The cabinet of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday approved proposals to create three new departments and change the names of three others, officials said.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Kumar on Tuesday. The newly created departments are the Youth, Employment and Skill Development Department, the Higher Education Department and the Civil Aviation Department, they said.
The CM had recently announced on X the state Government’s decision to create three new departments. “We have set a target to provide jobs to one crore youth in the next five years (2025-30). For this, it’s essential that more youth be trained for skill development. Instructions have been given to create three new departments: Youth, Employment and Skill Development Department, Higher Education Department, and Civil Aviation Department,” the CM had said. On the need for a dedicated Higher Education Department, Kumar had said its objective was to “bring about qualitative improvement in learning, promote research and innovation, develop technical and vocational education, and ensure that youth from all sections of society receive quality employment-oriented education”.
On the Civil Aviation Department, the CM had written: “All of you know that the construction of several new airports is underway in the State, and in the future, under the UDAN scheme, construction of many new airports has been proposed.
The creation of the Civil Aviation Department will accelerate this, enhance the industrial environment, create employment opportunities, and help in the export of products manufactured in the State.”
The cabinet also approved the proposal to change the names of three departments. The Animal and Fisheries Resource Department was renamed as Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department; the Labour Resources Department as Labour Resources and Overseas Workers Welfare Department, and Art, Culture and Youth Department as Art and Culture Department, the officials added. Speaking to reporters, Additional Chief Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said that an increase in dearness allowance, from 252 per cent to 257 per cent, has been approved for Bihar Government employees and pensioners receiving wages or pensions under the Sixth Pay Commission, with effect from July 1, 2025.
Similarly, DA will be increased for employees and pensioners receiving remuneration under the Fifth Pay Commission from 466 per cent to 474 per cent with effect from July 1, 2025, he added. According to an official statement, approval for several MoUs has been granted, which include an MoU for the facilitation of funds under the National Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIFL) to assist various projects of the State Government, and an MoU with the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSEIL), Mumbai, to conduct a student skilling programme for Bihar’s youth to empower them, among others. Chaudhary said that approval was granted to declare Gaya and Munger as “civil defence districts”. The cabinet approved the renaming of the Directorate of Technical Development, which falls under the Industries Department, as the Directorate of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The official said that the Directorate of Mines and Geology will be reorganised into two directorates -- the Directorate of Mines and the Directorate of Exploration.
“The Directorate of Mines will further be reorganised into two sub-directorates, namely the Sub-Directorate of Mining and the Sub-Directorate of Safety,” he said. Approval was granted for the proposal to constitute the Bihar Electronic Warrant (Issuance, Service, and Execution) Rules, 2025, under Section 64(1) and Section 530(i) of the BNSS. Approval was also granted to the proposal for the Bihar e-Evidence Management Rules, 2025, to promote digital unification under the Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) in line with the relevant provisions of BNSS.
