Patna: The Bihar government will increase compensation for families of people killed in road accidents to Rs 8 lakh, with costs shared equally between insurers and the state, the chief minister, Samrat Choudhary, has announced.
Speaking during a vote of confidence debate in the state legislative assembly, Choudhary said Rs 4 lakh would be paid through insurance coverage, while the government would provide an additional Rs 4 lakh. The move follows repeated demands from legislators to bring road accident fatalities more comprehensively under insurance protection.
“We have decided that in the event of a fatal road accident, Rs 4 lakh will be disbursed through insurance. The government will add another Rs 4 lakh from its own resources,” Choudhary told the House.
The announcement marks a significant increase in state-backed support for victims’ families, amid growing concern over road safety and financial protection in such cases.
Choudhary also outlined broader priorities in education, signalling a push to strengthen public schooling. He referred to earlier commitments made by former chief minister Nitish Kumar to establish model schools at the block level and overhaul district schools across Bihar.
The aim, he said, is to raise standards to a point where even children of government officials would opt for public education. “It is our responsibility to build a system of such quality that officers and ministers willingly send their children to government schools,” Choudhary said.
He added that previous efforts under Nitish Kumar had already improved teacher availability, with around 5,00,000 recruits brought into the system. “We will take this initiative forward,” he said.
