The Bihar Idea Festival, launched two months ago by YourStory in partnership with the Bihar Industries Department and CIMP, reached its grand finale this week at Patna’s Bapu Sabhagar. The event brought together Union and State ministers, senior officials, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to celebrate Bihar’s most inclusive startup mission, which received an overwhelming 25,000 business ideas from all 38 districts of the state.
The festival concluded alongside the launch of the Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Package (BIIPP) 2025, the One Block One Product initiative, and the opening of the APEDA regional office in Patna, marking a historic push toward transforming Bihar into a hub of entrepreneurship, investment, and exports.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, praised the ambition of Bihar’s new policies and said, “I have seen the details of BIIPP 2025. Perhaps in the country no other state has such a liberal package available today.
With incentives like free land, 300 percent SGST reimbursement, and support for startups, Bihar is not just ready for growth but ready for transformational change.” He also announced that the Centre will soon approve four new industrial parks in Bihar in addition to the already planned 3,000-acre industrial township in Gaya, ensuring balanced regional growth. Congratulating the top five winners of the Bihar Idea Festival, Goyal emphasized that all 25,000 ideas deserve to be nurtured and supported.
Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Bihar, Samrat Choudhary described how Bihar’s economic trajectory has shifted in recent years. “We have seen a Bihar where the budget was ₹6,000 crore at the time of bifurcation. Today, I proudly presented a budget of ₹37,000 crore. This is a changed Bihar where lakhs of people will get jobs through industry,” he said, while also requesting the Centre to consider four to five additional industrial corridors to meet the demands of Bihar’s 14-crore population.
Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, Government of Bihar, M. Kumar Singh unveiled the details of BIIPP 2025, highlighting free land of up to 25 acres for job-creating industries, 50 percent concession on BIADA land rates for others, SGST reimbursement of up to 300 percent, capital subsidies, and interest subvention of up to ₹40 crore.
He also shared details of employment incentives, export promotion benefits, and new green initiatives to encourage renewable energy and zero liquid discharge units. Simultaneously, the state launched the One Block One Product (OBOP) initiative, extending the ODOP model to all 534 blocks of Bihar. Iconic products like Bhagalpur silk, Muzaffarpur’s Shahi litchi, Darbhanga makhana, and Madhubani paintings will now receive state-backed branding, packaging, certification, and market access support.
The Chief Minister Entrepreneur Scheme and the Bihar Micro Entrepreneur Scheme were also showcased, with more than 43,500 entrepreneurs already supported, many of whom have scaled businesses to turnovers exceeding ₹1 crore.
Shradha Sharma, Founder & CEO, YourStory, who spearheaded the statewide outreach for the Bihar Idea Festival, highlighted the scale of participation. “We set out to collect 10,000 ideas. Bihar’s youth gave us 25,000, from all districts, even from schoolchildren in Classes 9 and 10. This shows Bihar’s hidden entrepreneurial energy,” she said. The top five winning ideas included an AI-powered legal system, waste management solutions, smokeless gas innovations, drone technology, and portable wastewater treatment systems.
Industries Minister, Government of Bihar, Nitish Mishra underscored Bihar’s preparedness to become a serious player in India’s industrial landscape. “From special economic zones to OBOP to startup funding, Bihar is building a complete ecosystem. With new industrial corridors, land banks, and inclusive schemes, our youth will no longer chase only government jobs but will create enterprises that power Bihar’s growth,” he said.
With commitments for industrial parks, export promotion, and large-scale startup support, the Bihar Idea Festival has positioned the state as a rising entrepreneurial hub. As Union Minister Piyush Goyal remarked, “Eastern India’s development is vital for a developed India, and Bihar is leading the way.”
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