A file image of Gaya Ji airport. Photo: AAI official website.
With a view to strengthening international air connectivity and boosting religious tourism, the Bihar cabinet on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) approved ₹10.40 crore as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to operate direct flights between Gaya Ji and Bangkok.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary. A total of 13 agendas were approved at the meeting.
“With a view to increasing the air connectivity on new international routes in Bihar, the cabinet has approved a Civil Aviation Department’s proposal to start non-stop air service on the international route between Gaya Ji and Bangkok. M/s InterGlobe Aviation Limited (Indigo Airlines) has been selected on a nomination basis to operate flight service between the two cities,” Cabinet Secretariat Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said in a post-cabinet briefing.
The VGF amount of ₹10.40 crore has been sanctioned for a period of up to 12 months, Mr. Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said, adding that the company (Indigo) will initially operate two flights every week and will be given ₹5 lakh per trip as VGF.
It is expected that the flight service will start soon, probably before the start of next tourist season, ACS said while exuding confidence that other airlines will come forward in the near future.
The direct air link is expected to increase the arrival of foreign tourists, particularly Buddhist pilgrims from Thailand who visit Buddhist heritage sites in Bihar each year, he said, adding that the initiative could generate employment opportunities in the state’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
In yet another important decision, the cabinet approved ₹747.97 crore as an advance from the Bihar Contingency Fund (BCF) under Health Sector Grant received from the Central government for rural local bodies. The fund will be spent on building health sector-related infrastructure, besides strengthening healthcare services.
The fund will be used for improving diagnostic infrastructure for primary health care facilities, block-level public health units, building-less sub-centre, besides converting rural primary health centres and sub-centres as “health and wellness centres”
The cabinet also sanctioned ₹428.08 crore for the construction of a reservoir to ensure the availability of water and other necessary works at IMC (Integrated Manufacturing Cluster) in Gaya Ji, Mr. Arvind Kumar Chaudhary said, adding that the decision will benefit the water requirements of industrial units which are coming up at IMC. This reservoir will be capable of storing water for one year.
It created a new post of Inspector General (Border) under the Special Branch to strengthen border security and intelligence gathering along Bihar’s international borders shared with Nepal, ACS said, adding that this will greatly help in maintaining vigilance along the Nepal border.
The Cabinet has also decided that funds will be released for the financial year 2026–27 based on the recommendations received from the Sixth State Finance Commission for the period 2021-25 for the financial year 2026-27.
Published – May 21, 2026 03:43 am IST
