A very important strategic meeting with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was held today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary of Bihar, Mr. Pratyay Amrit. The high-level meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries/Secretaries from the Finance Department, Education Department, Water Resources Department, Agriculture Department, Urban Development and Housing Department, Civil Aviation Department, Road Construction Department, Industries Department, Tourism Department, and Youth Employment and Skill Development Department.

Addressing the meeting, Chief Secretary Mr. Pratyay Amrit warmly welcomed the Asian Development Bank team. He stated that Bihar is currently poised to make a major leap forward in key areas of its economy and infrastructure. He underlined that the partnership with ADB would be extremely beneficial for the state. The Chief Secretary assured the ADB team that the proposals received would be discussed promptly and the state government would revert with an action plan soon.

During the meeting, Ms. Mio Oka, ADB Country Director for India, gave a detailed presentation outlining key areas of partnership with the Bihar government. The following major projects were proposed in the presentation:

1. Comprehensive Buddhist Circuit Development

2. Water Resources and Agriculture Transformation Project

3. Comprehensive Skill Development Project

4. Urban Infrastructure and Resilience Project for select cities

5. Energy Sector

(a) Expanding renewable energy and strengthening grid integration and

(b) Future-ready distribution grid

6. Bihar Health and Medical Education Transformation Project

In addition to traditional projects, several innovative ideas for Bihar's future were also discussed at the meeting:

-MSME development in Bihar with a focus on women

-Competitiveness and logistics in the manufacturing sector

-Strengthening the public financial management program, including comprehensive support for PPP development

-Bridging the School Readiness Gap to strengthen the foundation of school education in Bihar.

The partnership will also consider strengthening Bihar's manufacturing and logistics ecosystem through integrated clusters in Gaya and Muzaffarpur, as well as public financial management reforms to improve capital expenditure efficiency and revenue collection.

During the session, representatives stated, "ADB's strategic engagement with Bihar is geared toward high-impact, multi-sectoral solutions. By combining global expertise with concessional capital, we aim to accelerate Bihar's transformation into a high-productivity and innovation-driven economy."

This meeting is a major step toward propelling Bihar to a new level of development and ensuring sustainable economic progress in the state.