Nitish Government Unveils Pre-Poll Schemes; Opposition Alleges Imitation

Quick Summary

• Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar announced several welfare schemes ahead of assembly polls.

– Free electricity for up to 125 units per month, altering his earlier stance against freebies.
– ₹25,000 one-time allowance for over 10,000 ‘Vikas Mitras’ to buy tablets; increases in monthly transportation and stationery allowances.
– ₹10,000 one-time aid for more than 30,000 Shiksha Sevaks and Talimi Markaz to purchase smartphones.
– Unemployment allowance of ₹1,000/month for graduates and Class 12 pass-outs (for up to two years).
– Mukhyamantri Mahila rojgar Yojana benefits women entrepreneurs with initial grants of ₹10,000 followed by ₹2 lakh post-assessment of business progress.

• Other recent initiatives include pension hikes since June (₹1100/month directly transferred into accounts of beneficiaries) and clothing allowances (₹5,000 each) for construction workers. Honorariums were raised for Jeevika, Anganwadi workers, and ASHA staff.
• Opposition face-off:

– Opposition leader tejashwi Yadav’s party RJD accused NDA leaders of copying the INDIA bloc’s welfare policies. They vowed a change in leadership led by Mr. yadav if elected post-polls.
– JD(U)’s spokesperson countered claims by emphasizing Nitish Kumar’s “visionary leadership,” corruption-free governance over the past two decades.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The latest announcements reflect strategic measures aimed at addressing varied social segments such as youth unemployment and empowerment among socially marginalized groups before the upcoming elections in Bihar. While echoing criticism from political opponents who view these proposals as “copycat” strategies or populist appeasements timed pre-polls rather than indicators of evolved governance policy reforms — voices within JD(U) argue creditworthiness stabilizes growth mapping accomplished via proof-trackable schemes/results systemic transparency mechanisms i.e ensuring equitable subsidies granting alongside digitized modernization facets particularly intra-rural tiers bureaucratic interventions connecting grassroots upward effectively wherein balance core-remains inclusivity-driven long-term applications ultimately shaping voter judgment transcending guided-partisan constructs Read Additional Info: The Hindu Article