Patna: The Bihar government has announced plans to acquire more than 13,000 acres of land across 20 districts to accelerate industrial development, signalling an ambitious push to strengthen the state’s economic base. The announcement was made by Finance Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav during his budget speech, where he outlined a broader vision for infrastructure and land governance reforms.
In addition to industrial land, the government plans to acquire 210 acres for the proposed Vikramshila University and around 400 acres for the Sitamarhi–Sheohar new railway line. Officials said land acquisition is also underway for several central and state government development projects, reflecting a coordinated approach to infrastructure expansion.
Bijendra Yadav said the revenue and land reforms department is being strengthened to address long-standing land disputes. A special land survey is being conducted as part of this effort, with the first phase nearing completion in 20 districts and the second phase already underway in 18 districts. The government hopes the survey will provide a clearer record of land ownership and reduce litigation.
Under a 100-day action plan, land reform public dialogues have been launched in all districts to address grievances of landholders and farmers. The state has also initiated a large-scale digitisation drive, scanning revenue maps, land records and other key documents and making them available on the department’s online portal.
Officials said errors in digitised land records, including mistakes in account numbers, plot details, land area and ownership names, have been corrected during a special revenue campaign. Mutation cases have also been resolved more quickly under the new system.
The government is also verifying orthophoto data from the Bihar Special Survey and Settlement Programme and updating special survey maps. To support this process, 35 verification centres will be established across the state, with formal approval already granted, officials said.
