Highways ministry and Bihar sign Nadi Sanjivani to put dredged river silt into national highway work

3 November 2026

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Government of Bihar have signed a memorandum of understanding named Nadi Sanjivani, under which silt dredged from Bihar's rivers will be used as fill material in national highway construction. The National Highways Authority of India will carry out the work. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary were present at the signing in New Delhi. The arrangement rests on the Bihar Water Sources Restoration and Silt Management Policy, 2026, which the State says is the country's first comprehensive silt management policy. Clearing silt is expected to raise the carrying capacity of rivers and reduce flooding, while highway builders get cheap fill close at hand. Seven major rivers enter Bihar from Nepal, which the Chief Minister named as the source of the State's flood damage.