Bihar Cabinet approves ₹3,516 crore for Vishnupad Temple area development, Son-Falgu river link

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. File | Photo Credit: ANI

The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) gave its administrative approval for two development projects worth just over ₹3516, including the comprehensive development of the Vishnupad Temple area in Gaya Ji and the construction of the Son-Phalgu river linking scheme.

The Vishnupad Temple area in Gaya Ji will be developed on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi at an estimated cost of ₹2,520 crore, while the construction of the Son-Phalgu river linking scheme will be completed at an estimated cost of ₹996 crore, Secretariat Department’s Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Arvind Kumar Chaudhary told reporters.

A total of 17 decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

Talking to reporters in after the Cabinet briefing, Mr. Chaudhary said that the completion of this project will provide new impetus and strength to Gaya’s religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions, which have continued for thousands of years, particularly important religious rituals such as Pind Daan, Tarpan, and Pitru Paksha.

In another important decision, the Cabinet also approved an MoU between Civil Aviation Ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI), New Delhi and the State government for expanding air connectivity in the State under regional connectivity scheme, modified UDAN scheme.

As a result of MoU, the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India, and the state government will be clearly defined. This will facilitate the provision of necessary financial assistance under the UDAN Scheme for new air routes proposed by the state and will also help in continuing operations on routes with low passenger demand during the initial period.

It also gave its nod for the constitution of “Bihar State Civil Aviation Cadre Recruitment Rules 2026” to regulate the recruitment and promotion of technical and non technical posts under Civil Aviation Department, Bihar. 

The Cabinet also gave its nod for recruitment to the post of Assistant Professors on contractual basis in five government medical colleges of the State untill regular appointments are made to these posts, the ACS said, adding that it would make the teaching faculty available in these colleges in line with standards set by National Medical Commission, New Delhi.

The five government medical colleges where contractual teaching appointments will be made includes government medical colleges at Bettiah, Purnea, Chapra (Saran), Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Medical College, Madhepura, and Shri Ram Janki Medical College, Samastipur. 

Similar contractual appointments of teaching faculty —Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor— will be made in government dental colleges of the State till regular appointments to these colleges are made. 

It also dismissed Dr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, General Medical Officer, posted at APHC, Bahadur in Khagaria district, from the service for remaining unauthorisedly absent from the service since November 17, 2021.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for obtaining ₹1,000 crore as an advance from the Bihar Contingency Fund under the Water Resources Department, Mr. Chaudhary said, adding that the amount received will be utilised under the State plan for flood protection works, Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan, and other important works in the irrigation sector. 

The State cabinet also approved the ‘Bihar Water Resources Restoration and Silt Management Policy, 2026’, which proposes to facilitate the removal of accumulated silt from water sources, restore the capacity of water structures, and utilise silt from rivers, barrages, reservoirs, etc. for necessary earth filling and construction works in various projects.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.