PATNA, Aug. 20 -- The Bihar cabinet, on Wednesday, approved the construction of 336-km, six-lane greenfield expressway between Buxar and Bhagalpur. This fully access-controlled corridor would connect the western and eastern parts of the state, passing through 13 districts, officials said. The expressway project was among 13 proposals approved by the cabinet in a meeting chaired by chief minister Samrat Choudhary, said Md Sohail, secretary, cabinet secretariat department. The expressway will connect Buxar, Bhojpur, Arwal, Jehanabad, Gayaji, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Munger, Lakhisarai, Nawada, Jamui, Banka and Bhagalpur. As a fully access-controlled road, there will be no direct crossings or access points across the expressway along its main corridor. The project will be implemented through the Bihar State Road Development Corporation Ltd (BSRDCL). The government expects this initiative to attract investment and boost commercial activity around the new road network. Sohail said the BSRDCL had been authorised to implement the project, engage a DPR consultant and transaction advisor, and develop large parcels of land along the corridor for commercial purposes. The state's IT department will sign an MoU with Taiyo AI India Pvt Ltd to build Bihar's AI ecosystem. The partnership will cover identification, prioritisation, monitoring and execution of public infrastructure projects using AI; an AI-enabled public infrastructure dashboard with early-warning indicators to flag delays and cost overruns; geospatial and demographic data mapping to aid planning and monitoring of civil projects; and training of government officials in digital governance, along with AI and data-analytics skilling programmes for students, youth and women. The cabinet also approved a minor water resources department proposal to sink 11,000 additional private tube wells in 2026-27 at an estimated cost of Rs.83.60 crore, under the grant-based Mukhyamantri Niji Nalkoop Yojana (Chief Minister Private Tubewell Scheme). This is over and above 35,000 tube wells already sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.266 crore. The scheme is expected to bring 2,30,000 hectares of farmland under irrigation, boosting agricultural productivity and drought resilience. The cabinet also approved renaming Awar Pradeshik Niyojanalayas (sub-regional employment offices) as district planning offices under Saat Nischay-3. The change is aimed at reducing confusion among young job seekers and making employment-related services, career counselling and guidance more accessible. The cabinet granted a 100% exemption on stamp duty and registration fee for lease-deed registration of land acquired for the Kajra Solar Power Project in Lakhisarai. The project is expected to generate local employment, meet rising industrial power demand, and support industrialisation and environmental goals....