Nitish Kumar announces uniform fee of Rs 100 for prelims of all Bihar competitive exams; mains to be free

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced a uniform application fee of ₹100 for the preliminary stage of all competitive examinations in the state, with no fee to be charged for the mains, a move likely aimed at easing the financial burden on aspirants.The move follows a major pre-election declaration made on July 17, when Kumar announced that eligible domestic consumers across Bihar will receive up to 125 units of electricity free of cost every month starting August 1, 2025 — a step expected to benefit nearly 1.67 crore households.

Sharing the update on X at the time, Kumar said, “We have been providing electricity to everyone at affordable rates from the very beginning. Now we have decided that from August 1, 2025, that is, from the July bill itself, all domestic consumers in the state will not have to pay any money for electricity up to 125 units. This will benefit a total of 1 crore 67 lakh families in the state.”

He further detailed plans to install solar power plants over the next three years on rooftops or in nearby public spaces with consumers’ consent, with the state bearing the full cost for extremely poor families under the Kutir Jyoti scheme.

The government estimates that the initiative will generate up to 10,000 megawatts of solar energy within the next three years.

The electricity scheme and the latest exam fee cut are part of a wider pre-election push. Last month, Kumar also directed the Education Department to assess vacant posts for school teachers and begin preparations for the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE) 4, reiterating the policy of 35% reservation for women in teacher appointments, applicable only to Bihar residents.