Bihar is divided into 38 districts. Important information about the districts of Bihar is mentioned below.

Araria

• Araria district was formed in January 1990.
• Location → Located at the southern part of Purnia and Medhepura in Bihar. It Shares border with Nepal on the northern side.
• Area → 1830 sq km
• Population → 28,11,569
• Literacy Rate → 53.53%
• Blocks → 9
• Major Tourist places → Raniganj Vriksh Vatika, Bio-Diversity Park, Kusiargaon
• Araria largely has an agrarian economy. Paddy, Maize and Jute are the main crops.

Arwal

• It came into existence in August 2001 as it was earlier part of Jehanabad district.
• Location → Situated at 60 km south of Patna
• Area → 634.23 sq km
• Population → 700843
• Literacy Rate → 67.43%
• As per 2011 census, it is the third least populous district of Bihar.
• Blocks → 5
• Major Tourist places → Makhdum Shah Ka Mazaar, Aganur Jal Vidyut Pariyojna
• Main River → Son 
• Arwal largely has an agrarian economy. Paddy, wheat and maize are the main crops. 

Aurangabad

• It was created on  26 January 1973.
• Location → Situated on the Grand Trunk Road
• Area → 3,305 sq km
• Population → 2,540,073
• Literacy Rate →70.32 %
• Blocks → 11
• Major Tourist places →  Deo Temple(Sun temple), Umga Temple
• Aurangabad is also called “Chittorgarh” of Bihar.
• It is the birthplace of eminent nationalist Bihar Vibhuti Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha.He was first Deputy Chief Minister of state.
• In ancient times, Aurangabad was located in the Kingdom of Magadh.
• Aurangabad largely has an agrarian economy. 

Banka

• It was established on 21 February 1991.
• Location → Shares border with the state of Jharkhand
• Area →  3,020 sq km
• Population → 2,034,763
• Literacy Rate → 58.17  %
• Blocks → 11
• Sex Ratio → 907
• Major Tourist places →  Mandar Hill where Samudra Manthan Occured occurred by Hindu rituals. 
• Main River → Chanan, Barua
• Banka has a largely agrarian economy.

Begusarai

• Location →  Situated on the northern bank of the river Ganges in the Mithila region.
• Area →  1918 sq km
• Population → 2970541
• Literacy Rate →   59.13%
• Blocks → 18
• Major Tourist places →   Jai Mangla Temple, Nauo Lakha Temple,
• Main River → Ganga
• It is named after Begu, a man who was the devotee of Bari Durga Maharani and was the caretaker of Sarai, the town’s old market.
• Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary →  Located in Begusarai district of Bihar, It is Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake. In November 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) declared it the first Ramsar site in Bihar. As of 2024, there are total 85 Ramsar Sites in India 
• Begusarai is famous for Simaria, a fair of devotional significance conducted every year usually during November.
• Dhuno-Naach is the Cultural Dance of Begusarai which is performed during Durga Puja and Kalipuja.

Bhagalpur

• Bhagalpur is historically also known as Champa Nagri.
• Bhagalpur city is the administrative headquarters of this district.
• Bhagalpur city is known as the Silk City.
• Location → Located in the southern region of Bihar
• Area →  2569 Sq Km
• Population → 3,037,766
• Blocks → 16
• Major Tourist places →  Ruins of Vikramshila, Shri Champapur Digamber Jain Siddha Kshetra
• Main River → Ganga
• The primary language used in the district is Angika.
• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary → Located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, it is the protected area for the endangered Gangetic dolphins. It is to be noted here that The Gangetic Dolphin have been declared as the national aquatic animal of India,

Bhojpur

• Bhojpur district came into existence in 1972. Before 1972, it was part of Shahabad district.
• In 1972, Shahabad district was bifurcated in two Bhojpur and Rohtas districts.
• Ara is the administrative headquarters of Bhojpur district.
• Area →  2,395 Sq KM
• Population → 2,720,155
• Literacy Rate → 72.79%
• Blocks → 14
• Main River → The Ganges, Sone  
• Considered as the best wheat-growing area in the state of Bihar .
• Bhojpur is named after Raja Bhoja of Parmara dynasty  
• Main language → Bhojpuri

Buxar

• Buxar district was separated from Bhojpur district in March 1991.
• Buxar is an historically important district as Battle of Buxar and Battle of Chausa were fought here.
• Location → Located on the southwestern part of the state on the banks of river Ganges bordered by Rohtas and Kaimur districts in south, and by Bhojpur district in the east. 
• The Ganga and Karmanasa Rivers form the boundary with the state of Uttar Pradesh. The river Karmansa joins the river Ganga near Chousa.
• Agriculture is the main occupation. Major crops are rice, wheat, barley, and pulses. The river Sone and Ganga are the main source of irrigation.
• Area: 1624 sq km
• Population: 1706352
• Literacy Rate: 70.14%
• Block: 11
• Sex Ratio → 922 
• Major Tourist places →  Katkauli ka Maidan, Bihari Ji Temple, Chausa Battle Field
• Main language → Bhojpuri

Darbhanga 

• Location → Darbhanga is bordered on the north by Madhubani district, on the south by Samastipur district, on the east by Saharsa district and on the west by Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts.
• Area: 2279 Sq. Km.
• Population: 3937385
• Literacy Rate →  44 %
• Sex Ratio → 910 
• Blocks → 18
• The district is important for its trade in Fish, Mango and Makhana.
• Major Tourist places →  Ahilya Asthan, Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Museum

East Champaran

• Prior to 1971, there was a single Champaran District. On 1 December 1971, Champaran was divided into East and West Champaran (Purvi and Paschimi Champaran). 
• The headquarters of the district is at Motihari. 
• Location → It shares a border with Nepal on the northern side, Sitamarhi and Sheohar are in the east. Muzaffarpur in South and Gopalganj, West Champaran are on the western side.
• Agriculture is the main occupation.
• Area: 3,968 sq km
• Population: 50,99,371
• Literacy Rate: 55.79%
• Block: 27
• Sex Ratio → 902
• As per 2011 census, it is the second most populous district of Bihar.
• Major Tourist places →  Someshwar Nath Mandir, Ashokan Pillar in Lauria Nandangarh, Raxaul (Also known as Gateway to Nepal), Champaran Satyagrah Park, Kesaria Buddhist Stupa
• Main River → Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Baghmati 

State of Bihar is divided into 9 divisions which consist of 38 districts. 

Patna

• Headquarters: Patna
• Number of Districts  : 6
• Names of Districts : Patna, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Buxar and Kaimur.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 17,662,619

Tirhut

• Headquarters: Muzaffarpur
• Number of Districts  : 6
• Names of Districts : West Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Sheoharand Vaishali.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 21,356,045

Saran

• Headquarters: Chhapra
• Number of Districts  : 3
• Names of Districts : Saran, Siwan And Gopalganj.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 9,819,311

Darbhanga

• Headquarters: Darbhanga
• Number of Districts  : 3
• Names of Districts : Darbhanga, Madhubani[1]and Samastipur.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 12,652,797

Kosi

• Headquarters: Saharsa
• Number of Districts  : 3
• Names of Districts : Saharsa, Madhepura And Supaul.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 6,120,117

Purnia

• Headquarters: Purnia
• Number of Districts  : 4
• Names of Districts : Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 10,838,424

Bhagalpur

• Headquarters: Bhagalpur
• Number of Districts  : 2
• Names of Districts : Bhagalpurand Banka
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 5,061,565

Munger

• Headquarters: Munger
• Number of Districts  : 6
• Names of Districts : Munger, Jamui, Khagaria, Lakhisarai, Begusarai And Sheikhpura.
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 9,362,742

 Magadh

• Headquarters: Gaya
• Number of Districts  : 5
• Names of Districts : Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jehanabad And Arwal
• Population (As per 2011 Census) : 10,931,018

Introduction:

• Bihar has a bicameral system of government.
• It has two houses:
  • Bihar Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha)
  • Bihar Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). 
• The state executive is made up of the Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, and Advocate-General of State.
• The Governor is the head of state, appointed by the President. This post is mostly ceremonial.
• He is titular head or constitutional head of the state.
• He is the agent of the center as the central government nominates the Governor in each state. 
• Real executive power is vested in the Chief Minister. He is the head of the council of ministers.

The Governor:

• The Governor of Bihar is a constitutional head of the state.
• Article 153 to 161 of the Constitution lays down appointment, tenure, election and powers of Governor of a state. 
• As per the provisions of the Constitution, there is no direct or indirect election for the post of Governor.
• The Governor is appointed by the President for a term of 5 years but remains in office at the pleasure of the President. 

Qualifications:

• To be qualified as a Governor, a person
  • Should be a citizen of India.
  • Should be over 35 years of age.
  • Should  not hold any office of profit.
  • Should not be a member of the Legislature of Union or of any state.

Tenure and Removal:

• The normal term of a Governor’s office is five years, however he may be removed earlier by the President under Article 156(1).
• Governors may also get transferred from one state to another by the President. He also can be reappointed.

Powers and Functions of Governor:

• Every executive action that the state government takes, is taken in his name.
• Following important functionaries of the state are appointed by Governor of the state:
  • Chief Ministers
  • Other ministers
  • Advocate general of the state
  • State Election Commissioner
  • Chairman and Members of the State Public Service Commission
  • Vice-Chancellors of the universities in the state
• Legislative Powers:
  • He has power to prorogue the state legislature and dissolve the state legislative assemblies.
  • He addresses the state legislature at the first session of every year.
  • He appoints one-sixth of the total members of the legislative council.
  • He nominates 1 member in state legislative assembly from Anglo-Indian Community
  • If a bill is presented to the governor, He can give his assent, Withhold his assent, Return the bill or Reserve the bill for the President’s consideration.
  • His recommendation is mandatory for the introduction of a money bill in the state legislature.
• He has following pardoning powers:
  • Pardon
  • Reprieve
  • Respite
  • Remit
  • Commute
• Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.
• The Governor has executive, legislative and judicial power similar to those of the President. However, he has no diplomatic or military powers like the President.
• Jairamdas Daulatram was the first Governor of Bihar after Independence.
• Zakir Husain and Ram Nath Kovind were two such governors of Bihar who later became the president of India.
• Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is the current governor of Bihar.

Chief Minister:

• The Chief Minister of Bihar is the real executive head of the Indian state of Bihar. 
• After Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, the Governor usually invites the party or coalition with a majority of seats to form the government.
• Any person appointed as minister must become a member of the legislature within 6 months of such appointment. 
• The Chief Minister’s term is for 5 years. When he loses his majority support, he has to resign or the Governor can dismiss him.
• His oath is administered by the Governor.
• In Bihar, the first Cabinet was formed in 1946; consisting of two members, Dr Shri Krishna Singh as first Chief Minister of Bihar and Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha as Bihar’s first Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister.
• The Cabinet served as the first Bihar Government after independence in 1947. 
• Current CM of Bihar is Shri Nitish Kumar.

Council Of Ministers:

• Article 163 provides that there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions.
• Article 164 provides that the Council of Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor. 
• Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the state whereas they are individually responsible to the Governor. 
• Before a Minister enters upon his office, the Governor administers to him the oaths of the office and of secrecy.
• The salary and allowances of Ministers are determined by the State Legislature.
• There are three categories of Council of Ministers:
  • Cabinet Ministers
  • Ministers of State
  • Deputy Ministers
• The Chief Minister decides the rank of the ministers.