- By Kamakshi Bishnoi
- Wed, 23 Apr 2025 02:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Under the Aapka Shahar Aapki Baat Abhiyan, a total of 2,491 programs will be conducted across 1,609 wards in 90 municipal bodies throughout the state. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was scheduled to inaugurate this campaign on Tuesday.
However, due to the national mourning declared following the passing of Christian religious leader Pope Francis, the inauguration was postponed. It will now take place on April 25.
The Chief Minister reviewed the preparations for the campaign in the Sankalp Room at his official residence. During the review, Urban Development and Housing Department Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh briefed him in detail about the initiative. He highlighted that the campaign aims to encourage direct public participation.
District administration and municipal officials will engage with residents to understand their needs and priorities, shaping development plans accordingly. This initiative seeks to enhance urban life quality and foster an inclusive and robust urban Bihar by ensuring the timely delivery of basic civic services and accelerating development with active community involvement.
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Back in 2006, Bihar had 123 urban local bodies. As of now, this number has increased to 261. According to the 2011 census, the urban population in the state stands at 1.57 crore, accounting for 15.23 per cent of Bihar's total population.
With rapid urbanisation, many areas have emerged where crucial amenities such as housing, roads, drainage, parks, streetlights, multipurpose community halls (like Emperor Ashok Bhawan), ghats, Mokshadham, stormwater drains, water supply, toilets, and sewerage require urgent development and upgradation.
During the Pragati Yatra, the Chief Minister approved 25 civic development schemes worth Rs 1,696.17 crore. These schemes are aimed at wards in newly expanded areas of Nagar Nigams and Nagar Parishads that lack essential urban facilities. The implementation will be carried out under the Aapka Shahar Aapki Baat program.
The Chief Minister also reviewed the campaign brochure, checked the mobile app designed for information collection, and inspected the awareness chariot intended to spread the campaign’s message.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Water Resources Minister Vijay Chaudhary, Urban Development and Housing Minister Jiwesh Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Deepak Kumar, Development Commissioner Pratyaya Amrit, CM’s Secretary Kumar Ravi, OSD Gopal Singh, and senior officials from the Urban Development and Housing Department, including Special Secretary Animesh Parashar, Additional Secretary Varsha Singh, Vijay Prakash Meena, and Rajiv Kumar Srivastava.