With eye on RJD, Jan Suraaj, Bihar CM rolls out pre-poll pension boost

In a major pre-election announcement, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday declared a sharp hike in social security pensions for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and widowed women.

Starting in July, the monthly pension will increase from Rs400 to Rs1,100 — nearly tripling the current amount. The enhanced payments, benefiting over 1.09 crore people, will be credited to beneficiaries’ accounts by the 10th of each month.

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The move is widely seen as a strategic attempt by Nitish Kumar to outflank the opposition ahead of the upcoming state elections. While the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has pledged to raise the pension to Rs1,500 per month, the Jan Suraaj Party has promised Rs2,000 if voted to power in the polls expected in October–November.

Making the announcement on the social media platform X, Nitish Kumar said: “I am happy to inform that under the Social Security Pension Scheme, all the elderly, disabled, and widowed women will now receive a pension of Rs1,100 instead of Rs400 per month. All beneficiaries will get the increased amount starting July. It will be ensured that the amount is credited to their accounts by the 10th of every month. This will benefit 1,09,69,255 people.”

He added: “Our senior citizens are invaluable members of society, and providing them with a life of dignity is our utmost priority. The state government remains committed to this goal.”

Opposition parties have been critical of the Nitish government for offering what they call a meager amount to the elderly, widows, and disabled.

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, had earlier pledged to increase the pension to Rs1,500 per month to ensure the well-being and dignity of vulnerable groups. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has gone further, promising to raise it to Rs2,000 if his party comes to power.

Tejashwi said the latest decision shows that Nitish Kumar lacks vision for Bihar’s development.

He said: “He has simply been copying our policies. When I promised 10 lakh government jobs during the 2020 assembly elections, Nitish ji had dismissed it as impossible. But when I became Deputy Chief Minister, I delivered five lakh jobs in 17 months. Later, he followed suit. I bet he will also replicate our ‘Mai Bahin Maan Yojana’.”

Commenting on the pension hike, Prashant Kishor said the government raised it only under political pressure. He reiterated his promise to increase the amount to Rs2,000 if Jan Suraaj comes to power in the elections due in October–November.