Patna, July 26, 2025
In a significant move ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a major hike in the monthly pension for retired journalists under the ‘Bihar Patrakar Samman’ scheme. The pension amount has been increased from ₹6,000 to ₹15,000 per month, marking a substantial raise of ₹9,000 for eligible journalists registered with the state government.
The Chief Minister made the announcement through a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I am pleased to inform that under the ‘Bihar Patrakar Samman’ pension scheme, instructions have been given to provide a monthly pension of ₹15,000 instead of ₹6,000 to all eligible journalists.”
In another key decision, the government has also enhanced the financial support for the families of deceased journalists. If a pension-receiving journalist passes away, their dependent spouse or family member will now receive a lifetime monthly pension of ₹10,000, a significant jump from the earlier amount of ₹3,000.
Highlighting the importance of journalists in a democracy, Kumar emphasized, “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 duties impartially and live with dignity after retirement.”
The announcement comes at a time when the state is gearing up for Assembly elections later this year. The move is seen as an effort to acknowledge the contributions of the media fraternity while addressing their long-standing demand for better post-retirement benefits.
Alongside this decision, the Bihar Cabinet also cleared several other welfare schemes, including an internship program and an artist pension scheme, while sanctioning ₹882 crore for the development of Punaura Dham.
The pension hike has been welcomed by journalist associations across the state, who have lauded the government’s decision as a step towards ensuring financial security for media professionals in their later years.