Patna, Apr 29 (PTI) The BJP-led government in the state on Wednesday renamed the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park as ‘Patna Zoo’, and the Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology as ‘Bihar State Institute of Dairy Technology’.
The decisions were taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
The state-run zoo, named after late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi — the son of ex-prime minister Indira Gandhi, is located off Bailey Road in the state capital and was opened to the public in 1973.
Spread over 153 acre, it is home to more than 800 animals of over 110 species.
Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology is an ICAR-accredited institute in Patna, established by the state government in 1980. It offers BTech and MTech programmes in dairy technology.
Among the other 61 decisions taken was the allocation of Rs 23,165 crore for the ‘Mukhyamantri Vidyut Upbhokta Sahayta Yojana’, under which power consumers in the state get 125 units of free electricity every month.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat Department, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, said the allocation will enable the Power Department to provide subsidies to consumers during the current financial year.
The scheme was announced in July last year by then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and was seen as one of several welfare measures that helped the ruling NDA return to power in the assembly elections held a few months later.
The cabinet also approved Rs 104 crore for the establishment of degree colleges under the ‘Saat Nischay-3’ programme in 208 blocks that currently do not have such institutions.
“A total of 9,152 teaching and non-teaching posts will be created for these colleges. Each institution will also receive Rs 50 lakh for renovation of provisionally identified buildings and other expenses to begin academic sessions,” Chaudhary said.
The government also approved the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for the treatment of persons with autism. Land for the facility has been earmarked in Patna’s Gardanibagh area.
The cabinet also approved four major road projects — the 56-km Bidupur-Dighwara North Ganga Path (Ganga Ambika Path), Darihara-Konhwa to Gopalganj-Dumariya Ghat four-lane road (Narayani Path), Buxar-Ara-Maner Ganga Path (Vishwamitra Path), and a two-lane bridge over the Falgu river in Gaya to provide direct connectivity from an industrial manufacturing cluster to NH-99.
Monthly stipends for students residing in 139 SC/ST hostels were doubled from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.
The cabinet also approved the development of one model school in every block with modern science and computer laboratories, along with smart classrooms. An amount of Rs 800 crore will be spent on the project in the 2026-27 financial year.
The government further approved the allotment of 2.34 acres of land in Patna for the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). The land will be given on a renewable 30-year lease. PTI SUK SOM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.