Bihar to get five new private universities to boost higher education enrolment

Patna: In a bid to increase the gross enrolment ratio in higher education and provide students with greater access to higher education, the Bihar government on Wednesday approved the establishment of five new private universities across various districts in the state, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister here.

"Approval has been granted for the establishment and operation of five new private universities in various districts of Bihar," Choudhary said in a post on X. The institutions are Shangza University in Madhubani, B G University at Daraudha in Siwan, S A University at Ashok Nagar in Nawada, Himalaya University in Patna and Seetyog University in Aurangabad, he said.

The establishment of private universities in the state will help increase the gross enrolment ratio in higher education and provide students with greater access to it, said the proposal from the state Higher Education department, which the Cabinet approved.

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Teacher transfer rules approved

The Cabinet also approved the Bihar State Teacher Transfer Rules, 2026, to regulate the transfer of teachers, head masters and principals from primary schools to higher secondary institutes across the state.

"After notification of the Rules, teachers will be transferred through a portal-based system. On humanitarian grounds such as health-related reasons, disability, spouse posting and family circumstances, teachers, especially female teachers, may be transferred from their home panchayat to a nearby panchayat within their block," according to the approved proposal.

Similarly, male teachers may be transferred from their home block to a nearby block within the district, it said. Teachers may also be posted in schools facing staff shortages as required, which will improve the teacher–student ratio. A balanced distribution of teachers will help schools conduct teaching activities more effectively.

The primary objective of the new rules is to make the transfer process fair, transparent and effective, while maintaining a balance between the welfare of teachers, the interests of students and the requirements of schools, said the proposal. Administrative approval was also granted for the construction of new court buildings in four districts — Bihar-Siwan, East Champaran, Begusarai and Nawada.

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Township, tourism projects cleared

The Cabinet also gave its nod to financial provision of Rs 1 lakh crore for the development of 11 greenfield satellite townships across the state and up to Rs 5,000 crore for sprucing up of tourism infrastructure in the state.

The path has been paved for arranging a long-term loan of Rs 1 lakh crore from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) for the Greenfield Satellite Township Project. Approval has been given to the State Government to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HUDCO.

The Cabinet approved funding of up to Rs 5,000 crore to the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation Limited from HUDCO and other financial institutions on the state government guarantee to strengthen tourism infrastructure. This amount will be used to develop star hotels, convention centres, roadside amenities, smart toilets, Wi-Fi zones, water ATMs, smart parking and connectivity of tourist places.

Further, to construct a modern integrated cultural, religious and tourism complex in Munger district to support tourism, the Cabinet approved the proposal for granting 15 acres and 1 decimal of land at Mouza Gazipur to Isha Foundation, Isha Yoga Centre, Velliangiri Foothills, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) for 99 years at a token value of Rs 1, the approved proposal said.

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AI, tourism initiatives approved

Tarapur in Munger district is historically and archaeologically significant. It is one of the principal centres of the Munger Shiva Circuit, situated on the path taken by the Kanwariyas. The Cabinet approved amendments to the Bihar Urban Planning and Development Rules, 2014 (as amended).

Under the new provision, the Divisional Commissioner will now be the ex officio chairman of the Planning Area Authority, and the District Magistrate will be the ex officio vice-chairman. The Cabinet also approved the constitution of a judicial inquiry commission to investigate the police encounter death of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in Bhojpur district.

The commission will be headed by a retired Patna High Court judge. Besides, the Cabinet approved a proposal for signing an MoU between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Directorate of Archaeology of the Bihar government for the conservation, restoration, development and maintenance of archaeological sites/monuments of national importance.

"This will facilitate the preservation and development of tourist amenities at archaeological sites and monuments of national importance", said the proposal of the Art and Culture department. To make Bihar a leading state in the field of AI and to develop an AI ecosystem, a decision has also been taken to sign an MoU between Microsoft Corporation India Private Limited and the Information Technology Department for the development of the Artificial Intelligence ecosystem in the state.