Patna: The Bihar government has announced an increase in the monthly pension for elderly and disabled citizens under its social security schemes — from ₹400 to ₹1,100. The decision has sparked a political storm across the state. While the ruling coalition hails this as a significant public welfare measure, the opposition claims the move is a direct result of their sustained pressure.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav took a sharp dig at the government. “This pension hike is the result of our policy, our vision, and the pressure we built on the government. When we were in power, we had already drafted a plan to increase pensions. Today, the current government is merely copying our plan and attempting to take credit for it,” he said.
Tejashwi further stated that on December 16, 2024, he had publicly announced that if his party came to power, they would raise pensions for senior citizens to ₹1,500 per month. Accusing the state government of failing to allocate funds, he added, “The government talks about increasing pensions now, but there was no substantial budgetary provision made during the last Budget Session.”
Tejashwi alleged that during the Budget Session in March 2025, the opposition had demanded higher pensions for senior citizens as well as new social security measures for women — but the ruling party ignored these requests. “Despite our repeated demands, the government showed no seriousness toward increasing social security spending,” he remarked.
Taking a sarcastic swipe at the government’s future initiatives, Tejashwi said the administration might soon come up with a new “Maa-Bahan Maan Scheme,” which would also be inspired by the RJD-led coalition's priorities. “This government lacks its own policies — they survive by copying our ideas,” he asserted.
Tejashwi also accused the government of having no clear direction for Bihar’s development. “When we were in power, we created jobs for millions of youth. Today, the government is merely repeating these claims without presenting any new vision,” Tejashwi remarked. Confident that the voters would see through these tactics, he concluded, “In the 2025 Assembly elections, the people of Bihar will give a fitting reply to this show of empty promises.”
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