6 October 2026
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India will hold an Open Hearing and Camp Sitting at Gyan Bhawan, Patna, on 7 and 8 October 2026. On 7 October a full Commission sitting will be held with Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian and Members Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi and Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani. On 8 October the Chairperson will hear bonded labour cases, while a Division Bench of Justice Sarangi and Smt. Sayani will take up compliance and other human rights complaints. The Commission will also interact with civil society organisations, NGOs and human rights defenders and meet senior state officers. The NHRC has held such camp sittings in states since 2007.
Venue:
Gyan Bhawan, Patna
Dates:
7 and 8 October 2026
Chairperson:
Justice V. Ramasubramanian
Why it matters for exams: NHRC composition and functions are standard polity questions; a Patna sitting links them to Bihar.
UPSC
In plain words
Camp Sitting Commission sitting held outside Delhi — The NHRC meets in a state to hear complaints on the spot.
Bonded labour Labour under debt bondage — A practice abolished by law in India.
6 October 2026
APEDA facilitated the export of 1 MT of popped makhana from Purnea, Bihar, to Greece. It was sourced by Indo Global Export (Purnea) and exported through S. S Foods Exports Pvt. Ltd. (New Delhi) by sea from Mundra Port to Piraeus Port. The export achieved higher price realization than domestic market rates. Bihar accounts for 80-85% of India's makhana output, grown over 35,000 hectares across 10 districts. India exported over 7000 MT of makhana and value-added products worth USD 22 million in FY 2025-26. Bihar Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha chaired the flag-off ceremony.
Consignment:
1 MT
Route:
Mundra Port to Piraeus Port
Bihar share of output:
80-85%
FY 2025-26 exports:
USD 22 million
Why it matters for exams: Bihar's makhana (fox nut) leadership and APEDA's export role are regular agriculture-economy topics.
UPSC
In plain words
APEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — A Government of India body promoting agri-food exports.
Makhana Fox nut / lotus seed — A pond-grown seed eaten popped.
28 September 2026
The Supreme Court bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan granted Bihar eight weeks to remove unauthorised structures from the Ganga flood plains in Patna. The stretch lies between Nauzar Ghat and Nurpur Ghat. The state had reported only partial compliance, citing recent flooding from Nepal. The bench said this was granted for one last time, failing which the chief secretary would be summoned. Those claiming the land must submit title deeds and building authorisation, or their representations will not be considered. The bench heard the matter and passed the order on 28 September 2026, when the state's Advocate General reported partial compliance with the 21 July direction (which had given six weeks); the order was reported by PTI on 2 October 2026.
Time allowed:
Eight weeks
Stretch:
Nauzar Ghat to Nurpur Ghat, Patna
Why it matters for exams: Floodplain protection, NGT appeals and contempt powers are linked topics for environment law and polity.
UPSC
In plain words
Floodplain Land adjoining a river that is inundated in floods — It is ecologically fragile and holds floodwater.
30 September 2026
Heavy rainfall in Nepal's Gandak basin pushed the Gandak to 91.25 metres at Bagaha in West Champaran, above the previous highest flood level of 90.90 metres set on 29 September 2024, the Bihar Water Resources Department said. The river's highest flood discharge of 2026, 5,43,500 cusecs (5.435 lakh), had been recorded at Valmikinagar on 28 September. Embankments were breached in Saran and Gopalganj (Sheetalpur-Banjariya), and a ring embankment of the Tirhut Main Embankment breached in Muzaffarpur. More than 200 villages were affected, and the Chief Minister made an aerial survey of West Champaran to direct relief and rescue operations.
Record level at Bagaha:
91.25 metres
Previous high (29 Sep 2024):
90.90 metres
Peak 2026 discharge at Valmikinagar (28 Sep):
5,43,500 cusecs
Villages affected:
More than 200
Why it matters for exams: Transboundary rivers, barrages and embankments of north Bihar are core disaster-management and geography topics.
UPSC
In plain words
Cusec Cubic feet per second — A unit of river discharge.
Barrage Gated river structure — It regulates the flow of water downstream.
Background
West Champaran District was carved out of the old Champaran District in the year 1972 as a result of re-organization of the District in the state. It was formerly a subdivision of Saran District and then Champaran District, with Bettiah as its head quarters. The district administration records that Bettiah got its name from Baint (Cane) plants commonly found in the district. It also records that the name Champaran is a degenerate form of Champaka aranya, a name dating from the time when the tract was a forest of Champa (Magnolia) trees. On the 2011 Census figures the district publishes, Paschim Champaran ranks 9th in terms of population (39,35,042) and 1st in terms of area (5,228 sq.km.) in the state of Bihar. The same figures make it the 35th densely populated district in the state with 753 persons per sq.km. The district's place in the freedom movement rests on indigo cultivation: Raj Kumar Shukla, a raiyat and indigo cultivator of Champaran, carried the cultivators' case to Gandhiji, who came to Champaran in 1917 and began the Champaran Satyagraha Movement.
Carved out of old Champaran District:
1972
Headquarters:
Bettiah
Rank in Bihar by area (2011 Census):
1st, 5,228 sq.km.
Rank in Bihar by population (2011 Census):
9th, 39,35,042
Population density:
753 persons per sq.km (35th in the state)
Why it matters for exams: District re-organisation, place-name etymology and the Census rank of a district are standard one-mark material, and West Champaran is also the setting of the first satyagraha in India.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Raiyat — A cultivator holding land directly under a landlord or the state in colonial revenue law.
Subdivision — An administrative unit below the district and above the block in the Indian revenue hierarchy.
Background
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre's page for India lists two inscribed properties that lie in Bihar, and both are cultural properties. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya carries the inscription year 2002. The Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar carries the inscription year 2016. The Gaya district administration records that the Mahabodhi Mahavihara is the most sacred place of Buddhist Pilgrimage in the world. It records that the gold painted statue of Buddha in the sanctum shrine of the Temple is made of Black stone built by the Pala kings of Bengal, and that the Buddha is seen seated in the Bhumisparsa Mudra, the Earth touching posture. No natural or mixed World Heritage property is listed for Bihar.
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya:
2002, cultural
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar:
2016, cultural
Posture of the Buddha image at Bodh Gaya:
Bhumisparsa Mudra
Why it matters for exams: Which properties a state holds on the World Heritage List, and whether they are cultural or natural, is one of the most reliably repeated static questions in both Kerala PSC and UPSC prelims.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mahavihara — A large Buddhist monastery that also served as a seat of teaching.
Bhumisparsa Mudra — The hand gesture in which the seated Buddha touches the earth with the right hand.
Background
The Bihar Forest Department records that the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, and that the sanctuary is a 60 kilometers stretch of the Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. It was notified in 1991 for the protection and conservation of the Gangetic dolphin. Being a riverine habitat, its boundary and expanse keep on changing due to the changing geomorphology of the Ganga. The sanctuary is named after the archaeological remains of Vikramshila University, once a famous centre of Buddhist learning across the world along with Nalanda during the Pala dynasty. Sultanganj at one end is an important religious centre, Bhagalpur is famous as silk city, and Kahalgaon at the other end is known for the super thermal power plant of NTPC. A release of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change records that the Gangetic river dolphin has been designated as the National aquatic Animal of India, that it is listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and that it is one of the 22 critically endangered species for which financial assistance is given to States under the centrally sponsored scheme for development of wildlife habitats. The same release names Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar as an important habitat notified as a Protected Area.
District:
Bhagalpur
Stretch:
60 kilometers of the Ganges from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon
Notified:
1991
National Aquatic Animal of India:
Gangetic river dolphin
Legal protection:
Schedule I, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
Why it matters for exams: The national aquatic animal, the Act and Schedule that protect it, and the one riverine sanctuary notified for it are a standard cluster in environment papers, and the sanctuary's name carries a history question with it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Schedule I — The schedule of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 that carries the highest degree of protection.
Geomorphology — The study of landforms and of the processes that shape them.
Background
A release of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry describes Bihar's agri-ecosystem as home to a diverse range of high-potential produce, from Shahi Litchi, Jardalu Mango, Mithila Makhana and Magahi Pan to staple grains and a mix of fruits and vegetables. The Geographical Indication (GI) tags attached to several of these products elevate their global appeal. Exports of this produce are supported by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which has opened a regional office in Patna; exporters from Bihar had earlier been served from the APEDA regional office in Varanasi. The release records work on sustainable packaging for GI-tagged Shahi Litchi in Muzaffarpur and collaboration with agri-research bodies including NRC Litchi and NRC Makhana. The National Research Centre for Makhana (NRCM), Darbhanga is a facility dedicated to Makhana research and innovation; its work includes high-yield makhana and thornless water chestnut varieties, water-efficient and integrated farming systems, and Makhana-cum-fish farming. A reply of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare records that makhana cultivation has expanded from approximately 13,000 to 35,000 hectares across multiple states.
GI-tagged produce named for Bihar:
Shahi Litchi, Jardalu Mango, Mithila Makhana, Magahi Pan
National Research Centre for Makhana:
Darbhanga
District linked to GI-tagged Shahi Litchi:
Muzaffarpur
Makhana area across states:
approximately 13,000 to 35,000 hectares
Why it matters for exams: Geographical Indication questions are usually set as a product-to-state match, and makhana, litchi and the research centres behind them are the ones most often attached to Bihar.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Geographical Indication GI — A sign used on products with a specific geographical origin and qualities owed to that origin.
APEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — The central authority that promotes the export of agricultural and processed food products.
Makhana — The popped seed of the prickly water lily, grown in ponds and shallow wetlands.
Background
The district administration of Kaimur records that the district covers an area of about 340447 Hectares and has 17 police stations. Geographically, the district can be divided into two parts, a hilly area and a plain area. The hilly area comprises of Kaimur plateau. The plain area on the western side is flanked by the rivers The Karmanasha and the Durgawati, and the Kudra river lies on its eastern side. Buxar district of Bihar and Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh bound the district on the north, Garhwa district of Jharkhand lies to the south, Chandauli and Mirjapur districts of Uttar Pradesh lie to the west, and Rohtas district of Bihar lies to the east. The district has close linkage with the history of Shahabad, which was its parent district. The old district of Shahabad had four subdivisions of which Bhabua was one, and the present district of Kaimur has been formed from the whole of this Bhabua subdivision.
Area:
about 340447 Hectares
Hilly part:
Kaimur plateau
Rivers flanking the plain on the west:
Karmanasha and Durgawati
River on the eastern side:
Kudra
Parent district:
Shahabad (Bhabua subdivision)
Why it matters for exams: South Bihar is examined through its relief rather than its plains, and the Kaimur plateau with the Karmanasa and the Durgawati is the one block of upland that a Bihar geography question usually turns on.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Plateau — An elevated tract of fairly level land standing above the surrounding country.
Background
A Proclamation made by the Governor-General of India on the 22nd March, 1912 promoted the territories of Bihar and Orissa, until then included within the limits of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal, to the status of a separate province.
By Letters Patent, dated the 9th February, 1916 the Patna High Court was ushered into existence, with circuit sittings at Cuttack.
From the 26th February, 1916, the date on which that Letters Patent was published in the Gazette of India, the High Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal ceased to exercise civil, criminal, admiralty, matrimonial, testamentary and intestate jurisdiction in all matters in which jurisdiction was given to the High Court of Judicature at Patna.
The High Court commenced work from the 1st March, 1916.
Though a separate province for Orissa was created in 1937, this High Court exercised jurisdiction over the territories of that province till 26th July, 1948, when a separate High Court was constituted for Orissa.
On 15th November, 2000, on the bifurcation of the erstwhile State of Bihar, a new State of Jharkhand came into existence and 13 Judgeships remained with the newly created State of Jharkhand.
Under Article 226 of the Constitution the High Court issues writs, directions or orders, and under Article 235 the control over district courts and courts subordinate to them, including their personnel, is vested in the Court.
Separate province of Bihar and Orissa proclaimed:
22nd March, 1912
Letters Patent creating the Court:
Letters Patent, dated the 9th February, 1916
Court commenced work:
1st March, 1916
Separate High Court constituted for Orissa:
26th July, 1948
Judgeships that went to Jharkhand:
13 Judgeships
Why it matters for exams: The instrument that created a High Court, the year its work began and the territory it once covered are standard judiciary questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Letters Patent Letters Patent — A written instrument issued in the name of the Crown which, in this case, brought the High Court into existence and defined the jurisdiction given to it.
Judgeship Judgeship — A unit of the district judiciary under the control and supervision of the High Court, with its own headquarters.
Background
Bihar has a bicameral legislature: besides the Legislative Assembly it has a Legislative Council.
Part of the Council is filled from constituencies whose electorate is made up of teachers, and from constituencies whose electorate is made up of graduates.
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar prepares the electoral rolls of the teachers' constituencies Patna Teachers, Tirhut Teachers, Darbhanga Teachers and Saran Teachers.
It also prepares the rolls of the graduates' constituencies Patna Graduates', Tirhut Graduates', Darbhanga Graduates' and Kosi Graduates'.
For an election from the Teachers' Constituencies of the Bihar Legislative Council, the State specifies by notification all educational institutions within the State which are not below the level of secondary school, under clause (v) of sub-section (3) of Section 27 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The rolls of these constituencies are prepared afresh with reference to a stated qualifying date rather than revised continuously.
Notices on the rolls of these constituencies are issued by the officer described as ERO cum Commissioner, and a claim for inclusion of a name is made in the prescribed form.
Teachers' constituencies named on the rolls:
Patna Teachers, Tirhut Teachers, Darbhanga Teachers and Saran Teachers
Graduates' constituencies named on the rolls:
Patna Graduates', Tirhut Graduates', Darbhanga Graduates' and Kosi Graduates'
Statute under which institutions are specified:
Representation of the People Act, 1950
Minimum level of an eligible institution:
not below the level of secondary school
Officer issuing notices on these rolls:
ERO cum Commissioner
Why it matters for exams: The Legislative Council is one of the few state upper houses, and how its teachers' and graduates' members are chosen is asked often.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ERO Electoral Registration Officer — The officer responsible for preparing and correcting the electoral roll of a constituency.
Qualifying date Qualifying date — The date with reference to which a person's eligibility to be enrolled as a voter is judged.
Background
The National Tiger Conservation Authority's List of Tiger Reserves records one tiger reserve against the State of Bihar: Valmiki.
The list gives, for each reserve, the year of declaration, the State it lies in, the core and the buffer area, and the gazette notification of the tiger reserve.
Valmiki is entered with a protected area notification year of 1989-90 and a tiger reserve notification year of 2012.
Its core area is given as 598.45 and its buffer area as 300.93, in square kilometres.
Its total area is given as 899.38 square kilometres.
The same list links a brief note on the reserve and the gazette notification that declared it a tiger reserve.
The Authority's eco-tourism listing of tiger reserve websites also shows a single reserve under Bihar, Valmiki.
Core area (sq km):
598.45
Buffer area (sq km):
300.93
Total area (sq km):
899.38
Protected area notification year:
1989-90
Tiger reserve notification year:
2012
Why it matters for exams: A state's tiger reserves are asked by name and by area, and Bihar has only this one to remember.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory authority that maintains the list of tiger reserves and oversees their core and buffer areas.