NEW DELHI, July 26: With the state Assembly elections round the corner, the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced hiking the pension for the accredited journalists from Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000 per month.
Taking to X, Nitish Kumar said, “I am pleased to inform you that under the ‘Bihar Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme,’ instructions have been given to the department to provide a monthly pension of ₹15,000 instead of ₹6,000 to all eligible journalists.”
Additionally, in the event of the death of journalists receiving a pension under the ‘Bihar Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme,’ instructions have been given to provide their dependant spouse with a monthly pension of ₹10,000 instead of ₹3,000 for their lifetime, he added.
Nitish Kumar highlighted the crucial role journalists play in democracy. He further said, “They are the fourth pillar of democracy and have a significant role in social development. We have been taking care of journalists’ facilities from the beginning so that they can perform their journalism impartially and live with dignity after retirement.”
This comes at a time when the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls ahead of the Bihar assembly polls has erupted in a massive row in the country, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging that it would delete a significant chunk of voters.
Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year.
(Subham Singh)
