Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has once again placed employment at the heart of his political pitch, promising lakhs of new jobs for the state’s youth in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
Addressing a gathering on Thursday, Kumar vowed to provide 50,000 additional jobs before the polls, while pledging that one crore young people would be given jobs and employment opportunities over the next five years (2025–2030).
“We have always worked for employment, while others (RJD) did nothing,” he said, drawing a contrast with his rivals.
Nitish Kumar’s Recent Claims on Jobs
- July 13, 2025 – Kumar announced that by August 2025, his government would have provided 12 lakh government jobs and 38 lakh other employment opportunities.
- On the same day, he unveiled a broader vision, promising that one crore youth would be employed in Bihar by 2030.
Independence Day 2024: 12 Lakh Govt Jobs Target
During his Independence Day address on 15 August 2024, the Chief Minister declared a target of 12 lakh government jobs for Bihar’s youth.
This came at a time when Nitish Kumar was in alliance with the RJD under the Mahagathbandhan government.
Major Teacher Recruitment Drive in 2024
One of the most visible job drives took place in January 2024, when Kumar, alongside then Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, distributed 1.10 lakh appointment letters to schoolteachers at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
- Around 26,000 teachers received their letters at the event.
- 84,000 others were handed letters across districts by ministers.
This came just weeks after another massive recruitment exercise in November 2023, which saw the appointment of 1.20 lakh schoolteachers.
Combined, Bihar added 2.30 lakh new teachers within three months — one of the largest such recruitments in the state’s history.
Government Job Count by 2024
According to Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, by the end of 2024 the state had created 4 lakh government jobs, covering education, healthcare, and police departments.
Between 2005 and 2020, Nitish Kumar’s government claims to have provided over eight lakh government jobs to youth in Bihar.
The Bigger Picture
With Bihar’s unemployment rate consistently emerging as a pressing electoral issue, Kumar has sought to project himself as a leader focused on job creation. His repeated commitments — from 12 lakh government jobs to one crore total employment opportunities — are set to become a central theme in the upcoming election campaign.