Bihar government announces 35% reservation for women in state jobs
What's the story
In a major move to empower women, the Bihar government has announced a 35% reservation for women in all state government jobs. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna. "35% reservation exclusively for women candidates who are original residents of Bihar in direct recruitment to all categories, levels, and types of posts in all state government services," Kumar said.
Youth empowerment
Formation of Bihar Youth Commission
The Bihar Cabinet also approved the formation of the Bihar Youth Commission, a statutory body aimed at empowering the state's youth. The commission will advise on matters related to education and employment opportunities for young people. It will have a chairperson, two vice-chairpersons, and seven members—all under 45 years of age.
Job priority
Local youths to be given priority in private sector jobs
The Bihar Youth Commission will ensure that local youths are given priority in private sector jobs within the state. It will also look after the interests of students and workers from Bihar studying or working outside the state. "The commission will be tasked with preparing programs to curb social evils like alcohol and substance abuse and will make recommendations to the government in such matters," the CM said.
Polls
Bihar polls this year
These announcements come as Bihar, which has 243 assembly seats, prepares to hold elections in October-November of this year. Last month, Kumar also said that the state government will increase the pension under the Social Security Pension Scheme from ₹400 to ₹1,100. The recipients will get the hiked pension beginning in July and credited to their accounts on the 10th of each month.