Insaaf Times Desk

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday made yet another major announcement. Just before the start of Navratri, he unveiled new schemes for Vikas Mitras and Shiksha Sevaks, declaring that the government will provide additional financial assistance to digitally empower marginalized sections of society.

Under the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission, each Vikas Mitra will receive a one-time grant of ₹25,000 to purchase a tablet. According to the CM, this will make data management and monitoring of welfare schemes more efficient. In addition, their transport allowance has been increased from ₹1,900 to ₹2,500 per month, while the stationery allowance has been raised from ₹900 to ₹1,500.

For Shiksha Sevaks (including Talimi Markaz instructors), the Chief Minister announced ₹10,000 each for the purchase of smartphones. Furthermore, the annual budget for teaching materials has been hiked from ₹3,405 per center to ₹6,000.

Nitish Kumar emphasized that Shiksha Sevaks play a crucial role in spreading education among Mahadalit, Dalit, minority, and extremely backward children, as well as in promoting literacy among women. “It is essential to empower their work with digital tools,” he said.

Political observers believe these measures, announced just before the election schedule is notified, are aimed at strengthening the government’s grip among socially weaker sections and grassroots educators. In recent weeks, the Nitish government also declared a monthly unemployment allowance of ₹1,000 and new self-employment schemes for youth.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister wrote: “Following the policy of development with justice, the government remains committed to uplifting marginalized communities. Vikas Mitras and Shiksha Sevaks are key agents of change in society, and making them digitally capable is our priority.”