Cabinet Clears Rs 7,616 Crore Infra Push in Election-Bound Bihar

The Union Cabinet has approved two major infrastructure projects in Bihar, totaling Rs 7,616 crore, coinciding with the state’s impending elections.

The first project is the greenfield Mokama-Munger highway, spanning 82.4 km, which is estimated to cost Rs 4,447 crore. This four-lane, access-controlled highway, with close tolling, is designed for an average vehicle speed of 80 km/h (design speed 100 km/h). The corridor will link Mokama, Barahiya, Lakhisarai, Jamalpur and Munger, improving connectivity toward Bhagalpur. Once finished, travel time on this route will drop significantly, to about 1.5 hours and offer safer, faster, smoother transport for both passenger and freight traffic.

The second project is the doubling of the Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat rail section over 117 route km, with an investment of Rs 3,169 crore. This will enhance line capacity, boost mobility and improve service reliability in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Government officials believe both projects will stimulate economic activity, especially in the Munger‐Jamalpur‐Bhagalpur belt, which is seeing growth in industries such as ordnance manufacturing, locomotive workshops, food processing, logistics and warehousing. Prime Minister Modi stated that expanding connectivity is a key part of accelerating the state’s economic development and he is scheduled to visit Bihar soon.