PATNA, Jan. 14 -- The state cabinet on Tuesday gave go-ahead to 43 development initiatives and policy matters, including the long-pending Indrapuri Reservoir Project in Bihar. The cabinet approved the state water resources department's (WRD) plan of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jharkhand following an agreement reached between the two states for sharing of water for irrigation and other purposes. Additional chief secretary, cabinet, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, said that the cabinet's decision followed the Central Water Commission's (CWC) approval to the draft agreement over sharing of water of the Indrapuri Reservoir Project, which envisaged that the irrigation facility in farmland of eight districts of Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Patna, Gaya Ji and Arwal would be strengthened further. As per the tripartite Ban Sagar agreement signed in 1973 among Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for sharing the Sone river water, undivided Bihar was to get 7.75 million acre feet (MAF) of water. The ACS said that following the bifurcation of Bihar in the year 2,000, Jharkhand demanded its share of Sone river water and did not give its assent to the Indrapuri Reservoir Project because of its demand for its share of water. The issue, which has kept the project pending for years, was resolved at 27th eastern regional conference held on July 10, 2025 in Ranchi. Union home minister Amit Shah chaired the meeting during which Bihar's deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary put Bihar's side effectively in order to resolve the issue. Following the agreement reached between Bihar and Jharkhand at the conference, out of undivided Bihar's share of 7.75 MAF of water, Bihar will get 5.75 MAF of water while Jharkhand will get 2.0 MAF as its share, the ACS said. Beyond water woes, the cabinet approved three private investments proposals, totaling a sum of Rs.400 crore under the Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Rules 2016. Investment proposal of M/s Prince Pipes & Fittings Ltd in Begusarai, pegged at Rs.199.44 crore with a capacity of 46,000 metric tonnes of pipes and fittings per annum was cleared. It is to create 225 direct jobs for skilled and unskilled workers. M/s Logipark Patna Pvt Ltd's proposal to set up a sprawling logistic park and warehousing facility in Vaishali on 559,372.78 square feet plot at Rs.104 crore was also cleared. The expansion plan of M/s Rohtas Cement (a unit of Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd) in Banjari, Rohtas, has also been okayed. The expansion, proposed at the cost of Rs.107.32 crore, is aimed at ramping up production from 1 million tonnes per day (TPD) to 1.5 million TPD. Infrastructure got a big push too. The cabinet sanctioned Rs.138.82 crore for acquiring 50 acres of land near Darbhanga airport to build a logistic park and cargo hub. It also approved Rs.155.38 crore proposal of the home department to install 9,073 CCTVs in 53 jails across the state. The ACS said that the amount would be spent on purchases of the CCTV cameras, installation of software, development of field infrastructure and fibre network, local monitoring cost at jail end, manpower cost and consultancy cost contingency. Besides, integration of CCTV cameras, that have already been installed in eight jails, will also be carried out. Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (BELTRON), Patna, will carry out the installation of CCTVs in 53 jails of the state, he added. With a view to bolstering the government's initiative to catapult Bihar into the league of developed state in the next five year, the cabinet has taken Bihar Vikas Mission was tasked with overseeing and monitoring the ambitious "Saat Nischay-3" program. The cabinet also cleared the law department's plan of releasing Rs.30 crore to the Bihar Advocates Welfare Trust Committee to dole out monthly stipend of Rs.5,000 for new advocates registered since January 1, 2024, and Rs.5 lakh grants to bar associations for setting up e-libraries. A Rs.653 crore grant was approved under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for laying underground electric cables across 13 divisions of Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (PESU), including SCADA-DMS systems. Construction of a Bihar Bhawan would be initiated in Mumbai soon, as the state government cleared Rs.314.20 crore fund for it. The electricity department's plan of laying a new 220 KV double-circuit transmission line from Chandauti grid substation to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster in Gaya got Rs.33.29 crore was also approved to ensure reliable power to the industrial cluster. Traffic relief is on the horizon with Rs.142 crore for acquiring 185.26 acres for junction development on the Bihta-Danapur elevated corridor, linking to the Patna ring road. This should ease congestion by allowing vehicles to bypass the city. The proposed ring road is being built by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under Bharatmala project. Education and skills weren't overlooked. The cabinet gave its go-ahead to the education department's proposal of granting Rs.1,485.50 crore for 789 secondary and higher secondary government schools under the PM SHRI scheme for 2025-26. The amount would be spent on modernising teaching facilities, innovation and tech literacy aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. The cabinet also cleared the administrative tweaks in the Bihar Motor Vehicle Rules 1992 to lower the minimum education for conductor licenses from Class 10 to Class 8. As many as 694 posts in the agriculture departments were restructured or created, including 194 plant protection supervisors and 99 inspectors. A temporary post for a forest and environment advisor was also created to facilitate speedy clearances of the projects. The fisheries department reorganised as many as 200 peon posts as per the demands of new offices. The Bihar Executive (Amendment) Rules 2025 and the Bihar Anand Karaj Marriage Registration Rules 2025 for Sikh weddings under the Anand Marriage Act were also approved with retrospective effect. The state government agreed to offer guarantee for Rs.7,000 crore in loans from NABARD and others for paddy procurement in kharif 2025-26 and rabi 2026-27 seasons. Adult education directorate surrendered eight defunct posts and created nine new ones with updated designations. In all, 43 agendas were cleared, including two legislative bills, signaling a busy start to the year for Bihar's development agenda. Officials say these steps will spur growth, jobs, and efficiency across sectors.....