Over 9,000 new CCTV cameras to be installed across 53 jails in Bihar

Bihar Home Minister Samrat Choudhary on Thursday approved the installation of 9,073 new CCTV cameras at a cost of Rs 155.38 crore across 53 jails in the state. The project also includes the integration of previously installed camera systems in eight prisons.

“This project will significantly strengthen the prison security system in Bihar, and is aimed at making surveillance in jails more robust and technologically advanced,” Choudhary said in a statement.

The initiative will “increase transparency, modernise management processes, and facilitate technology-driven reforms” in the prison system, he asserted.

Choudhary said the approval was granted on the basis of a revised detailed estimate submitted by the Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (BELTRON) to the Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services.

“The sanctioned amount of Rs 155.38 crore covers CCTV cameras, software, field infrastructure, fibre network, local monitoring setups, manpower costs for five years of operation and maintenance, consultancy fees, contingency expenses, and BELTRON’s project margin,” the statement said.

The funding has been allocated from the 2025-26 state budget, Choudhary added.