Welcome to the Ujiyari Bihar Current Affairs notes for 16 August 2026, prepared for BPSC and other State PCS aspirants. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar began a two-day Bihar visit, crediting the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls for the state’s record 2025 Assembly poll turnout. CM Samrat Choudhary unveiled a Sardar Patel statue in Jamui and announced 100 new modern bus stands statewide, while hundreds of residents began a 100-km foot march to Patna protesting the proposed Patna-Purnia Greenfield Expressway alignment. Patna Cyber Police also busted an interstate fraud ring exploiting the PM Mudra Yojana. Each item below carries a Prelims fact table and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.

1. CEC Gyanesh Kumar Begins Two-Day Bihar Visit, Credits SIR for Record Turnout

Why in News: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar arrived in Patna on 16 August 2026 for a two-day tour of Bihar, received by Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal and Patna DM Kundan Kumar.

What happened: Kumar credited the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for Bihar’s record voter turnout in the 2025 Assembly polls, describing it as higher than the US, UK, France, Spain and Japan. His itinerary covered Sitamarhi, Madhubani and Vaishali, including a visit to Punaura Dham, the traditional birthplace of Sita, in Sitamarhi.

Bihar Relevance:

  • Prelims: CEC Gyanesh Kumar, two-day Bihar visit; SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls, conducted under Article 324/RP Act powers of the ECI; Punaura Dham, Sitamarhi.
  • Mains: Discuss the Election Commission’s role in electoral roll integrity through mechanisms like SIR, and the debate over roll-revision exercises and their impact on voter turnout and inclusion.

2. CM Samrat Choudhary Unveils Sardar Patel Statue in Jamui, Announces 100 Modern Bus Stands

Why in News: CM Samrat Choudhary unveiled a five-foot statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel near Bodhwa Bus Stand in Jhajha, Jamui district, on 16 August 2026.

What happened: The CM announced plans to build 100 new modern bus stands statewide to strengthen road connectivity, building on the Bihar Cabinet’s July 2026 approval to redevelop 31 bus depots/stands under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with airport-like facilities.

Bihar Relevance:

  • Prelims: Sardar Patel statue, Jhajha, Jamui district; 100 new modern bus stands announced; earlier Cabinet approval (July 2026) for 31 bus depots/stands under PPP model.
  • Mains: Discuss public transport infrastructure development as a lever for industrial and investment growth, linking it to the CM’s stated Rs 5 lakh crore investment target by November 2026.

3. Patna-Purnia Greenfield Expressway Alignment Protest: 100-km March to Patna Begins

Why in News: Hundreds of residents from Samastipur’s Sarairanjan section began a 100-km foot march to Patna on 16 August 2026, protesting the proposed alignment of the Patna-Purnia Greenfield Expressway.

What happened: The six-lane, 282-km, 90-metre-wide expressway, passing through Samastipur, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Saharsa and Madhepura, threatens to displace Kedar Sant Ramashraya College and roughly 150 residential and commercial establishments. Opposition party Jan Suraaj has also raised questions over an alleged route change; protesters plan to submit a memorandum to the Governor, CM and Leader of Opposition.

Bihar Relevance:

  • Prelims: Patna-Purnia Greenfield Expressway, six-lane, 282 km, 90-metre width, spans 7 districts; threatens Kedar Sant Ramashraya College and ~150 establishments.
  • Mains: Discuss land acquisition and rehabilitation conflicts in linear infrastructure projects with reference to the RFCTLARR Act, 2013, and the tension between development imperatives and displacement of educational institutions.

4. Patna Cyber Police Bust Interstate PM Mudra Loan Fraud Ring; Separate Rs 25 Crore Network Exposed

Why in News: Patna Cyber Police arrested nine members of an interstate gang, plus its mastermind, running a fake call centre defrauding applicants under the PM Mudra Yojana (PMMY), reported 16 August 2026.

What happened: Police recovered phones, SIM cards, laptops and cash from the gang. In a separate case the same day, three suspects were arrested for renting out bank accounts used to route roughly Rs 25 crore in fraudulent transactions.

Bihar Relevance:

  • Prelims: PM Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Shishu/Kishor/Tarun loan categories, administered via MUDRA (Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency); Patna Cyber Police arrests: 9 gang members + mastermind; separate Rs 25 crore mule-account fraud network.
  • Mains: Discuss cyber-crime as an emerging internal-security and economic-governance challenge, and the “mule account” phenomenon in digital banking fraud exploiting flagship financial-inclusion schemes.

5. Opposition Leader Tejashwi Yadav Renews Attack on NDA Government Over Prohibition Enforcement

Why in News: Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticised the state government’s enforcement of Bihar’s liquor prohibition policy and NDA leaders’ remarks on “urban Naxalism,” reported 16 August 2026.

What happened: Yadav’s remarks continued his post-Bankipur-bypoll offensive against the Samrat Choudhary government, also referencing paper-leak and exam-security concerns.

Bihar Relevance:

  • Prelims: Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 remains the state’s standing liquor-prohibition framework.
  • Mains: Discuss uneven enforcement patterns of prohibition policy against smugglers versus daily-wage offenders, and examine opposition dynamics following the 2025 Assembly polls and the August 2026 Bankipur bypoll.

Practice MCQs

1. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s two-day Bihar visit beginning 16 August 2026 credited which exercise for the state’s record 2025 Assembly poll turnout?

a) Voter ID linking with Aadhaar b) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls c) Postal ballot expansion d) Electronic Voting Machine upgrades

Answer: b Explanation: CEC Gyanesh Kumar credited the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for Bihar’s record voter turnout in the 2025 Assembly polls, describing it as higher than the US, UK, France, Spain and Japan, during his two-day visit covering Sitamarhi, Madhubani and Vaishali.

2. CM Samrat Choudhary’s announcement of 100 new modern bus stands on 16 August 2026 built on an earlier Cabinet approval covering how many bus depots/stands under the PPP model?

a) 31 b) 15 c) 45 d) 60

Answer: a Explanation: The CM’s announcement of 100 new modern bus stands, made while unveiling a Sardar Patel statue in Jamui, builds on the Bihar Cabinet’s July 2026 approval to redevelop 31 bus depots/stands under the Public-Private Partnership model with airport-like facilities.

3. The Patna-Purnia Greenfield Expressway, whose proposed alignment sparked a 100-km protest march beginning 16 August 2026, spans how many districts?

a) 4 districts b) 5 districts c) 7 districts d) 9 districts

Answer: c Explanation: The six-lane, 282-km Patna-Purnia Greenfield Expressway passes through 7 districts, Samastipur, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Saharsa and Madhepura, with its proposed alignment threatening Kedar Sant Ramashraya College and roughly 150 establishments, prompting the protest march.

4. Patna Cyber Police’s 16 August 2026 action against an interstate fraud ring targeted fraudulent applications under which scheme?

a) PM Awas Yojana b) PM Fasal Bima Yojana c) PM Jan Dhan Yojana d) PM Mudra Yojana

Answer: d Explanation: Patna Cyber Police arrested nine gang members plus a mastermind running a fake call centre that defrauded applicants under the PM Mudra Yojana (PMMY), in addition to busting a separate Rs 25 crore mule-account fraud network the same day.

5. Tejashwi Yadav’s criticism of the state government on 16 August 2026 targeted enforcement of which state policy?

a) The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 b) The Bihar Land Reforms Act c) The Bihar Right to Public Services Act d) The Bihar Panchayati Raj Act

Answer: a Explanation: Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticised the Samrat Choudhary government’s enforcement of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, continuing his post-Bankipur-bypoll offensive and also referencing remarks by NDA leaders on “urban Naxalism.”