Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a hike in pensions for the widowed women, elderly and the disabled. The government will now give them a monthly pension of Rs 1,100 instead of the Rs 400 that they have been receiving, he said. The move comes just a few months ahead of the Assembly Elections in Bihar.
Decision to be implemented from July
A report in NDTV said that the decision made by the state government will come into force in July. It is going to impact over 1 crore beneficiaries under the state’s Social Security Pension Scheme.
The Bihar CM took to social media platform, ‘X’ to make the announcement. He wrote, “I am happy to inform you that under the Social Security Pension Scheme, all the elderly, disabled and widowed women will now get a pension of Rs. 1100 instead of Rs. 400 every month. All the beneficiaries will get pension at the increased rate from the month of July. It will be ensured that this amount is sent to the account of all the beneficiaries on the 10th of the month. This will help 1 crore 9 lakh 69 thousand 255 beneficiaries a lot.”
Kumar further said that the elderly were a precious part of the society and ensuring their dignified living is the top priority. He added that the state government will continue to make efforts in that direction.
The announcement of the Bihar leader comes just ahead of the Assembly Elections in the state. The state goes to polls by the end of this year, though the Election Commission has not issued any date or official notification for the elections. In the upcoming polls, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) is vying to retain power, along with its ally, the BJP. They are up against an opposition led by the RJD and Congress.
The Bihar government has also made changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Now village heads can independently sanction schemes worth up to Rs 10 lakh, doubling the previous threshold of Rs 5 lakh. The state government also increased the monthly allowance for the elected representatives under the Panchayati Raj system: The Zilla Parishad (ZP) President’s monthly allowance will increase from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000. ZP Vice President’s allowance has been raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Mukhiyas will now receive Rs 7,500 per month, up from Rs 5,000.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bihar’s Siwan. He praised the state government led by Nitish Kumar and slammed the RJD and Congress party’s dynastic politics. He contrasted the dynastic politics of the Opposition with the development politics of Nitish Kumar. The PM also inaugurated projects worth more than Rs 5,000 crore in the state.
