Recent Current Affairs related to Bihar

The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) has signed three MoUs to modernise Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) through digital innovation and structural enhancements.

Under the first agreement, the EdTech firm CoGrad will provide 499 EMRSs with two years of free access to its “Medha AI” platform. NESTS has also renewed its corporate philanthropy partnership with the Learning Links Foundation (Amazon) for another two years. Additionally, a governance MoU signed with the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission has standardised EMRS funding at ₹1.47 lakh per student.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved highway infrastructure projects in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

In Madhya Pradesh, the CCEA approved the upgradation of the Hiwarkhedi-Roshni-Ashapur-Rudhy section of NH-347B (125.01 km) to a 2-lane standard with paved shoulders, and the widening of the Deshgaon-Julwaniya section of NH-347B (108.643 km) to a 4-lane standard. These projects will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a cost of ₹4,415.60 crore.

In Bihar, the CCEA approved the upgradation of the Khagaria-Purnea section of NH-31 and NH-231 to a 4-lane standard, covering a length of 143.529 km. This project will be executed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) (Toll) mode at a cost of ₹3,936.05 crore.

Indian Railways has approved infrastructure works, including slope stabilisation, tunnel rehabilitation, and bridge protection, on the Jammu-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra section with an investment of ₹238 crore.

The 54 km Kiul-Jhajha 3rd line project has been approved at a cost of ₹962 crore to enhance capacity on the high-density Howrah-Delhi route. Further, the Arakkonam-Chengalpattu doubling project has been sanctioned at a cost of ₹993 crore to strengthen the Chennai suburban rail network.

The Bihar government has approved a $500 million (around ₹4,750 crore) loan from the World Bank (WB) for the ‘Bihar Urban Transformation Programme’. The state cabinet has also sanctioned the transfer of 1.85 acres of land and authorized enhanced subsidy support under the PM Electric (e)-Bus Sewa for the operation of 400 electric AC buses.

Furthermore, ₹15,967.03 crore was sanctioned for the monitoring and maintenance of roads using AI based technologies.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD) has expanded procurement operations under the PM Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) in Chhattisgarh and launched the first structured pulse procurement under the Atmanirbhar Pulses Mission (APM) in Bihar.

The procurement drive is led by the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED). In Bihar, the NCCF has started the first organized procurement of masoor (lentil) under the APM. In Chhattisgarh, the process includes digitized farmer registration through the Electronic-Samyukti (E-Samyukti) portal and awareness campaigns.

Samrat Choudhary, belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party, has sworn in as the 24th Chief Minister (CM) of Bihar. He is the first leader from the BJP to hold the post. He succeeds Nitish Kumar as the CM. Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers (Dy CMs).

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has signed an MoU with the IIT Patna under the PM Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme. The initiative aims to enhance the employability and placement opportunities of minority youth through modern, technology-driven skilling interventions.

Nitish Kumar has resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, concluding a tenure of two decades in the politics of the state.

He is set to move to a national role in the Rajya Sabha. Samrat Choudhary, the leader of the BJP legislature party, is designated to serve as the next CM of Bihar.