Nitish government announces series of schemes ahead of polls; opposition claims them ‘copy’

Among several promises of the opposition was 200 units of free electricity, which the longest serving CM has sought to neutralise by announcing, notwithstanding his earlier anti-freebies stands, that consumers will not have to pay for 125 units in a month.

Patna: Ahead of the assembly polls, the NDA government in Bihar has announced a series of schemes, prompting the opposition to claim that after remaining in power for 20 years, all that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could offer was a copy of promises made by the INDIA bloc.

Kumar on Sunday announced that over 10,000 'Vikas Mitras', who work in villages to make SC and ST people aware of government schemes and convert them to beneficiaries, would be given a one-time allowance of Rs 25,000 each for purchasing tablets so that they can do their work effectively.

Their transportation allowance will also be increased from Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,500 per month, and their stationery allowance will be hiked from Rs 900 to Rs 1,500 per month.

The government has also decided to provide Rs 10,000 each to more than 30,000 Shiksha Sevaks and Talimi Markaz, who connect children belonging to Mahadalit, minorities and extremely backward communities to formal school education, for purchasing smartphones.

Earlier, the government increased pensions to senior citizens, widows and people with disability by Rs 700 per month in June. The CM on July 11 transferred an increased pension amount of Rs 1100 directly into the bank accounts of 1.11 crore beneficiaries entitled to get pension under six social security schemes.

Another populist decision of the government was the announcement of an unemployment allowance for the youth: Rs 1,000 per month for two years for graduates and those who have completed class 12 but remain unemployed.

In the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana for women entrepreneurs, the government will provide Rs 10,000 each in the first instalment, and later Rs 2 lakh to each entrepreneur after assessing their business initiatives.

Besides, the administration announced a Rs 5,000 clothing allowance each to 16 lakh construction workers and raised honorariums to Jeevika, Anganwadi and ASHA workers.

Responding to the recent decisions of the government, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said, “They (NDA leaders) are simply copying our welfare agendas. The youth of Bihar want to get rid of this copycat and useless government. We have a vision for Bihar.” The youth of Bihar have resolved that they will remove the “old rickety government”, and make RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav the CM after the assembly polls, Tiwary claimed.

Commenting on recently announced schemes, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad told PTI: “Nitish Kumar jee is a visionary leader and he has been tirelessly working for the overall development of the people of the state, including women, youth, socially weaker sections of the society.”

Bihar has witnessed tremendous infrastructural growth in the last 20 years and the CM has provided a corruption free government and the rule of law prevails now, he claimed. “Recent decisions taken by the Cabinet, including providing one crore jobs and employment opportunities to the youth in the next five years, are set to make Bihar the growth engine of the East,” Prasad said.