Ahead of polls, Bihar CM disburses hiked pensions to 1.11 crore beneficiaries

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar transferred Rs 1227.27 crore to the bank accounts of over 1.11 crore beneficiaries of the Social Security Pension Scheme on Friday.

This was the first payment since Nitish Kumar declared a sharp hike in social security pensions for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and widowed women enhancing the support amount from Rs400 to Rs1,100.

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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.

However, Niitsh Kumar said that the decision to hike the pension was made after realising people’s problems during the ‘Mahila Samvad’ programme.

Addressing the beneficiaries at the CM House in Patna on Friday, he said: “For the past 20 years, our government has been continuously working to ensure development of the state. Many schemes have been launched for the upliftment of every section of the society with special focus on welfare of the weaker sections of the society. The decision to increase the pension was part of our continuous efforts.”

He asserted that his government focused on women empowerment and making them self-dependent, while the previous government did not care about them. He pointed out that his government gave 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayati Raj and 35 per cent reservation in government jobs.

Earlier, in a message posted on ‘X’, he said: “The elderly, widows and the disabled are an important part of society and we are constantly working to improve their lives. We want all of you to be healthy and happy and that is why I have instructed the health department to ensure that all of you are provided with ‘Ayushman Bharat’ cards so that in case of illness, you can get proper treatment free of cost.”