Nitish hikes monthly pension of retired journalists in Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a hike in pension for journalists in the state under the 'Bihar Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme. All the eligible journalists in the state will now receive a monthly pension of Rs 15,000 from Rs 6,000 earlier, an increase of Rs 9,000. "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," Kumar announced in a post on X.  Additionally, the monthly pension for the spouse, in the event of death of a journalist covered under the scheme, has also been increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000.

मुझे यह बताते हुए खुशी हो रही है कि बिहार पत्रकार सम्मान पेंशन योजना के तहत अब सभी पात्र पत्रकारों को हर महीने 6 हजार रू॰ की जगह 15 हजार रू॰ पेंशन की राशि प्रदान करने का विभाग को निर्देश दिया है। साथ ही बिहार पत्रकार सम्मान पेंशन योजना के अंतर्गत पेंशन प्राप्त कर रहे पत्रकारों की…

— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) July 26, 2025

"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," Kumar said. The announcement comes ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar which are slated to take place later this year.