Patna. Ahead of the Chhath festival, the Bihar government has provided significant relief to millions of state government employees and pensioners. A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Tuesday approved a proposal to increase dearness allowance (DA) by 3 percent. This decision will be effective from July 1, 2026. This means that employees and pensioners will also receive arrears of the increased amount from July until now. This government decision is expected to provide financial relief to employees during the festival season.

DA increased from 60 to 63 percent in the 7th pay scale

According to the Cabinet decision, the dearness allowance for employees receiving salaries under the Seventh Central Pay Commission has been increased from 60 to 63 percent. Meanwhile, the DA for employees in the Sixth Pay Commission has been increased by 7 percent, from 262 to 269 percent, and for employees in the Fifth Pay Commission, from 483 to 497 percent. This increase will not only benefit serving government employees, but will also benefit pensioners and family pensioners.

31 proposals approved in the cabinet meeting

A total of 31 proposals were approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. These included several important schemes related to education, higher education, employment, health, technology, infrastructure, and disaster management. To promote participation of female students in higher education and entrepreneurship, it was decided to launch the "Bihar Ki Beti Startup Challenge Scheme." A maximum of 2,100 female students will benefit from this scheme. An expenditure of ₹88.20 crore will be incurred over four years, from fiscal year 2026-27 to 2029-30.

Girl child PhD fellowship and AI project cleared

To encourage girl students to pursue higher education and research, the Chief Minister's Girl's PhD Fellowship Scheme has also been approved. Rs 126 crore will be spent on this scheme. At the same time, the Aryabhatta Drishti project will be implemented in collaboration with Singapore's Global Finance and Technology Network to develop innovation and technical skills in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Administrative approval of Rs 190.32 crore has been given for this. Besides, CIIIT centres will be established in collaboration with Tata Technology Limited in government ITIs of Rohtas, Munger, Patna, Purnia and Madhubani. Rs 1,174.81 crore has been approved for this project.

254 crore rupees approved for drainage in Mokama Tal

Infrastructure and flood control projects also received cabinet approval. ₹254.57 crore was approved for improving flood control and drainage systems in the Mokama Tal area. ₹4,572.53 crore was approved for the Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Ganga Bridge project, with a revised cost of ₹4,572.53 crore. ₹44.52 crore will be spent on land acquisition for the construction of a new bus stand in Hajipur. The Bihar Building Bye-Laws, 2026, and the Bihar Inland Vessels Rules, 2026 were also approved.

159 Prison Calling Kiosks to be installed in 59 jails

The cabinet also approved a proposal to install 159 prison calling kiosks in 59 prisons across the state. These kiosks will cost ₹8.85 crore over five years to operate and maintain. This will allow inmates to contact their families within established procedures. These decisions, along with the increase in dearness allowance before Chhath, are being seen as significant decisions by the Bihar government regarding education, employment, technology, and infrastructure.