The use of Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is steadily increasing in sustainable agriculture and offers an attractive way to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements. In this study, isolation and characterization of PGPR from the rhizospheric soil of standing rice plant was done by collecting rhizospheric soil from a rice field in Bihta region of Patna district in Bihar. Five isolates of bacteria, designated as R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 were successfully isolated and characterized by morphological and biochemical tests. Isolates were further subjected to in vitro PGPR characterization tests i.e., indole acetic acid (IAA) production test, biological nitrogen fixation test and phosphate solubilization test. Subsequently, to investigate the effects of PGPR isolates on the germination and growth of Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum L.), an in vivo plant growth test was conducted where seeds were treated with PGPR isolates and results revealed that these isolates remarkably increased seed germination and overall growth and vigor of gram seeds. The present study, therefore, suggests that after further field trials and pot experiments the use of these PGPR isolates as biofertilizer will be effective.