Rs 50 lakh insurance, pension for panchayati raj representatives: Tejashwi Yadav's poll promise
Patna: As Bihar prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday announced a series of welfare measures for members of the state’s panchayati raj system, including plans to double their allowances, offer pension benefits, and provide enhanced insurance coverage, if the INDIA bloc is elected to power in the state.
Speaking at a press conference, Yadav said elected representatives of panchayats and Gram Kachaharis (village courts) have long sought financial security and social benefits, which his party aims to fulfill. “Representatives of panchayats and Gram Kachahari had been demanding pension benefits. We have decided that they will receive a pension. They would also enjoy a Rs 50 lakh insurance coverage,” said Yadav.
He added that the INDIA bloc would double the existing allowances for all panchayati raj representatives.
He also announced an increase in the per-quintal margin money for distributors working under Bihar’s Public Distribution System (PDS), recognising their role in the state’s food supply network.
Furthermore, Yadav promised Rs 5 lakh interest-free loans to barbers, potters, and carpenters across Bihar.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the results set to be announced on November 14.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
