Mod 5: Industry, energy and infrastructure

Green hydrogen: On 21 September 2026 the Chief Minister’s Office said the Chief Minister had discussed a Bihar Green Hydrogen Policy, for clean energy and green technology. On 30 September the cabinet approved the draft Bihar Green Hydrogen Policy, 2026, to draw private investment and jobs. A policy discussion and a cabinet approval are two steps. Both dates belong in the answer.

A nuclear site named, not yet a sanctioned plant: Around 18–19 October 2026, NTPC, as reported by ETV Bharat and PTI, named Banka in Bihar as a potential site for a 1,400 MW nuclear project, two units of 700 MW each, along with Basai in Madhya Pradesh and Nabarangpur in Odisha. NTPC’s stated aim is 30 GW of nuclear capacity. India’s target cited in the same reports is 100 GW by 2047, against an installed capacity of about 8.8 GW. Partnerships were being explored with Westinghouse, Rosatom and EDF. Write “potential site”. Do not write that a plant at Banka has been sanctioned, and do not add a second Bihar site that these reports do not name.

30 September, industry and infrastructure in the same sitting: VAT on aviation turbine fuel was cut from 1 per cent to zero. Four acres at Sabalpur Diyara and Dujra Diyara, Patna, were leased for 25 years to the Inland Waterways Authority of India for a cruise terminal. Consultancy for an Aviation Vision and Policy was approved; Dainik Jagran named KPMG India Services LLP, Gurugram, at a fee of ₹86.17 lakh. Electrification of 21,644 households in 177 settlements, including 132 villages, in Kaimur and Rohtas, under RDSS, had its cost revised from ₹117.80 crore to ₹351.85 crore. The Forward Auction module on the Government e-Marketplace was approved for disposable government items. The Bihar Legal Metrology (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were approved. Thirty-five contractual posts were sanctioned for the Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa at Vaishali, and for the Directorate of Museums and the State Museum. Thirty-four officer and staff posts were created for Shaheed Jubba Sahani University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. ₹17.28 crore was sanctioned to reimburse National Panchayati Raj Day 2025 at Madhubani.

For the police, the cabinet cleared 30 water cannons and 86 Vajra riot-control vehicles. IANS reported administrative approval of ₹62 crore. Dainik Jagran split it as ₹36.12 crore for the Vajra vehicles and ₹26.40 crore for the water cannons, together ₹62.52 crore. Two bypasses at Munger were approved: the Tarapur bypass, 7 km, at ₹115.90 crore, and the bypass from the Rangaon–Bhagalpur road to Dhauni via Bisay, at ₹87.63 crore.

Bridges, 29 July: On NH-333A, the Khaira–Sono road in Jamui, a new bridge at Nariyana Ghat over the Kiul, at km 72, was approved at ₹93.82 crore, and a new bridge at Mangobandar over the Suknar, at km 80, at ₹55.96 crore.

Roads in the early-September list: Consultancy for a road-user fee was approved at ₹30,94,71,500. Widening of Nehru Path, from Dak Bungalow Chowk to Rukanpura, under the New Capital Road Division, was approved at ₹39.80 crore.

What the budget itself promises: Phase 2 of the Industrial Manufacturing Cluster at Gaya, on the Amritsar–Kolkata Industrial Corridor; a defence corridor, a pharmaceutical park and a fintech city; five new expressways; conversion of public buses to CNG and electric; and more than 2,000 public charging stations. By mid-October, UNI reported the electric-bus charging station at Purnia complete, with work under way at Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Gaya. Each bus depot is to have 8 charging points, enough for about 50 electric buses.

Exam View: Key Takeaways

• Green hydrogen: discussed 21 September; draft policy approved 30 September 2026.
• Banka: a potential 1,400 MW nuclear site, two units of 700 MW. Not a sanctioned plant.
• ATF VAT: from 1 per cent to zero. Cruise terminal: 4 acres, 25 years, to IWAI.
• Kaimur–Rohtas power: 21,644 households; cost revised to ₹351.85 crore.
• Jamui bridges: Kiul ₹93.82 crore; Suknar ₹55.96 crore.

One-liners

• When was the draft Bihar Green Hydrogen Policy, 2026 approved? — 30 September 2026
• What capacity did NTPC attach to the potential site at Banka? — 1,400 MW, two units of 700 MW
• What is the revised cost of electrifying 21,644 households in Kaimur and Rohtas? — ₹351.85 crore, up from ₹117.80 crore
• How many Vajra vehicles and water cannons were approved? — 86 Vajra vehicles and 30 water cannons
• Which district’s electric-bus charging station was reported complete by mid-October? — Purnia

The 21 September note is the Chief Minister’s Office release. The 30 September list is from IANS, with the Munger bypasses, the KPMG fee and the ₹62.52 crore split from Dainik Jagran. The Banka report is ETV Bharat/PTI. The Jamui bridges are from The Hindu, 29 July 2026.