Cabinet okays major drive for anganwadi recruitments, sports policy

The long awaited recruitment of 22,891 Anganwadi workers, including Sevikas and Sahayikas, got a major boost on Wednesday as the state cabinet cleared the proposal for the recruitment drive to strengthen the delivery system in rural areas. This was among the 24 proposals, which the cabinet chaired by CM Samrat Choudhary cleared after discussion with his ministers.

The long awaited recruitment of 22,891 Anganwadi workers, including Sevikas and Sahayikas, got a major boost on Wednesday as the state cabinet cleared the proposal for the recruitment drive to strengthen the delivery system in rural areas.

Cabinet okays major drive for anganwadi recruitments, sports policy

This was among the 24 proposals, which the cabinet chaired by CM Samrat Choudhary cleared after discussion with his ministers.

Additional chief secretary, cabinet, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, later said the cabinet cleared recruitment of 6,141 Sevika (workers) and 16,750 Sahayika (helpers), who would be appointed under the Anganwadi Sevika-Sahayika selection rules 2026. Under the new norms, priority in selection will be given to women from nutrition-deficient areas, which is expected to further strengthen services at Anganwadi centres for children under six, pregnant women and lactating mothers. These centres provide supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, health check-ups, referral services, immunization and nutrition-health education under the integrated child development services (ICDS) scheme.

The cabinet approved its first comprehensive sports policy with an aim to harness the potential of the state’s youth, create adequate infrastructure and prepare athletes for national and international levels. The new Bihar state cooperation policy has also been okayed to strengthen the cooperative sector. Besides, the government also decided to revive long-closed sugar mills in Raiyam (Darbhanga) and Sakri (Madhubani) by establishing new cooperative sugar mills through Indian Potash Limited (IPL). The state government will provide a 40% financial grant on the project cost.

To support vegetable processing and marketing, the cabinet sanctioned ₹106.39 crore financial grant to strengthen the Bihar state vegetable processing and marketing scheme (Vegfed). The capital assistance will be used to set up collection centres at the panchayat level and necessary structures at the block level and refrigerated vehicles.

The cabinet gave its administrative sanction to two major water supply projects under the Amrut 2.0 scheme — ₹53.71 crore for Kishanganj and ₹150.96 crore for Lakhisarai. Additionally, ₹149.78 crore was approved for constructing two high-level RCC bridges in place of dilapidated ones on NH-333A in the Khaira-Sono section of Jamui district.

The cabinet approved the release of ₹236.58 crore under the 4th agriculture road map for the farm mechanization scheme to facilitate distribution of subsidised machinery, development of custom hiring centres and farmer drone banks. Another ₹30.17 crore was cleared for vermicompost and gobar/biogas units in 38 districts, while ₹97.48 crore was approved for micro-irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (per drop more crop). Sabour Agriculture University was also granted ₹158.62 crore as assistance for salary and pension payments.

To expedite justice delivery and curb corruption, the cabinet approved the creation of three new posts of district and additional sessions judges for additional special courts — two in Patna and one in Muzaffarpur. It also decided to establish 19 exclusive special courts in 19 judicial divisions for speedy disposal of pending cases under the SC/ST atrocities prevention Act.

The state government also cleared the proposal for transfer of about one acre land in Patliputra circle to the Union home ministry on payment of ₹57.37 crore for constructing the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office building-cum-residential complex. The cabinet also approved the implementation of an ‘e-Cabinet system’ for greater transparency in administrative work.