Shatabdi Niji Nalkoop Yojana (Bihar Private Tubewell Subsidy)

What is Bihar Shatabdi Niji Nalkoop Yojana?

Shatabdi Niji Nalkoop Yojana is the private tubewell subsidy programme of the Minor Water Resources Department, Government of Bihar. The scheme takes its name from Bihar's centenary: "shatabdi", and was introduced to push groundwater irrigation in areas where canal water does not reach and where the monsoon alone cannot support a second or third crop. The same line of assistance is now delivered by the department under the Mukhyamantri Niji Nalkup Yojana (MNNY) banner, and applications are taken on the department's MNNY portal at mwrd.bihar.gov.in.

Bihar's irrigation problem is uneven rather than absolute. Large parts of north Bihar sit on a shallow, rechargeable aquifer, but a small farmer cannot fund a boring, a casing pipe and a pump set out of one season's income. Shatabdi Niji Nalkoop Yojana closes that gap by paying a large share of the boring cost per metre of depth, and a further share of the pump cost, directly to the farmer after the work is verified.

Key features

• Subsidy on tubewell boring, calculated per metre of depth rather than as a flat grant.
• Subsidy rate rises with social category, 50 per cent for general, 70 per cent for BC and EBC, 80 per cent for SC and ST farmers.
• A separate subsidy on a 2 to 5 HP motor pump or submersible pump, again at category-wise rates.
• Boring specification covered is 4 to 6 inch diameter, roughly 15 to 70 metres deep.
• One-time benefit per farmer, paid by DBT after physical verification.

Who is eligible for the Bihar private tubewell subsidy?

You can apply if:

• You are a farmer resident in Bihar.
• You own at least 0.40 acre (40 decimal) of cultivable land recorded in your own name, evidenced by an LPC, jamabandi or khasra entry.
• The land is unirrigated and technically suitable for a shallow tubewell.
• The land does not lie in a groundwater block classified as over-exploited or critical.
• You hold an Aadhaar-seeded bank account capable of receiving DBT.
• You have not already taken this tubewell subsidy before.

You cannot apply if:

• The land is not in your own name, tenant farmers, bataidars and sharecroppers are not eligible.
• Your holding is below 0.40 acre.
• Your block is in an over-exploited or critical groundwater category, where the department does not sanction new private borings.
• You have already received this subsidy once; it is a one-time benefit.
• The plot already has a functioning tubewell or an assured canal or lift-irrigation source.
• The proposed boring is outside the 4 to 6 inch, 15 to 70 metre specification the scheme funds.

Farmers of any social category may apply. Category affects the rate of subsidy, not eligibility, and SC, ST, BC and EBC applicants receive both a higher rate and priority in processing.

How much subsidy is paid?

The department fixes a per-metre rate for boring and a slab-wise amount for the pump, and the applicant's category decides the share.

Because the boring component is calculated per metre, the actual money a farmer receives depends on how deep the boring goes. A shallow boring in north Bihar draws a much smaller subsidy than a deeper one in the south, even at the same percentage rate. The per-metre rate and the ceiling are notified afresh by the Minor Water Resources Department for each round, so check the current rate sheet on the MNNY portal before you contract a driller, that rate, not the driller's quotation, decides your reimbursement.

The subsidy is a reimbursement. The farmer pays the driller and the pump dealer first, and the subsidy share is credited after the field engineer verifies the completed work.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Bihar private tubewell subsidy

1. Open the Minor Water Resources Department portal at mwrd.bihar.gov.in/mnny/ and read the current round's notification for the per-metre rate, the open districts and the closing date.
2. Register with your Aadhaar number and mobile number, and verify the OTP sent to that mobile.
3. Fill the application form with your land details — district, block, panchayat, khata, khesra, rakba, your category, the proposed boring depth and diameter, and the pump capacity you intend to install.
4. Upload the documents; Aadhaar, LPC or jamabandi, bank passbook first page, residence certificate, and the caste certificate if you are claiming a higher rate.
5. Submit the application and save the application number shown on screen. You will need it for every follow-up.
6. Wait for technical clearance and site inspection. The department's junior engineer visits the plot to confirm that it is unirrigated, that the aquifer is suitable, and that the block is not over-exploited.
7. Carry out the boring and install the pump after clearance, keeping every bill and receipt.
8. Report completion on the portal and let the field engineer record the final verification, after which the subsidy is credited by DBT.

Offline help is available at the district office of the Minor Water Resources Department, and the department also publishes a mobile application for the Mukhyamantri Niji Nalkup Yojana through which the same form can be filled.

How to check your application status

Application status is tracked on the same MNNY portal using the application number issued at submission, the screen shows whether the file is at technical scrutiny, awaiting site inspection, cleared for work, or passed for payment. Once the status reads passed for payment, confirm the credit by updating your Aadhaar-seeded bank passbook at the branch or at a Bank Mitra point. If the status has not moved for several weeks, the district office of the Minor Water Resources Department is the level that can tell you which desk holds the file.

Why applications get rejected

• Land not in the applicant's own name on the LPC or jamabandi.
• Holding below 0.40 acre.
• Block classified as over-exploited or critical for groundwater.
• Plot already irrigated by an existing tubewell, canal or lift scheme.
• Duplicate claim. The same farmer or the same plot already subsidised once.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, causing DBT failure at the payment stage.
• Boring outside the covered specification of 4 to 6 inch diameter and roughly 15 to 70 metres depth.
• Work started before technical clearance, leaving the inspection unable to certify the sanctioned depth.

Help and grievance redressal

• Minor Water Resources Department toll-free number: 18003456145
• District office of the Minor Water Resources Department for file-level queries
• Portal: mwrd.bihar.gov.in/mnny/
• Block level: the junior engineer assigned to your block for site inspection queries

Applying is free. No driller, dealer or agent can charge a fee for "getting the subsidy sanctioned", and the subsidy is credited only to the farmer's own Aadhaar-seeded account, never to a contractor.