Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of the country's 77th Republic Day and said that under the effective leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the state government is moving forward with a commitment to good governance, justice, and development.

Governor Mr. Khan, while addressing the gathering at the historic Gandhi Maidan in the capital Patna after hoisting the flag, said that the Bihar government is committed to the development of all regions and all sections of the state, and maintaining the rule of law in the state is its top priority.

Mr. Khan congratulated the people of Bihar on the completion of 77 years of the establishment of democracy in the country on January 26, 1950. He said that on this day, the foundation of a government based on the parliamentary system was laid in the country, and through the Constitution, all citizens of the country were guaranteed social, economic, and political justice, as well as freedom of expression, faith, religion, and worship.

He said that the Indian Constitution was implemented with the principles of dignity and equality of opportunities and providing a dignified life to the people. He further said that today, as a democratic country, India is moving forward under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the dreams of overall development of the country are becoming a reality.

The Governor, while mentioning the achievements of the Bihar government over the past 20 years, said that continuous efforts are being made to control crime and improve the law and order situation in the state. He informed that in 2005, the number of police forces in Bihar was very low, so the Nitish government emphasized increasing the police force from the beginning, and now its number has increased to 1,31,000, while the recruitment process is also ongoing.

Mr. Arif Mohammed Khan said that the state government has made continuous efforts to establish an environment of social harmony and communal harmony. He said that disputes related to graveyard land have been resolved, and since 2016, the boundary wall of temples older than seven years is being managed. He said that this has resulted in a significant decrease in incidents like theft.

The Governor, while mentioning the development works in the state, said that large roads and bridges have been constructed in Bihar. He said that the government plans to lay a network of roads so that any person in the state can reach the capital Patna within five hours.

Mr. Khan said that since 2006, free medicines and complete treatment facilities have been provided in government hospitals in the state, resulting in a significant increase in the number of patients benefiting from it. He said that earlier, there were only six medical colleges and hospitals in Bihar, which have now increased to 12, while new medical colleges are also being planned in all the remaining 27 districts.

The Governor said that the government has made significant progress in the field of women's empowerment. He informed that with the help of the World Bank in 2006, self-help groups were started in the state, which was later named 'Jeevika'. Today, the number of such groups has reached 11 lakh, with 1 crore 40 lakh Jeevika didis associated with them, most of whom belong to the low-income group.

He said that since 2024, self-help groups are also being formed in urban areas, with a total of 41,000 groups, and around 4 lakh 34 thousand Jeevika didis are associated with them. He said that 50% reservation is being given to women in local bodies and 35% in government jobs.

Mr. Khan, while mentioning the efforts of the Bihar government in the field of education, said that earlier, the number of schools in the state was very low, and due to the shortage of teachers, the system was not functioning properly. Therefore, the government established a large number of new schools and improved them. He said that a large number of contract teachers were appointed to fill the shortage of teachers.

He said that to improve the quality of teachers, since 2023, a large-scale examination is being conducted by the Bihar Lok Seva Ayog for the appointment of government teachers. Today, the total number of government teachers has increased to 5 lakh 24 thousand.

The Governor mentioned the 'Saath Nischay' (Seven Resolves) of the government in the context of modernization of Bihar and said that under it, work was started in 2015 to provide electricity to every household, water through pipes, toilets in every household, and connecting rural areas with roads, which has now been completed. He said that by 2018, electricity had reached every household, and now the government is providing almost free electricity to low-power consuming consumers. He said that the government is also providing subsidies to willing families to install solar panels.