New jobs, sewerage projects, VAT cut on aviation fuel; Nitish Kumar Cabinet approves 47 Key proposals
The Bihar Cabinet approved the creation of 4,858 new posts across various government departments to improve administrative efficiency and public service delivery.
Among the major infrastructure decisions, a Rs 1,320 crore plan was approved for setting up a sewerage network project in Sasaram, Aurangabad, and Siwan.
In addition, a Rs 328 crore water supply scheme received clearance for Ara, Siwan, and Sasaram cities, aiming to boost urban utility services.
The cabinet also approved a new Bridge Maintenance Policy, which would ensure regular inspection, safety checks, and timely repairs of bridges across the state.
In a move expected to improve air connectivity, the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) in Bihar was reduced from 29 per cent to 4 per cent.
A proposal to build a dry dock in Dujra, Patna, was also approved. The facility will be used to repair aircraft, making it the first such unit in the region.
In a significant step towards women's empowerment, the cabinet decided that 'Jeevika Didis' (members of the state's women's self-help groups) would prepare clothes for children at Anganwadi centres.
The area of Phulwari Sharif, Danapur, and Khagol near the capital of Patna will be expanded, and many villages will become part of these cities.
Earlier, on Friday, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation of multiple development projects worth over Rs 48,520 crore. He was joined by CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Samrat Chowdhary.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the steps being taken by the Union Government towards Bihar's development. Nitish Kumar also praised the Union Government's step to conduct the caste enumeration process in the next population census.
'The development work that is being done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development of Bihar. He also announced assistance for Bihar in the budget. Whatever Bihar has received is a matter of pride. I salute the Centre for announcing the caste-based census. People from other parties were trying to create confusion ', Nitish Kumar said.
Nitish Kumar asserted that as soon as the NDA came to power in Bihar, they began to work for the development of the state. He added that his government has paid special attention towards the health sector and is working to connect every household with roads.
The Bihar CM stressed that many other developmental works, which include the construction of new houses and settlements, will be completed by June 2025.
A major highlight of the Prime Minister's visit to Bihar is the foundation stone laying for Stage-II (3x800 MW) of the Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project in Aurangabad district, valued at over Rs 29,930 crore.
The project is expected to significantly boost electricity generation, industrial development, and employment in the region.
PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone for key road infrastructure initiatives, including the four-laning of the Patna-Arrah-Sasaram section of NH-119A, six-laning of the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata highway (NH-319B), the Ramnagar-Kacchi Dargah stretch (NH-119D), and a new Ganga bridge between Buxar and Bharauli. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
23 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Big Headload Fell...": Railway Minister On What Led To Delhi Station Tragedy
New Delhi: A big headload that "fell from one of the passengers" led to the tragedy at New Delhi Railway Station that killed 18 people, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said today in response to a member's query. It resulted in the "tripping of passengers on the stairs", said the minister. In response to a query by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman in Rajya Sabha, Mr Vaishnaw shared details from the report by a high-level inquiry committee that was constituted to examine the circumstances leading to the "unfortunate incident". Mr Suman had asked the Railway Minister about the status of the report of the committee constituted to investigate the stampede and the corrective steps taken by the government. Eighteen people were killed and 15 were injured on February 15 at the New Delhi Railway Station, which witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj -- where the Maha Kumbh was underway at the time. In a post on X that night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "distressed by the stampede". However, in the Railway Minister's statement, there was no mention of the word "stampede". On the day of the tragedy, around 49,000 general tickets were sold at the railway stations, 13,000 more than the daily average, Mr Vaishnaw had informed the Lok Sabha in March. In his response today, the minister stated that sufficient crowd management measures were in place that day to manage the high number of passengers at the station. There was a "gradual increase of passenger density on the foot over bridge (FOB) after 8.15 pm", mentioned the written reply. "Many of the passengers were carrying big headloads, affecting smooth movement on the FOB. There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers, and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of platforms 14 and 15, resulting in the tripping of passengers on the stairs. This led to an incident at 8.48 pm on FOB-3," the minister said. "Consequently, passengers fell on each other," he said. Compensation of Rs 10 lakh was given to the families of each victim, Rs 2.5 lakh to those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh to those with simple injuries. "A total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members," Mr Vaishnaw said. To manage large crowds better, the railways have put new measures in place. These include permanent holding areas, access control for confirmed ticket holders at 73 stations, wider foot overbridges, CCTV cameras, and war rooms at major stations. The Maha Kumbh Mela, the 45-day event that ended in February, led to record ticket sales, emphasising the importance of solid crowd management during such events.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
25 minutes ago
- Business Standard
India's net GST revenue rises 1.7% to ₹1.68 trillion in July; refunds surge
India's net revenues from goods and services tax (GST) grew by a marginal 1.7 per cent in July to ₹1.68 trillion, thanks largely to a sharp spike in refunds even as gross collections from the indirect tax were up 7.5 per cent at almost ₹ 1.96 lakh crore. July's net GST kitty growth marks the slowest pace since last February from when disaggregated data on gross and net GST collections is available. In June, net GST revenues were up 3.3 per cent. Net revenues from domestic transactions, in fact, contracted 0.2 per cent in July, even though gross domestic revenues were up 6.7 per cent, as refunds for domestic transactions more than doubled to nearly ₹17,000 crore from under ₹8,000 crore in July 2024. GST refunds to exporters grew at a slower pace of 20 per cent and added up to a little over ₹10,000 crore, so net revenues from imports were up 7.5 per cent at ₹42,548 crore. Gross revenues from imports rose 9.7 per cent prior to refunds, to touch nearly ₹53,000 crore. 'Higher refunds on domestic supplies could be from excess tax payments, inverted duty structures, and other adjustments. The increased refunds should aid cash flows for businesses,' observed Abhishek Jain, indirect tax head and partner at KPMG. Sequentially, July's net GST collections, for transactions undertaken in June, were nearly 6 per cent higher than from ₹1.59 trillion reported in June. In May and April, the net GST receipts were registered at ₹1.73 trillion and ₹2.09 trillion respectively. In the first four months of financial year 2025-26, net GST revenues are up 8.4 per cent at ₹7.11 trillion, with domestic revenues rising 6.1 per cent to ₹5.6 trillion and import revenues surging 18.1 per cent to almost Rs. 1.51 trillion. Gross GST revenues, before effecting refunds, are up 10.7 per cent to ₹8.18 trillion, while refunds have risen 29 per cent to about ₹1.07 trillion. 'The growth in net monthly collection is only 1.7 per cent as against YTD (year-to-date) growth of 8.4 per cent, though partly attributed to significant increase in refunds,' said Pratik Jain, partner with Price Waterhouse & Co LLP. 'After a tepid growth in the previous month as well, the GST Council may like to discuss the possible measures to augment the revenues in the next meeting. With the GST Compensation Cess going away, the states may also be a bit more concerned about the slowdown in GST collections,' Jain remarked. MS Mani, partner at Deloitte India noted that though there has been a focus on domestic manufacturing and import substitution, the GST revenue numbers indicate that the gross GST domestic revenue risen only 9 per cent so far this year, while import revenues have risen 16 per cent. The spike in refunds augurs well for businesses as it signals quicker processing by the tax authorities, he said. Mani also pointed to the weak growth in revenues amongst large producing and consuming states — from 2 per cent for Delhi, 3 per cent for Gujarat, 4 per cent for Rajasthan, 6 per cent for Maharashtra, 7 per cent for Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, and 8 per cent for Tamil Nadu. The state-wise data shows smaller states and Union Territories like Tripura (41 per cent), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (31 per cent), and Meghalaya (26 per cent) posted over 25 per cent growth in July. , Uttar Pradesh (7 per cent) reported single digit growth. Mizoram, Manipur and Lakshdweep clocked contractions of 21 per cent, 36 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively, as did Jammu and Kashmir (-5 per cent), Chhatisgarh (-4 per cent), and Jharkhand (-3 per cent).
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP announces protest against govt in Mandi on Aug 6
Shimla: Himachal BJP president Dr Rajeev Bindal on Friday announced that the saffron party would stage a massive protest on August 6 at Mandi against the state govt's "repressive policies" and for registering "false cases" against its political opponents. He claimed that the Congress dispensation made it a routine to register cases and file chargesheets against anyone raising their voice against the govt. An FIR was registered against the BJP leaders in Sirmaur, besides filing cases against 72 disaster-hit people who lost their land and houses in the June 30 monsoon disaster in Thunag of Mandi district for the alleged disrespect to the national flag, said Bindal. The BJP leader also claimed that the state govt spent Rs 150 crore between 2022 and 2025 for the monsoon disaster. However, he added that the central govt released Rs 7,513 crore to the state besides providing MGNREGA funds. Bindal also slammed the state govt for the resumption of lottery sales. He said the BJP govt banned the sale of lottery tickets in 1999, but it was in 2004 that the Congress govt started it again. Though the sale of lottery was banned again in 2007, the Congress govt allowed lottery sales in a cabinet meeting on Thursday, he added. MSID:: 123046517 413 |
