Patna: (ABN) The Bihar government's budget for the financial year 2026-27 has laid special emphasis on women's protection, empowerment, and facilities. Government women employees have been allowed to reside near their posting places, and 35 percent horizontal reservation for local women of the state has been continued in direct recruitment.

Today, on the second day of the budget session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, the state government presented the budget for the financial year 2026-27. Finance Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav presented the budget in the assembly at 2 pm. This is the first full budget of the Nitish Kumar government after the assembly elections, and it has significant expectations regarding the state's development, employment, and infrastructure.

Key Announcements of the General Administration Department
The state's government women employees have been allowed to reside near their posting places. A standard operating procedure has been established to clarify and streamline the work of secretariat departments and officers. A 35 percent horizontal reservation system exists for local women candidates in all government services, cadres, and types of posts in Bihar. The Chief Minister's Fellowship Scheme has been implemented in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management, Bodh Gaya, through the Bihar Administrative Reforms Mission Society. The Bihar Youth Commission has also been established.

Recruitment and Employment Plan
From April 2025, the Bihar Public Service Commission has received applications for 19,213 posts, 37,076 for the Bihar Staff Selection Commission, 47,098 for the Bihar Technical Services Commission, 2,718 for the Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board, and 2,321 posts for the Bihar Public Service Commission. The recruitment process has been initiated for a total of 141,975 posts. During this period, 38,713 regular appointments and 5,375 contract appointments have been made in the government sector, including 16,086 men and 22,627 women. Thus, a total of 44,088 people have been employed in the government sector through these commissions and institutions.

Emergency Services and Women's Protection
Under the Emergency Response Support System, more than 5.1 million people have been provided emergency services so far. Approximately 6,000 people are served daily. As of December 15, 2025, more than 2,059,196 people have been provided services, mainly for cases of violence against women, criminal incidents, fires, road accidents, traffic issues, and prohibition cases.

To empower women and provide them with a safe environment in the state, the "Safe Travel Facility" was launched in September 2024. Its primary objective is to ensure safe transportation for solo women travelers. Bihar is the third state in the country to implement this facility. Under this system, women can share their information by dialing 112 and reach their destination safely. Their movement is technically monitored, and in case of an emergency or need, emergency response vehicles are also sent for assistance.

Chief Minister's Kanya Vivah Mandap Scheme
Under the Chief Minister's Kanya Vivah Mandap Scheme, marriage halls are being built in every gram panchayat of the state. Work on a total of 1,000 marriage halls has been initiated. The construction of these marriage halls will fulfill the social and cultural needs of people in rural areas and also provide financial assistance.

In the previous budget, the government had made several major announcements for the department of women's empowerment. These include the operation of pink buses for women in major cities of Bihar, the provision of women passengers, drivers, and conductors on the pink bus service, 33 percent reservation for women on three posts in the transport corporation, and the provision of cash grants for promoting women's self-employment for driving e-rickshaws.