Context: On Wednesday, the Bihar Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, approved 11 proposals focused on rooftop solar, skill development, higher education, waste-to-energy and power-sector capacity expansion. 

About the news

● PM Surya Ghar State Subsidy 

• Under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, Bihar will provide residential consumers an additional State subsidy of ₹10,000 per kW, over and above Central Financial Assistance. 
• The State support will be capped at ₹20,000 per consumer. 
• The Cabinet approved an estimated outlay of ₹1,000 crore for this purpose. 

● Student Credit Card Extended 

• The Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme has been extended from 2026–27 to 2030–31. 
• The Cabinet approved ₹950 crore for the scheme in FY 2026–27. 

● Kushal Yuva Programme 

• The Kushal Yuva Programme has been extended until 2030–31.
• The Cabinet approved an expenditure of ₹430.08 crore for FY 2026–27.

● Private ITI Admissions 

• Admission to 50% of seats in private Industrial Training Institutes will now be made through the joint entrance examination conducted by the Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB), Patna. 

● B.Ed. Colleges to Become Multidisciplinary Institutions 

• More than 300 standalone teacher-training institutions are proposed to be converted into multidisciplinary degree colleges.
• The decision is aligned with the multidisciplinary higher-education objective of the National Education Policy.

● Compressed Biogas Plants 

• Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants are proposed in Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Bihar Sharif.
• Oil and gas companies will be provided 10 acres of land free of cost for 25 years for projects linked to solid-waste management.

Significance of the Bihar Cabinet Decisions 

● Promotes rooftop solar: Additional State subsidy can reduce upfront costs and electricity bills.

● Improves education access: Extending Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme supports higher and professional education.

● Boosts employability: Kushal Yuva Programme and merit-based ITI admissions strengthen vocational skills.

● Supports circular economy: CBG plants can convert organic waste into clean fuel and bio-manure.

● Encourages planned urbanisation: Greenfield satellite townships can attract investment and organised development.

● Integrated development: Combines education, skills, clean energy, waste management and power infrastructure.

Pink Bus Service Makes Women Passengers Feel Safer in Bihar 

Context: A survey of women passengers using Bihar’s Pink Bus Service in Patna, Muzaffarpur and Gaya found that 56% of respondents felt safer while travelling on these buses. 

Key Findings 

● The study was reportedly conducted after three months of Pink Bus operations to assess women’s travel experience and service-management arrangements. 

● 56% of women respondents stated that the Pink Bus made them feel safer during travel. 

● 60% said they had begun travelling alone more often after the service was introduced. 

● 42% of passengers were students travelling to schools, colleges or coaching centres.

● 36% used Pink Buses to travel to railway stations or workplaces. 

● 27% used the service for hospitals, health centres and markets.

Significance

● Women’s Mobility: Safer transport enables women to access education, jobs and healthcare independently.

● Employment: Reliable mobility can increase female labour-force participation.

● Education: Helps girls travel safely to schools, colleges and coaching centres.

● Gender-Responsive Governance: Promotes infrastructure designed around women’s safety needs.

● Digital Governance: GPS, panic buttons and real-time tracking improve safety, accountability and emergency response.

Kaziranga Under Threat: Illegal Riverbed Mining Reaches NGT 

Context: A petition has been filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging large-scale mechanised sand mining in the Deihori River near Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district. 

About the news

● In April 2019, the Supreme Court imposed an immediate ban on mining and related activities along the southern boundary of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and across the catchment areas of rivers and streams originating in the Karbi Anglong Hills and flowing into Kaziranga. 

● Kaziranga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam’s Brahmaputra floodplain, globally renowned as the largest stronghold of the greater one-horned rhinoceros. 

Kaziranga National Park

● State: Assam

● Districts: Mainly Golaghat and Nagaon; expansion areas include Sonitpur, Biswanath and Karbi Anglong.

● Located in the Brahmaputra floodplain, between the Brahmaputra River and Karbi Anglong Hills.

● National Park: Declared in 1974.

● Tiger Reserve: Declared in 2006.

● UNESCO World Heritage Site: Inscribed in 1985.

● Major River: Brahmaputra; Mora Diphlu broadly forms part of the southern boundary.

India’s First Branded Train: Sprite Tejas Express 

Context: The IRCTC-operated Lucknow–Delhi–Lucknow Tejas Express is set to run as the “Sprite Tejas Express” for six months after Indian Railways awarded train-branding rights to Sprite. 

About the news

● Train branding refers to licensing the commercial right to place a company’s name, logos and advertisements on a train’s exterior and/or interior. It is a form of non-fare revenue for Indian Railways. 

● The train remains an IRCTC-owned and operated private train; only the naming and advertising rights are licensed. It does not transfer ownership of railway infrastructure or rolling stock to the brand. 

● It is being described as the first instance of an Indian train being named after a private brand under a commercial branding arrangement.