Bihar News: Chief Secretary Reviews BIRSAC’s Work; Geo-Spatial Approval Made Mandatory for DPRs of Projects Above ₹50 Crore

Bihar's Chief Secretary announced mandatory geo-spatial analytics from BIRSAC for DPRs on infrastructure projects above INR 50 crore, with BIRSAC approval required and a 0.25% project cost payable for services. A BISAG-N tool will enhance DPR preparation via PM Gati Shakti data, improving planning and disaster management.

A review meeting of the Bihar Remote Sensing Application Centre (BIRSAC) was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit. The meeting was attended by Development Commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education Dr Pratima, and senior officials including Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of various departments.

During the meeting, the departmental secretary 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.

The Chief Secretary directed all departments to ensure systematic and comprehensive use of BIRSAC’s geo-spatial services. Under the State’s BIRSAC Geo-Spatial Service Usage Policy, geo-spatial analytics will now be a mandatory component of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for infrastructure projects costing ₹50 crore or more. Departments availing these services will pay only 0.25 per cent of the total project cost, ensuring institutional sustainability without imposing any additional financial burden on the State.

Emphasising the importance of data-driven governance, the Chief Secretary said that integrating BIRSAC’s geo-spatial capabilities into infrastructure planning is essential to make development projects scientific, efficient and future-ready. Departments were instructed to incorporate geo-spatial inputs at the planning stage itself to avoid technical, administrative and land-related challenges at later stages.

It was also clarified that technical approval from BIRSAC 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.

The Secretary informed the meeting that, in collaboration with the 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 and efficient DPRs.

Officials noted that the system will help prevent duplication of work, reduce costs and enable early identification of potential obstacles such as land, forest and cross-drainage issues. It will also support disaster management and monitoring of activities such as stubble burning, with departments able to leverage these services as required.

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