- Employees under the 7th Pay Commission to now receive 63% Dearness Allowance (DA); relief also provided to employees and pensioners under the 5th and 6th Pay Commissions.
Patna: In a state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday evening, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, a total of 32 proposals were approved, including an increase in the Dearness Allowance (DA) for government employees. Ahead of the Chhath festival, the state government has provided relief to its employees and pensioners by raising the DA across various pay scales. Additionally, several significant schemes related to education, rural development, infrastructure, flood control, tourism, and technology were also granted approval.
According to the cabinet’s decision, the Dearness Allowance for employees and pensioners receiving salaries and pensions under the 7th Central Pay Commission has been increased from 60% to 63%. Meanwhile, the DA for those under the 5th Central Pay Commission has been raised from 483% to 497%, and for those under the 6th Central Pay Commission, it has been increased from 262% to 269%. This government decision will provide financial relief to employees and pensioners across various pay scales in the state.
The cabinet has granted administrative and expenditure approval for flood control and drainage works in the Mokama Tal region. An amount of Rs 254.57 crore will be spent on this project. Furthermore, the ‘Bihar Canal Maintenance Policy, 2026’ has also been approved.
With the objective of promoting women’s entrepreneurship in the state, the cabinet has decided to launch the ‘Bihar Ki Beti Startup Challenge’ scheme. The initiative aims to benefit 2,100 students between the financial years 2026-27 and 2029-30. An allocation of Rs 88.20 crore has been approved for this purpose. Additionally, Rs 126 crore has been sanctioned for the implementation of the ‘Chief Minister’s PhD Fellowship Scheme for Girls’ (Mukhyamantri Balika PhD Fellowship Yojana) for the period from the 2026-27 to 2029-30 financial years.
Under the Rural Development Department, an allocation of Rs 1,399.60 crore has been approved for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) for the 2026-27 financial year. This fund will provide financial assistance to selected rural households for the construction of permanent (pucca) houses.
The Cabinet has approved an estimated expenditure of Rs 4,572.53 crore for the ongoing project involving the construction of a bridge over the Ganga River, connecting Bakhtiyarpur to Tajpur. Furthermore, an expenditure of Rs 44.52 crore has been sanctioned for the acquisition of 9 acres and 73 decimals of land for the construction of a bus stand in Hajipur.
Approval has also been granted to implement 11 projects related to the development of eco-tourism and parks in the state through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Government of Bihar has approved the ‘Bihar Building Code, 2026’ (Bihar Bhavan Vidhi, 2026) with the objective of enhancing the ‘ease of doing business’ and ‘ease of living,’ while also reducing compliance-related procedures. This initiative aims to make the building permit process simpler, more transparent, and citizen-friendly.
Following the establishment of the ‘Bihar Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission,’ the ‘Global Finance and Technology Network, Singapore’ has been selected to ensure the participation of leading industry institutions in its operations.
Under the ‘Prison Calling Solution’ initiative, 159 kiosks will be operated across 59 jails in the state for a period of five years, following an OPEX (operational expenditure) model. For this purpose, the allocation of Rs 8.25 crore to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been approved. Furthermore, approval has been granted for the abolition of 438 permanent posts (across various categories) and the creation of 342 new permanent posts under the Land Acquisition Directorate of the Department of Revenue and Land Reforms.
The Cabinet has also approved a proposal to extend the contractual tenure of Omprakash Jha, who serves as a Budget Advisor in the Finance Department, by two years. Additionally, the Bihar Drug Control Cadre Amendment Rules, 2026, and the Bihar AYUSH Compounder Rules, 2026, have been approved.
An allocation of Rs 2,247 crore, 53 lakh, and 82 thousand has been sanctioned from the Bihar Contingency Fund to cover necessary payments, including outstanding liabilities for vehicles requisitioned for election-related duties.
In total, the Cabinet approved 32 proposals, through which the state government—while providing relief to its employees—also took significant decisions concerning infrastructure, rural housing, education, entrepreneurship, tourism, and administrative systems.
