Patna (Bihar) [India], March 3: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Kumar Sarvjeet has slammed the Bihar state budget, calling it “anti-poor” and claiming that it fails to address critical issues affecting the state’s residents. Sarvjeet argued that if the budget had been truly beneficial, millions of people wouldn’t have been forced to migrate from Bihar in search of better opportunities.
Speaking to reporters, Sarvjeet said, “The budgets that have been presented here have always been anti-poor. Had it been a good budget, crores of people would not have migrated from Bihar.” Opposition leaders also held protests outside the state Assembly during the budget session.
On Monday, Bihar’s government unveiled a massive Rs 3.17 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, marking a 13.6% increase from the previous year’s Rs 2.79 lakh crore allocation. This budget, presented by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary, is significant as it is the ruling government’s last budget before the state elections later this year.
The substantial increase in budget allocation is expected to benefit various sectors, including infrastructure development, social welfare, human development, and administrative purposes. The Union Budget 2025-26 also includes significant investments in Bihar, such as the construction of greenfield airports, the expansion of Patna airport, and the Western Koshi Canal Project in Mithilanchal.
With state elections approaching, the budget is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the government’s narrative and appealing to voters.
Ahead of the budget presentation, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticized the state’s low social security pension, stating that Bihar provides the lowest pension in the country. He called for the pension amount to be increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 per month, highlighting the need for stronger welfare measures.
“Bihar has the lowest social security pension in the country. We demand that it be increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1500 in the Budget. According to the National Family Health Survey, 65 percent of women in Bihar, the highest in the country, are anaemic. As men migrate, women bear the full burden of running households. The number of children suffering from stunted growth is also the highest in Bihar,” said Yadav.
He also criticized the government’s failure to address inflation and unemployment. “People have LPG cylinders but cannot refill them because of inflation. We demand an increase in the LPG subsidy up to Rs 500. While we have awarded five lakh joining letters and have three lakh recruitment underway, all recruitment processes have stagnated. We want Nitish Kumar to fulfill these promises,” Yadav added.
As Bihar gears up for Assembly polls later this year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his Cabinet on February 26, with seven Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs taking oath as ministers. The Bihar Assembly elections are expected to take place in October-November 2025.