With upcoming assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance government in Bihar has announced a series of new schemes, leading the opposition to claim that after two decades in power, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is merely copying promises made by the INDIA bloc.
Among the opposition’s promises was 200 units of free electricity, which Kumar has seemingly countered by announcing that consumers will not have to pay for the first 125 units per month. This move comes despite his previous stance against such 'freebies'.
On Sunday, Kumar also announced that over 10,000 ‘Vikas Mitras’ — who work in villages to raise awareness of government schemes among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities — will each receive a one-time payment of ₹25,000 to buy tablets. Their travel allowance will also be increased from ₹1,900 to ₹2,500 per month, and their stationery allowance will be hiked from ₹900 to ₹1,500 per month.
The government has also decided to give ₹10,000 each to more than 30,000 'Shiksha Sevaks' and 'Talimi Markaz', who help connect children from Mahadalit, minority, and extremely backward communities to formal schooling, to enable them to purchase smartphones.
These announcements follow other recent populist decisions. In June, the government increased pensions for senior citizens, widows, and people with disabilities by ₹700 per month. On 11 July, Kumar transferred the increased pension amount of ₹1,100 directly into the bank accounts of 1.11 crore beneficiaries.
Additionally, the government announced an unemployment allowance for young people: ₹1,000 per month for two years for unemployed graduates and those who have completed Class 12.
Under the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana' for female entrepreneurs, the government will provide a first instalment of ₹10,000, and later, a further ₹2 lakh to each entrepreneur after assessing their business initiatives. The administration also announced a ₹5,000 clothing allowance for each of the 16 lakh construction workers and raised the honorariums for 'Jeevika', 'Anganwadi', and 'ASHA' workers.
In response to the government’s recent decisions, Rashtriya Janata Dal spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary stated, “They are simply copying our welfare agendas. The youth of Bihar want to get rid of this copycat and useless government. We have a vision for Bihar.” Tiwary claimed that the state's youth have resolved to remove the “old rickety government” and make RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav the Chief Minister after the assembly polls.
However, Janata Dal(United) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad told the media that “Nitish Kumar is a visionary leader and he has been tirelessly working for the overall development of the people of the state, including women, youth, and socially weaker sections of society.” Prasad claimed that Bihar has seen tremendous infrastructural growth over the last 20 years and that the Chief Minister has provided a corruption-free government where the rule of law prevails. He added that recent cabinet decisions, including a pledge to create one crore jobs and employment opportunities over the next five years, are set to make Bihar “the growth engine of the East.”
Also read: Tejashwi Yadav’s character won’t change: Prashant Kishor
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