In a significant move to define its development agenda for the next five years, the Bihar Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has approved the third phase of its flagship program, Saat Nischay-3. The ambitious blueprint shifts focus towards massive employment generation, industrial growth, and empowering women entrepreneurs, marking a new chapter for the state's economy.
Ambitious Targets and Political Skepticism
The cabinet's nod, given on Monday, December 17, 2025, sets forth a vision to create one crore jobs and employment opportunities over the coming five years. This forms the core of what is being termed 'Nitish 5.0'. However, the principal opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has swiftly dismissed these promises as a 'tall order'.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari questioned the financial viability of the plan, pointing out the state's outstanding loans of Rs 3 lakh crore and an annual own revenue generation of only about Rs 65,000 crore. "We want to know the government budget and its sources," Tiwari stated, adding that while the NDA government with its brute majority can "sell any dream for some time," it must first find ways to raise its own revenue.
Pillars of the New Development Roadmap
The Saat Nischay-3 program is built on several key resolutions designed to transform Bihar's economic landscape.
Employment and Women's Empowerment: Beyond the overarching goal of one crore jobs, the plan aims to double the state's per capita income, which currently stands at around Rs 70,000. A major thrust will be on strengthening women's employment through the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana. The government has already established a separate Youth, Employment and Skill Development Department to spearhead these efforts.
Industrial and Tech Push: The second resolution ambitiously seeks to position Bihar as the tech hub of Eastern India and attract private investment worth Rs 50 lakh crore. To boost the industrial and agriculture sectors, the government plans to reopen nine closed sugar mills and establish 25 new ones. New bodies like the Directorate of MSME and the Marketing Promotion Corporation have been created to facilitate this growth.
Agricultural Advancement: The government will embark on the Fourth Agriculture Roadmap (2024-29), focusing on promoting makhana (fox nut), dairy, and fisheries. The plan mandates a milk committee in every village and a Sudha Centre in every panchayat, alongside ensuring irrigation water for every field.
Focus on Health, Education, and Infrastructure
The roadmap also details comprehensive plans for social infrastructure. A separate higher education department will work on improving quality, transforming old institutions into Centres of Excellence, and developing a new education city.
On the health front, the agenda includes opening more Community Health Centres (CHCs), super-speciality district hospitals, and new medical colleges in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Doctors will be offered additional incentives to serve in rural areas.
Infrastructure development will see the creation of modern cities, affordable housing, five new expressways, and two-lane rural roads. For the capital, Patna, plans are afoot for tourism circuits, a film city, tech hubs, and a world-class sports city.
Building on Past Initiatives
The Saat Nischay program is not new. The first phase (2015-2020) concentrated on basic infrastructure and social inclusion, achieving universal electricity, piped water supply, toilets, and paved streets in villages. The second phase (2020-2025) built on these foundations, aiming to create 10 lakh new jobs and providing micro-enterprise grants to women. Saat Nischay-3 represents a scaling up of these ambitions, aiming to transition Bihar from foundational development to a phase of robust economic growth and high-value employment.
As the Nitish Kumar government sets this ambitious course, its ability to secure investment and create tangible job opportunities will be closely watched, with the opposition ready to hold it accountable for what it perceives as lofty promises.
