Bihar’s Dec 1 Campaign Lets Consumers Cancel Free 125‑Unit Electricity via SMS

In a bid to rein in a soaring power subsidy, Bihar will launch a digital opt‑out campaign on 1 December 2026. Eligible households that presently enjoy up to 125 free electricity units each month will receive a text message from their power provider containing a link to an online portal.

The portal, accessible from any smartphone, will let users confirm their wish to leave the scheme. No visits to the electricity department or paperwork will be required. The move follows a similar call by the central government for richer families to give up LPG subsidies.

The original free‑power policy was announced by then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 17 July 2025 and became operative on 1 August 2025. It now reaches an estimated 1.92 crore families, costing the state roughly ₹23 000 crore per year—almost double the ₹13 114 crore spent in 2023‑24.

Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary emphasized that the initiative does not intend to terminate the programme, but merely to encourage those who can afford their own electricity bills to step aside, thereby freeing resources for education, health and other development schemes. The opposition RJD has criticised the policy shift as a broken promise, while allies in the NDA have hailed it as a responsible fiscal step.

The success of the SMS‑driven opt‑out will be measured by how many of the better‑off households actually withdraw, potentially delivering a significant fiscal relief for the state’s budget.