Patna, Sep 9 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday felicitated 168 meritorious students who topped the 2026 Intermediate and Matriculation examinations, presenting them with medals, certificates of merit and cash awards.
The toppers also interacted with the Chief Minister and received his best wishes for their future.
The felicitation ceremony was held at ‘Samvad’ at the Chief Minister’s residence in Patna.
Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari, Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) Chairman Thyagarajan S.M. and other senior officials attended the event.
The families of the toppers were also present.
Following the ceremony, CM Samrat Choudhary shared details of the event on his official X account and announced that, from next year, the felicitation ceremony for board toppers would be organised within one month of the declaration of examination results.
He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that talented students receive timely recognition and encouragement.
“The resolve is for the youth of Bihar to become the new face of a developed Bihar and to become job creators rather than job seekers. Students securing the first, second and third positions were awarded cash prizes of Rs 2 lakh, Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 1 lakh, respectively, along with funds for a laptop,” the Chief Minister added.
“Encouraging this talent is not merely an act of honoring them; it is an investment in Bihar’s bright future,” he said.
Among the Intermediate Science toppers, first-ranked Aditya Prakash Aman from Samastipur and second-ranked students Sakshi Kumari from Sitamarhi and Sapna Kumari from Nawada were felicitated.
In the Arts stream, first topper Neeshu Kumari from Gaya was honoured, along with second-ranked students Siddhi Shikha from Sitamarhi, Chandradeep Kumar from Lakhisarai and Md Lucky Ansari from Purnea.
In Commerce, first topper Aditi Kumari from Patna was honoured, with her father receiving the award on her behalf as she was not present at the ceremony.
Second topper Mahi Kumari, also from Patna, was felicitated.
Priyanshu Raj from Saran, who topped the vocational course, was also honoured. This year marked the first time that a vocational course topper was included in the Bihar Board’s felicitation programme.
Anika Upadhyay from Saran, who secured second position in the category, was also honoured.
Among the Matriculation toppers, Pushpanjali Kumari of Simultala Awasiya Vidyalaya in Jamui and Sabrin Parveen of Vaishali, who jointly secured the first position, were felicitated.
Nahid Sultana from Begusarai, who secured second position, was also honoured.
A total of 15.12 lakh students had registered for the 2026 Matriculation examination, with 12,35,473 students successfully clearing it, resulting in an overall pass percentage of 81.79 per cent.
Female students constituted the majority of successful candidates.
Pushpanjali Kumari and Sabrin Parveen emerged as joint state toppers after securing 492 out of 500 marks, or 98.4 per cent.
Sixteen candidates featured among the top five positions, while 126 candidates secured ranks between sixth and 10th.
In the 2026 Intermediate examinations, the overall pass percentage across the Science, Arts and Commerce streams stood at 85.19 per cent.
The pass percentage among female students was 86.23 per cent, compared with 84.09 per cent among male students.
Female students dominated the toppers’ list across the three streams. While male students topped the Science stream, female students secured the top position in Arts and Commerce.
A total of 26 students featured among the toppers across the three Intermediate streams, including 19 girls and seven boys.
The Chief Minister said recognising and encouraging academic excellence would remain an important part of the state government’s efforts to empower Bihar’s youth and contribute to the state’s development.
–IANS
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