Nitish Kumar Hikes Journalists' Pension To Rs 15,000 Ahead Of Bihar Polls
In a social media post on X, the Chief Minister informed that the state government has instructed the concerned department to increase the monthly pension amount for all eligible journalists from the existing Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000.
"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 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 Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme', instructions have been given to provide their dependent spouse with a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 3,000 for their lifetime," Chief Minister Kumar posted on X.
The Chief Minister also emphasised the importance of journalists in a democratic society, referring to them as the fourth pillar of democracy and highlighting their vital contribution to social development.
He said, "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."
Notably, this announcement comes months ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar, which are expected to be held in October or November this year. However, the Election Commission is yet to announce the dates.
Meanwhile, the political battle between the ruling NDA and opposition Mahagathbandhan has intensified in the state and at the Centre, months ahead of the elections, on the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls.
The SIR of the electoral rolls in Bihar has erupted in a massive row in the country, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging that it will delete a significant chunk of voters.
Earlier on Friday, the Election Commission of Bihar announced that 99.8 per cent of the state's electors have been covered under the ongoing Special Integrated Revision (SIR) process, as per the statement from the polling agency.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar confirmed that forms of over 7.23 crore electors have been received and digitised, with their names set to be included in the Draft Electoral Roll, scheduled for release on August 1, 2025, added the statement.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
27 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Notification for Vice-Presidential poll issued, nomination process begins
The post of Vice President fell vacant on July 21 after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned unexpectedly, citing health reasons New Delhi The Election Commission on Thursday issued a notification for the election to the office of the Vice President, scheduled for September 9, officially kick-starting the nomination process. Key dates: Last date for filing nominations: August 21 Scrutiny of nomination papers: August 22 Last date for withdrawal of candidature: August 25 The post of Vice President fell vacant on July 21 after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned unexpectedly, citing health reasons. His tenure was otherwise set to continue until August 2027. According to constitutional provisions, in the case of a midterm election, the newly elected Vice President gets a full five-year term. How is the Vice President elected? As per Article 66 of the Constitution, the Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament, including nominated members. Unlike the Presidential election, members of state legislative assemblies are not part of the voting process. The election is conducted using the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote (STV), with voting held through a secret ballot. Under STV, MPs mark their preferences, and counting proceeds in rounds until a candidate secures the required quota. To contest, a candidate must be: A citizen of India At least 35 years old Eligible for election to the Rajya Sabha They must also not hold any office of profit under the Centre, state governments, or government-controlled bodies. Electoral arithmetic: NDA holds clear advantage The current effective strength of both Houses stands at 786, with one vacancy in the 543-member Lok Sabha (Basirhat, West Bengal) and five in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, four from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Punjab, vacated after AAP leader Sanjeev Arora was elected to the state assembly in a bypoll. To win, a candidate needs at least 394 votes, assuming full turnout. The NDA, led by the BJP, enjoys a clear edge with 293 members in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, including support from nominated members. With a total backing of 422 MPs, the ruling alliance is comfortably placed to secure the vice presidential post. Dhankhar steps down mid-term Jagdeep Dhankhar, who took office in August 2022, resigned on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon Session, citing health reasons. He became the third Vice President to step down before completing the five-year term. In his resignation letter, he said: 'To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution.' With his departure, the EC has now set in motion the electoral process to fill the vacancy.
The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
There should not be targeted attempt to eliminate voice of some citizens, especially from deprived parts of India: Amartya Sen on SIR
1. Do you support the Election Commission's attempt to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls across the country? Getting the rolls right can indeed be a good exercise if it is done correctly. However, if in a hasty attempt to remove errors from the existing list, more errors are introduced, the result can be terrible. Volunteering to undertake this effort with little time and serious possibilities of significant bias can have the effect of making the election far less truthful than continuing to use the existing rolls. Many people have also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission, and that is an issue that has to be appropriately assessed. But even with an unbiased Election Commission, there can be serious errors in a quickly produced electoral roll, particularly because of the absence of documentary evidence that many citizens, especially the poor and the deprived, are able to present. Class bias is a big danger here. 2. Is there a danger of disenfranchisement of large groups of people in the process of revising the rolls within a very short time, in a hurry? If there is a targeted attempt to eliminate the voice of some citizens, especially from the deprived parts of the nation, that would be a monstrous development. This must be totally avoided, and the Election Commission must take into account the reasons for suspicion that many fair-minded critics have found. It is extremely important that the Election Commission does not generate reason for suspicion by its choices, and that the Supreme Court plays its supervisory role actively and fairly. Indeed, the Supreme Court is ultimately the institution most responsible for making sure that the citizens' rights are not trifled with. As citizens of India, we all have to rely on the constitutional role of the Supreme Court and we are all dependent on its active protection of justice. This is a hugely important concern of citizens today, but there is, in addition, also the question of how the future would judge the Supreme Court today in the light of what they choose to do given the information they have. There is, in fact, a big tomorrow. 3. What do you think of the alleged atrocities against poor migrant Bengali workers in BJP-ruled states? There is a general point here that has to be addressed and also a special concern. The general point is that India is a country for all its citizens, and no part of the nation – whether Bengali or Tamil or Maharashtrian – should be discriminated against in any region of the country. Ill-treatment of Bengali workers elsewhere is very bad indeed, but so is the ill-treatment of any other group of migrant workers. That is the big general point, but a special concern, added to this, is the tendency of some political movements within India to portray many Bengali Indians as if they were Immigrants from Bangladesh. There have, unfortunately, been many attempts at treating Bengalis in general as Bangladeshis. Especially because of the anti-Muslim programmes of some political groups in India, Bengali Indians have often had to suffer from greater discrimination than other Indians. The level of ignorant confusion shown by many powerful officers in Delhi is truly catastrophic when they see the Bengali language (born between the tenth and the eleventh centuries – through the great poetry of Charyapad) as a 'Bangladeshi language'. 4. The BJP seems to be working hard in West Bengal to promote Hindutva in preparation of the state elections next year. Will they succeed? Bengal has had a long history of Hindu-Muslim cordiality as well as cooperative work shared by different communities. A political party that tries to generate communal narrow-mindedness might temporarily experience partial success through its divisive propaganda, but it will not be easy to turn Bengal into a communal bastion of hatred. Divisive efforts of this kind could sometimes have short-lived success, but Bengali culture and society are ultimately resistant to generating an invented internal enmity. The illusion of political gain, if any, from cultivated discord will turn out to be ephemeral.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
Nitish Kumar directs Bihar Education Dept to make provisions for school teachers' postings at desired locations
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday directed the state Education Department to make provisions for the posting of government school teachers in their "desired blocks or nearby areas". In a post on X, the CM wrote, "The task of postings of teachers within districts will be carried out by a committee of district officials so that, as far as possible, teachers are posted in their desired blocks or nearby areas." Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program "Suggestions are being received from various sources regarding the recent teacher transfers conducted by the Education Department. In the process of reviewing this, I have given clear instructions to the Education Department that for teachers facing issues related to inter-district transfers , options for three districts will be obtained from them, after which their postings will be made in those districts only," the CM added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo "Teachers are very important for the future of children, and therefore, I humbly request that they work diligently for the education of children in Bihar without being anxious about this matter," he added. There has been a long-standing demand for preferential postings and transfer of teachers across the state. As a result of this, children's education was being hampered due to the absence of subject teachers in many districts. Live Events The department recently rolled out a new online self-transfer system for teachers, aiming to resolve any dissatisfaction over postings and streamline the process of filling vacancies in schools .
