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At Budget Session, Governor Arif Khan lists Nitish govt’s priorities—from doubling employment, to focus on health, education

Addressing a joint session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Council, Khan listed government priorities outlined in seven resolutions, covering areas from doubling employment opportunities and strengthening industrial growth to pushing agricultural initiatives.

arif mohammad khanThe state has been receiving complete support from the central government for its development projects, Khan said. (File image)
Written by: Santosh Singh
3 min readPatnaFeb 2, 2026 07:21 PM IST First published on: Feb 2, 2026 at 07:21 PM IST

Creating one crore jobs, women’s empowerment, a focus on health and education, and better ease of living—these are the Bihar government’s major agenda for 2026-27, outlined by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan Monday.

Addressing a joint session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Council, Khan listed government priorities outlined in seven resolutions, covering areas from doubling employment opportunities and strengthening industrial growth to pushing agricultural initiatives. The speech came amid mild interruptions from the Opposition over the death of a medical aspirant found dead in her hostel room last month.

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The state has been receiving complete support from the central government for its development projects, Khan said. “Our state is continuously progressing. Development work is being carried forward at a rapid pace. More work will be done in the next five years, which will significantly advance Bihar, making it one of the most developed states in the country and making a significant contribution to the nation’s progress,” he said.

The police, he said, were taking action in cases of communal incidents in the state.

“Since 2006, the state government has initiated a plan to fence Muslim graveyards, including those in mixed-population areas and other sensitive areas. A large number of graveyards have been fenced. An atmosphere of peace and harmony now prevails in society,” he said, adding that since 2016, Hindu temples older than 60 years had also been fenced to prevent thefts.

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The government resolutions outline its policy on various aspects of governance for the next five years. The first, titled ‘Double Employment and Double Income’, covers the plan to generate employment. The second, ‘Prosperous Industry Strong Bihar’, lays special emphasis on establishing industries in the state over the next five years. The third focuses on agriculture. The fourth, ‘Advanced Education-Bright Future’, outlines plans to open model schools and degree colleges in every block of the state. The fifth, ‘Easy Health, Safe Life’, covers plans to open new healthcare facilities—from block-level community health centres to specialised district hospitals.

The sixth resolution, ‘Strong Foundation – Modern Expansion’, focuses on planned urban development, from pushing infrastructure projects such as expressways to special attention on tourism. The seventh, ‘Sabka Samman-Jeevan Aasan’, is an action plan to “make the lives of all citizens simple, safe and convenient through modern technology and sensitive administration”.

The session comes amid growing student protests over the death of the medical aspirant last month. The case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Opposition also held protests in the House at the start of the Assembly session.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who has hurt his legs, came to the Legislature in a wheelchair to attend the session.

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Exper... Read More

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