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Bihar is the 12th largest state in India by area, covering about 99,000 square kilometers (km2); the third most populous, with about 104 million inhabitants; and the sixth most densely populated. It is in the eastern region of the country, bordering Uttar Pradesh in the west, West Bengal in the east, and Jharkhand in the south. The Ganga River flows through the middle of the Bihar plain from west to east, physically dividing the state into northern and southern regions. The northern region is bordered by Nepal.
Project Number 54364-001
Bihar is the 12th largest state in India by area, covering about 99,000 square kilometers (km2); the third most populous, with about 104 million inhabitants; and the sixth most densely populated. It is in the eastern region of the country, bordering Uttar Pradesh in the west, West Bengal in the east, and Jharkhand in the south. The Ganga River flows through the middle of the Bihar plain from west to east, physically dividing the state into northern and southern regions. The northern region is bordered by Nepal.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Infrastructure and poverty. Better infrastructure is critical for an agrarian rural economy such as Bihar in expanding income opportunities for farmers and promoting the shift from low-productivity casual labor in agriculture to more productive casual work in the nonfarm sector. It is also key to higher wages and assists in improving literacy rates and school attendance. With increased investment in infrastructure and improved governance, the state has been growing at a faster rate than the national average. The road infrastructure, particularly to improve connectivity in rural areas, will play a critical role in improving productivity of agriculture activities, further (i) accelerating transformation of the economy; (ii) improving road safety for elderly, women, children, and differently abled (EWCD); (iii) improving employment in the nonfarm sector; and (iv) providing universal access to quality health and education facilities. Continued and sustained investments in infrastructure will be required to maintain the high economic growth rate and to reduce poverty.
The road network of the state comprised 211,016 km as of 2020. All higher-class roads-national highways, state highways, and major district roads (MDR)-are paved, but most rural roads are unpaved.
In 2017, Bihars road accident rate of 14.2 per 10,000 vehicles was lower than the national average of 18.4, but its fatality rate of 8.9 per 10,000 vehicles was higher than the national average of 5.8. The relative poverty of Bihars population and the states lower economic capacity lead to comparatively poorer outcomes following road accidents, particularly for low-income households. The BSRDCL has been improving road safety engineering by adopting good road design practices and incorporating road safety measures in projects under construction. To improve road safety soft components, the Bihar State Road Safety Council was recently formed and, at the central government, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) is preparing a support program for strengthening road safety by incentivizing state governments to drive road safety interventions at the grassroots. The program will be supported by the World Bank and ADB, and Bihar has been selected as one of the target states of the ADB program.
In Bihar, the RCD manages the national highways (except roads under the National Highway Authority of India), state highways, and MDRs on behalf of the state government. The RCD is organized into seven wings: North Bihar, South Bihar, National Highway (North), National Highway (South), Simanchal, Central Design Office, and a dedicated output- and performance-based road maintenance contract (OPRMC) cell headed by a chief engineer. The RCD receives fiscal allocations from the state government.
The master plan aims to increase economic growth, improve connectivity to major regional centers in the state, encourage socially inclusive and sustainable development, and enhance efficiency and sustainability of the road network. Improved roads will help the poor to (i) integrate into the structure of the local economy; (ii) benefit from nonfarm employment, diversified agriculture production, and trading activities; and (iii) gain better access to basic services such as health care and education. To achieve this, the master plan estimates a large capital expenditure requirement of $15.8 billion for road improvements until 2035 with a two-lane state highway network totaling 8,277 km. The Government of Bihar, through the State Highways Development Program, has been systematically and strategically implementing the master plan with stepped-up investments in transport infrastructure development, financial assistance from ADB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and PPPs. |
