Bihar

Patna · East

New government (BJP) — sworn in April 2026. Figures and findings below may span the previous administration.

Chief Minister

BJP · in office since April 2026

Declared figures from the ECI election affidavit (—), via MyNeta/ADR — as declared, not verified. Bars are the original publisher's 0–100 mappings (education mapping; legal: 100 − serious×18 − other×10) — theirs, not ours.

Accountability ratings — by the original publisher

These 0–100 ratings are the original publisher's own, quoted here with their methodology. Audit India computes no score — the same way we carry UNDP's HDI as UNDP's number.

Transparency

28/ 100

the original publisher

How the original publisher computed this ▸

Bihar's RTI compliance is among India's worst — district RTI forums report 60-70% requests going unanswered. Score is the 2nd lowest after WB (32), reflecting the depth of structural opacity in programme delivery.

Officials' Legal Integrity

81/ 100

the original publisher

How the original publisher computed this ▸

2 unique officials counted (Governor excluded; full April 2026 Samrat Choudhary cabinet pending). Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav: 0 cases → 100; CM Samrat Choudhary: 3 cases/1 serious → 62. Average: (100+62) ÷ 2 = 81. Score will be revised upward or downward once the full cabinet sworn-in list is confirmed — if the new ministry retains clean-record BJP members the score is likely 85+; if it includes high-case-count ministers it could fall further.

Governance

38/ 100

the original publisher

How the original publisher computed this ▸

Composite: indicators avg (32/100) × 50% + Transparency (28/100) × 25% + Integrity (81/100) × 25% = 16 + 7 + 20.25 = 43.25; adjusted down to 38 to reflect: (1) Bihar's IMR of 42 per 1,000 — 2nd worst in India — in a state governed continuously by NDA for 20 years, representing a governance failure of accumulation; (2) MGNREGS 3.2% guarantee — the worst in India — in the state most dependent on the scheme during lean agricultural months; (3) systemic flood-mismanagement: embankment maintenance failures on Kosi, Gandak and Bagmati rivers cause annual displacement of 10-20 lakh people, yet embankment maintenance budget is chronically under-spent.

Indicators

The 0–100 rings are the original publisher's category scores, in their colour bands — theirs, not ours.

These statistics were carried over from the original publisher, which produced them with a language model rather than compiling them from the publications named beside them. We removed 38 whose figures were absent from the source they credit, and confirmed 45 against theirs. The rest name a publication we have not been able to check them against — read them as the original publisher's figures, not as verified fact.

EconomyGSDP ~₹8 lakh crore; per-capita ~₹60,000 — 2nd lowest in India; migration economy with 90 lakh seasonal workers abroad5 figures

GSDP 2024-25 (advance estimate): ~₹8 lakh crore; Bihar is India's 12th-largest state economy despite being the 3rd most populous state (13.1 crore). Per-capita GSDP of ~₹60,000 is the 2nd lowest in India after Manipur — less than one-third of the national average. The economy is driven by agriculture (~28% of GSDP), government services (~22%), and construction/remittances. Bihar has no significant industrial base — the post-1947 decision to keep industries in Jharkhand (which was carved out of Bihar in 2000) left the rump Bihar state economically hollowed out.; Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25; MoSPI State-wise NAS 2024-25
Per-capita NSDP (2023-24): ~₹60,000 — 2nd lowest nationally; Bihar's per-capita income is the 2nd lowest in India — approximately 31% of the national average of ₹1.93 lakh. The GDP figures understate the actual poverty: Bihar's informal economy (farm labour, rural petty trade, small-scale artisan work) is estimated to be 40% below the GSDP figure in real welfare terms. Consumption expenditure surveys (HCES 2022-23) place Bihar's rural household monthly per-capita consumption at ₹2,900 — the lowest of any major state.; Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25; NSSO HCES 2022-23; MoSPI
Remittance economy — migrant workers: ~90 lakh Bihari workers in other states; remittances ~₹35,000–40,000 crore/year; Bihar is India's largest source of seasonal migrant labour — approximately 90 lakh Bihari workers are employed in other states (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat) at any given time. Remittances of ₹35,000-40,000 crore per year are the single largest non-government income source for Bihar's rural households, exceeding the state's own agriculture GDP. The COVID-19 reverse migration of 2020 (40+ lakh migrants returned in April-May 2020) exposed the extreme vulnerability of this economic model — Bihar's rural consumption collapsed immediately, and MGNREGS demand spiked to unprecedented levels.; Economic Survey of India 2023-24 (Remittance chapter); Bihar Migration Survey, IIM Ahmedabad 2023
Agriculture — Kosi-Gandak flood plains: 28% of GSDP; paddy, wheat, maize; but annual floods destroy 10-15% of standing crop; Bihar's agriculture is disproportionately affected by annual flooding. The 5 major river systems (Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Budhi Gandak) overflow every year in North Bihar — affecting approximately 6.8 million hectares of agricultural land. The Kosi, called "Bihar's sorrow," has changed its course by 150 km over 250 years and floods a different geography each year, making permanent flood-protection infrastructure impractical. Annual crop losses are estimated at 10-15% of production in affected districts, directly depressing farm incomes and GSDP.; Bihar Agriculture Department Annual Report 2023-24; BSDMA Bihar Flood Management Report 2023
Industrial investment — lack thereof: Bihar receives <0.5% of India's total FDI — lowest among large states; Bihar attracted only ~₹4,200 crore in investment proposals at the Bihar Business Connect Summit 2023 — against Rajasthan (₹5.8 lakh crore), Gujarat (₹33 lakh crore) and Tamil Nadu. The structural barriers are well-documented: power supply reliability (AT&C losses ~40%), poor road connectivity in north Bihar, lack of skilled industrial labour (high illiteracy), and law-and-order concerns in specific districts (Nawada, Bhojpur historically). The Patna-Gaya expressway and the Darbhanga Airport expansion are early infrastructure signals, but industrial transformation remains a decade away.; DPIIT FDI Statistics 2023-24; Bihar Industrial Investment Authority 2023

EducationLiteracy 70.9%; ASER reading outcomes among India's worst; 72,000+ single-teacher schools; massive teacher vacancy5 figures

Literacy rate (Census 2011): 70.9% (male 79.7%, female 53.3%); Bihar's female literacy of 53.3% is the 4th lowest in India (after Rajasthan, MP and AP). The 26.4-point gender gap reflects the intersection of poverty, early marriage and cultural norms that deprioritise girls' education in rural Bihar. Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj and Sitamarhi — districts with strong OBC and EBC populations — have female literacy below 50%. The improvement from 33.1% female literacy in 2001 to 53.3% in 2011 is real progress, but the base is still dismal.; Census of India 2011; Office of the Registrar General
ASER 2023 — Grade 5 reading outcomes: 40.8% of Std V rural children can read a Std II text; Bihar's Grade 5 reading outcome of 40.8% is the 4th lowest in India — a profound learning failure in a state where enrolment is near-universal (98.6% Grades 1-8). The gap between enrolment and learning is India's widest: nearly every child in Bihar goes to school, but 60% cannot read basic text at Grade 5. The single largest driver is teacher absence — Bihar has a documented teacher attendance rate of about 60% reported in rural government schools, directly suppressing learning outcomes.; ASER 2023 (Annual Status of Education Report), Pratham
Single-teacher schools (UDISE+ 2022-23): ~34,000 schools with only 1 teacher for all classes; Bihar has the highest count of single-teacher schools in India — approximately 34,000 government primary schools where one teacher is responsible for teaching 5 grades simultaneously. This is partly a consequence of Bihar's large number of small Tola (hamlet)-level schools and partly a failure of teacher posting policy. Single-teacher schools produce systematically worse outcomes: when the teacher is absent, the school is closed; there is no peer oversight of teacher presence; and multi-grade teaching quality is necessarily poor.; UDISE+ 2022-23; Bihar Education Project (BEP) Annual Report 2023
Teacher vacancy and absenteeism: ~16% vacancy; ~38% de facto absenteeism rate in rural schools; Bihar's formal teacher vacancy rate of 16% (from UDISE+ 2022-23) understates the crisis. The "de facto absenteeism" rate — teachers on rolls but not present at school on a given day — is approximately 38% in rural Bihar, per DISE surveys and independent audits by Accountability Initiative (PAISA reports). The 2006 "niyojit shikshak" (Panchayat-employed teacher) scheme created a two-tier system: regular teachers (higher salary, worse attendance) and contract teachers (lower salary, better attendance but less trained) — creating a perverse incentive structure.; DISE Bihar 2022-23; Accountability Initiative PAISA Bihar Reports 2023; ASER 2023
Mid-day meal coverage and quality: 97.8% schools providing MDM; but protein-calorie adequacy a concern; Bihar's Mukhyamantri Bhojan Yojana (MDM at state level) covers 97.8% of government schools — one of India's best coverage rates. The programme provides a crucial supplementary nutrition input for Bihar's severely food-insecure rural children. However, protein adequacy (egg/milk/pulse provision) is a recurring challenge — Bihar's predominantly vegetarian menu and supply chain irregularities mean protein components are unavailable in 35-40% of schools on any given day.; MoE Mid-Day Meal Annual Report 2022-23; Bihar Education Department MDM Status Report

Employment~90 lakh seasonal migrants; MGNREGS 100-day guarantee met for only 3.2% of households; rural unemployment ~12% in lean months4 figures

Unemployment rate (PLFS 2023-24): 4.2% official; ~12% in lean agricultural season (May–June); Bihar's official PLFS unemployment rate of 4.2% understates the employment crisis because the PLFS counts anyone working even one hour per week as employed. In reality, Bihar's rural economy is characterised by chronic underemployment — most agricultural workers are employed for only 4-6 months per year (kharif and rabi seasons) and are functionally unemployed for the remaining period. The seasonal peak unemployment (April-July) drives the 90 lakh migration to other states.; PLFS 2023-24, MoSPI; Bihar Labour Department Annual Report 2023
Seasonal migration — economic profile: ~90 lakh workers seasonally absent from Bihar's villages; Bihar is India's largest seasonal migration exporting state. Migratory workers are predominantly male, aged 18-40, from the OBC/EBC communities (Yadav, Kurmi, Koiri) of North and Central Bihar. They work in construction (National Capital Region, Mumbai MMR), sugarcane harvesting (Punjab, Haryana, UP), industrial labour (Surat, Ludhiana, Tiruppur garment factories) and domestic service (Delhi, Bengaluru). The 2020 COVID lockdown exposed the structural risk: in 2 days after the March 24 lockdown announcement, ~40 lakh workers began walking home, causing one of independent India's largest humanitarian crises.; Bihar Labour Department Migration Study 2022; IIM Ahmedabad Bihar Migration Survey 2023
MGNREGS employment — the 100-day guarantee: 3.2% of households received 100 days — worst in India; Bihar's MGNREGS failure is the most severe in India — only 3.2% of demanding households received the 100-day statutory entitlement in 2023-24. Average employment per household was only 22 days — less than one-quarter of the guarantee. This means MGNREGS in Bihar functions primarily as a partial drought-relief mechanism, not as the structural poverty safety net the MGNREGA Act envisioned. The No audited figure on irregular payments is carried here — ironic in a state where legitimate workers cannot access their entitlement.; MIS mgnregs.nic.in 2023-24
Formal sector employment (EPF registrations): ~14 lakh active EPF contributors — lowest per-capita of any large state; Bihar has only ~14 lakh EPFO-active workers — approximately 1.1% of its population — the lowest formal employment ratio of any large state. The state has no major manufacturing hub; Barauni (HPCL refinery), Muzaffarpur (thermal power), and Patna (government/trade) are the only significant formal employment concentrations. This means 98.9% of Bihar's working population is outside formal social security — with no PF, no ESI, and no formal job protection.; EPFO Annual Report 2023-24; Bihar Industries Department

HealthIMR 42 per 1,000 — 2nd worst in India; stunting 42.9% — highest large state; AES kills children annually in Muzaffarpur5 figures

Infant Mortality Rate (SRS 2022): 42 per 1,000 live births — 2nd highest in India; Bihar's IMR of 42 is the 2nd worst in India after Madhya Pradesh. This means 42 of every 1,000 children born in Bihar die before completing their first year of life — against the national average of 27 and Kerala's rate of 4. Bihar's IMR is nearly the same as India's national IMR in 1991 (80 per 1,000) — indicating 30 years of nationally visible under-investment in Bihar's rural health system. The worst districts (Sheohar 56, Sitamarhi 54, Madhepura 52) are all in the flood-affected North Bihar belt.; SRS Bulletin 2022, Registrar General of India; NFHS-5 Bihar Factsheet
Child stunting (under-5, NFHS-5): 42.9% — highest among large states; More than 2 in 5 children under 5 in Bihar are stunted — the highest rate among India's large states and comparable to some sub-Saharan African countries. Stunting represents chronic undernutrition over years — reflecting Bihar's triple burden of poverty, maternal undernutrition (anaemia rate 63.5%), and poor ICDS/Poshan Abhiyaan delivery. Child stunting has permanent consequences: stunted children have lower cognitive development, lower lifetime earnings, and higher chronic disease risk — creating a multi-generational poverty trap.; NFHS-5 (2019-21) Bihar State Factsheet, MoHFW / IIPS
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES/Chamki Bukhar) — Muzaffarpur: 100-150+ deaths annually; peak June–July; 3,500+ deaths since 2000; Bihar's most distinctive public health crisis is Acute Encephalitis Syndrome — locally called "Chamki Bukhar" — which kills 100-150 children in the June-July period every year in Muzaffarpur and adjacent districts. The cause is now established: hypoglycaemic encephalopathy triggered by Lychee (Litchi chinensis) seed toxin (MCPG) in malnourished children who eat unripe litchis on an empty stomach. The 2019 outbreak killed 153 children. Despite declared interventions (awareness campaigns, emergency glucose administration protocols), the annual toll has not been eliminated — reflecting Bihar's inability to address the underlying malnutrition crisis and poor primary health infrastructure.; Lancet Global Health (Spencer et al. 2019); ICMR-NIMHANS AES Surveillance 2023; Bihar Health Department
Anaemia in women aged 15-49 (NFHS-5): 63.5% — 4th highest in India; Nearly two-thirds of reproductive-age women in Bihar are anaemic. Bihar's rice-dominant diet, high cereal-to-protein ratio, short inter-pregnancy intervals (total fertility rate 3.0 — India's 3rd highest), and low dietary diversity perpetuate anaemia across generations. The IFA distribution rate under NHM Bihar is ~52% — below the national average — and compliance among pregnant women is further reduced by side effects. Maternal anaemia is the single largest preventable driver of Bihar's IMR.; NFHS-5 (2019-21) Bihar State Factsheet; National Iron Plus Initiative Progress Report 2023
ANM vacancy at Sub-Health Centres: 57% — highest in India; Sub-Health Centres are the first formal health contact for 70% of Bihar's rural population — and 57% of ANM positions at sub-health centres were reported vacant. This means that in a majority of Bihar's 9,735 sub-health centres, there is no formal health worker. ASHA workers (community health volunteers) fill this vacuum partially, but their incentive payment delays (4.2 months average) mean many ASHAs have effectively stopped active work. This creates a perverse situation: Bihar spends NHM money on a system that structurally cannot function.; no source recorded

SafetyHigh kidnapping, rising crime; flood-related annual displacement of 10-20 lakh people; AES/Chamki Bukhar a recurring child safety failure4 figures

Total IPC cognizable crimes per lakh (NCRB 2022): ~236 per lakh; Bihar reported ~30,900 cognizable crimes in 2022 — below average per lakh but significantly under-reported given the state's weak FIR registration (police stations in rural Bihar cover 300-500 sq km each). Kidnapping cases in Bihar are among India's highest per lakh — a reflection of both criminal incidents and the use of "kidnapping" charges in property and political disputes. Murder rate (4.8 per lakh) is above the national average of 2.8.; NCRB Crime in India 2022; Bihar Police Annual Report 2022
Kidnapping cases per lakh (NCRB 2022): 7.2 per lakh — highest among large states; Bihar's kidnapping rate of 7.2 per lakh is the highest among large states. While "kidnapping for ransom" of business figures in Bhojpur and Nawada belts was a defining feature of Bihar's pre-2005 lawlessness (the "jungle raj" era under Lalu Prasad Yadav), contemporary kidnapping cases include a significant proportion of "elopement" cases registered by families as kidnapping, child abduction by relatives in custody disputes, and trafficking disguised as kidnapping. The absolute volume remains high and is a deterrent to business investment.; NCRB Crime in India 2022
Annual flood displacement (NDMA/BSDMA 2023): ~10-20 lakh people displaced annually; 76 lakh affected in worst years; Bihar experiences India's most severe and predictable annual flooding. The Kosi river, the Gandak, the Bagmati and the Budhi Gandak overflow every monsoon — affecting the same low-lying districts (Supaul, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Madhepura, Saharsa) year after year. 76 lakh people were affected in 2019 (Kosi floods). Embankment maintenance — the primary flood management tool — is chronically under-funded: the 3,500 km of embankments in Bihar require ₹800+ crore annual maintenance against a typical budget allocation of ₹200-300 crore.; NDMA Annual Report 2023; Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) Flood Report 2023
Road accident fatalities (MoRTH 2022): ~8,236 deaths; Bihar's road safety situation is worsening — fatalities grew 14% between 2018 and 2022. The NH-19 (Patna–Delhi), NH-31 (Patna–Muzaffarpur) and NH-28 (Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur) are Bihar's most dangerous highway stretches. Two-wheeler fatalities account for 46% of deaths — one of the highest two-wheeler death shares in any state — reflecting the extreme dependence on two-wheelers for rural connectivity and near-zero helmet compliance outside Patna.; MoRTH Road Accidents in India 2022; Bihar Road Safety Authority

EnvironmentPerennial flooding shapes the ecology; Ganga bears Bihar's untreated sewage; arsenic in 18 districts — India's largest arsenic crisis4 figures

Forest cover (ISFR 2023): 7,627 sq km — 8.08% of state area; Bihar's forest cover is limited partly by its flat alluvial geography (Gangetic plain) and partly by historical deforestation for agriculture. The main forest patches are in Valmiki National Park (West Champaran — India's only tiger reserve in the Terai-Arc Landscape sharing a border with Nepal), Rajgir Hills (Nalanda), and Kaimur Plateau (Rohtas). The state gained 9 sq km of forest cover between 2021 and 2023 (ISFR 2023) — marginal but positive. River belt afforestation is the primary ongoing programme.; India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, Forest Survey of India
Groundwater arsenic contamination: 18 districts above WHO limit; 3.2 crore people potentially exposed; Bihar has India's largest arsenic contamination crisis — 18 of 38 districts have groundwater arsenic above the WHO guideline of 10 µg/L, affecting an estimated 3.2 crore people. The contamination is geogenic — arsenic leaches naturally from Himalayan sediments deposited in the Ganga alluvial plain. Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai and Bhagalpur have the highest concentrations. Reports indicate that some districts receive piped water drawn from arsenic-contaminated aquifers — replacing no water with toxic water. Long-term arsenic exposure causes skin lesions, neuropathy, bladder cancer and death.; CGWB Groundwater Quality Report 2023; UNICEF Bihar Arsenic Assessment 2022
Ganga river pollution in Bihar: Patna segment BOD: 12× permissible limit; 65 drains entering untreated; The Ganga as it enters Bihar from UP is already highly polluted; Bihar's contribution adds approximately 65 open drains discharging untreated sewage into the river at Patna, Bhagalpur, Hajipur and Munger. Patna's Beur and Khagaul STPs can treat only 30% of the city's sewage volume. The Namami Gange programme has invested ~₹3,200 crore in Bihar — with Patna's STP capacity expansion the primary project — but operational effectiveness is limited by power supply interruptions and inadequate sewer network connectivity.; NMCG Ganga Status Report 2024; BSPCB Annual Water Quality Report 2023
Renewable energy installed capacity (2024): ~3.9 GW (solar dominant, very limited wind); Bihar has very limited renewable energy generation relative to its population of 13.1 crore. Solar accounts for ~3.7 GW (primarily rooftop and distributed solar, plus the Banka and Muzaffarpur solar parks), with minimal wind due to Bihar's low-wind topography. BSPHCL (Bihar State Power Holding Company) has AT&C losses of ~42% — among India's highest — making renewable integration financially challenging. Bihar receives ~18 hours of electricity in rural areas, with unannounced outages during summer peak demand (June-July) coinciding with the Chamki Bukhar season.; MNRE Installed Capacity State-wise 2024; BSPHCL Annual Report 2023-24

Office-holders

Figures below are as declared by each individual in their own ECI or Rajya Sabha affidavit. We report them; we do not score them. The small bars under education are the original publisher's 0–100 mapping of the declared qualification — their construct, not a measurement of ours.

Name	Office	Party · since	Declared cases	Declared qualification	Affidavit
SCSamrat Choudhary	Chief Minister	BJP· April 2026	—	—	—
AMArif Mohammed Khan	Governor	—	—	—	—
NKNand Kishore Yadav	Speaker, Bihar Legislative Assembly	BJP· 2020	1	12th Pass	2020

What the CAG found in this state (2)

Findings from CAG audit reports on schemes as they ran in this state, quoted with their report references. We add no grade of our own.

Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal — Piped Drinking Water, BiharReport No. 6 of 2025 (Performance Audit) · 2025
Whether reported household coverage matches what was delivered, 2017-23
Bihar reported that 98.70 per cent of targeted rural households had been covered by March 2023. The Jal Jeevan Mission's own dashboard showed 95.71 per cent as late as November 2025 — the reported figure was inflated. In urban areas the department reported 94 per cent coverage against a target of 100 per cent by March 2020.
What the audit measured
Baseline surveys were missing or inadequate, so the estimates the targeting rested on were unreliable. The public health engineering department could not cover 11.22 lakh households across 46,633 rural wards, including 8.07 lakh households in wards with contaminated water. Bihar's dependence on groundwater is the reason the scheme exists: 28 of 38 districts have arsenic, fluoride or iron contamination, and at the 2011 Census only 2.60 per cent of rural households had a tap. Between 2017-18 and 2022-23 the three implementing departments allocated ₹30,500.92 crore to the scheme.
Click to see CAG report ↗
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY — BiharReport No. 4 of 2025 (Performance Audit) · 2025
Verification of eligible beneficiaries against the state's own target, 2018-24
Bihar was to cover 1.21 crore poor and vulnerable households — 6.18 crore people — under Ayushman Bharat. By March 2024, five and a half years after the scheme launched, only 2.56 crore beneficiaries had been verified: 41 per cent. The audit attributes this mainly to a contract that was never executed.
What the audit measured
Closing balances of between ₹53.58 crore and ₹159.53 crore sat unspent through 2018-19 to 2023-24. Spending on information, education and communication and on IT infrastructure was significantly below what was needed, which the audit links directly to poor awareness among beneficiaries and to the low verification rate.
Click to see CAG report ↗

Election promises

The promises and their delivery status come from the original publisher and are their assessment, not ours. They cite a party's homepage rather than a manifesto, so what was promised cannot be checked from the citation given. Audit India has verified neither the wording nor the status.

Where a CAG finding is quoted below, its figures have been checked against the report cited. Thirty-seven were withdrawn because the report they named does not exist or is a search page.

NDA · 2020NDA Bihar Election Manifesto 2020 — Saat Nischay Part 23✓7~4✗◌ graded, evidence not yet sourced14 promises

Employment

Create 19 lakh new jobs in Bihar within 5 years via industry and recruitment
Partly delivered
Bihar government claims 9.5 lakh jobs created/facilitated by 2024 via public recruitment and industry schemes. BPSC, BSSC and district recruitment filled ~1.8 lakh government posts including the mega 1.20 lakh teacher recruitment (2023). Formal private-sector job growth in Bihar remains very limited due to underdeveloped industrial base.

Utilities & Infrastructure

Piped clean drinking water to every rural Bihar household under Jal Jeevan Mission
Partly delivered
Bihar JJM: 96.3% rural households have tap connections as of 2025 — one of the faster state implementations. However Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC — 55 lpcd supply for 9+ months/year) is only ~72%, as supply continuity is inconsistent in many blocks. Infrastructure is laid but operational performance lags.
CAG's 2025 performance audit of Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal (Report No. 6 of 2025) found the reported rural coverage inflated — 98.70 per cent claimed as of March 2023 against 95.71 per cent on the mission's own dashboard in November 2025 — and 11.22 lakh households across 46,633 rural wards left uncovered, including 8.07 lakh in wards with contaminated water. Bihar's underlying problem is its groundwater: 28 of its 38 districts carry arsenic, fluoride or iron contamination.
24×7 electricity to all Bihar households under Har Ghar Bijli Lagatar
Partly delivered
Bihar achieved near-universal electrification (~99% households). However 24×7 supply quality is poor: BSPHCL AT&C losses ~42% (India's highest); rural areas get 12-18 hours; urban 20-22 hours. Load-shedding of 6-8 hours/day is common in interior districts during summer peak. 24×7 target not achieved.
Expand NH and state highways: four-lane key corridors connecting all major cities
Partly delivered
Patna Ring Road (90 km), NH-31 (Patna–Muzaffarpur) and Bihar sections of NH-19 substantially expanded during 2020-25. Connectivity improved markedly. However multiple stretches remain two-lane with pending land disputes; annual flooding destroys road infrastructure in North Bihar requiring repeated repair cycles.

Education & Skill Development

Recruit 1 lakh permanent teachers for Bihar government schools
Partly delivered
BPSC Teacher Recruitment 2023 selected 1.20 lakh teachers — Bihar's largest single recruitment. However ~30% had not reported to duty stations by 2025 due to posting delays and verification issues. Earlier niyojit (contractual) teacher regularisation remains pending.
Student Credit Card: ₹4 lakh loan for higher education (continue and expand)
Delivered
Bihar Student Credit Card (₹4 lakh at 4%) — launched 2016 under Saat Nischay-1 — continued and expanded in NDA-2 term. 4.5 lakh students benefited by 2025. Recovery rate is low (~35%) raising fiscal sustainability concerns. One of Bihar's most recognisable social-sector achievements.

Rural Employment

Ensure 100 days of MGNREGS employment to all demanding rural households in Bihar
Not delivered
Bihar is India's most MGNREGS-dependent state with 2.18 crore job-card holders. The 100-day statutory guarantee was delivered to only 3.2% of demanding households in 2023-24 — the worst fulfilment rate among all large states. Average employment: 22 days per household. Wage payment delays averaged 74 days against the 15-day statutory limit. Structural barriers: fake muster rolls, ghost beneficiaries, and contractor-controlled works undermine the demand-driven model.

Rural Housing

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin: complete all 34.6 lakh sanctioned houses for Bihar's rural poor
Partly delivered
Bihar has the highest PMAY-G backlog in India. 45% of sanctioned houses remain incomplete after the 3-year deadline. 12.4 lakh Awaas-Plus survey-identified eligible households have no sanction at all. Progress is hampered by annual flooding (especially in North Bihar's Kosi-Gandak zone) which renders completed houses repeatedly uninhabitable, and by systemic local-level corruption in fund release.

Healthcare

Reduce Bihar's IMR and MMR to national average; eliminate Acute Encephalitis Syndrome deaths in Muzaffarpur
Not delivered
Bihar's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 42/1,000 remains the 2nd worst in India. The National average is 28. AES (Chamki Bukhar) killed 150+ children in Muzaffarpur in 2019 and recurs every pre-monsoon season. Despite dedicated AES-control budgets, the 2024 season saw 35+ deaths — the structural causes (malnutrition, hypoglycaemia from lychee toxin, lack of paediatric ICUs) remain unaddressed. ANM vacancy at sub-health centres stands at 57% — highest in India.

Women Empowerment

Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana: expand financial incentives for girls from birth to graduation
Delivered
Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana expanded in 2020-25 term: total lifetime benefit per girl raised to ₹54,100 (₹2,000 at birth for girls in BPL families, ₹1,000 for immunisation milestones, ₹2,000 at age 1-2, uniform support at secondary level, ₹25,000 at graduation). Over 1.5 crore girl students benefited from graduation-level grants alone by 2025. DBT to Aadhaar-linked accounts reduces leakage. Bihar has one of India's most comprehensive girl-child incentive frameworks — widely credited with improving girl enrolment and reducing child marriage rates.

Flood Management & Disaster Resilience

Strengthen embankments on Kosi, Gandak and Bagmati rivers; end annual flood devastation in North Bihar
Not delivered
Bihar is India's most flood-prone state — 73% of North Bihar's area is flood-affected annually. The Kosi ('Sorrow of Bihar') — which changed course in 2008 (Kosi avulsion), displacing 35 lakh people in a single event — continues to threaten 5 districts. The NDA government's Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali mission allocated ₹24,524 crore for water and climate resilience including embankment strengthening. Despite this, the 2024 monsoon flood damaged 5.4 lakh houses and killed 48 people across Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Supaul and Madhubani. 28% of GPS- monitored embankment sections showed seepage indicating impending breach; ₹1,850 crore in flood- relief funds disbursed with irregular documentation. The structural cause — Nepal-origin rivers carrying sediment and raised river beds — cannot be resolved without bilateral treaties with Nepal on the Gandak and Kosi barrages.
28% of GPS-monitored embankment sections showed seepage indicating impending breach; ₹1,850 crore flood-relief disbursed with irregular documentation; 2024 monsoon flood caused structural damage across 5.4 lakh houses despite embankment repairs funded in 2022-24.

Caste Survey & Social Justice

Conduct a comprehensive Bihar caste survey to enable evidence-based reservation and welfare policy
Delivered
Bihar Caste Survey 2023 — conducted by the Nitish Kumar government — was India's first state-level comprehensive caste census since Independence. Released October 2, 2023: population 13.07 crore; OBC + EBC: 63% of Bihar's population; SC: 19.65%; ST: 1.68%; general (Upper castes): 15.52%. The survey was challenged by GoI (which refused a National Caste Census) and several parties. Patna HC dismissed the challenge. The survey's findings became the evidentiary basis for Bihar's proposal to raise OBC reservation from 27% to 65% — later struck down by the Patna HC as exceeding the 50% Supreme Court ceiling. The caste survey data is now the most cited political document in Bihar — underpinning all welfare, reservation and employment debates.

Political Context — Nitish's Alliance Shifts

Form a stable, development-oriented government for the full 5-year term
Partly delivered
Nitish Kumar's 2020-25 NDA government was defined as much by its policy performance as by dramatic mid-term alliance shifts. August 9, 2022: Nitish broke with BJP, dissolved the NDA government, and formed the Mahagathbandhan (INC + RJD + JD-U) with Tejashwi Yadav as Deputy CM. Bihar became part of the INDIA opposition bloc. January 28, 2024: Nitish Kumar performed his most dramatic reversal — broke with the Mahagathbandhan and rejoined NDA — with PM Modi and Amit Shah welcoming him back. He was sworn in as CM for the 9th time (a record). Nitish is now again Deputy PM-equivalent partner of BJP in the Union government, with JD(U) holding 12 Lok Sabha seats and Bihar getting the Rail Ministry. Bihar governance was disrupted by these transitions; 14 months of Mahagathbandhan rule (2022-2024) inserted mid-term policy discontinuity.

Special Category Status Demand

Secure Special Category Status for Bihar from the Centre to unlock additional grants and devolution
Not delivered
Bihar's demand for Special Category Status (SCS) — which would give it 90% Central funding for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (vs 60% under normal devolution) — has been a political cornerstone since 2009. All Bihar parties — JD(U), RJD, BJP locally — support it in state politics, even while their national partners oppose it. The 14th and 15th Finance Commissions eliminated SCS; Bihar's per-capita GSDP of ~₹50,000 is India's lowest. Nitish Kumar raised SCS in the 2024 Union Budget negotiations — Prime Minister's Office declined formal SCS designation but offered a Bihar Special Package: ₹59,000 crore for highways, airports, industrial corridors and tourism. Critics note the Bihar Package lacks the structural advantage of SCS (lower state contribution for all schemes). The Patna HC caste survey and SCS demand together define Bihar's political conversation.

JD(U) · 2015Grand Alliance Bihar Manifesto 2015 — Saat Nischay Part 15✓5~0✗◌ graded, evidence not yet sourced10 promises

Saat Nischay (Seven Resolves)

Paved roads to every village: connect all Bihar revenue villages with all-weather roads
Delivered
Mukhyamantri Gram Sampark Yojana connected 33,000+ revenue villages with paved roads by 2020. Considered Nitish Kumar's defining achievement since 2005. Road density in Bihar rose from 127 km per 1,000 sq km (2005) to 241 km (2020). PMGSY tola (hamlet) connectivity ongoing for remaining tribal/remote areas.
Bituminous wearing-course thickness was below specification (25–40 mm instead of the mandated 50 mm) in 68% of roads sampled across Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Vaishali districts. 41% of PMGSY roads failed within 3 years of completion — before the mandatory 5-year maintenance period expired — forcing repeat contracts to the same firms.
Tap water to every Bihar household: piped water supply statewide
Partly delivered
Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal scheme started under Saat Nischay-1 (2015-20). By 2020, only ~55% rural households had connections; target fell far short during this term. Post-2019 JJM dramatically accelerated delivery (reaching 96%+ by 2025). The promise was substantially fulfilled but mostly in the subsequent term.
WiFi in all government colleges and free digital library access for students
Partly delivered
WiFi installed in 352 degree colleges and 26 state universities. However bandwidth quality (10–50 Mbps shared) is inadequate for modern learning; equipment maintenance poor. National Digital Library of India access set up but student utilisation low outside metro districts. Connectivity target technically met but functionally incomplete.
Kushal Yuva Program: skill training for 10 lakh Bihar youth by 2020
Delivered
14.3 lakh youth trained by 2020 — exceeding the 10 lakh target. Training at 1,155 centres in communication, basic IT and life skills. Placement outcomes modest (~30% formal employment within 6 months). Programme won national recognition and was expanded under Saat Nischay-2.
Free bicycles for Class 9 girls to improve school attendance and retention
Delivered
Mukhyamantri Balika Bicycle Yojana (launched 2006, expanded 2015): ~14 lakh girls received free bicycles in 2019-20. ASER data shows Bihar's secondary-level girls enrolment improved from 42% (2010) to 78% (2023). Cycle scheme widely credited with reducing rural girls' school dropout. Continued through the 2020-25 NDA-2 term.
Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana: ₹54,100 financial support to every Bihar girl from birth to graduation
Delivered
Launched 2019 under the 2015-20 JD(U) government. Total lifetime benefit per girl: ₹54,100 across stages — ₹2,000 at birth (BPL families), immunisation incentives, uniform grant at Class 1, 6, 9, ₹25,000 at graduation, ₹10,000 at intermediate. Over 1.5 crore girls benefited from graduation grants alone by 2025. DBT directly to girl's bank account. Widely credited with improving secondary enrolment, reducing child marriage (rate fell from 40% in 2015 to 22% in 2023, NFHS-5) and increasing higher education participation among Bihar's rural girls. Continued and expanded in NDA-2 (2020-25).

Prohibition

Total prohibition of alcohol across Bihar: ban manufacture, sale and consumption statewide
Delivered
Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016 implemented total alcohol prohibition from April 5, 2016 — the most sweeping liquor ban by any large Indian state. 5 April chosen as Nitish Kumar's symbolic "Zero Day." NFHS-5 data showed male alcohol consumption in Bihar fell from 15.5% (2015-16) to 8.9% (2019-21) — a statistically significant decline, though enforcement remains uneven. High-profile implementation: 3.5 lakh+ arrests by 2024, courts clogged with prohibition cases. Patna HC and SC have upheld the ban's constitutionality. Critics note a thriving bootleg market, particularly in border areas with UP and Jharkhand. State lost ~₹5,000 crore/year in excise revenue, partially compensated by GoI special grants.

Law & Order Restoration

Continue Nitish Kumar's law-and-order revolution: keep crime rates at the improved 2005-2015 levels
Partly delivered
Nitish Kumar's 2005 takeover of a crime-ravaged Bihar — from the "Jungle Raj" era associated with Lalu Prasad — is his most celebrated achievement. IPC crimes fell 46% between 2005-2015; kidnapping (Bihar was India's kidnapping capital) fell 68%. The 2015 Grand Alliance (JD-U + RJD + INC) was a calculated political risk: partnering with Lalu whose party brought a crime-permissive image. Under 2015-20: Bihar remained markedly safer than its pre-2005 state, but murder rate (3.4/lakh) and kidnapping for ransom cases began creeping up again. NCRB 2023: Bihar ranks 4th in total cognisable crimes among large states. The 2022-24 Mahagathbandhan with RJD saw perception of law-and-order deterioration — 54 sand-mafia-linked murders and high-profile gangster incidents in 2023 fed this narrative.

Agriculture & Farmer Welfare

PMFBY crop insurance: insure all Bihar farmers against crop loss; end distress sale
Partly delivered
Bihar has 1.6 crore farm families — primarily small (average holding 0.4 ha). PMFBY enrolment: 48 lakh farmers in 2019-20 (30% of the total). Bihar left PMFBY in 2020 and switched to the state-funded Bihar Rajya Fasal Sahayata Yojana (BRFSY) — which covers all enrolled farmers (not just those with crop loans) at zero premium. 51 lakh farmers enrolled in BRFSY by 2024. Claim settlement rate: 72% — better than the national PMFBY average. The 2024 Kharif season saw 18 lakh farmers claim ₹4,200 crore from the Bihar state scheme following floods — the largest single payout in Bihar's agricultural history. However compensation amounts (₹7,500-₹10,000/ha) are far below actual crop loss per hectare.

Transport & Vehicle Registration

Modernise Bihar transport offices; end corruption in vehicle registration and driving licences
Partly delivered
Bihar's District Transport Offices (DTOs) are among India's most cited sources of public- interface corruption — vehicle registration, fitness certificates, driving licences and permit issuance. 38% of issued driving licences in 12 sampled DTOs could not be cross-verified with the national driving licence database (possibly fraudulent); fitness certificate racket — 62% of commercial vehicles receiving fitness certificates in Muzaffarpur, Patna and Bhagalpur DTOs were found non-roadworthy on surprise inspection. Digital reforms (SARATHI, VAHAN portals) have made some processes faceless but DTOs retain physical gatekeeping at multiple stages.
38% of issued driving licences in 12 DTOs unverifiable against national database; 62% of commercial vehicles with fitness certificates in Muzaffarpur, Patna and Bhagalpur DTOs found non-roadworthy on surprise inspection.

BJP · 2025Bihar Manifesto 20250✓5~0✗◌ graded, evidence not yet sourced5 promises

Archive-verified pledges (checked August 2026)

Give women assistance of up to ₹2 lakh under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.
Partly delivered
First MMRY installment of Rs 10,000 paid to 1.8+ crore women (transfers began Sep 2025, before the election) and the Rs 20,000 second installment began rolling out in July 2026; the full Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2.10 lakh over 5 installments) is still pending. (Source: https://sarkariyojana.com/bihar-mahila-rojgar-yojana-payment-list/)
Launch the Karpoori Thakur Kisan Samman Nidhi giving farmers ₹3,000 per year, for a total benefit of ₹9,000.
Partly delivered
Jananayak Karpoori Thakur Kisan Samman Nidhi (extra Rs 3,000/yr to ~73 lakh farmers, taking total support with PM-KISAN to Rs 9,000) was announced in the Bihar Budget 2026-27 on 3 Feb 2026, but actual disbursal to farmers is not yet confirmed. (Source: https://www.kisanindia.in/pm-kisan-yojana/bihar-farmers-will-get-rs-3000-more-under-jannayak-karpoori-thakur-kisan-samman-nidhi-yojana-bihar-budget-2026-27-101734.html)
Invest ₹1 lakh crore in agri-infrastructure and procure all major crops (paddy, wheat, pulses, maize) at MSP at the panchayat level.
Partly delivered
Bihar began first-ever MSP procurement of masoor, chana and mustard in April 2026 and procures paddy through panchayat-level PACS, but maize MSP procurement and the Rs 1 lakh crore agri-infrastructure investment are not verified. (Source: https://indianmasterminds.com/news/bihar-msp-2026-pulses-procurement-masoor-chana-mustard-198725/)
Give the poor a 'Panchamrit' guarantee: free ration, 125 units of free electricity, free treatment up to ₹5 lakh, 50 lakh new pucca houses and social security pension.
Partly delivered
Several Panchamrit components are operational - 125 units free electricity to ~1.67 crore families since 1 Aug 2025, free ration and Rs 5 lakh Ayushman treatment cover, and enhanced social security pension - but the 50 lakh new pucca houses is a multi-year target with no completion data. (Source: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/nitish-kumar-announces-125-units-of-free-electricity-for-households-in-bihar-from-august-1/)
Provide ₹4 lakh life insurance to auto, taxi and e-rickshaw drivers, and collateral-free vehicle loans at minimum interest rates to gig workers and drivers.
Partly delivered
Bihar's Platform-Based Gig Workers Act (passed July 2025, before the election) provides Rs 2-4 lakh death aid and disability benefits for gig workers, but a dedicated Rs 4 lakh life insurance for auto/taxi/e-rickshaw drivers and collateral-free vehicle loans are not verified post-election. (Source: https://theleaflet.in/labour-law/the-bihar-gig-workers-law-a-bold-step-forward-but-a-step-back-for-trade-unions)

Audit record

No CAG reports for this state in our library yet.

Accountability ratings — by the original publisher

These 0–100 ratings are the original publisher's own, quoted here with their methodology. Audit India computes no score — the same way we carry UNDP's HDI as UNDP's number.

Transparency

28/ 100

the original publisher

How the original publisher computed this ▸

Officials' Legal Integrity

81/ 100

the original publisher

How the original publisher computed this ▸

Governance

38/ 100

the original publisher

How the original publisher computed this ▸

Indicators

The 0–100 rings are the original publisher's category scores, in their colour bands — theirs, not ours.

EconomyGSDP ~₹8 lakh crore; per-capita ~₹60,000 — 2nd lowest in India; migration economy with 90 lakh seasonal workers abroad5 figures

GSDP 2024-25 (advance estimate): ~₹8 lakh crore; Bihar is India's 12th-largest state economy despite being the 3rd most populous state (13.1 crore). Per-capita GSDP of ~₹60,000 is the 2nd lowest in India after Manipur — less than one-third of the national average. The economy is driven by agriculture (~28% of GSDP), government services (~22%), and construction/remittances. Bihar has no significant industrial base — the post-1947 decision to keep industries in Jharkhand (which was carved out of Bihar in 2000) left the rump Bihar state economically hollowed out.; Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25; MoSPI State-wise NAS 2024-25
Per-capita NSDP (2023-24): ~₹60,000 — 2nd lowest nationally; Bihar's per-capita income is the 2nd lowest in India — approximately 31% of the national average of ₹1.93 lakh. The GDP figures understate the actual poverty: Bihar's informal economy (farm labour, rural petty trade, small-scale artisan work) is estimated to be 40% below the GSDP figure in real welfare terms. Consumption expenditure surveys (HCES 2022-23) place Bihar's rural household monthly per-capita consumption at ₹2,900 — the lowest of any major state.; Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25; NSSO HCES 2022-23; MoSPI
Remittance economy — migrant workers: ~90 lakh Bihari workers in other states; remittances ~₹35,000–40,000 crore/year; Bihar is India's largest source of seasonal migrant labour — approximately 90 lakh Bihari workers are employed in other states (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat) at any given time. Remittances of ₹35,000-40,000 crore per year are the single largest non-government income source for Bihar's rural households, exceeding the state's own agriculture GDP. The COVID-19 reverse migration of 2020 (40+ lakh migrants returned in April-May 2020) exposed the extreme vulnerability of this economic model — Bihar's rural consumption collapsed immediately, and MGNREGS demand spiked to unprecedented levels.; Economic Survey of India 2023-24 (Remittance chapter); Bihar Migration Survey, IIM Ahmedabad 2023
Agriculture — Kosi-Gandak flood plains: 28% of GSDP; paddy, wheat, maize; but annual floods destroy 10-15% of standing crop; Bihar's agriculture is disproportionately affected by annual flooding. The 5 major river systems (Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Budhi Gandak) overflow every year in North Bihar — affecting approximately 6.8 million hectares of agricultural land. The Kosi, called "Bihar's sorrow," has changed its course by 150 km over 250 years and floods a different geography each year, making permanent flood-protection infrastructure impractical. Annual crop losses are estimated at 10-15% of production in affected districts, directly depressing farm incomes and GSDP.; Bihar Agriculture Department Annual Report 2023-24; BSDMA Bihar Flood Management Report 2023
Industrial investment — lack thereof: Bihar receives <0.5% of India's total FDI — lowest among large states; Bihar attracted only ~₹4,200 crore in investment proposals at the Bihar Business Connect Summit 2023 — against Rajasthan (₹5.8 lakh crore), Gujarat (₹33 lakh crore) and Tamil Nadu. The structural barriers are well-documented: power supply reliability (AT&C losses ~40%), poor road connectivity in north Bihar, lack of skilled industrial labour (high illiteracy), and law-and-order concerns in specific districts (Nawada, Bhojpur historically). The Patna-Gaya expressway and the Darbhanga Airport expansion are early infrastructure signals, but industrial transformation remains a decade away.; DPIIT FDI Statistics 2023-24; Bihar Industrial Investment Authority 2023

EducationLiteracy 70.9%; ASER reading outcomes among India's worst; 72,000+ single-teacher schools; massive teacher vacancy5 figures

Literacy rate (Census 2011): 70.9% (male 79.7%, female 53.3%); Bihar's female literacy of 53.3% is the 4th lowest in India (after Rajasthan, MP and AP). The 26.4-point gender gap reflects the intersection of poverty, early marriage and cultural norms that deprioritise girls' education in rural Bihar. Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj and Sitamarhi — districts with strong OBC and EBC populations — have female literacy below 50%. The improvement from 33.1% female literacy in 2001 to 53.3% in 2011 is real progress, but the base is still dismal.; Census of India 2011; Office of the Registrar General
ASER 2023 — Grade 5 reading outcomes: 40.8% of Std V rural children can read a Std II text; Bihar's Grade 5 reading outcome of 40.8% is the 4th lowest in India — a profound learning failure in a state where enrolment is near-universal (98.6% Grades 1-8). The gap between enrolment and learning is India's widest: nearly every child in Bihar goes to school, but 60% cannot read basic text at Grade 5. The single largest driver is teacher absence — Bihar has a documented teacher attendance rate of about 60% reported in rural government schools, directly suppressing learning outcomes.; ASER 2023 (Annual Status of Education Report), Pratham
Single-teacher schools (UDISE+ 2022-23): ~34,000 schools with only 1 teacher for all classes; Bihar has the highest count of single-teacher schools in India — approximately 34,000 government primary schools where one teacher is responsible for teaching 5 grades simultaneously. This is partly a consequence of Bihar's large number of small Tola (hamlet)-level schools and partly a failure of teacher posting policy. Single-teacher schools produce systematically worse outcomes: when the teacher is absent, the school is closed; there is no peer oversight of teacher presence; and multi-grade teaching quality is necessarily poor.; UDISE+ 2022-23; Bihar Education Project (BEP) Annual Report 2023
Teacher vacancy and absenteeism: ~16% vacancy; ~38% de facto absenteeism rate in rural schools; Bihar's formal teacher vacancy rate of 16% (from UDISE+ 2022-23) understates the crisis. The "de facto absenteeism" rate — teachers on rolls but not present at school on a given day — is approximately 38% in rural Bihar, per DISE surveys and independent audits by Accountability Initiative (PAISA reports). The 2006 "niyojit shikshak" (Panchayat-employed teacher) scheme created a two-tier system: regular teachers (higher salary, worse attendance) and contract teachers (lower salary, better attendance but less trained) — creating a perverse incentive structure.; DISE Bihar 2022-23; Accountability Initiative PAISA Bihar Reports 2023; ASER 2023
Mid-day meal coverage and quality: 97.8% schools providing MDM; but protein-calorie adequacy a concern; Bihar's Mukhyamantri Bhojan Yojana (MDM at state level) covers 97.8% of government schools — one of India's best coverage rates. The programme provides a crucial supplementary nutrition input for Bihar's severely food-insecure rural children. However, protein adequacy (egg/milk/pulse provision) is a recurring challenge — Bihar's predominantly vegetarian menu and supply chain irregularities mean protein components are unavailable in 35-40% of schools on any given day.; MoE Mid-Day Meal Annual Report 2022-23; Bihar Education Department MDM Status Report

Employment~90 lakh seasonal migrants; MGNREGS 100-day guarantee met for only 3.2% of households; rural unemployment ~12% in lean months4 figures

Unemployment rate (PLFS 2023-24): 4.2% official; ~12% in lean agricultural season (May–June); Bihar's official PLFS unemployment rate of 4.2% understates the employment crisis because the PLFS counts anyone working even one hour per week as employed. In reality, Bihar's rural economy is characterised by chronic underemployment — most agricultural workers are employed for only 4-6 months per year (kharif and rabi seasons) and are functionally unemployed for the remaining period. The seasonal peak unemployment (April-July) drives the 90 lakh migration to other states.; PLFS 2023-24, MoSPI; Bihar Labour Department Annual Report 2023
Seasonal migration — economic profile: ~90 lakh workers seasonally absent from Bihar's villages; Bihar is India's largest seasonal migration exporting state. Migratory workers are predominantly male, aged 18-40, from the OBC/EBC communities (Yadav, Kurmi, Koiri) of North and Central Bihar. They work in construction (National Capital Region, Mumbai MMR), sugarcane harvesting (Punjab, Haryana, UP), industrial labour (Surat, Ludhiana, Tiruppur garment factories) and domestic service (Delhi, Bengaluru). The 2020 COVID lockdown exposed the structural risk: in 2 days after the March 24 lockdown announcement, ~40 lakh workers began walking home, causing one of independent India's largest humanitarian crises.; Bihar Labour Department Migration Study 2022; IIM Ahmedabad Bihar Migration Survey 2023
MGNREGS employment — the 100-day guarantee: 3.2% of households received 100 days — worst in India; Bihar's MGNREGS failure is the most severe in India — only 3.2% of demanding households received the 100-day statutory entitlement in 2023-24. Average employment per household was only 22 days — less than one-quarter of the guarantee. This means MGNREGS in Bihar functions primarily as a partial drought-relief mechanism, not as the structural poverty safety net the MGNREGA Act envisioned. The No audited figure on irregular payments is carried here — ironic in a state where legitimate workers cannot access their entitlement.; MIS mgnregs.nic.in 2023-24
Formal sector employment (EPF registrations): ~14 lakh active EPF contributors — lowest per-capita of any large state; Bihar has only ~14 lakh EPFO-active workers — approximately 1.1% of its population — the lowest formal employment ratio of any large state. The state has no major manufacturing hub; Barauni (HPCL refinery), Muzaffarpur (thermal power), and Patna (government/trade) are the only significant formal employment concentrations. This means 98.9% of Bihar's working population is outside formal social security — with no PF, no ESI, and no formal job protection.; EPFO Annual Report 2023-24; Bihar Industries Department

HealthIMR 42 per 1,000 — 2nd worst in India; stunting 42.9% — highest large state; AES kills children annually in Muzaffarpur5 figures

Infant Mortality Rate (SRS 2022): 42 per 1,000 live births — 2nd highest in India; Bihar's IMR of 42 is the 2nd worst in India after Madhya Pradesh. This means 42 of every 1,000 children born in Bihar die before completing their first year of life — against the national average of 27 and Kerala's rate of 4. Bihar's IMR is nearly the same as India's national IMR in 1991 (80 per 1,000) — indicating 30 years of nationally visible under-investment in Bihar's rural health system. The worst districts (Sheohar 56, Sitamarhi 54, Madhepura 52) are all in the flood-affected North Bihar belt.; SRS Bulletin 2022, Registrar General of India; NFHS-5 Bihar Factsheet
Child stunting (under-5, NFHS-5): 42.9% — highest among large states; More than 2 in 5 children under 5 in Bihar are stunted — the highest rate among India's large states and comparable to some sub-Saharan African countries. Stunting represents chronic undernutrition over years — reflecting Bihar's triple burden of poverty, maternal undernutrition (anaemia rate 63.5%), and poor ICDS/Poshan Abhiyaan delivery. Child stunting has permanent consequences: stunted children have lower cognitive development, lower lifetime earnings, and higher chronic disease risk — creating a multi-generational poverty trap.; NFHS-5 (2019-21) Bihar State Factsheet, MoHFW / IIPS
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES/Chamki Bukhar) — Muzaffarpur: 100-150+ deaths annually; peak June–July; 3,500+ deaths since 2000; Bihar's most distinctive public health crisis is Acute Encephalitis Syndrome — locally called "Chamki Bukhar" — which kills 100-150 children in the June-July period every year in Muzaffarpur and adjacent districts. The cause is now established: hypoglycaemic encephalopathy triggered by Lychee (Litchi chinensis) seed toxin (MCPG) in malnourished children who eat unripe litchis on an empty stomach. The 2019 outbreak killed 153 children. Despite declared interventions (awareness campaigns, emergency glucose administration protocols), the annual toll has not been eliminated — reflecting Bihar's inability to address the underlying malnutrition crisis and poor primary health infrastructure.; Lancet Global Health (Spencer et al. 2019); ICMR-NIMHANS AES Surveillance 2023; Bihar Health Department
Anaemia in women aged 15-49 (NFHS-5): 63.5% — 4th highest in India; Nearly two-thirds of reproductive-age women in Bihar are anaemic. Bihar's rice-dominant diet, high cereal-to-protein ratio, short inter-pregnancy intervals (total fertility rate 3.0 — India's 3rd highest), and low dietary diversity perpetuate anaemia across generations. The IFA distribution rate under NHM Bihar is ~52% — below the national average — and compliance among pregnant women is further reduced by side effects. Maternal anaemia is the single largest preventable driver of Bihar's IMR.; NFHS-5 (2019-21) Bihar State Factsheet; National Iron Plus Initiative Progress Report 2023
ANM vacancy at Sub-Health Centres: 57% — highest in India; Sub-Health Centres are the first formal health contact for 70% of Bihar's rural population — and 57% of ANM positions at sub-health centres were reported vacant. This means that in a majority of Bihar's 9,735 sub-health centres, there is no formal health worker. ASHA workers (community health volunteers) fill this vacuum partially, but their incentive payment delays (4.2 months average) mean many ASHAs have effectively stopped active work. This creates a perverse situation: Bihar spends NHM money on a system that structurally cannot function.; no source recorded

SafetyHigh kidnapping, rising crime; flood-related annual displacement of 10-20 lakh people; AES/Chamki Bukhar a recurring child safety failure4 figures

Total IPC cognizable crimes per lakh (NCRB 2022): ~236 per lakh; Bihar reported ~30,900 cognizable crimes in 2022 — below average per lakh but significantly under-reported given the state's weak FIR registration (police stations in rural Bihar cover 300-500 sq km each). Kidnapping cases in Bihar are among India's highest per lakh — a reflection of both criminal incidents and the use of "kidnapping" charges in property and political disputes. Murder rate (4.8 per lakh) is above the national average of 2.8.; NCRB Crime in India 2022; Bihar Police Annual Report 2022
Kidnapping cases per lakh (NCRB 2022): 7.2 per lakh — highest among large states; Bihar's kidnapping rate of 7.2 per lakh is the highest among large states. While "kidnapping for ransom" of business figures in Bhojpur and Nawada belts was a defining feature of Bihar's pre-2005 lawlessness (the "jungle raj" era under Lalu Prasad Yadav), contemporary kidnapping cases include a significant proportion of "elopement" cases registered by families as kidnapping, child abduction by relatives in custody disputes, and trafficking disguised as kidnapping. The absolute volume remains high and is a deterrent to business investment.; NCRB Crime in India 2022
Annual flood displacement (NDMA/BSDMA 2023): ~10-20 lakh people displaced annually; 76 lakh affected in worst years; Bihar experiences India's most severe and predictable annual flooding. The Kosi river, the Gandak, the Bagmati and the Budhi Gandak overflow every monsoon — affecting the same low-lying districts (Supaul, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Madhepura, Saharsa) year after year. 76 lakh people were affected in 2019 (Kosi floods). Embankment maintenance — the primary flood management tool — is chronically under-funded: the 3,500 km of embankments in Bihar require ₹800+ crore annual maintenance against a typical budget allocation of ₹200-300 crore.; NDMA Annual Report 2023; Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) Flood Report 2023
Road accident fatalities (MoRTH 2022): ~8,236 deaths; Bihar's road safety situation is worsening — fatalities grew 14% between 2018 and 2022. The NH-19 (Patna–Delhi), NH-31 (Patna–Muzaffarpur) and NH-28 (Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur) are Bihar's most dangerous highway stretches. Two-wheeler fatalities account for 46% of deaths — one of the highest two-wheeler death shares in any state — reflecting the extreme dependence on two-wheelers for rural connectivity and near-zero helmet compliance outside Patna.; MoRTH Road Accidents in India 2022; Bihar Road Safety Authority

EnvironmentPerennial flooding shapes the ecology; Ganga bears Bihar's untreated sewage; arsenic in 18 districts — India's largest arsenic crisis4 figures

Forest cover (ISFR 2023): 7,627 sq km — 8.08% of state area; Bihar's forest cover is limited partly by its flat alluvial geography (Gangetic plain) and partly by historical deforestation for agriculture. The main forest patches are in Valmiki National Park (West Champaran — India's only tiger reserve in the Terai-Arc Landscape sharing a border with Nepal), Rajgir Hills (Nalanda), and Kaimur Plateau (Rohtas). The state gained 9 sq km of forest cover between 2021 and 2023 (ISFR 2023) — marginal but positive. River belt afforestation is the primary ongoing programme.; India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, Forest Survey of India
Groundwater arsenic contamination: 18 districts above WHO limit; 3.2 crore people potentially exposed; Bihar has India's largest arsenic contamination crisis — 18 of 38 districts have groundwater arsenic above the WHO guideline of 10 µg/L, affecting an estimated 3.2 crore people. The contamination is geogenic — arsenic leaches naturally from Himalayan sediments deposited in the Ganga alluvial plain. Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai and Bhagalpur have the highest concentrations. Reports indicate that some districts receive piped water drawn from arsenic-contaminated aquifers — replacing no water with toxic water. Long-term arsenic exposure causes skin lesions, neuropathy, bladder cancer and death.; CGWB Groundwater Quality Report 2023; UNICEF Bihar Arsenic Assessment 2022
Ganga river pollution in Bihar: Patna segment BOD: 12× permissible limit; 65 drains entering untreated; The Ganga as it enters Bihar from UP is already highly polluted; Bihar's contribution adds approximately 65 open drains discharging untreated sewage into the river at Patna, Bhagalpur, Hajipur and Munger. Patna's Beur and Khagaul STPs can treat only 30% of the city's sewage volume. The Namami Gange programme has invested ~₹3,200 crore in Bihar — with Patna's STP capacity expansion the primary project — but operational effectiveness is limited by power supply interruptions and inadequate sewer network connectivity.; NMCG Ganga Status Report 2024; BSPCB Annual Water Quality Report 2023
Renewable energy installed capacity (2024): ~3.9 GW (solar dominant, very limited wind); Bihar has very limited renewable energy generation relative to its population of 13.1 crore. Solar accounts for ~3.7 GW (primarily rooftop and distributed solar, plus the Banka and Muzaffarpur solar parks), with minimal wind due to Bihar's low-wind topography. BSPHCL (Bihar State Power Holding Company) has AT&C losses of ~42% — among India's highest — making renewable integration financially challenging. Bihar receives ~18 hours of electricity in rural areas, with unannounced outages during summer peak demand (June-July) coinciding with the Chamki Bukhar season.; MNRE Installed Capacity State-wise 2024; BSPHCL Annual Report 2023-24

Office-holders

Name	Office	Party · since	Declared cases	Declared qualification	Affidavit
SCSamrat Choudhary	Chief Minister	BJP· April 2026	—	—	—
AMArif Mohammed Khan	Governor	—	—	—	—
NKNand Kishore Yadav	Speaker, Bihar Legislative Assembly	BJP· 2020	1	12th Pass	2020

What the CAG found in this state (2)

Findings from CAG audit reports on schemes as they ran in this state, quoted with their report references. We add no grade of our own.

Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal — Piped Drinking Water, BiharReport No. 6 of 2025 (Performance Audit) · 2025

Whether reported household coverage matches what was delivered, 2017-23

Bihar reported that 98.70 per cent of targeted rural households had been covered by March 2023. The Jal Jeevan Mission's own dashboard showed 95.71 per cent as late as November 2025 — the reported figure was inflated. In urban areas the department reported 94 per cent coverage against a target of 100 per cent by March 2020.

What the audit measured

Baseline surveys were missing or inadequate, so the estimates the targeting rested on were unreliable. The public health engineering department could not cover 11.22 lakh households across 46,633 rural wards, including 8.07 lakh households in wards with contaminated water. Bihar's dependence on groundwater is the reason the scheme exists: 28 of 38 districts have arsenic, fluoride or iron contamination, and at the 2011 Census only 2.60 per cent of rural households had a tap. Between 2017-18 and 2022-23 the three implementing departments allocated ₹30,500.92 crore to the scheme.

Click to see CAG report ↗

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY — BiharReport No. 4 of 2025 (Performance Audit) · 2025

Verification of eligible beneficiaries against the state's own target, 2018-24

Bihar was to cover 1.21 crore poor and vulnerable households — 6.18 crore people — under Ayushman Bharat. By March 2024, five and a half years after the scheme launched, only 2.56 crore beneficiaries had been verified: 41 per cent. The audit attributes this mainly to a contract that was never executed.

What the audit measured

Closing balances of between ₹53.58 crore and ₹159.53 crore sat unspent through 2018-19 to 2023-24. Spending on information, education and communication and on IT infrastructure was significantly below what was needed, which the audit links directly to poor awareness among beneficiaries and to the low verification rate.

Click to see CAG report ↗

Election promises

Where a CAG finding is quoted below, its figures have been checked against the report cited. Thirty-seven were withdrawn because the report they named does not exist or is a search page.

NDA · 2020NDA Bihar Election Manifesto 2020 — Saat Nischay Part 23✓7~4✗◌ graded, evidence not yet sourced14 promises

Employment

Create 19 lakh new jobs in Bihar within 5 years via industry and recruitment
Partly delivered
Bihar government claims 9.5 lakh jobs created/facilitated by 2024 via public recruitment and industry schemes. BPSC, BSSC and district recruitment filled ~1.8 lakh government posts including the mega 1.20 lakh teacher recruitment (2023). Formal private-sector job growth in Bihar remains very limited due to underdeveloped industrial base.

Utilities & Infrastructure

Piped clean drinking water to every rural Bihar household under Jal Jeevan Mission
Partly delivered
Bihar JJM: 96.3% rural households have tap connections as of 2025 — one of the faster state implementations. However Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC — 55 lpcd supply for 9+ months/year) is only ~72%, as supply continuity is inconsistent in many blocks. Infrastructure is laid but operational performance lags.
CAG's 2025 performance audit of Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal (Report No. 6 of 2025) found the reported rural coverage inflated — 98.70 per cent claimed as of March 2023 against 95.71 per cent on the mission's own dashboard in November 2025 — and 11.22 lakh households across 46,633 rural wards left uncovered, including 8.07 lakh in wards with contaminated water. Bihar's underlying problem is its groundwater: 28 of its 38 districts carry arsenic, fluoride or iron contamination.
24×7 electricity to all Bihar households under Har Ghar Bijli Lagatar
Partly delivered
Bihar achieved near-universal electrification (~99% households). However 24×7 supply quality is poor: BSPHCL AT&C losses ~42% (India's highest); rural areas get 12-18 hours; urban 20-22 hours. Load-shedding of 6-8 hours/day is common in interior districts during summer peak. 24×7 target not achieved.
Expand NH and state highways: four-lane key corridors connecting all major cities
Partly delivered
Patna Ring Road (90 km), NH-31 (Patna–Muzaffarpur) and Bihar sections of NH-19 substantially expanded during 2020-25. Connectivity improved markedly. However multiple stretches remain two-lane with pending land disputes; annual flooding destroys road infrastructure in North Bihar requiring repeated repair cycles.

Education & Skill Development

Recruit 1 lakh permanent teachers for Bihar government schools
Partly delivered
BPSC Teacher Recruitment 2023 selected 1.20 lakh teachers — Bihar's largest single recruitment. However ~30% had not reported to duty stations by 2025 due to posting delays and verification issues. Earlier niyojit (contractual) teacher regularisation remains pending.
Student Credit Card: ₹4 lakh loan for higher education (continue and expand)
Delivered
Bihar Student Credit Card (₹4 lakh at 4%) — launched 2016 under Saat Nischay-1 — continued and expanded in NDA-2 term. 4.5 lakh students benefited by 2025. Recovery rate is low (~35%) raising fiscal sustainability concerns. One of Bihar's most recognisable social-sector achievements.

Rural Employment

Ensure 100 days of MGNREGS employment to all demanding rural households in Bihar
Not delivered
Bihar is India's most MGNREGS-dependent state with 2.18 crore job-card holders. The 100-day statutory guarantee was delivered to only 3.2% of demanding households in 2023-24 — the worst fulfilment rate among all large states. Average employment: 22 days per household. Wage payment delays averaged 74 days against the 15-day statutory limit. Structural barriers: fake muster rolls, ghost beneficiaries, and contractor-controlled works undermine the demand-driven model.

Rural Housing

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin: complete all 34.6 lakh sanctioned houses for Bihar's rural poor
Partly delivered
Bihar has the highest PMAY-G backlog in India. 45% of sanctioned houses remain incomplete after the 3-year deadline. 12.4 lakh Awaas-Plus survey-identified eligible households have no sanction at all. Progress is hampered by annual flooding (especially in North Bihar's Kosi-Gandak zone) which renders completed houses repeatedly uninhabitable, and by systemic local-level corruption in fund release.

Healthcare

Reduce Bihar's IMR and MMR to national average; eliminate Acute Encephalitis Syndrome deaths in Muzaffarpur
Not delivered
Bihar's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 42/1,000 remains the 2nd worst in India. The National average is 28. AES (Chamki Bukhar) killed 150+ children in Muzaffarpur in 2019 and recurs every pre-monsoon season. Despite dedicated AES-control budgets, the 2024 season saw 35+ deaths — the structural causes (malnutrition, hypoglycaemia from lychee toxin, lack of paediatric ICUs) remain unaddressed. ANM vacancy at sub-health centres stands at 57% — highest in India.

Women Empowerment

Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana: expand financial incentives for girls from birth to graduation
Delivered
Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana expanded in 2020-25 term: total lifetime benefit per girl raised to ₹54,100 (₹2,000 at birth for girls in BPL families, ₹1,000 for immunisation milestones, ₹2,000 at age 1-2, uniform support at secondary level, ₹25,000 at graduation). Over 1.5 crore girl students benefited from graduation-level grants alone by 2025. DBT to Aadhaar-linked accounts reduces leakage. Bihar has one of India's most comprehensive girl-child incentive frameworks — widely credited with improving girl enrolment and reducing child marriage rates.

Flood Management & Disaster Resilience

Strengthen embankments on Kosi, Gandak and Bagmati rivers; end annual flood devastation in North Bihar
Not delivered
Bihar is India's most flood-prone state — 73% of North Bihar's area is flood-affected annually. The Kosi ('Sorrow of Bihar') — which changed course in 2008 (Kosi avulsion), displacing 35 lakh people in a single event — continues to threaten 5 districts. The NDA government's Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali mission allocated ₹24,524 crore for water and climate resilience including embankment strengthening. Despite this, the 2024 monsoon flood damaged 5.4 lakh houses and killed 48 people across Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Supaul and Madhubani. 28% of GPS- monitored embankment sections showed seepage indicating impending breach; ₹1,850 crore in flood- relief funds disbursed with irregular documentation. The structural cause — Nepal-origin rivers carrying sediment and raised river beds — cannot be resolved without bilateral treaties with Nepal on the Gandak and Kosi barrages.
28% of GPS-monitored embankment sections showed seepage indicating impending breach; ₹1,850 crore flood-relief disbursed with irregular documentation; 2024 monsoon flood caused structural damage across 5.4 lakh houses despite embankment repairs funded in 2022-24.

Caste Survey & Social Justice

Conduct a comprehensive Bihar caste survey to enable evidence-based reservation and welfare policy
Delivered
Bihar Caste Survey 2023 — conducted by the Nitish Kumar government — was India's first state-level comprehensive caste census since Independence. Released October 2, 2023: population 13.07 crore; OBC + EBC: 63% of Bihar's population; SC: 19.65%; ST: 1.68%; general (Upper castes): 15.52%. The survey was challenged by GoI (which refused a National Caste Census) and several parties. Patna HC dismissed the challenge. The survey's findings became the evidentiary basis for Bihar's proposal to raise OBC reservation from 27% to 65% — later struck down by the Patna HC as exceeding the 50% Supreme Court ceiling. The caste survey data is now the most cited political document in Bihar — underpinning all welfare, reservation and employment debates.

Political Context — Nitish's Alliance Shifts

Form a stable, development-oriented government for the full 5-year term
Partly delivered
Nitish Kumar's 2020-25 NDA government was defined as much by its policy performance as by dramatic mid-term alliance shifts. August 9, 2022: Nitish broke with BJP, dissolved the NDA government, and formed the Mahagathbandhan (INC + RJD + JD-U) with Tejashwi Yadav as Deputy CM. Bihar became part of the INDIA opposition bloc. January 28, 2024: Nitish Kumar performed his most dramatic reversal — broke with the Mahagathbandhan and rejoined NDA — with PM Modi and Amit Shah welcoming him back. He was sworn in as CM for the 9th time (a record). Nitish is now again Deputy PM-equivalent partner of BJP in the Union government, with JD(U) holding 12 Lok Sabha seats and Bihar getting the Rail Ministry. Bihar governance was disrupted by these transitions; 14 months of Mahagathbandhan rule (2022-2024) inserted mid-term policy discontinuity.

Special Category Status Demand

Secure Special Category Status for Bihar from the Centre to unlock additional grants and devolution
Not delivered
Bihar's demand for Special Category Status (SCS) — which would give it 90% Central funding for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (vs 60% under normal devolution) — has been a political cornerstone since 2009. All Bihar parties — JD(U), RJD, BJP locally — support it in state politics, even while their national partners oppose it. The 14th and 15th Finance Commissions eliminated SCS; Bihar's per-capita GSDP of ~₹50,000 is India's lowest. Nitish Kumar raised SCS in the 2024 Union Budget negotiations — Prime Minister's Office declined formal SCS designation but offered a Bihar Special Package: ₹59,000 crore for highways, airports, industrial corridors and tourism. Critics note the Bihar Package lacks the structural advantage of SCS (lower state contribution for all schemes). The Patna HC caste survey and SCS demand together define Bihar's political conversation.

JD(U) · 2015Grand Alliance Bihar Manifesto 2015 — Saat Nischay Part 15✓5~0✗◌ graded, evidence not yet sourced10 promises

Saat Nischay (Seven Resolves)

Paved roads to every village: connect all Bihar revenue villages with all-weather roads
Delivered
Mukhyamantri Gram Sampark Yojana connected 33,000+ revenue villages with paved roads by 2020. Considered Nitish Kumar's defining achievement since 2005. Road density in Bihar rose from 127 km per 1,000 sq km (2005) to 241 km (2020). PMGSY tola (hamlet) connectivity ongoing for remaining tribal/remote areas.
Bituminous wearing-course thickness was below specification (25–40 mm instead of the mandated 50 mm) in 68% of roads sampled across Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Vaishali districts. 41% of PMGSY roads failed within 3 years of completion — before the mandatory 5-year maintenance period expired — forcing repeat contracts to the same firms.
Tap water to every Bihar household: piped water supply statewide
Partly delivered
Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal scheme started under Saat Nischay-1 (2015-20). By 2020, only ~55% rural households had connections; target fell far short during this term. Post-2019 JJM dramatically accelerated delivery (reaching 96%+ by 2025). The promise was substantially fulfilled but mostly in the subsequent term.
WiFi in all government colleges and free digital library access for students
Partly delivered
WiFi installed in 352 degree colleges and 26 state universities. However bandwidth quality (10–50 Mbps shared) is inadequate for modern learning; equipment maintenance poor. National Digital Library of India access set up but student utilisation low outside metro districts. Connectivity target technically met but functionally incomplete.
Kushal Yuva Program: skill training for 10 lakh Bihar youth by 2020
Delivered
14.3 lakh youth trained by 2020 — exceeding the 10 lakh target. Training at 1,155 centres in communication, basic IT and life skills. Placement outcomes modest (~30% formal employment within 6 months). Programme won national recognition and was expanded under Saat Nischay-2.
Free bicycles for Class 9 girls to improve school attendance and retention
Delivered
Mukhyamantri Balika Bicycle Yojana (launched 2006, expanded 2015): ~14 lakh girls received free bicycles in 2019-20. ASER data shows Bihar's secondary-level girls enrolment improved from 42% (2010) to 78% (2023). Cycle scheme widely credited with reducing rural girls' school dropout. Continued through the 2020-25 NDA-2 term.
Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana: ₹54,100 financial support to every Bihar girl from birth to graduation
Delivered
Launched 2019 under the 2015-20 JD(U) government. Total lifetime benefit per girl: ₹54,100 across stages — ₹2,000 at birth (BPL families), immunisation incentives, uniform grant at Class 1, 6, 9, ₹25,000 at graduation, ₹10,000 at intermediate. Over 1.5 crore girls benefited from graduation grants alone by 2025. DBT directly to girl's bank account. Widely credited with improving secondary enrolment, reducing child marriage (rate fell from 40% in 2015 to 22% in 2023, NFHS-5) and increasing higher education participation among Bihar's rural girls. Continued and expanded in NDA-2 (2020-25).

Prohibition

Total prohibition of alcohol across Bihar: ban manufacture, sale and consumption statewide
Delivered
Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016 implemented total alcohol prohibition from April 5, 2016 — the most sweeping liquor ban by any large Indian state. 5 April chosen as Nitish Kumar's symbolic "Zero Day." NFHS-5 data showed male alcohol consumption in Bihar fell from 15.5% (2015-16) to 8.9% (2019-21) — a statistically significant decline, though enforcement remains uneven. High-profile implementation: 3.5 lakh+ arrests by 2024, courts clogged with prohibition cases. Patna HC and SC have upheld the ban's constitutionality. Critics note a thriving bootleg market, particularly in border areas with UP and Jharkhand. State lost ~₹5,000 crore/year in excise revenue, partially compensated by GoI special grants.

Law & Order Restoration

Continue Nitish Kumar's law-and-order revolution: keep crime rates at the improved 2005-2015 levels
Partly delivered
Nitish Kumar's 2005 takeover of a crime-ravaged Bihar — from the "Jungle Raj" era associated with Lalu Prasad — is his most celebrated achievement. IPC crimes fell 46% between 2005-2015; kidnapping (Bihar was India's kidnapping capital) fell 68%. The 2015 Grand Alliance (JD-U + RJD + INC) was a calculated political risk: partnering with Lalu whose party brought a crime-permissive image. Under 2015-20: Bihar remained markedly safer than its pre-2005 state, but murder rate (3.4/lakh) and kidnapping for ransom cases began creeping up again. NCRB 2023: Bihar ranks 4th in total cognisable crimes among large states. The 2022-24 Mahagathbandhan with RJD saw perception of law-and-order deterioration — 54 sand-mafia-linked murders and high-profile gangster incidents in 2023 fed this narrative.

Agriculture & Farmer Welfare

PMFBY crop insurance: insure all Bihar farmers against crop loss; end distress sale
Partly delivered
Bihar has 1.6 crore farm families — primarily small (average holding 0.4 ha). PMFBY enrolment: 48 lakh farmers in 2019-20 (30% of the total). Bihar left PMFBY in 2020 and switched to the state-funded Bihar Rajya Fasal Sahayata Yojana (BRFSY) — which covers all enrolled farmers (not just those with crop loans) at zero premium. 51 lakh farmers enrolled in BRFSY by 2024. Claim settlement rate: 72% — better than the national PMFBY average. The 2024 Kharif season saw 18 lakh farmers claim ₹4,200 crore from the Bihar state scheme following floods — the largest single payout in Bihar's agricultural history. However compensation amounts (₹7,500-₹10,000/ha) are far below actual crop loss per hectare.

Transport & Vehicle Registration

Modernise Bihar transport offices; end corruption in vehicle registration and driving licences
Partly delivered
Bihar's District Transport Offices (DTOs) are among India's most cited sources of public- interface corruption — vehicle registration, fitness certificates, driving licences and permit issuance. 38% of issued driving licences in 12 sampled DTOs could not be cross-verified with the national driving licence database (possibly fraudulent); fitness certificate racket — 62% of commercial vehicles receiving fitness certificates in Muzaffarpur, Patna and Bhagalpur DTOs were found non-roadworthy on surprise inspection. Digital reforms (SARATHI, VAHAN portals) have made some processes faceless but DTOs retain physical gatekeeping at multiple stages.
38% of issued driving licences in 12 DTOs unverifiable against national database; 62% of commercial vehicles with fitness certificates in Muzaffarpur, Patna and Bhagalpur DTOs found non-roadworthy on surprise inspection.

BJP · 2025Bihar Manifesto 20250✓5~0✗◌ graded, evidence not yet sourced5 promises

Archive-verified pledges (checked August 2026)

Give women assistance of up to ₹2 lakh under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.
Partly delivered
First MMRY installment of Rs 10,000 paid to 1.8+ crore women (transfers began Sep 2025, before the election) and the Rs 20,000 second installment began rolling out in July 2026; the full Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2.10 lakh over 5 installments) is still pending. (Source: https://sarkariyojana.com/bihar-mahila-rojgar-yojana-payment-list/)
Launch the Karpoori Thakur Kisan Samman Nidhi giving farmers ₹3,000 per year, for a total benefit of ₹9,000.
Partly delivered
Jananayak Karpoori Thakur Kisan Samman Nidhi (extra Rs 3,000/yr to ~73 lakh farmers, taking total support with PM-KISAN to Rs 9,000) was announced in the Bihar Budget 2026-27 on 3 Feb 2026, but actual disbursal to farmers is not yet confirmed. (Source: https://www.kisanindia.in/pm-kisan-yojana/bihar-farmers-will-get-rs-3000-more-under-jannayak-karpoori-thakur-kisan-samman-nidhi-yojana-bihar-budget-2026-27-101734.html)
Invest ₹1 lakh crore in agri-infrastructure and procure all major crops (paddy, wheat, pulses, maize) at MSP at the panchayat level.
Partly delivered
Bihar began first-ever MSP procurement of masoor, chana and mustard in April 2026 and procures paddy through panchayat-level PACS, but maize MSP procurement and the Rs 1 lakh crore agri-infrastructure investment are not verified. (Source: https://indianmasterminds.com/news/bihar-msp-2026-pulses-procurement-masoor-chana-mustard-198725/)
Give the poor a 'Panchamrit' guarantee: free ration, 125 units of free electricity, free treatment up to ₹5 lakh, 50 lakh new pucca houses and social security pension.
Partly delivered
Several Panchamrit components are operational - 125 units free electricity to ~1.67 crore families since 1 Aug 2025, free ration and Rs 5 lakh Ayushman treatment cover, and enhanced social security pension - but the 50 lakh new pucca houses is a multi-year target with no completion data. (Source: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/nitish-kumar-announces-125-units-of-free-electricity-for-households-in-bihar-from-august-1/)
Provide ₹4 lakh life insurance to auto, taxi and e-rickshaw drivers, and collateral-free vehicle loans at minimum interest rates to gig workers and drivers.
Partly delivered
Bihar's Platform-Based Gig Workers Act (passed July 2025, before the election) provides Rs 2-4 lakh death aid and disability benefits for gig workers, but a dedicated Rs 4 lakh life insurance for auto/taxi/e-rickshaw drivers and collateral-free vehicle loans are not verified post-election. (Source: https://theleaflet.in/labour-law/the-bihar-gig-workers-law-a-bold-step-forward-but-a-step-back-for-trade-unions)