Bihar govt approves Rs 2,271 crore for doubling pre-matric scholarship for SC, ST, BC, EBC students

The Bihar Cabinet on Thursday approved Rs 2,271 crore for doubling the pre-matric scholarship amounts for SC, ST, backward and extremely backward classes students, an official said.

The Bihar Cabinet on Thursday approved Rs 2,271 crore for doubling the pre-matric scholarship amounts for SC, ST, backward and extremely backward classes students, an official said. A total of Rs 519.64 crore has been approved for the revision of pre-matric scholarship rates for SC/ST students, while Rs 1751.56 crore will be made available for the same for BC and EBC students. Talking to reporters here, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Cabinet Secretariat department, Arvind Chaudhary said, ''The cabinet has approved Rs 519.64 crore for the revision of the scholarship rates, doubling it to Rs 1,200 for classes 1-4, Rs 2,400 for classes 5-6, Rs 3,600 for classes 7-10, and Rs 6,000 annually for residential students.'' He said that the rates have been revised over the 2011 figures and will benefit 27 lakh students. The same revised rates for corresponding class slabs for backward classes (BC) and extremely backward classes (EBC) students will incur an approved cost of Rs 1,751.56 crore, he said. According to a statement issued by the Bihar government, the monthly hostel subsidy for BC and EBC students has been proposed to be revised from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month. The annual family income limit for scholarships to BC and EBC students has been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, with an approval of Rs 117.98 crore in this regard, it added. The cabinet has decided to cancel an earlier Rs 14.52 crore plan and instead approved a Rs 87.81 crore revised project for establishing a music college in Buxar in the name of Ustad Bismillah Khan. Industries department secretary Kundan Kumar, who was also present during the briefing, said, ''The GCC Policy 2026 has been approved to establish Bihar as a destination for multinational and Indian companies looking to set up global capability centers (GCCs).'' The companies will receive a 30 per cent subsidy on capital expenditure with a maximum limit of Rs 50 crore, he said, adding that ''special subsidies will be provided for hiring employees, with higher incentives for employing those with a Bihar domicile.'' He also said that the Bihar Semiconductor Policy 2026 was approved by the cabinet on Thursday. ''Semiconductor is a highly technical sector which holds a great possibility of capital investment. The Government of India has already established the Indian Semiconductor Mission. For companies that will invest capital here under the mission, we will provide 60 per cent of the subsidy payable by the Government of India,'' he added. Additional Chief Secretary (General Administration Department) B Rajender said that the Bihar Public Servant Conduct (Amendment) Rules 2026 have been approved. ''Such examples have come forward in which social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc., are being misused by public servants. It has been taken very seriously by the government, and detailed rules have been notified in this regard,'' he said. Rajender said that the new rules prohibit the use of official email or mobile number to operate individual social media account, the use of social media in a way that maligns the dignity of their post and damage the reputation of the government. The rulues also prohibit flaunting of government achievements as individual achievement, supporting or criticising specific individuals, legal professionals, media organisations, or political institutions on social media, operating social media accounts with anonymous or pseudonymous names, expressing personal opinions on social media on government policies, schemes, and orders of the Supreme Court or High Court, posting classified information, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)