Massive Infrastructure and Welfare Push Before Bihar Polls
Siwan, Bihar – June 20, 2025 – In a high-profile function in Siwan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for a massive package of development schemes totaling more than ₹5,735 crore. The scheme covering urban housing, railway infrastructure, water and sanitation, energy storage, and international industrial exports represents a major push to Bihar’s development agenda. The timing of this launch, mere months ahead of the state assembly polls, is being perceived widely as an attempt by the BJP-led NDA to consolidate its political foothold in the state.
Railway Expansion and Vande Bharat Launch
Among the key projects launched by the Prime Minister was the new track between Vaishali and Deoria, developed at a cost of more than ₹400 crore. This was coupled with the official flagging off of the Patliputra–Gorakhpur Vande Bharat Express, aimed at enhancing high-speed rail connectivity between Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Both actions will enhance better trade and movement in the region and reflect the Centre’s priority on contemporary transport infrastructure.
‘Make in India’ Locomotive Takes Global Leap
In a historic step that also reflects India’s increasing manufacturing prowess, PM Modi also inaugurated an export of a high-horsepower locomotive manufactured at the Marhowra factory in Bihar to Africa, the Republic of Guinea. For the first time, a locomotive produced at this facility is being exported, reflecting the ambitions of the “Make in India” drive and demonstrating Bihar’s industrial prowess on the international stage.
Sanitation and Urban Development Under Namami Gange
PM Modi commissioned six sewage treatment plants under the Namami Gange Mission, covering a total value of ₹1,800 crore. The plants will greatly enhance waste and water management in urban Bihar, lowering the pollution levels of the Ganga and bolstering the state’s ecological sustainability. Other water and sanitation infrastructure for over ₹3,000 crore was also announced, giving an impetus to clean water initiatives in many urban local bodies.
Clean Energy Storage to Ensure Power Stability
One such addition to Bihar’s power infrastructure is the laying of foundation stones for a 500 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which will be commissioned at 15 strategic grid substations, including Siwan, Muzaffarpur, Motihari, and Bettiah. The project promises to stabilize electricity supply, lower power cuts, and integrate renewable energy sources into the state grid more efficiently.
Affordable Housing and Subsidies to Beneficiaries
One of the significant welfare measures brought to the fore at the event was the handover of keys to more than 6,600 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). Also, more than ₹1,580 crore were directly credited to the bank accounts of 53,000+ beneficiaries for new house construction. These steps are likely to provide permanent shelter to thousands of low-income urban households and work towards the aim of “Housing for All.”
Sharp Political Messaging Targets Opposition
Utilizing the platform to refine his political rhetoric, PM Modi directly targeted the opposition, especially Congress and RJD, symbolically calling them “panja” (hand) and “lantern.” Both parties have indulged in a culture of corruption and lawlessness that had characterized Bihar in the past, he charged, juxtaposing that record with NDA’s emphasis on growth, infrastructure, and governance. He claimed that with NDA’s “double-engine government,” Bihar is finally becoming its best.
Strategic Momentum Through 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections
The Prime Minister’s statements in Siwan were not merely intended to bring development, but also aimed at framing the mood for the future Bihar Assembly Elections later this year. A mix of economic development, employment-creating industrial initiatives, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and political rhetoric has set the NDA looking primed to galvanize its base of supporters in the state.
