Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being garlanded during the Samriddhi Yatra, in Patna on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Two months after the Bihar Assembly election in which the JD(U) got 85 seats out of total 243, Bihar Chief Minister and party veteran Nitish Kumar began a Samriddhi Yatra (journey for prosperity) from West Champaran district on Friday (January 16, 2026).
On Monday (January 19), Mr. Kumar was in Sitamarhi and Sheohar districts where he laid foundation stones for several projects and reviewed others. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his help and support in the growth of the State.
“We are getting all full support from the Prime Minister for development and growth of the State,” he said in Sheohar, where he inaugurated five and laid foundation stone of 28 projects.
The yatra, the 16th undertaken by Mr. Kumar since the formation of the NDA government in 2005 in the State, is slated to cover all 38 districts in several phases. It will cross over nine districts in the first phase and culminate in Vaishali district on Saturday (January 24, 2026).
During his yatra, the JD(U) leader is planning to review progress on 430 projects worth ₹50,000 crore which he had announced during his last Pragati Yatra undertaken from December 2024 to February 2025, ahead of the State Assembly election in November 2025.
Yatra schedule
Mr. Kumar is scheduled to visit Gopalganj on Tuesday (January 20), Siwan on Wednesday (January 21), and Saran district on Thursday (January 22). On Friday (January 23), he will be in Muzaffarpur district, before culminating the first phase of his yatra in Vaishali district the following day. Earlier, he had visited West and East Champaran districts where he launched several developmental projects and reviewed schemes initiated by the government.
During his East Champaran yatra, Mr. Kumar along with his two Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, had announced that a policy would soon be brought by the government to “ban private practice by government doctors”. But, the doctors’ organisations have urged the Chief Minister to consult with them before introducing such a policy. The ban on private practice by government doctors was also mentioned in the Chief Minister’s ambitious Saat Nischay-3 (seven resolves-III) programme announced in December 2025, after the elections.
During his yatra, Mr. Kumar has also been underlining his government’s resolve to boost employment in the State. “We have already fulfilled our promise, made in 2020, to provide 10 lakh government jobs and employment opportunities to the youth. We will now ensure employment for one crore youths over the next five years. We will also restart closed sugar mills. The government will focus on the farming and trade of makhana [fox nut] and fish in the State,” Mr. Kumar announced.
The Chief Minister also talked about Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna (MMRY) under which ₹ 10,000 was given to women, especially to Jeevika didis of self-help groups for self–employment ahead of the State Assembly poll. The project, popularly known as Dus Hazari, is said to have played a major role in the ruling NDA alliance’s victory in the Assembly polls. “We’ll soon increase the financial assistance provided to the women who are doing well in their ventures. The amount will be sent directly to their bank accounts,” said Mr. Kumar during his yatra in West Champaran district. Several thousands of Jeevika didis were bussed to Bettiah in the district during the Samriddhi Yatra.
Taking a jibe at the Opposition, Mr. Kumar has been drawing comparisons between the previous Rashtriya Janata Dal government and the present NDA government, particularly with regard to the state of the education and health sectors, during his ongoing yatra.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav is also said to be embarking on a yatra across the State after January 25. The party had got only 25 seats in the last Assembly election.
Published – January 20, 2026 12:00 am IST
