Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set for another visit to Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections in the state later this year.
On Friday, he will visit Gaya to inaugurate six projects and lay the foundation stone for eight others worth approximately Rs 13,000 crore. The projects are aimed at enhancing infrastructure, connectivity, and economic growth in Bihar, officials said.
“I look forward to being in Gaya, where works worth over Rs 13,000 crore will be inaugurated or their foundation stones will be laid. The projects include the four-lane Bakhtiyarpur to Mokama section of NH-31, Buxar Thermal Power Plant, Sewerage Treatment Plants and Sewerage Networks,” PM Modi said in a social media post on Thursday.
Officials said that among the key projects to be inaugurated Friday is the state’s first six-lane bridge over the river Ganga, connecting Aunta (Mokama) in Patna district to Simaria in Begusarai district, alongside a new four-lane road from Bakhtiyarpur to Mokama.
The 8.15-km Aunta-Simaria bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,871 crore using the expansion cable technique, includes a 1.86-km stretch over the Ganga. “At 34 metres, it is the widest six-lane bridge in India, around 4.5 metres broader than standard six-lane designs, allowing for smoother traffic flow and higher-capacity vehicle movement,” an official said.
Built parallel to the ageing two-lane Rajendra Setu, a rail-cum-road bridge inaugurated in 1959 by Jawaharlal Nehru, the new bridge, officials said, will significantly ease traffic congestion and eliminate the need for heavy vehicles to take a detour of over 100 km. “This will reduce travel time between North Bihar districts like Begusarai, Supaul, Madhubani, Purnea, and Araria, and South Bihar areas such as Sheikhpura, Nawada, and Lakhisarai.”
I look forward to being in Gaya, where works worth over Rs. 13,000 crore will be inaugurated or their foundation stones will be laid. The projects include the four-lane Bakhtiyarpur to Mokama section of NH-31, Buxar Thermal Power Plant, Sewerage Treatment Plants and Sewerage… pic.twitter.com/XAHZqorxrx
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2025
As per officials, the bridge, constructed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) where the construction agency bears 60% of the cost and the government 40%, also improves access to Simaria Dham, a significant pilgrimage site and the birthplace of renowned poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. “The project is part of the special package for Bihar announced by PM Modi in 2015, with its foundation stone laid in 2017,” the official said.
Additionally, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the 44.6-km four-lane Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama section of National Highway-31, built at a cost of Rs 1,899 crore. This road will enhance connectivity from Patna to Mokama and Begusarai, extending to Khagaria, reducing congestion and improving freight and passenger movement. “The completion of this stretch ensures seamless four-lane connectivity from Patna to Khagaria, further integrating North and South Bihar and facilitating easier access to the state capital,” the official said. Additionally, the Bikramganj-Dawath-Nawagarh-Dumraon road, which has been upgraded to two lanes at a cost of Rs 179 crore, will also be opened to the public.
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Among the other projects to be inaugurated on August 22 is the 660 MW Buxar Thermal Power Plant, constructed at a cost of Rs 6,878 crore, “which will strengthen Bihar’s power generation capacity and energy security”.
In the health sector, the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Muzaffarpur, “built for Rs 385 crore, will provide advanced oncology services, including OPD, IPD wards, operation theatres, a modern lab, blood bank, and a 24-bed ICU and HDU”, officials said, adding that “the facility will offer affordable cancer care to patients in Bihar and neighbouring states, reducing the need for long-distance travel for treatment”.
PM Modi said in social media, “It is gladdening that the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre will be inaugurated at Muzaffarpur. This will boost health infrastructure for the people of Bihar. Equally crucial are the two trains that would be flagged off, which are the Amrit Bharat Express between Gaya and Delhi, and the Buddhist Circuit Train between Vaishali and Koderma.”
According to officials, the Buddhist Circuit Train will connect Vaishali to Koderma via Hajiapur, Sonpur, Patna, Fatuha, Bakhtiyarpur, Biharsharif, Nalanda, Rajgir, Tilaiya, Gaya, and Gurpa. “It will depart Vaishali at 5:15 am and reach Koderma by 3:15 pm, with the return journey starting at 4:45 pm and arriving at Vaishali by 2:45 am. It will link key Buddhist heritage sites in Bihar and Jharkhand, promoting tourism and cultural exchange,” the official said.
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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, meanwhile, said that the projects will strengthen the state’s tourism sector, particularly religious tourism, and create employment opportunities. He noted, “Initiatives like the Buddhist Circuit Train, the Aunta-Simaria bridge, and projects like the Maa Janaki Temple in Sitamarhi and the Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum-cum-Memorial Stupa in Vaishali will enhance Bihar’s cultural identity and economic growth. Additionally, the upcoming Sultanganj-Deoghar railway line will facilitate travel for millions of devotees during the Shravani Mela.”
Under the Namami Gange initiative, a sewerage treatment plant (STP) and sewerage network in Munger, costing Rs 523 crore, will also be inaugurated by PM Modi, to “reduce pollution in the Ganga and improve sanitation in the region”. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for urban infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,257 crore, including STPs and sewerage networks in Daudnagar, Aurangabad, Barahiya (Lakhisarai), and Jamui, as well as water supply and sewerage treatment projects in Aurangabad, Bodhgaya, and Jehanabad under AMRUT 2.0. “These initiatives aim to provide clean drinking water, modern sewerage systems, and improved sanitation to enhance public health and quality of life,” an official said.
During the visit, Modi will participate in the Grih Pravesh ceremony for 12,000 rural beneficiaries under PMAY-Gramin and 4,260 urban beneficiaries under PMAY-Urban, symbolically handing over keys to five beneficiaries (three rural and two urban).
The Aunta-Simaria bridge, officials say, is a significant milestone in Bihar’s infrastructure development. “Before 2005, only four major bridges spanned the Ganga in Bihar — the two-lane Veer Kunwar Singh Setu in Buxar, the four-lane Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna, the two-lane Rajendra Setu in Begusarai, and the two-lane Vikramshila Setu in Bhagalpur,” the official said, adding that “since 2005, 14 additional bridges have been constructed”, including a two-lane bridge parallel to Veer Kunwar Singh Setu, the two-lane JP Setu in Patna, the four-lane Ara-Chhapra bridge, and a two-lane rail-cum-road bridge in Munger.
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“Nine more bridges are under construction, including a six-lane bridge parallel to JP Setu, a six-lane Kacchi Dargah-Bidupur bridge in Patna, and a four-lane bridge between Manihari Ghat and Sahebganj,” the official said.
