Bihar's scheme offering 125 units of free electricity to domestic consumers each month has become a significant financial burden for the state government. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary recently appealed to affluent and income tax-paying individuals in Patna to voluntarily forgo this subsidy. He stated that if economically capable families stop availing the free electricity benefit, the saved funds could be redirected towards improving the education system and other developmental projects in the state.

The state government is spending approximately ₹23,000 crore annually on electricity subsidies. This scheme, initiated by the Nitish Kumar government in July 2025 and implemented from August 2025, provides 100% subsidy on up to 125 units of electricity consumption for domestic users. Initially, it was estimated to benefit around 1.67 crore families and was later extended to all domestic consumers.

According to the Bihar Energy Department, a total of ₹23,165 crore has been sanctioned for the Mukhyamantri Vidyut Upbhokta Sahayata Yojana for the financial year 2026-27. Of this, ₹18,005 crore is allocated to National Thermal Power Corporation and ₹5,160 crore to Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited for the period from April 2026 to March 2027. This translates to an average monthly subsidy of about ₹1,930 crore.

During his appeal at the Pataliputra National Youth Parliament-2.0, CM Choudhary highlighted that the government spends around ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 annually per family on electricity subsidies. His objective is to reallocate these funds for education and other public amenities if affluent families opt out of the subsidy. However, he did not announce any plans to discontinue the free electricity scheme or exclude any specific income group. This appeal sparks a new discussion regarding the substantial financial burden of electricity subsidies and the efficient use of government resources in Bihar.