Bihar’s Cabinet on 8 July approved a measure restricting the existing 35 percent horizontal quota for women in all state government jobs to candidates who are permanent residents of the state. The decision, announced by Additional Chief Secretary S. Siddharth after the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, replaces the earlier policy that allowed women from outside Bihar to benefit from the reservation introduced in 2016. Women from other states will now be treated as general category applicants. The Cabinet also cleared the formation of a Bihar Youth Commission, tasked with advising on education, skills and employment. The body will have a chairperson, two vice-chairpersons and seven members, all under 45, and will monitor opportunities for Bihari youth in both public and private sectors. The quota change and the commission are part of 43 decisions taken at the meeting, which comes months before assembly elections expected later this year.