Assembly elections in Bihar can be announced at any moment, and in the meantime, political activities have intensified. While the opposition is continuously making populist promises, the state government is also announcing new schemes one after the other. Recently, a big decision was taken to increase the amount received under the government pension scheme in Bihar to ₹ 1100. Apart from this, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government has made many more important announcements in its cabinet meeting, in which special emphasis has been laid on youth, artists, and grooming the rich cultural heritage of Bihar.

These announcements have brought new hope for millions of Biharis

To improve the future of the youth of Bihar, the government has announced a very ambitious ‘Chief Minister Pratigya Yojana’ (CM PRATIGYA – Promotion of Readiness, Awareness and Technical Insights for Guiding Youth Advancement). This scheme focuses on providing skill development and employment opportunities to the youth.

Under this scheme, at least 12th pass students will get a golden opportunity of an internship, for which they will also be given a monthly stipend. According to the Bihar government, 5000 youth will be linked to this scheme in the financial year 2025-26, while in the next five years (2026-27 to 2030-31), a target has been set to give the benefit of this internship scheme to one lakh youth.

Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Pratigya Yojana’, youth will get a monthly stipend in three different categories based on their educational qualification:

₹4000 per month: – For 12th pass youth.

₹5000 per month: – For youth doing a diploma or ITI course.

₹6000 per month: – For graduate or postgraduate youth.

A total of ₹40 crore, 69 lakh 24 thousand rupees will be spent in the first year (2025-26) of this scheme, and after that, ₹129 crore will be spent every year from 2026-27 to 2030-31. This scheme can prove to be very effective in making the youth of Bihar self-reliant and preparing them for employment.

Which youth can avail of the benefits

To avail the benefits of ‘Mukhyamantri Pratigya Yojana’, the youth have to fulfill some specific eligibility criteria. The youth should have passed at least the 12th grade. Those with a diploma, ITI, graduation, or postgraduate degree are also eligible. For this scheme, it will be mandatory for the youth to first undergo training under the state’s skill development program. Youth between 18 and 28 years will be able to avail themselves of the benefits of this scheme. An application for an internship can be made only after completing skill development training. This scheme is a great opportunity for all those youth who want to enhance their skills and give a new direction to their career by gaining practical work experience.