The Nitish Kumar cabinet in Bihar has greenlit a significant plan to extend the reach of the emergency response support system (ERSS), operated through the dialing of 112, to rural areas in the second phase of the project. This expansion, with an approved budget of ₹766.71 crores, comes on the heels of the successful implementation of ERSS in urban areas during the first phase.
S. Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet), addressed the media after the cabinet meeting and conveyed the government’s decision to make 112 services accessible in rural areas. In addition to providing police assistance in emergency situations, the updated ERSS will also encompass ambulance and fire services. The government has entrusted the responsibility of service provisioning, training, and infrastructure management to the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAT), a government of India enterprise.
The first phase of the ERSS, launched by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in July of the previous year, was primarily focused on urban areas. It introduced a toll-free 112 helpline number, along with a control and command center at the Bihar Police Radio campus. Around 400 ERSS vehicles equipped with mobile data terminals were flagged off to facilitate swift emergency services in the city. These vehicles were staffed with one police officer and three to four armed personnel.
In another key decision, the cabinet has given the green light to the Information Technology Department’s proposal to connect all police stations and gram panchayat bhawans with Bihar State Wide Area Network (BSWAN 3.0). This initiative aims to provide high-speed intranet connectivity to these facilities, strengthening communication with the state headquarters. An allocation of ₹564.02 crores has been sanctioned to develop the supporting infrastructure required for the network.
Under the second phase of the Mukhyamantri Krishi Vidyut Sambhandh Yojna, the Energy Department’s proposal to build dedicated agriculture feeders across rural areas has been approved. This aligns with the fourth agricultural roadmap recently introduced, which offers farmers free power connections while billing them for their power consumption. The Energy Department will allocate ₹2190.75 crores to establish the power supply network.
Additionally, the cabinet has endorsed the rules for the appointment of approximately 3,500 teachers in schools operated by the SC, ST, and EBC Welfare Department across the state. Siddharth clarified that the teacher recruitment rules are nearly identical to those of the Education Department.
