Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday made a series of major welfare promises, including free electricity across the state and 1 crore new jobs for youth over the next five years, while addressing a public event in Motihari alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to the gathering, Nitish Kumar said the cabinet would soon meet to finalise the free power supply decision, recalling how electricity was once a luxury in the state. “Earlier there was no electricity, not even in Patna. Today, the situation has changed. We will now provide electricity free of cost,” Kumar declared.
Highlighting employment, Kumar said his government has already provided 10 lakh government jobs and is now targeting one crore jobs in the next term.
He also announced a nearly three-fold hike in pensions for senior citizens, widows, and differently abled persons — from ₹400 to ₹1,100 per month, benefiting over 1.11 crore people.
Kumar added that the state government has cleared ₹50,000 crore for 430 new schemes aimed at improving infrastructure, social welfare, and rural development.
Among other announcements:
- A Makhana Board will be established to promote the cultivation, processing, and marketing of the region’s famed crop.
- The 2025 Union Budget will include aid for the Western Kosi River project and the inauguration of a new airport.
Criticising previous governments, Kumar said, “Before November 2005, nothing was done for Bihar. But under the NDA, every region is now developing rapidly, especially in education, health, and roads.”
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary highlighted that over 60 lakh homes have been constructed under the PM Awas Yojana during PM Modi’s tenure.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off four new Amrit Bharat trains and conducted a roadshow in an open jeep, accompanied by Nitish Kumar and other top NDA leaders. Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth over ₹7,200 crore.
The events come just months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, expected in October or November 2025. The NDA, led by the BJP-JD(U) alliance, currently holds a majority in the 243-member Assembly and is gearing up for a renewed mandate against the INDIA bloc, which includes the RJD, Congress, and Left parties.