Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Saturday, July 26, an increase in the pension of retired journalists under the 'Bihar Patrakar Samman' scheme of Rs 9,000 per month. Now, all eligible retired journalists registered with the Bihar government will receive Rs 15,000 per month instead of the earlier monthly emolument of Rs 6,000. The decision comes ahead of assembly polls scheduled later this year.
The CM announced this decision in a post on X on Saturday: "I am pleased to inform you that under the 'Bihar Patrakar Samman' pension scheme, instructions have been given to provide a monthly pension of Rs 15,000 instead of Rs 6,000 to all eligible journalists."
"Additionally, in the event of the death of journalists receiving a pension under the Bihar Journalist Honor Pension Scheme, instructions have been given to provide their dependent spouse with a monthly pension of 10,000 rupees instead of 3,000 rupees for their lifetime. Journalists play a crucial role in democracy," he wrote on X.
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"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," he added further.