PATNA: In the inaugural cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday, three major proposals were endorsed. These include the creation of 11 satellite townships with new names, the establishment of a research park at IIT-Patna to transform it into a technology hub for Eastern India, and the upgrading of 75 industrial training institutes (ITIs) to enhance the skill set of youth.
The cabinet also approved an additional 19 proposals, as stated by cabinet secretariat department’s additional chief secretary (ACS) Arwind Kumar Choudhary.
For the 11 satellite townships surrounding key cities, urban development and housing department principal secretary Vinay Kumar announced that new names have been approved. They are: Patliputra (Patna), Hariharnathpuram (Sonepur), Magadh (Gaya), Mithila (Darbhanga), Koshi (Saharsa), Purnia (Purnia), Ang (Munger), Vikramshila (Bhagalpur), Tirhut (Muzaffarpur), Saran (Chapra), and Sitapuram (Sitamarhi).
Kumar indicated that the zonal plan for Patliputra is in progress. The master plans for the other 10 townships are also underway, with both core and special areas already identified.
He emphasized that the government has banned the sale, purchase, or transfer of land within the designated areas of the satellite townships until their master plans are finalized by March 31 next year, specifically for the areas around Patna, Sonepur, Gaya, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Purnia, and Munger. For the remaining townships (Muzaffarpur, Chapra, Bhagalpur, and Sitamarhi), this ban lasts until June 30 next year.
The cabinet approved the state’s share of ₹305 crore from a total budget of ₹480.71 crore to establish a research park on IIT-Patna’s campus with central support, according to I-T department secretary Abhay Kumar Singh. Once fully operational, it’s expected to become the tech hub of Eastern India, creating direct and indirect employment for 10,000 individuals.
Singh mentioned that space will be allocated to 1,000 Fortune companies under long-term agreements (20 years or more) to facilitate collaborative research with educational institutions.
Research areas will focus on electric vehicles, wireless technology, healthcare innovations, advanced manufacturing, urbanization, agriculture (clean water and recycling), data analytics, AI, blockchain, IoT, and developing IIT-Patna as a center of excellence.
The cabinet also approved a matching grant of ₹25 crore for IIT-Patna as part of a central initiative for electronics system design and manufacturing incubation, which supports startups. Además, an allocation of ₹39.01 crore for the phase-2 development of this incubation center was also approved.
Youth, Employment, and Skill Development Department secretary Kaushal announced the cabinet’s sanction of ₹3,615 crore, including ₹1,192.95 crore as the state’s portion, for modernizing 75 ITIs in the state. Updated syllabi have been established accordingly.
The cabinet authorized the tourism department’s request for the free transfer of 15 acres and one ‘dismil’ of agriculture land in Gajipur mauja for a cultural and religious center in Tarapur, Munger district, designed to enhance tourism appeal.
The responsibility for development has been assigned to the Coimbatore-based Isha Foundation and other organizations. The cabinet also allocated ₹680 crore for the tourism department to develop the Hariharnath temple area in Sonepur district in a way similar to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, focusing on remodelling the temple’s surroundings.
The cabinet approved ₹66.75 crore for purchasing 1,500 scooters and 3,200 motorcycles for police personnel to ensure the safety of school-going girls and women in urban areas. Additionally, ₹172.80 crore was released for constructing a new building (B+2, G+7) in Rajiv Nagar to house the emergency response unit and state data center.
A further ₹12.95 crore was authorized to the home-police department for fire safety equipment in high-rise emergencies. The acquisition of 50 acres in Dumri mauja, Punpun circle, for the off-campus of National Forensic Science University (NFSU) was also sanctioned, totaling ₹287.16 crore.
The cabinet approved ex gratia payments to the next of kin of road accident victims from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Additionally, ₹72.76 crore was sanctioned to the I-T department for developing software and integration across all departments.
Furthermore, ₹5.06 crore were allocated for developing detailed project reports for proposed airports in Sonepur (Saran) and Ajgaibinath (Bhagalpur) under the central undertaking RITES.
