This is an archive article published on July 17, 2025
Premium
Free electricity for 1.67 crore families: Nitish Kumar’s latest big announcement ahead of Bihar election
This comes weeks after the Bihar government announced its decision to nearly triple the social security pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month for 1.1 crore beneficiaries.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inspects construction work of Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Ganga bridge and its approach road, at Bakhtiyarpur in Patna on Sunday. (ANI Photo)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced that up to 125 units of electricity would be provided free of cost to domestic consumers, benefiting 1.67 crore households in the election-bound state.
This comes weeks after the Bihar government announced its decision to nearly triple the social security pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month for 1.1 crore beneficiaries.
Advertisement
“We have been providing electricity to everyone at affordable rates from the beginning. Now, we have decided that from August 1, 2025, i.e., from the July bill onwards, all domestic consumers in the state will not have to pay for up to 125 units of electricity. This will benefit a total of 1.67 crore families in the state,” the CM said in a post on X.
“We have also decided that over the next three years, we will install solar power plants on the rooftops of these domestic consumers, or nearby public spaces, with their consent. For extremely poor families under the Kutiir Jyoti Yojana, the state government will bear the entire cost of installing solar power plants, and the government will also provide appropriate support to the rest. This means that domestic consumers will not have to pay for up to 125 units of electricity, and the state will also have an estimated 10,000 megawatts of solar energy available within the next three years,” Nitish Kumar’s post, which was in Hindi, said.
Ever since Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had announced a few months ago that his alliance would offer 200 units of power for free if it came to power after this year’s Assembly election, the NDA government had been working out its plans to offer free electricity.
Advertisement
Bihar is set to go to the polls this October-November.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari took a swipe at the CM over the free electricity announcement, calling it a “copycat” move.
“It is not for nothing that our leader calls Nitish Kumar a copycat CM. It was Tejashwi ji who had first come up with ideas of raising social security pension and offering free power. It is time the NDA came up with some original ideas… Eventually, people will take a call on the NDA, which looks desperate to stay in power by offering sundry doles,” he said.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inspects construction work of Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Ganga bridge and its approach road, at Bakhtiyarpur in Patna on Sunday. (ANI Photo) 
Share
