Bihar cabinet approves establishment of Patna's first tech park, expects 5,000 jobs

PATNA: The Bihar cabinet on Monday approved a memorandum of understanding with NBCC (India) Ltd to establish the state's first technology park in Patna's Gardanibagh, expecting the project to attract investments from 100 firms and create over 5,000 direct jobs, an official statement said.

According to the statement issued by the Information Technology Department, the cabinet helmed by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary approved the selection of NBCC on a nomination basis under the Bihar Finance (Amendment) Rules and authorised the signing of the MoU.

The tech park aims to strengthen the state's information technology (IT), IT-enabled services (ITES), and electronic systems design and manufacturing (ESDM) sectors.

It will be developed under the Bihar IT Policy, 2024, and the Bihar Global Competence Centres (GCC) Policy, 2026, with the objective of attracting investment and creating employment opportunities for local youth.

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The cabinet also approved a revised outlay of Rs 225 crore for acquiring 49.9973 acres for a logistics park and cargo hub near Darbhanga International Airport, up from the earlier Rs 138 crore, due to an increase in land compensation costs.

The project is expected to facilitate the air transport of agricultural produce from Mithila and north Bihar to markets across the country, providing farmers with wider market access.

The cabinet further approved the Rural Road Maintenance and Management Programme (RRRMP) to ensure regular repair, renewal and maintenance of rural roads that have completed or are nearing the end of their initial five-year maintenance period.

It also approved steps to expand the Information Technology Department's reach to regional and district levels under the Bihar Information Technology Subordinate Services Rules.

The move aims to strengthen the implementation, monitoring and coordination of government IT projects and address technical requirements at the divisional, district and block levels, accelerating the digitisation of public services, it added.