The Bihar government is preparing to seek more than ₹10,000 crore from the Centre to compensate for extensive damage caused by recent floods to agriculture, public infrastructure and affected households. A senior state government official said the assessment of losses was in its final stages, with the consolidated demand expected to be submitted after the exercise concludes. The first wave of flooding began in the opening week of September, affecting more than 50 lakh people across over 2,000 villages in 576 panchayats spread across 15 districts by the first week of October. Several locations also recorded new highest flood levels, adding to the scale of the damage.
The preparation of the compensation demand has been delayed by a second wave of flooding that affected north-western districts and caused further damage to standing crops, roads, school buildings and embankments. Officials said the final assessment depended on floodwaters receding from agricultural fields so that losses could be verified. The agriculture department’s preliminary estimate puts crop damage at around ₹270 crore across approximately 1.7 lakh hectares in more than 100 blocks spanning 18 districts. Paddy, maize, vegetables and banana crops were among those badly affected, while some estimates suggest that the total agricultural losses could exceed ₹300 crore after detailed verification.
Under National Disaster Response Fund norms, eligible farmers can receive input subsidies of ₹8,500 per hectare for unirrigated land and ₹17,000 per hectare for irrigated land. Assistance of up to ₹22,500 per hectare is available for perennial crops. However, the scale of the agricultural damage remains subject to the final assessment. Infrastructure losses are also expected to form a substantial part of the state’s demand. A government officer estimated that restoring extensively damaged rural roads alone could cost more than ₹3,000 crore, while major district roads and state highways have also suffered damage.
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The floods have disrupted education and damaged public facilities across affected districts. More than 4,000 government schools were reportedly submerged, interrupting classes for over three lakh students. Several buildings suffered serious structural damage, and some collapsed. The Water Resources Department has also reported damage to embankments along the Gandak river at multiple locations. A senior department engineer said the new flood levels would require embankments to be strengthened, potentially with technical modifications, and that estimates for reconstruction were being prepared. Officials also pointed to heavy river discharge from waterways originating in Nepal as a recurring factor in Bihar’s flood situation.
The state has already provided financial assistance and emergency relief to affected families. The Disaster Management Department transferred ₹579.23 crore as immediate ex-gratia assistance of ₹7,000 per family to 8,27,472 verified flood-affected households through direct benefit transfers. More than 1,200 community kitchens served over 1.2 crore meals, while relief camps, dry ration packets, polythene sheets and cattle feed were distributed. Expenditure on compensation, relief operations and community kitchens is estimated at around ₹2,000 crore, although officials are still compiling the consolidated figure. A Central team led by Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited affected areas on September 16 alongside Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. After aerial surveys and ground inspections, the Union minister assured cooperation from the Centre in addressing the crisis and restoring damaged infrastructure.
The proposed demand comes amid mounting political pressure over Bihar’s recurring floods and the adequacy of relief measures. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state, questioning the progress made towards a lasting solution to the annual crisis. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav accused the Centre of treating Bihar unfairly and called for the floods to be declared a national disaster, along with greater financial assistance for affected families and farmers. The state government’s final compensation request will depend on the completed damage assessment, including losses to agriculture, roads, schools and flood-control infrastructure.
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