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Hindustan Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Nitish announces free electricity up to 125 units months before Bihar polls
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced free electricity for all domestic consumers up to 125 units, months before assembly elections are due in October-November this year. This is the first such move in the state and the latest in the series of sops ahead of polls. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (HT PHOTO) 'We have been providing electricity to everyone at affordable rates from the beginning. We have now decided that, starting from August 1, 2025, and effective for the July bill, all domestic consumers in the state will not have to pay for electricity up to 125 units,' Kumar posted on X in Hindi. He said the move will benefit 16.7 million families in the state. 'In the next three years, with the consent of all these domestic consumers, solar power plants will be installed on their rooftops or at nearby public places.' He said that the state government will cover the cost of installing solar power plants for extremely poor families under the Kutir Jyoti scheme. '...for the rest, the government will provide appropriate support. This means domestic consumers will no longer have to bear any cost for electricity up to 125 units, and at the same time, it is estimated that within the next three years, up to 10,000 megawatts of solar energy will be available in the state.' The fresh announcements came days after Bihar's finance department denied reports that the state government was going to provide free electricity to up to 100 units. Urban domestic consumers in Bihar were charged ₹7.42 per unit for the first 100 units and ₹8.95 per unit above 100 units. These rates exclude the subsidy the government offers to power consumers. Rural domestic consumers pay at a flat rate of ₹7.42 per unit. The state government provides ₹15000 crore for the power subsidy. In April, the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission offered around six million smart prepaid meter consumers of the total 20.8 million in the state 25 paise per unit (kilowatt per hour or kWh) rebate. The rebate was earlier 3% (2% prompt payment rebate within the due date, and 1% rebate on online recharge). The ruling Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) hailed Kumar's latest announcement, calling it historic. 'When Nitish Kumar formed the government, 700 MW of electricity was produced here. There was no electricity for even an hour in the villages. There was electricity for 7-8 hours in the cities. Today, the electricity production in Bihar has increased by 12 times to 8500 MW,' said JD (U) national working president Sanjay Jha. 'Today, 100% of the houses in Bihar are electrified.'
Scroll.in
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Ahead of Bihar polls, CM Nitish Kumar hikes social security pension to Rs 1,100
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced that the state's monthly social security pension for the elderly, differently-abled and widows would be increased to Rs 1,100 from Rs 400, starting July. The enhanced pension will benefit more than 1.09 crore persons in the state, said the chief minister, adding that the amount would be credited to the bank accounts of all beneficiaries by the 10th of each month. 'The elderly are a precious part of society and ensuring their dignified living is our top priority,' Kumar added. 'The state government will continue to make efforts in this direction.' Assembly elections in Bihar are expected to take place in October or November. मुझे यह बताते हुए खुशी हो रही है कि सामाजिक सुरक्षा पेंशन योजना के तहत सभी वृद्धजनों, दिव्यांगजनों और विधवा महिलाओं को अब हर महीने 400 रु॰ की जगह 1100 रु॰ पेंशन मिलेगी। सभी लाभार्थियों को जुलाई महीने से पेंशन बढ़ी हुई दर पर मिलेगी। सभी लाभार्थियों के खाते में यह राशि महीने की 10… — Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) June 21, 2025 Kumar's Janata Dal (United) is in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar. Having fallen short of the majority mark in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP formed the government at the Centre with the help of the Janata Dal (United), among other members of its National Democratic Alliance. The Chirag Paswan-led faction of the Bihar-based Lok Janshakti Party is also part of the NDA government at the Centre. The chief minister's announcement on Saturday comes months after Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav in March pledged to raise the monthly pension to Rs 1,500 under the Mai-Bahin Samman Yojna, The Hindu reported. The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader had also promised to provide gas cylinders at Rs 500 and offer 200 units of free electricity if voted to power.
India Gazette
18-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"World must see how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism affects India's peace": JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar
Patna (Bihar) [India], May 18 (ANI): Janata Dal (United) leader Neeraj Kumar on Sunday said that it is important for the international community to understand how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is disturbing the life of citizens in India. Kumar said the government's move to send multi-party delegations to key nations was a necessary step to convey India's position on terrorism and regional peace. Speaking to ANI, JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar said, 'It is important to give this message to the world that India is a peace-loving country... It is important that the world knows how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is disturbing the life of its neighbouring country.' On Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Bihar President Dilip Jaiswal stressed that national security must unite all political parties to send a strong message both domestically and internationally. A total of seven groups of MPs have been delegated to go to more than 30 countries, led by a variety of leaders, including Congress' Shashi Tharoor, NCP-SCP's Supriya Sule, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, DMK's Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and others. Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Biju Janata Dal from the opposition's side have sent their MPs to be part of the delegation. NDA allies, including Janata Dal (United), and TDP are also part of the delegations. Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, targeting terror bases in Pakistan in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The operation targeted terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)
