Patna, Jan 13 (PTI) The Bihar government on Tuesday approved an agreement to be signed with Jharkhand for sharing the water of the Sone river, an official said.
A meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, approved a proposal of the Water Resource Department in this regard, aimed at ending a long-standing dispute between the two states.
Out of the 7.75 million acre-feet (MAF) of water allocated to undivided Bihar, 2 MAF go to Jharkhand, as per the agreement.
“The cabinet approved the Sone river water-sharing draft agreement, which will be signed between Bihar and Jharkhand. The decision will pave the way for the implementation of the long-pending Indrapuri reservoir project and help irrigate Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Patna, Gaya, and Arwal districts,” Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said after the meeting.
“Under the 1973 Bansagar agreement, undivided Bihar was allocated 7.75 MAF of water. Following bifurcation, Jharkhand had sought a share, delaying progress on Bihar’s Indrapuri reservoir project. After discussions during the Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Ranchi in July 2025, both states agreed that 5.75 MAF would go to present-day Bihar and 2 MAF to Jharkhand,” he said.
The cabinet also approved a project to provide electricity to households in Patna city through underground cables.
“A total of Rs 653 crore will be spent on this project. Under the scheme, electricity supply will be ensured through underground cables in 13 divisions,” Chaudhary said.
The cabinet also approved an allocation of Rs 1,485 crore for 789 secondary and higher secondary government schools for 2025-26.
“The money will be invested in schools selected under the centrally sponsored PM SHRI scheme. Modern teaching skills, innovation, and technological literacy will be promoted in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020,” the official said.
The cabinet granted approval of Rs 314.20 crore for the construction of the Bihar Bhawan in Mumbai.
Clearance was also granted for office-wise identification and restructuring of 200 sanctioned posts of the Office Attendant cadre under the Directorate of Fisheries.
The amended notification related to the Bihar Executive (Amendment) Rules, 2025, was also given post-facto approval. PTI PKD SOM
