Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hoisted the National Flag at Gandhi Maidan, Patna on Friday to mark the 79th Independence Day.
Addressing the people of Bihar on the occasion, he outlined the achievements of his government since 2005, highlighting the state’s progress in four key areas – law and order, education, health, and women’s empowerment.
Once again he took a dig at the previous Lalu-Rabri regime, saying cases of murder, robbery, and kidnapping have reduced since, and citizens can now move freely even late at night.
At the same time, he foiled another plan of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav by making a big announcement on competitive exams. He announced that the fees for all competitive exams for government jobs in the state have been reduced to Rs 100. Additionally, the fees for the Mains examination have been completely waived off.
Notably, Tejashwi Yadav had promised the youth of Bihar that if his government came to power after the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, all competitive exams would be made free, and arrangements would be made for candidates’ accommodation.
Sharing details on social media platform ‘X’, Nitish Kumar stated: “Instructions have been given to charge only Rs 100 as the fee for candidates appearing in the preliminary (PT) competitive examination. Additionally, candidates who pass the preliminary (PT) examination and appear for the main examination (Mains) will not have to pay any examination fee. This initiative will encourage and motivate the youth to achieve their goals.”
The CM also mentioned his government’s plan to provide jobs and employment to 1 crore youth over the next five years. “The government is highly sensitive to the needs of the youth, ensuring arrangements from their education to their earnings,” he added.
He also announced that new medical colleges and hospitals will be established in seven districts of the state – Kishanganj, Katihar, Arval, Sheohar, Rohtas, Lakhisarai and Sheikhpra – to provide more opportunities for medical education.
Nitish Kumar emphasised that maintaining law and order is his government’s highest priority. Since forming the government in 2005, significant steps have been taken to improve law enforcement. The police force, which was only 42,481 in 2005, has grown to 131,000, with a target of 229,000 by 2023.
He highlighted various schemes run by his government aimed at education and health reforms and said that 258,000 government teachers have been appointed and contractual teachers were made permanent after a simple exam. The total number of teachers now stands at 512,000.
He said over the next five years, the government plans to focus on providing jobs and employment opportunities for the youth. A 35% reservation for women in government jobs has been implemented, significantly increasing women’s representation in the police force.