The Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, announced on Saturday that his government will provide increased pensions to senior citizens, widows, and people with disabilities. The increase from ₹400 to ₹1100 per month will be a threefold rise that comes months before the state assembly elections are scheduled in the state of Bihar.

The new rates will be applicable from July onwards. According to the Chief Minister, there are over 1.09 crore pension beneficiaries in Bihar who will benefit from the new pension rates, which will cost the government an additional ₹921.41 crore annually.

The Bihar Chief Minister posted on social media platform X and said that, “It gives me great pleasure to announce that social security pension for old people, people with disabilities, and widows would get ₹1100 per month pension instead of ₹400 per month. This amount will be credited to beneficiaries’ bank accounts on the 10th of every month. The elderly are an invaluable part of society, and it’s our government’s top priority to ensure them a life of dignity.”

JDU Criticises

The Janata Dal (United) National General Secretary, Manish Verma, welcomed the move and claimed that he had asked the Chief Minister to raise the Social Security pension after getting feedback from the public. “I am grateful to the Chief Minister for having responded to my request.” Manish Kumar Verma, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, is believed to be close to the Bihar Chief Minister.

But the Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, accused the Nitish government of “imitating” the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s promises. Last December, Tejashwi had promised that the RJD would implement a threefold hike in Social Security pension and introduce a pension scheme if voted to power. Calling the Nitish government a “nakalchi sarkar” (copycat government), he told national media that, “It’s a matter of record that I had first announced that we should raise social security pension to ₹1500 per month if our government came to power.”