Patna: In the first cabinet meeting chaired by CM Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday, three key proposals were approved. These included plans for the development of 11 satellite townships along with their new names, the establishment of a research park at IIT-Patna to develop it into a technology hub for eastern India, and the upgrade of 75 industrial training institutes (ITIs) to equip youth with modern skills.The cabinet also cleared 19 other proposals, cabinet secretariat department additional chief secretary (ACS) Arwind Kumar Choudhary said.Regarding the 11 satellite townships planned around major cities, urban development and housing department principal secretary Vinay Kumar said the cabinet has approved new names for each. These are: Patliputra for the satellite town of Patna, Hariharnathpuram for Sonepur, Magadh (Gaya), Mithila (Darbhanga), Koshi (Saharsa), Purnia (Purnia), Ang (Munger), Vikramshila (Bhagalpur), Tirhut (Muzaffarpur), Saran (Chapra) and Sitapuram (Sitamarhi).Kumar said the Patliputra satellite town of Patna will have its zonal plan, which is under preparation. Similarly, the remaining 10 satellite townships will have their master plans, which are under preparation. Both the core and special areas of the satellite townships have already been identified.He added that the govt has prohibited the sale, purchase or transfer of land in the identified areas or the 11 satellite townships. No sale, purchase or transfer of land will take place in the identified areas of satellite townships of Patna, Sonepur, Gaya, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Purnia and Munger till their master plans are ready for reference by March 31 next year. Similarly, no such sale, purchase or transfer of land will take place in the satellite township areas of Muzaffarpur, Chapra, Bhagalpur and Sitamarhi till June 30 next year.The cabinet cleared the state’s share of Rs305 crore of the total fund of Rs480.71 crore that would be used for the establishment of a research park on the campus of IIT-Patna with central assistance, information technology (I-T) department secretary Abhay Kumar Singh said. He added that when fully developed, it would emerge as the tech hub of eastern India providing direct and indirect employment to 10,000 persons.Singh said 1,000 Fortune companies would be allotted space under long-term—20 years or more—agreement to do collaborative research with the educational institutions.Among the areas of research are electric vehicle and wireless technology, health care (technology and innovation), advanced manufacturing technology development, urbanisation (building and environment), agriculture (clean water and recycling), data analytics, AI and block chain, IOT industry 4.0 technology, development of IIT-Patna as centre of excellence in technology sector, and to develop the research park as a self reliant public entity.The cabinet also cleared its matching grant of Rs25 crore for IIT-Patna as part of the centrally assisted electronics system design and manufacturing incubation centre. It has been functioning to provide assistance to start up units. Further, the cabinet also cleared Rs39.01 crore for the phase-2 development programme of the incubation centre.Youth, employment and skill development department secretary Kaushal said the cabinet cleared Rs3,615 crore, including state’s share of Rs1,192.95 crore for developing the state’s 75 industrial training institutes (ITI) as centres for giving modern skills to the students. Accordingly, the syllabi have also been prepared.The cabinet cleared the tourism department’s demand for the free transfer of 15 acre and one ‘dismil’ land of the agriculture department in the Gajipur mauja to it for establishing a cultural and religious centre at Tarapur in Munger district, which would be provided with attractive features to promote tourism.The responsibility to develop it on the defined lines has been given to Coimbatore-based Isha Foundation, Isha Yog and a few other organisations. Similarly, the cabinet sanctioned Rs680 crore to the tourism department to develop Sonepur-based Hariharnath temple area in Saran district on the pattern of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor at Varanasi. It would involve external remodelling of the Hariharnath temple area.The cabinet gave its sanction to Rs66.75 crore for the purchase of 1,500 scooties and 3,200 motorcycles to be used by police personnel to provide security to school-going girls and women in urban areas. The cabinet also cleared Rs172.80 crore for the construction of building (B+2, G+7) in the Rajiv Nagar locality, which would house the emergency response unit and state data centre.A sum of Rs12.95 crore was also sanctioned to the home-police department for the purchase of items required to handle the fire safety measures in emergency situations in the high rise buildings. Another chunk of Rs287.16 crore was sanctioned to acquire 50 acres of land in the Dumri mauja of Punpun circle in Patna district for the establishment of the off campus of National Forensic Science University (NFSU).The cabinet cleared the proposal of the disaster management department to pay ex gratia payment to the next kin of the group victims of road accidents from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). A sum of Rs72.76 crore was also sanctioned to the I-T department for use on the development of software and a single-unit integration with all departments.For the preparation of the detailed project of the upcoming Sonepur (Saran) and Ajgaibinath (Bhagalpur) airports, the cabinet sanctioned Rs5.06 crore payable to the central undertaking RITES, which would also prepare a report on the two proposed airports.
