Gaya Ji, a religiously famed town of Bihar, is set pop up on the international flight routes with the state government on Wednesday giving its commitment to pay up to ₹10.40 crore to the InterGlobe Aviation Limited, which operates IndiGo flight, as viability gap funding (VGF) for a period of one year.
The payment of VGF to IndiGo was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Samrat Choudhary, in which a total of 13 proposals were cleared.
Briefing media persons after the meeting, additional chief secretary, cabinet, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said that the IndiGo was selected to operate a biweekly fight between Gaya and Bangkok, as it happened to be sole bidder for the route. “The state government has selected the carrier to make the route viable,” added the ACS..
Gaya will be the only town in the state to be connected with a regular direct flight to any international destination. Earlier, Air India, then a government owned airline, used to operate a direct flight between Patna and Kathmandu in Nepal prior to 1999.
Officials are hopeful this direct link will give a real boost to Buddhist tourism. Thailand has long been an important source of pilgrims to Bodh Gaya, the sacred site of Buddha’s enlightenment. Easier travel is expected to bring more visitors, helping hotels, taxis, local shops, handicrafts and the wider economy while creating jobs both directly and indirectly.
On the industrial front, the Cabinet sanctioned land acquisition and financial support for building a reservoir to ensure reliable water supply to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster at Dobhi in Gaya Ji. The cluster is coming up under the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor.
The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation estimates the initial water requirement at 8.5 million litres per day, which could go up to 19 million litres later. To meet this, the water resources department will build a reservoir with 8.5 million cubic metres capacity on around 324 acres of land. The Cabinet has approved ₹428 crore for the project. Once ready, it is expected to help attract industries and generate employment in the region.
In a separate move to strengthen border security, the government approved the creation of a new post of Inspector General of Police (Border) under the Special Branch. The officer will focus on better monitoring, intelligence gathering and coordination along Bihar’s international and inter-state borders.
The cabinet also cleared the “Young Professional Selection Policy-2026” for the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education. The policy is aimed at bringing in bright young talent quickly for technical, research and specialist roles, with an eye on improving innovation and efficiency in the department and its institutions.
Additionally, the industries department gave the green light, along with incentives, to two private projects worth a combined ₹161.63 crore — a rice mill in Nalanda and an ethanol plant in Kaimur. These units are expected to provide direct employment to 278 people. In another decision, the Panchayati Raj Department released over ₹747.97 crore to strengthen primary healthcare services in rural areas.
