NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a hike in pension of accredited journalists in the state under ‘Bihar Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme.’In a social media post on X, Nitish said that the monthly pension will be raised from Rs 6,000 to 15,000 to all eligible journalists.“I am pleased to inform that under the ‘Bihar Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme’, instructions have been given to the department to provide a monthly pension of Rs 15,000 instead of Rs 6,000 to all eligible journalists.,” Nitish said.“Additionally, in the event of the death of journalists receiving a pension under the ‘Bihar Patrakaar Samman Pension Scheme’, instructions have been given to provide their dependent spouse with a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 3,000 for their lifetime” he added.Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, Nitish has launched flurry of social safety schemes in the state. Earlier in July, Bihar government also announced a provision of 125 units of free electricity for domestic consumers. To mitigate the financial impact of free power, Nitish announced that govt will promote solar energy through two schemes where a 50% central subsidy was provided for rooftop solar panels and associated equipment.