Rural families in Bihar await clarity on NDA’s ₹2 lakh promise.
🏛️ A big promise before the big vote
In a politically charged announcement just months before the Bihar assembly election, the NDA government has unveiled a huge cash transfer scheme: ₹2 lakh for 94 lakh poor families in the state. With an eye on equality and upliftment, the ruling coalition claims it will transform the lives of Bihar’s economically backward communities.
But behind this big number lurks a fundamental question: is this a long-awaited welfare reform or a big electoral gambit?
📊 The numbers behind the news
The scheme will reportedly be funded with a total outlay of ₹1.88 lakh crore, an amount much less than Bihar’s several previous annual budgets. The cash will be distributed in three tranches—₹50,000 initially, followed by another ₹50,000 in the second instalment and later ₹1 lakh.
Eligibility is expected to follow socio-economic criteria identified in the state’s recent caste survey—families earning less than ₹6,000 per month will be given priority.
💬 Hope on the ground, doubt in the air
For people like widow Rekha Devi in rural Gaya, even a partial payment could mean freedom from the cycle of debt.
“If they give even ₹50,000, I will buy a cart and start something,” she says.
But others are sceptical. A local school teacher in Patna quipped:
“If this was so necessary, why wait till the eve of elections?”
Social media is abuzz with both gratitude and criticism. While supporters are calling the scheme “historic”, opponents are calling it a “vote-buying gimmick”.
💸 Can Bihar afford it?
Bihar is already a financially constrained state. Economists have warned that unless the central government shouldered a large share of the financial burden, such a scheme could derail essential services such as education, health and infrastructure.
“The size of the promise does not matter – but credibility and the funding mechanism,” says economist Dr AK Sinha.
🗳️ Political calculation or public service?
The timing of the announcement just before the election has drawn comparisons with previous populist moves in Indian politics. While welfare schemes have historically influenced voters in both directions, the scale of this initiative is unprecedented.
It has also deepened divisions between Bihar’s ruling JD(U)-BJP alliance and the opposition RJD-led bloc, which accuses the government of “weaponising welfare schemes for votes”.
🔮 What happens next?
Whether the scheme will be fully implemented or partially implemented before the elections – remains to be seen. But the picture is clear: the NDA has put Bihar’s poorest citizens at the centre of its political war.
Will it work? Will it uplift? Or will voters see the timing?
🧩 Conclusion: Reform or deceit?
In the end, this grand promise may change lives – but it will certainly change the narrative in the Bihar elections. For the 94 lakh families waiting with hope, the real test will not be what is said – but what is done.
