Patna, Aug. 15 — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced that candidates appearing for preliminary tests of all state-level competitive examinations will now pay a uniform fee of ₹100, while mains examinations will be free of charge.
The decision, coming months before the assembly elections, is aimed at reducing the financial burden on government job aspirants. “I am pleased to announce that a decision has been made to bring uniformity in the fees for preliminary tests (PT) of competitive examinations conducted by all commissions for state-level government jobs, and to provide significant fee concessions to candidates,” Kumar said in a post on X, written in Hindi.
According to the chief minister, recruitment examinations are conducted by agencies including the Bihar Public Service Commission, Bihar Staff Selection Commission, Bihar Technical Service Commission, Bihar Police Subordinate Service Commission, and the Central Constable Selection Board. He said the new rule applies to all such preliminary tests, regardless of the commission conducting them.
“Instructions have been given to charge only ₹100 as the fee for candidates appearing in the preliminary test of the competitive examinations. Candidates who clear the preliminary tests and appear for the mains examinations will no longer have to pay any examination fee,” Kumar said.
He linked the decision to his government’s long-standing focus on youth employment. “Providing government jobs to the state’s youth has been our priority since the beginning,” Kumar noted. “To provide opportunities to the youth of the state and to secure their future, our government has taken several concrete steps. Now, we have taken this decision in the interest of the youth.”
Officials said the move could benefit lakhs of aspirants who appear for multiple recruitment tests each year, particularly those from economically weaker backgrounds. The fee change will take effect for upcoming recruitment cycles.
