On July 18, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Motihari (East Champaran), the land of Mahatma Gandhi’s first Satyagraha, to launch a massive infrastructure blitz. Under the Viksit Bharat Mission, these projects are aimed at transforming Bihar into a primary growth engine for Eastern India.
1. Rail Infrastructure & Connectivity
The bulk of the investment focuses on modernising Bihar’s rail network to handle higher speeds and more traffic.
- Doubling Projects: Foundation for the Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj line (₹4,080 crore) and doubling of the Darbhanga-Thalwara and Samastipur-Rambhadrapur sections (₹580 crore).
- New Amrit Bharat Trains: Flagged off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains:
- Patna (Rajendra Nagar) to New Delhi.
- Bapudham Motihari to New Delhi.
- Darbhanga to Lucknow.
- Malda Town to Lucknow (via Bhagalpur).
- Vande Bharat Hub: Foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Vande Bharat maintenance facility at Patliputra.
2. Digital & IT Revolution
Shifting Bihar’s economic identity from purely agrarian to a tech-hub through Software Technology Parks of India (STPI):
- STPI Darbhanga: A new 16,000 sq. ft. facility to support IT exports and local startups in the Mithila region.
- Incubation Centre (Patna): A 1,00,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility to nurture the digital ecosystem.
3. Road & Social Welfare
- Highway Expansion: Inaugurated the 4-lane Parariya-Mohania section of NH-319 (₹820 crore) and laid the foundation for the Ara Bypass.
- Housing for All: Handed over keys to 12,000 families under PM Awas Yojana-Gramin and disbursed ₹160 crore to 40,000 additional beneficiaries.
- Women Empowerment: Released ₹400 crore to over 61,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the DAY-NRLM scheme.
4. Strategic Narrative
- Urban Parity: PM Modi emphasised that the goal is to bring Bihar’s cities on par with top urban centres—comparing the development vision for Gaya to Gurugram and Patna to Pune.
- Eastern Progress: Stated that while the 20th century belonged to Western nations, the 21st century is the era of the Eastern world, and similarly, the era of India’s Eastern states.
- Funding Contrast: Highlighted that the NDA government has provided significantly higher central funding over the last 10 years compared to the previous UPA regime.
5. Sectoral Snapshot
| Sector | Key Focus |
| Railways | ₹5,398 Cr (Doubling, Signalling, Amrit Bharat trains). |
| Highways | ₹1,173 Cr (NH-319, Ara Bypass, Paved shoulders). |
| IT/Digital | ₹63 Cr (STPI facilities and incubation hubs). |
| Social | ₹560 Cr (Housing subsidies and SHG support). |