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.
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.
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 govt 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.