Bihar Chief Secretary makes geo-spatial approval mandatory for DPRs of infra projects above ₹50 crore

Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit held a review meeting of the Bihar Remote Sensing Application Centre (BIRSAC) on Wednesday and clarified that technical approval from it will now be mandatory before granting financial sanction to DPRs of projects exceeding ₹50 crore.

All departments were directed to strictly comply with this provision, he said.

Giving directions to all departments to ensure systematic and comprehensive utilisation of BIRSAC’s geo-spatial services, Mr. Amrit asserted that integration of BIRSAC’s geo-spatial capabilities into infrastructure planning is essential to make development projects scientific, data-driven, and future-ready.

Departments were instructed to incorporate geo-spatial inputs at the planning stage itself to avoid technical, administrative, and land-related obstacles at later stages.

Under the state’s BIRSAC Geo-Spatial Service Usage Policy, geo-spatial analytics will now be a mandatory component in the DPRs of infrastructure projects costing ₹50 crore or more.

Departments availing these services will pay only 0.25% of the total project cost, ensuring institutional sustainability without imposing additional financial burden on the state.

The meeting was attended by Development Commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh, Department of Science, Technology & Technical Education Department’s Secretary Dr. Pratima, and senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries of various departments in Patna.

During the meeting, the departmental Secretary Dr. Pratima presented BIRSAC’s ongoing activities, highlighting its role in creating geo-spatial inventories of natural resources and departmental assets, providing spatial data for state-level planning and development, supporting disaster monitoring and management, and building village-level geo-spatial databases.

Ms. Pratima informed that, in collaboration with Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N), a digital tool is being developed to support DPR preparation.

The tool will use departmental data available on the PM Gati Shakti Portal to assist in project planning, alignment, and assessment, ensuring more accurate DPRs.

Officials agreed that this system will prevent duplication of work, reduce costs, and enable early identification of potential obstacles, such as land, forest, and cross-drainage issues. The system will also support disaster management and monitoring of activities such as stubble burning. Departments can leverage these services as needed.

Mr. Amrit directed departments to provide regular updates on project progress through the portal and strengthen inter-departmental coordination. He also appreciated BIRSAC’s work and urged further enhancement of the Centre’s technical and human resource capacities.