The Chief Minister's Office of Bihar announced on Monday, 15 June 2026 that Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi jointly performed the foundation-laying ceremony and bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking ritual) of a new Technology Centre at Khizarsarai, Gaya.

Context

The official post from the Chief Minister's Office reads: 'Maननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री सम्राट चौधरी जी एवं केंद्रीय सूक्ष्म, लघु एवं मध्यम उद्यम मंत्री श्री जीतन राम मांझी जी ने आज गयाजी के खिजरसराय में प्रौद्योगिकी केंद्र, गयाजी का शिलान्यास एवं भूमि पूजन कर शुभारंभ किया।' — translating to: 'Honourable Chief Minister Shri Samrat Choudhary and Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi today performed the foundation-laying and ground-breaking of the Technology Centre, Gaya, at Khizarsarai in Gaya.'

Khizarsarai is a community development block in Gaya district, a region of historical and religious significance in Bihar, situated close to the Bodh Gaya UNESCO World Heritage Site. The choice of location signals an intent to extend industrial infrastructure to a district that has traditionally been identified more with pilgrimage than manufacturing.

Policy Backdrop

Technology Centres are facilities operated by the Union Ministry of MSME to deliver technology support, skill training, and consultancy services to micro, small, and medium enterprises. The ministry launched the Technology Centre Systems Programme during the 12th Five Year Plan (from 2012) to expand this network beyond established industrial corridors into tier-2 and tier-3 locations across India.

The programme aims to reduce the technology gap faced by smaller enterprises that lack access to advanced machinery, testing facilities, and skilled manpower. Bihar has participated in several centrally sponsored MSME initiatives in recent years as part of a broader push to diversify the state's economic base beyond agriculture.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, a veteran Bihar politician who served as the state's Chief Minister during 2014-2015, now heads the Union MSME Ministry, giving the project a dual state-centre political ownership that could accelerate implementation.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of the Gaya Technology Centre will be MSMEs in Gaya district and the surrounding region, who will gain access to advanced tools, testing infrastructure, and consultancy without having to travel to larger industrial hubs. Youth in the district are also expected to benefit from skill-development and vocational training programmes that Technology Centres typically host.

India has consistently pursued MSME-focused technology infrastructure as a lever for job creation outside metropolitan areas. A functional centre in Khizarsarai could attract ancillary investment and support local artisan clusters, stone-craft industries, and agro-processing units that are already present in the Gaya belt.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the operationalisation timeline for the Gaya Technology Centre — including construction milestones, equipment procurement, and the roll-out of training programmes. Any further announcements on additional Technology Centres in Bihar will indicate whether the state is pursuing a wider cluster-based MSME strategy.

The ground-breaking at Khizarsarai marks only the first step; the centre's real impact will be measured once it begins enrolling enterprises and trainees. If delivered on schedule, it could serve as a template for similar infrastructure in other underserved districts of the state.