Patna, Apr 6 (PTI) Bihar Industries Minister Dilip Jaiswal on Monday said the state government aims to attract investments to the tune of Rs 50 lakh crore and generate one crore employment over the next five years.

He asserted that industrial development has been accorded top priority under the government’s ‘Saat Nischay’ programme.

“A total of 747 investment proposals worth Rs 17,217 crore were received by the department in the 2025-26 financial year, and 317 investors were allotted 404 acres of land through the Bihar Industrial Development Authority,” Jaiswal told reporters here.

The Integrated Manufacturing City (IMC) in Gaya Ji, textile and bag manufacturing cluster in Muzaffarpur, mega food park at Damodarpur, multi-modal logistics park and proposed Fintech City in Patna’s Fatuha locality were among the major industrial projects initiated by the department in the last one year, he said.

The minister said 13,343 acres of land across 24 districts were approved for industrial projects during the last fiscal year, while 1,670 acres have been acquired for the IMC in Gaya Ji, which is part of the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) project.

According to a statement issued by the department, 109 startups registered themselves in 2025-26, and the government supported 1,652 ventures, including 242 women-led start-ups, by disbursing Rs 92.2 crore.

During 2025-26, loans exceeding Rs 468 crore were disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, with cumulative figure surpassing Rs 1,345 crore, it said.

Jaiswal said that under Mukhyamantri Udyami Yojana, Rs 3,242 crore assistance was provided to 44,179 beneficiaries during 2025-26, and over 6.5 lakh applications have been received so far in the current fiscal.

He also said that the banking sector has been urged to lend more to the entrepreneurs of Bihar.

“In a recent meeting held with banking sector representatives, I clearly stated that the sector is not doing justice to Bihar. A committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner to resolve this issue,” Jaiswal said.

Banks have given consent to loan Rs 4,600 crore through NABARD within Bihar in 2026-27, he said. The amount was Rs 1,300 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 2,500 crore in 2025-26.

The minister also said the Bihar government is in talks with the Centre to remove the reported capping on ethanol procurement by oil marketing companies from grain-based plants.

“A formal decision will be taken on this front as soon as the West Asia conflict subsides. Ethanol production and procurement are high on our priority list,” he said.

According to the statement, under the handloom and silk sector, Rs 171.45 lakh was disbursed to 1,143 weavers during 2025-26 for yarn procurement against an approved Rs 198.25 lakh.

Khadi and village industries are being actively promoted to boost local production and employment, it said.

“Khadi Mall at Patna recorded sales of Rs 22 crore in 2025-26, while the one at Purnea is near completion, and projects at Darbhanga and Jhanjharpur are under progress,” the statement said.

The Upendra Maharathi Shilp Anusandhan Sansthan (UMSAS), dedicated to the preservation, research, and promotion of Bihar's traditional handicrafts and folk arts, recorded procurements worth Rs 6.77 crore and sales of Rs 3.60 crore from April 2025 to February 2026, it added. PTI SUK RBT