Nitish Kumar's mega pre-poll push: Pension raised to ₹1,100 monthly

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a major hike in the monthly pension for the elderly, disabled persons, and widowed women—from ₹400 to ₹1,100. The revised amount will be disbursed starting July and is set to benefit over 10.9 million people across the state under the Social Security Pension Scheme.

“I am happy to inform you that under the Social Security Pension Scheme, all the elderly, disabled and widowed women will now get a pension of ₹1,100 instead of ₹400 every month,” said Chief Minister Kumar.

“All the beneficiaries will get pension at the increased rate from the month of July. It will be ensured that this amount is sent to the account of all the beneficiaries on the 10th of the month. This will help 1 crore 9 lakh 69 thousand 255 beneficiaries a lot,” he added.

Stressing the government’s commitment to welfare and social equity, Kumar stated, “The elderly are a precious part of society and ensuring their dignified living is our top priority. The state government will continue to make efforts in this direction.”

The hike marks a nearly threefold increase and comes at a critical political juncture as Bihar heads to Assembly elections later this year. With the Janata Dal (United) and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aiming to fortify their electoral base, the announcement is being seen as a targeted measure to reach out to vulnerable segments of the population.

In another administrative push towards decentralised governance, the Bihar government has also expanded financial powers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Now, village heads (mukhiyas) have been authorised to sanction development schemes worth up to ₹10 lakh, doubling the previous cap of ₹5 lakh.