atna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar`s decision to hike monthly pension under the social security scheme for old age people, widows and differently abled individualsfrom Rs 400 to Rs 1100 evoked mixed reaction.
While welcoming Nitish`s decision, JD (U) general secretary Manish Kumar Verma claimed he had asked the chief minister to raise the social security pension after getting feedback from the people.
“I’m grateful to the chief minister for responding to my request,” he remarked.
On the other hand, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the Nitish government of “imitating” his own party’s poll promises. Last December, Tejashwi had promised that the RJD would increase pension under the social security scheme to Rs 1500 per month if his party was voted to power in the assembly polls.
Terming the Nitish government “nakalchi sarkar”, he said, “It’s on record that I had first announced that we will raise social security pension to Rs 1,500 per month if we form the government”.
Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor had also announced a social security pension of Rs 2,000 after launching his new party in October 2024. Reacting to the government’s announcement, he alleged it was done “under our pressure.” “We had announced we would increase the social security pension of Rs 2,000 long ago,” he added.
