The Nitish Kumar government’s cabinet has approved 31 proposals, a major boost for scholarships, security, and culture.

Patna, January 29, 2026: The Nitish Kumar-led Bihar cabinet on Thursday approved 31 important proposals at a meeting held in Patna.

The meeting was attended by both Deputy Chief Ministers and ministers from various departments.

Pre-Matric scholarship amount doubled in the cabinet meeting:

The cabinet approved a significant hike in the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, effective from the financial year 2025-26.

The revised annual scholarship amounts are Rs 1,200 for classes 1 to 4, Rs 2,400 for classes 5 and 6, Rs 3,600 for classes 7 to 10, and hostel students from classes 1 to 10 will get Rs 6,000.

The rates, unchanged since 2011, have now been doubled. Around 27 lakh students will benefit, with an estimated government expenditure of Rs 519.64 crore.

Music College coming up in Buxar:

The cabinet approved the establishment of a music college in Dumraon, Buxar district, to be named after Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan.

An earlier sanction of Rs 14.52 crore has been cancelled, and a fresh administrative approval of Rs 87.81 crore has been granted under the state plan for construction, furniture, internal roads, and boundary walls.

Strengthening law and order.

SAP personnel will receive an increased honorarium with effect from the date of order issuance.

To further strengthen law and order, the Nitish Kumar government approved the contractual recruitment of 17,000 retired personnel from the Indian Army and the Central Paramilitary Forces in the 2026-27 financial year.

Under the CM Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes Hostel Scheme, the monthly grant per student has been increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 from 2025-26, involving an expenditure of Rs 19.56 crore.

 The annual family income limit under the CM Backward Classes Merit Scholarship Scheme has been raised from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh from 2026-27, with an estimated annual cost of Rs 117.98 crore.

Scholarship rates under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Backward and Extremely Backward Classes have also been revised in line with the new structure, resulting in an estimated annual expenditure of Rs 1,751.56 crore.

Also Read: CM Nitish Kumar launches Rs 827 crore development projects in Samastipur under Samriddhi Yatra.

EOM.