Mission’ under the Jeevika scheme, which will come into effect from 1 July. In another significant move, ₹42.99 crore has been sanctioned for restarting the Sasamusa sugar mill in Gopalganj and clearing pending dues of sugarcane farmers. The reopening of the mill is expected to generate employment in the region.
A policy decision was also taken regarding old vehicles. Government vehicles older than 15 years will not receive any concession or benefit on purchasing new vehicles after registration or scrapping. However, non-government vehicle owners will continue to receive discounts on buying new vehicles after scrapping old ones.
Additionally, an advance approval of ₹3,662 crore has been granted for six social security pension schemes, covering payments for May, June, and July. These include the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, Widow Pension Scheme, Disability Pension Scheme, Laxmibai Social Security Pension Scheme, Bihar Disability Pension Scheme, and the Chief Minister’s Old Age Pension Scheme. The funds will be transferred directly to beneficiaries through DBT.
Last week, the Cabinet had approved 13 proposals, including increasing the financial assistance limit under the Chief Minister’s Medical Aid Fund from ₹2.5 lakh to ₹4 lakh, offering relief to poor patients. It had also cleared land-filling and levelling work for the upcoming AIIMS in Darbhanga using silt and soil from nearby rivers, along with approval for the creation of posts in various departments.
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