Bihar assembly clears 13 bills; amendments suggested by RJD, AIMIM MLAs rejected

PATNA: The Bihar Assembly on Wednesday passed 13 key Bills, including legislation on prison reforms, private universities, urban development, ease of doing business, crime control, panchayat governance and the establishment of new specialised universities

PATNA: The Bihar Assembly on Wednesday passed 13 key Bills, including legislation on prison reforms, private universities, urban development, ease of doing business, crime control, panchayat governance and the establishment of new specialised universities. Proposals by RJD MLA Rahul Sharma to refer the Bills to a select committee and amendments moved by AIMIM legislator Akhtarul Iman were rejected by the House.

The Bills, which were passed, include the Bihar Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, 2026; Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science University Bill, 2026; Bihar Urban Development Bill, 2026; Bihar Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Bihar Shops and Establishments (Employment Regulation and Service Conditions) (Repeal) Bill, 2026; Indian Stamp (Bihar Amendment) Bill, 2026; Bihar Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026; Bihar Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Bihar Crime Control (Amendment) Bill, Bihar Specialised Universities Bill, 2026; Bihar Engineering University (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Shaheed Jubba Sahni University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Bill, 2026.

The bills were tabled after the lunch recess and passed following general discussion. RJD MLA Rahul Sharma moved a motion to refer the bills to a select committee for further scrutiny, while AIMIM legislator Akhtarul Iman proposed several amendments. Both were rejected by the House.

Supporting the bill, chief minister Samrat Chaudhary said the state wants to ensure Bihar’s children do not have to leave the state for higher education and that the number of private universities would be scaled up as needed. He noted that lakhs of Bihar students currently study outside the state through student credit cards — citing 11,000 students at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar and 30,000 at Amity University — and said the state loses thousands of crores of rupees annually as a result. The amendment, he said, is aimed at attracting world-class private universities to Bihar to expand access to quality higher education within the state.

Piloting the Bihar Urban Development Bill, urban development and housing minister Nitish Mishra said the legislation is intended to accelerate urbanisation and give a fresh push to economic growth. It provides for a Bihar urban development authority, chaired by the chief secretary, tasked with identifying special zones, preparing development plans, promoting public-private partnerships, and overseeing roads, water supply, sewerage, solid waste management, public transport and other urban infrastructure, besides sorting out inter-department issues.

Bihar industries minister Shreyasi Singh said the Bihar Ease of Doing Business Bill introduces a single-window system to simplify business registration and improve the investment climate. A business facilitation council headed by the chief minister and an executive committee headed by the chief secretary will be constituted, with the invest Bihar secretariat mandated to dispose of investment-related applications within 30 days. She said the soul of the policy was “permitted under prohibited”, based on deemed approvals within given deadlines.

Under the Indian Stamp (Bihar Amendment) Bill, Prohibition, excise and registration minister Madan Sahni said those found under-declaring a property’s actual value to pay lower stamp duty will face a penalty equal to the amount evaded. Registration officers have been empowered to verify the true market value of properties and refer cases of misleading information to the competent authority, with provisions also introduced for action against negligent officials.

The assembly approved the Bihar Specialised Universities Bill, paving the way for the establishment of specialised institutions focused on modern research, technological innovation and skill-oriented education.

Higher education minister Sanjay Singh Tiger said the state plans to establish institutions dedicated to computer science, artificial intelligence, architecture and other specialised disciplines to promote research, innovation and globally competitive higher education.

The house also approved the establishment of the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science University and the Shaheed Jubba Sahni University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Muzaffarpur to promote advanced teaching, research and innovation in architecture, civil engineering and related fields.