Bihar government pledges one crore jobs in five years

On the third day of the ongoing Winter Session of the Bihar Assembly, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday addressed both Houses of the State legislature jointly and said the new Nitish Kumar government was committed to the creation of one crore jobs over the next five years. The Governor also read out the achievements, assurances, and agendas of the new government, while expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for generous “financial assurance” to the State.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was named as Leader of the Assembly, while Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav was named Leader of the Opposition. Senior ruling Janata Dal (United) leader Narendra Narayan Yadav was announced as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Mr. Yadav had been pro tem Speaker of the House before nine-term BJP MLA from Gaya, Prem Kumar, was elected unanimously as the new Speaker on December 2, 2025.

“As many as 50 lakh jobs have already been created in the State. The government has now set a target of creating one crore jobs in the next five years,” Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said while addressing both Houses. He also mentioned several welfare schemes, achievements, and agendas of the State government for the next five years.

Referring to the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna, the Governor said, “A sum of ₹10,000 has been transferred to a large section of women under this scheme and in due course it will reach those who are yet to receive the benefit.” The scheme had a significant impact on women voters in the recently concluded Assembly elections, in which the ruling NDA won 202 out of 243 seats.

The Governor also highlighted 50% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies, along with 35% quota in jobs and the police department.

He mentioned 125 units of free electricity to the residents of the State. “Be it Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Class, Extremely Backward Class, General Class, or minorities – no section of society has been left untouched. The government has schemes and incentives for every section,” he said. He also lauded the State government’s efforts to maintain communal harmony through proper fencing of places of worship and graveyards.

Governor Khan spoke about the NDA government’s commitment to girls’ welfare through initiatives such as free distribution of school uniforms and bicycles.

The Governor added, “Agricultural road maps have been successful in improving farm production in the State as paddy, wheat, and maize yields have doubled and fish production has increased 2.5 times to make the State self-reliant. For the fourth agricultural road map, ₹1.62 lakh crore has been approved to give it a further boost.”

However, during his address, the Governor’s voice was not audible to legislators due to technical issues in the audio system. Later, Speaker Prem Kumar expressed serious concern and directed officials to take stern action against those found responsible.

Earlier, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was named Leader of the State Assembly and Tejashwi Yadav as Leader of Opposition. Mr. Yadav had retained the Raghopur seat in Vaishali district in the recent elections. Senior JD(U) leader Narendra Narayan Yadav was elected Deputy Speaker. Mr. Yadav had conducted proceedings as pro tem Speaker before the election of Prem Kumar as Assembly Speaker.