PATNA, Sep 23: The Bihar Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of Mata Sita University in Patna and Rashtra Kavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar University in Begusarai.
The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. Additional Cabinet Secretary Arvind Kumar Choudhary said the government had sanctioned Rs 15 crore each for the two universities to meet salary costs and other establishment-related expenses.
The Cabinet also approved changing the proposed name of Maa Sita University in Patna to Mata Sita University.
Several other proposals covering police modernisation, prison administration, agriculture, dairy, fisheries, power and digital governance were cleared during the meeting.
For police modernisation, the Cabinet sanctioned Rs 24.50 crore for the purchase of 50 drones under a centrally sponsored scheme. The drones will be used for crowd management, riverine operations, anti-Naxal activities, disaster response and other policing requirements.
Another Rs 33.685 crore was approved for equipment and other items for district police, railway police, Bihar Special Armed Police, the Prohibition Department and the State Narcotics Control Bureau.
The Cabinet approved a one-time remission measure for eligible convicted prisoners to facilitate their release on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, 2026. It also cleared amendments to Rule 743 of the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, in line with Supreme Court orders issued on July 30 and September 10, 2026, concerning discrimination inside prisons.
For the agriculture and livestock sector, the government approved the Mukhyamantri Gaudhan Vikas Rin Yojana for 2026-27 to 2028-29, with an estimated expenditure of Rs 160.001 crore.
The Cabinet also sanctioned Rs 757.63 crore for Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd in five equal instalments towards unfunded terminal benefit liabilities of former Bihar State Electricity Board employees up to October 31, 2012.
Under Saat Nischay-3, a Rs 126.07-crore dairy development programme was approved for Supaul, Madhepura and Saharsa. The project will include a curd plant, premium ice-cream plant, Total Mixed Ration plant, buffalo heifer farm, use of sex-sorted semen, new dairy cooperative societies and milk-chilling infrastructure.
A Rs 195.28-crore project under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund was also cleared to develop the Siwan wetlands cluster in Basantpur, Bhagwanpur Hat and Goriakothi into an integrated aquaculture and export-oriented value chain.
The Cabinet approved the formation of Bihar Jal Sansadhan Vikas Nigam Limited under the Companies Act, 2013. It also cleared the permanent transfer of 99.39 acres at Makanpur in Nawada’s Warisaliganj circle to the Sugarcane Industries Department for establishing a sugar mill.
Land in Katihar and Jehanabad was approved for permanent transfer to the Union Home Ministry for construction of office-cum-residential complexes for the Intelligence Bureau and Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau.
The government further approved compassionate appointment for Kanak Kumari, dependent wife of late Subedar Santosh Kumar, who died in a war or war-like situation.
The underground subway linking the Multi-Modal Hub near GPO Golambar with Patna Junction, built under the Patna Smart City project, was approved to be named “Acharya Kishore Kunal Sub-Way.”
The Cabinet also cleared implementation of the e-Sushrut NX application, developed by C-DAC, in 12 medical institutions. The three-year project has been sanctioned at Rs 29.7985 crore, with a possible two-year extension costing an additional Rs 10.9839 crore, subject to satisfactory performance.
In addition, 81 posts were approved under the centrally sponsored livestock census and integrated sample survey programme for estimating milk, egg, meat and wool production. The expenditure for 2026-27 is estimated at Rs 5.2173 crore.
To strengthen coordination between the state and central governments, the Cabinet approved the National Informatics Centre on a nomination basis to develop a “Samanvay Portal”. The platform will monitor and coordinate pending matters involving Bihar government departments and Union ministries and departments.
The Cabinet also approved revised salary, daily allowance and hospitality allowance provisions for chairpersons, vice-chairpersons and other dignitaries heading various commissions, boards, corporations, councils and committees who are entitled to facilities applicable to ministers, ministers of state or deputy ministers.