Bihar Economic Survey | Chapter 6: Physical Infrastructure

1. Importance and Economic Contribution

  • Physical infrastructure is a major driver of socio-economic development in Bihar.
  • The transport, storage, and communication sector grew at 7.6% (3rd highest growth sector).
  • Contribution to GSVA rose from 7.3% in 2011–12 to 10.2% in 2023–24, reaching ₹47,313 crore at constant prices.
  • The state government achieved the target of connecting Patna from any district within 5 hours.

2. Roads and Bridges

  • Bihar has over 3 lakh km of road network (8th rank in India).
  • 26 Bharatmala projects approved covering 1652 km.
  • Double Decker Flyovers under construction in Ashok Rajpath (₹422 crore) and Chapra (₹411.3 crore).
  • Mukhyamantri Gramin Setu Yojana (2024):
    • Goal: improve rural bridge connectivity to NH, SH, MDR.
    • Target: 600 bridges with outlay of ₹3000 crore.

3. Rural Transport and E-Mobility Initiatives

  • Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana (MMGPY):
    • Strengthens rural transport systems.
  • Mukhyamantri Prakhand Parivahan Yojana (2024):
    • Enables seamless mass transportation to remote areas.
  • Clean Fuel Policy (2019 & 2023):
    • Bans 15+ year-old government and commercial vehicles in Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur.

4. Rail and Air Connectivity

  • Rail network: 4509 km, forming 3.4% of India’s total rail track.
  • Air transport contribution to GSVA increased from ₹31 crore (2011–12) to ₹282 crore (2023–24).
    • Annual growth: 21% in 2023–24.

5. Building and Postal Infrastructure

  • Key projects under Building Construction Department:
    • Rajgir Khel Academy (₹889.26 crore), APJ Abdul Kalam Science City (₹640.55 crore), BASU, Bapu Tower.
  • Postal Export Centres: 46 functional across Bihar.
  • Post Office Passport Seva Kendras: 35 as of March 2023.

6. E-Governance and IT Infrastructure

  • Emergency Response Support System (ERSS): receives 68,000 calls/day; avg. response time: 15 mins.
  • E-Shikshakosh: monitors school education delivery.
  • BHAVYA: digitises hospital-level processes from registration to discharge.
  • Land record, PDS, DBT all digitised.

Digital Backbone:

  • Teledensity: 55.59
  • Internet density: 42.1
  • Panchayat Onboard (BharatNet): 100%

Major Projects:

  • BSDC 2.0 (State Data Centre), BSWAN 2.0 (Wide Area Network), and Secretariat LAN for secured digital governance.

Conclusion

The infrastructure sector in Bihar has shown substantial expansion in both physical and digital domains. Roads, bridges, and flyovers are reshaping connectivity, while digital initiatives are strengthening service delivery. With rising investments and sectoral contribution to GSVA, this sector continues to serve as a critical pillar for Bihar’s inclusive growth.

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