{
  "id": 17866222,
  "title": "Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary’s appeal to give up free electricity triggers row",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/bihar-cm-samrat-choudharys-appeal-to-give-up-free-electricity",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T22:09:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bihar/bihar-cm-samrat-choudharys-appeal-to-give-up-free-electricity-triggers-row/article71656585.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary appealed to financially well-off individuals and taxpayers in the state to voluntarily forgo their free electricity, in an attempt to save funds for the development of Bihar. The appeal came after the state government announced that it would provide 125 units of free electricity to all its 1.92 crore domestic consumers, amounting to an annual subsidy of ₹23,000 crore. Choudhary's comments have sparked controversy, with the Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticizing the NDA government for being on the verge of bankruptcy due to scams, corruption, and a widening fiscal deficit. Some residents of Patna have expressed their disapproval, arguing that the burden of paying taxes for the free benefits should not be borne by the middle class and salaried individuals. The state government is now exploring alternatives to reduce the burden, such as accelerating solarisation and increasing rooftop solar panel installations.",
  "summary": "Tejashwi Yadav has been continuously criticising the Samrat Choudhary-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, claiming it to be “on the verge of bankruptcy”",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}