Ahead of the assembly elections in the state, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar made a major announcement for journalists.
The pension amount being given to accredited journalists in Bihar will be increased from ₹6,000 to ₹15,000. In a post on X, Nitish Kumar said, “I am pleased to inform 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 dependent spouse with a monthly pension of ₹10,000 instead of ₹3,000 for their lifetime, he added.
Nitish noted, “Journalists play a crucial role in democracy. 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 will delete a significant chunk of voters.
As per the latest data released by the Election Commission of India on July 25, 99.8 per cent of Bihar electors have been covered so far in the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
Forms of 7.23 crore electors have been received and digitised; the names of all these electors will be included in the Draft Electoral Roll. The digitisation of forms, along with BLO reports, of the remaining electors will also be completed by August 1, 2025, the poll body stated.
The opposition parties have repeatedly called for a discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha regarding the revision exercise, moving adjournment motions every day since the start of the monsoon session and alleging that manipulation of voter rolls is taking place under the guise of the SIR.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji, Deputy Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha, among multiple other leaders, attended the protest.
Carrying a banner which read “SIR-Attack on Democracy,” the MPs stood at Makar Dwar, demanding that the voter list revision be halted.
Journalists play a crucial role in democracy. They are the fourth pillar of democracy and have a significant role in social development.
Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.
(With inputs from agencies)