The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. Nitish Kumar has been the chief minister of the state for a long time, since 2005, except a brief intervention when Jitan Ram Manjhi was the CM. Therefore, the alliance is fighting anti-incumbency along with combined strength of RJD and Congress. To ensure return to power, NDA has released the Sankalp Patra that reads less like a list of poll promises and more like an agenda for development.

Created around the slogan “Viksit Bihar,” it envisions a confident, self-reliant, and industrially developed Bihar, with the aim to join the league of India’s top ten states within the next five years. The Sankalp Patra contains 25 main promises.

The document reminds voters of the journey from the lawless, infrastructure-starved Bihar of the 1990s to the transformed state of the 2020s, while laying down a detailed plan to sustain double-digit growth, create one crore jobs, and turn Bihar into the industrial heart of eastern India.

From Darkness to Development: The Numbers Tell the Story

A key section of the manifesto, titled “Bihar Kal Aur Aaj” (Bihar Then and Now), shows the contrasts in the condition of the state between 1990–2005 and 2005–2025. The comparison serves as the NDA’s central argument, that Nitish Kumar’s two decades of governance have fundamentally changed the economic and social status of Bihar.

The state’s average annual growth rate has jumped from a meagre 3% in the pre-NDA years to 11% over the past two decades. Per capita income, which was just ₹7,840, now stands at ₹66,828, over eight times higher. Notably, Bihar’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) stood in 2005 was ₹79,000 crore, which has gone up to ₹11 lakh crore by 2025, a more than thirteenfold increase.

The state’s economic growth is reflected in the size of its budget, which has gone up to ₹3,16,895 crore from just ₹23,885 20 years ago, an increase of over 13 times.

Infrastructure growth tells an equally striking story. In 1990–2005, Bihar had barely 8,000 km of rural roads. Between 2005 and 2025, that figure has expanded to over 1.2 lakh km, connecting virtually every village. The state had 0 km of expressways, now it has over 2000 kilometres.

The number of police stations has increased from 817 to 1,380, while the police force itself has grown from 42,000 to 1.35 lakh, including 35,000 women personnel. Electricity availability was just 22% with power available for just 7-8 hours a day, has now surged to approximatively 100% with supply for around 23-24 hours.

The transformation in education and healthcare spending is equally dramatic. Bihar’s education budget has grown from ₹4,366 crore in 2005 to ₹77,690 crore in 2025. The number of engineering colleges has expanded from just two to 38, ITIs from 23 to 152, and medical colleges from six (pre-1990s) to 15 functional and 21 under construction. The state’s health budget has risen from ₹705 crore to over ₹20,000 crore. These statistics form the bedrock of the NDA’s claim that Bihar has not only recovered from decades of neglect but is now poised for industrial takeoff.

The 25 Sankalp: A Roadmap for a “Viksit Bihar”

At the heart of the manifesto are 25 key commitments, or Sankalp, that map out Bihar’s next stage of growth. They span sectors like employment, industry, agriculture, women empowerment, infrastructure, education, and welfare. The 25 Sankalps are as follows:

1. Jobs and Employment for Every Youth: Provide over one crore (10 million) government and private jobs; conduct a statewide skill census and establish global-level skill centers in every district.
2. Women’s Prosperity and Self-Reliance: Financial support up to ₹2 lakh for women entrepreneurs; empower one crore women to become “Lakhpati Didis” and launch “Mission Crorepati Didi” to help top-performing women become millionaires.
3. Economic and Social Empowerment of Extremely Backward Classes: Provide ₹10 lakh financial assistance to EBC occupational groups and form a high-level commission to assess and promote their social and economic progress.
4. Farmers’ Dignity and Guaranteed MSP: Launch the Karpuri Thakur Kisan Samman Nidhi giving ₹9,000 annually to farmers, and ensure MSP-based procurement of key crops — paddy, wheat, pulses, and maize.
5. Prosperous Farmers through Dairy and Fisheries Missions: Launch Jalaj Sahni Fish Farmers Assistance Scheme and Bihar Dairy Mission to double fish and milk production and exports.
6. High-Speed Connectivity through Expressways and Rail: Build seven new expressways, modernize 3,600 km of rail tracks, expand metro services, and develop new high-speed train routes.
7. Modern Urban Development: Develop a New Patna Satellite City, greenfield smart townships, and “Seetapuram” near Sitamarhi as a world-class spiritual city dedicated to Goddess Sita.
8. Direct International Flights from Bihar: Establish international airports at Darbhanga, Purnea, and Bhagalpur; add 10 new domestic air routes.
9. Guarantee of Industrial Revolution: Launch the Developed Bihar Industrial Mission with ₹1 lakh crore investment to build mega industrial parks, create jobs, and ensure large-scale industrialization.
10. Factory in Every District, Jobs in Every Home: Establish 10 new mega industrial parks and district-level manufacturing units under the One District One Factory model.
11. The Era of the New Age Economy: Develop Bihar into a Global Back-End Hub and Global Work Skill Centre, attracting ₹50 lakh crore in investments over the next five years.
12. ‘Panchamrit’ Guarantee for the Poor: Ensure five basic welfare guarantees: Free ration, 125 units of free electricity, Free healthcare up to ₹5 lakh, 50 lakh new houses, Comprehensive social security pensions.
13. Free Education from KG to PG: Provide quality education completely free for children from poor families, with nutritious meals, modern labs, and smart schools.
14. ‘Made in Bihar for the World’ – Doubling Agri Exports: Develop five mega food parks, boost exports of makhana, fish, and pulses, and achieve self-sufficiency in key crops by 2030.
15. South Asia’s Textile Hub: Establish Mithila Mega Textile and Design Park and Ang Mega Silk Park to make Bihar a textile and design powerhouse.
16. Eastern India’s New Tech Hub: Create a Defense Corridor, Semiconductor Manufacturing Park, Mega Tech City, and Fintech City to attract high-tech industries.
17. Network of Cottage Industries and MSMEs: Build 100 MSME parks and 50,000 cottage industries; promote ‘Vocal for Local’ with testing labs, quality certification, and marketing support.
18. World-Class Education Infrastructure: Build a ₹5,000 crore Education City, make major schools AI-enabled, develop Bihar as a “State of Excellence in Learning and Innovation.”
19. Health Services at Global Standards: Set up a world-class Medical City, complete construction of all district medical colleges, establish specialized hospitals for cancer, autism, and super-specialty care.
20. Promotion of Sports and Youth Excellence: Build dedicated Sports Cities in every division, set up State-of-Excellence Training Centres for priority sports disciplines.
21. Welfare of Scheduled Castes: Provide ₹2,000 monthly stipend to SC students; set up residential schools and entrepreneurship programs for their upliftment.
22. Dignity and Support for Gig Workers and Drivers: Offer ₹4 lakh life insurance and low-interest collateral-free vehicle loans to auto, taxi, and e-rickshaw drivers; social security for gig workers.
23. Development of Religious Tourism: Develop Ramayan, Buddhist, Jain, and Ganga Circuits; build Janaki Corridor and Mahabodhi Corridor; promote eco-friendly homestays.
24. A New Centre for Art, Culture, and Cinema: Establish a Film City, Sharada School of Arts, Bihar School of Dramatics, and Ubhaya Bharati School of Performing Arts to make Bihar a cultural capital.
25. A Flood-Free Bihar in Five Years: Form a Flood Management Board and implement major river-linking projects (Koshi–Gandak–Son, etc.) to make Bihar free from annual floods within five years.

The Sankalp Patra outlines detailed plans to achieve these promises.

Jobs and Economic Growth

The most attention-grabbing pledge is the creation of over one crore jobs, including government jobs. To achieve this ambitious goal, the NDA government will set up a mega still centre in every district. The NDA promises to make Bihar a “Global Skilling Centre” with the development of skills among the youth.

If the 2000s were about restoring governance, the 2020s, the manifesto asserts, will be about industrial revolution. Bihar’s ethanol, already credited for bringing ₹32,000 crore in investment, is cited as a model of success. The document pledges more mega food parks, an electronics manufacturing hub, a green energy park for solar and battery production, and a South Asia Textile and Design Park in Mithila. The Sankalp Patra promises make Bihar a textile hub of South Asia with establishment of textile and design parks, and a Khadi Promotion Mission.

Under the Developed Bihar Industrial Mission, the state plans a ₹1 lakh crore industrial push, establishing 10 mega industrial parks, 5 mega food parks, district-level manufacturing clusters, and special economic zones across Champaran, Begusarai, and Khagaria. The manifesto outlines a “Made in Bihar for the World” campaign, aimed at doubling exports in sectors like food processing, textiles, leather, and electronics.

NDA promises to complete the ongoing industrial parks at an accelerated rate. The Sankalp Patra promises ₹50 lakh crore investment in new age economy, targeting establishing Bihar as a Global Back End Hub and a source for Global Workforce.

It also promises a Fintech City in Patna, a Tech City and Defense Corridor in southern Bihar, and specialized industrial corridors linking Chhapra to Kishanganj. By 2030, the NDA aims to place Bihar among India’s top five states in “Ease of Doing Business.”

The manifesto envisions “One District, One Factory,” ensuring every district has a distinct manufacturing identity tied to its local resources. The Sankalp Patra promises 100 MSME parks and over 50,000 cottage industries to promote ‘vocal for local’ campaign.

The state’s NDA government will collaborate with the central government to establish a defence corridor in the state. They also aim to establish Aircraft MRO centres.

Together, these measures aim to create lakhs of new jobs and move Bihar beyond its traditional image as a labour-exporting state.

Agriculture: From Annadata to Agro Processing Powerhouse

For Bihar’s large agrarian population, the NDA promises a shift from subsistence farming to high-value agriculture. NDA aims to double food processing industry in the state in the next five years. Mega Food Parks and Fishery & Poultry Parks will be established for this purpose.

A ₹1.6 lakh crore Fourth Agriculture Roadmap aims to mechanize farming, modernize irrigation, and triple cold-storage capacity to 50 lakh metric tonnes. Along with this, network of integrated cold storage and refrigerated vans will be set up for fruits, vegetables, dairy and poultry products. NDA also plans to launch 10 new national and international cooperative food brands to establish Bihar as Food Brand leader. Modern food processing, packaging and quality certification unites will be established to achieve this goal.

Every panchayat will have modern procurement centres for paddy, wheat, pulses, and maize under a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) system. The manifesto also pledges a Mukhyamantri Makhana Mission, Fishery Export Promotion Board, and the Bihar Dahi Mission to make the state self-reliant in dairy and aquaculture.

The NDA promises subsidised power to farmers for irrigation, and resolves to complete the ongoing irrigation projects in time. They will also promote establishment of solar energy production on farm land.

To combat recurring floods, the NDA plans a Flood Management Board and river-linking projects connecting the Koshi, Gandak, and Son rivers, with the ambitious goal of a “Flood-Free Bihar in five years.”

Women and Youth: The Human Capital

The manifesto puts a lot of emphasis on women’s empowerment. The NDA credits its tenure with making Bihar the first state to reserve 35% of government jobs and 50% of local body seats for women. Going forward, it pledges to make one crore women “Lakhpati Didis”, through self-help groups, easy microcredit, and entrepreneurship programs. They also launch a Mission Crorepati Didis for successful Lakhpati Didis, providing them with collateral free loans upto ₹20 lakh and other supports.

The Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana will provide up to ₹2 lakh per woman for business ventures, while the “Mission Crorepati Didi” will identify and mentor high-performing entrepreneurs. Skill development partnerships with IIMs and IITs are planned to professionalize rural enterprises.

For youth, the focus is on employability. A Mega Skill Census will map local job demand, and new Skill Hubs in every district will train workers for global outsourcing roles under a Global Work Skill Centre plan. Education reforms include free quality schooling from KG to PG, mid-day meals with nutritious breakfast, AI-enabled smart classrooms, and a ₹5,000 crore Education City to make Bihar a “Start-up Hub of Eastern India.”

The state govt will set up coaching centres in the state, which will include hostels and libraries. NDA promises self-help allowance of ₹2000 for graduates and post graduates for a period of two years.

Infrastructure and Connectivity: The Engine of Growth

The manifesto promises seven new expressways, including the Champaran–Kishanganj and Rajgir–Banka industrial corridors, and modernization of 3,600 km of railway tracks. Patna will be connected with all major districts with 4 or 6 lane highways. It proposes three new international airports, at Darbhanga, Purnea, and Bhagalpur, and three new domestic airports at Raxaul, Bhagalpur and Rajgir. A new International Airport at Patna is also planned.

River transport will get a boost through a Ganga Multimodal Logistics Park and Gandak Inland Water Corridor. But connectivity will also see improvements with modernisation of bus depots and launch of inter-state bus services.  

Urban Bihar will see the rise of greenfield smart townships and expansion of metro services. A new greenfield city ‘New Patna’ comprising areas of Patna, Saran and Vishali will come up. Piped natural gas is promised in every district by 2030.

NDA promises a Delhi-Patna-Kolkata bullet train route, and establishment of Namo Rapid Train Services in major industrial and tourism corridors.  

Welfare, Governance, and Heritage

The NDA’s welfare push promises free ration for the poor, 125 units of free electricity, free healthcare up to ₹5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat, 50 lakh new houses, and expanded social security pensions. Governance reforms include e-administration, paperless services, and a drive to place Bihar among India’s top five states for ease of doing business.

On the cultural front, the manifesto taps into pride and heritage. It envisions a Film City, Performing Arts University, and spiritual tourism circuits — Ramayan, Buddhist, Jain, and Ganga — to make Bihar the cultural capital of eastern India once again.

The Vision: From Governance to Greatness

If promises in the manifesto are realized, the roadmap could turn Bihar into a regional powerhouse, self-reliant, industrially dynamic, and socially inclusive. Bihar has come a long away from the jungle raj days, and in re-elected, the Nitish Kumar government promises to continue the progress of the state.