Bihar Cabinet Shake-Up: Nitish Kumar Retains Aviation, Distributes New Portfolios — Who Gets What

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has allocated portfolios for three newly created departments, retaining the Civil Aviation Department with himself, according to an official notification issued on Friday.The

Bihar cabinet had approved the creation of the Youth, Employment and Skill Development Department, the Higher Education Department and the Civil Aviation Department on December 9. It also cleared the renaming of three existing departments as part of an administrative restructuring exercise.Under the changes, the Animal and Fisheries Resource Department has been renamed the Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department. The Labour Resources Department is now the Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, and the Art, Culture and Youth Department has been renamed the Art and Culture Department.According to the notification, Sanjay Singh ‘Tiger’, who already oversees the Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, has been assigned the Youth, Employment and Skill Development portfolio. State Education Minister Sunil Kumar will now head the newly formed Higher Education Department, while the chief minister will directly supervise Civil Aviation.Nitish Kumar had earlier announced the decision to create the new departments on X, linking the move to the state government’s broader employment and development goals."We have set a target to provide jobs to one crore youth over the next five years (2025-30). For this, it's essential that more youth be trained for skill development,” he wrote. “Instructions have been given to create three new departments: Youth, Employment and Skill Development Department, Higher Education Department, and Civil Aviation Department."He said the Higher Education Department was needed 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.”Explaining the creation of the Civil Aviation Department, Kumar said the state is witnessing rapid expansion in aviation infrastructure.“All of you know that the construction of several new airports is underway in the state... 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,” he wrote.