Nitish Kumar kicks off fourth phase of Samriddhi Yatra in Bihar

A day after securing victory in the Rajya Sabha election, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday embarked on a four-day tour, covering eight districts of the State, as part of the fourth leg of his Samriddhi Yatra, to review the development work and interact with the public.

He visited Bhagalpur and Banka where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 641 projects worth ₹1,151 crore.

While addressing a public meeting at Baijani Gram Panchayat in the Jagdishpur block of Bhagalpur district, Mr. Kumar asserted that ‘Rule of Law’ was established in the state ever since he formed government in Bihar.

He added that he has been continuously engaged in the development of Bihar and prior to 2005, the condition of Bihar was pathetic.

“Our government has set a target to provide jobs and employment to 1 crore youths over the next five years. From the very beginning, the government has worked for the development of all sections of society,” Mr. Kumar said.

He further said, “Whether Hindu or Muslim, Upper Caste, Backward, Extremely Backward, Dalit, or Mahadalit—work has been undertaken for everyone. We have also done significant work for the Muslim community.”

The Chief Minister made a special mention of the Agricultural Roadmap since 2008, pointing out that work has been carried out based on a structured Agricultural Roadmap, resulting in significant progress within the agricultural sector.

“The first roadmap was implemented from 2008 to 2012, the second from 2012 to 2017, and the third from 2017 to 2023; consequently, the production of food grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, meat, and fish has increased substantially. Fish production, in particular, has seen a two-and-a-half-fold increase, rendering Bihar self-reliant in this sector,” Mr. Kumar said.

He highlighted that farmers’ incomes have risen and currently, work is progressing rapidly on various schemes under the fourth Agricultural Roadmap (covering the period from 2024 to 2029).

Mr. Kumar stated that in order to address any gaps remaining in development works, he undertook a “Pragati Yatra” across all districts between December 2024 and February 2025.

Mr. Kumar informed that Bihar is receiving the full cooperation of the Central Government in its developmental projects.

“In the Union Budget of 2024, a significant financial allocation was announced for Bihar—in the form of special economic assistance—earmarked for sectors such as roads, industries, healthcare, tourism, and flood control,” Mr. Kumar said.

He added that now, the pace of development will be further accelerated due to cooperation from the Narendra Modi government.

The Chief Minister reiterated Bihar is continuously progressing and over the next five years, more developmental work will be undertaken.

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Water Resources Minister Shri Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and Industries Minister—who also serves as the Minister-in-Charge for Bhagalpur District Dilip Kumar Jaiswal were also present.

Samrat Choudhary said that Bhagalpur is being developed along the lines of a “Smart City.”

“Following the construction of the Marine Drive in Patna, a similar Marine Drive project is now being undertaken in Bhagalpur. Furthermore, four-lane roads are being constructed to connect Bhagalpur with Munger, and Banka, as well as to link Sultanganj with Deoghar,” Mr. Samrat said.

He noted that approximately ₹36,000 crore is being invested in the development of Bhagalpur.

In Katoria’s Banka district along with Mr. Kumar, the Deputy Chief Minister, said that currently it takes the residents of Banka between 10 and 12 hours to travel to Kolkata. However, with the construction of the Raxaul-Haldia Expressway—which passes through Banka — this journey will be completed in 5 to 6 hours.

He declared that within the next five years, no resident—whether from Banka or any other part of Bihar—will need to migrate outside the State in search of work.

Published – March 18, 2026 02:06 am IST