The Bihar government has decided to appoint Block Minority Welfare Officers (BMWOs) in all 534 blocks of the state by the end of the financial year 2026–27, State Minority Welfare Minister Mohammad Zama Khan announced on Friday.
The minister said the government has taken the decision to ensure better monitoring and implementation of various schemes for minority communities and to strengthen departmental work at the grassroots level.
The government has also created a total of 1,076 posts to set up minority welfare offices at the block level, Khan said.
Out of the 534 sanctioned BMWO posts in the state, 44 officers are currently working in several blocks. “The state government’s decision to establish minority welfare offices at the block level is a positive step towards minority welfare,” he asserted.
To fill 487 vacant BMWO posts, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has already conducted the preliminary examination. Khan added that 524 posts of Lower Division Clerks (LDCs) have also been created for the purpose, and a requisition has been sent to the Staff Selection Commission to fill these positions.
Highlighting the department’s achievements and future plans, the minister said, “Our BMWO offices will be operational in all 534 blocks of the state by the end of the financial year 2026–27.”
He added that requisitions have also been sent to the concerned commissions to fill six posts of District Minority Welfare Officers and 37 posts of hostel managers, among others.
The minister said the department’s budget has witnessed a significant increase. From Rs 3.53 crore in 2005, it has risen to Rs 1,041.08 crore in the current financial year (2025–26). “This reflects Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s commitment to minority welfare,” he said.
Out of the Rs 1,041.08 crore budget, the department has so far spent Rs 803.52 crore, accounting for 77.18 per cent of the total allocation. Khan expressed hope that the entire budget would be utilised by the end of the current fiscal year.
In the previous financial year (2024–25), the department spent Rs 630.82 crore out of a total budget of Rs 728.74 crore, achieving an expenditure rate of 86.56 per cent, he said.
The department has been implementing the Bihar State Minority Residential School Scheme since 2018–19, under which at least one minority residential school will be opened in each district. Currently, two such schools are functional in Darbhanga and Kishanganj districts.
In addition to these, five new minority residential schools will begin academic activities from April. These schools will be located in Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Jamui, Kaimur and Nalanda districts.
Each 560-bed minority residential school provides high-quality residential education for meritorious minority students from Classes 9 to 12, offering free boarding, lodging and books, the minister said.
To improve educational standards in madrasas, the department is introducing smart classes in 75 madrasas in association with Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University, Patna. The initiative will be extended to all madrasas in the state in the future, he added.
Madrasa students are also being taught modern subjects such as Hindi, English, Social Science, Science and Mathematics to enhance their competitiveness.
The government is also providing one-time financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to eligible abandoned or divorced Muslim women under the “Mukhya Mantri Alpsankhyak Muslim Parityakta/Talakshuda Mahila Sahayata Yojana,” Khan said.
The scheme, operational since 2006–07, aims to empower beneficiaries by helping them become self-reliant. A total of 16,176 women have benefited from the programme so far. The financial assistance was increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 in 2017–18.