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Imams felicitate CM Khattar for hiking honorarium by 50%, annual 5% raise

Tanzeem Aima-e-Auqaf, an organisation of the imams, said the salary hike was unprecedented and at least 800 imams working with various mosques in Haryana will benefit by this decision

Published on: Jan 6, 2023, 11:43:23 IST
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Imams associated Haryana Waqf Board on Thursday felicitated chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar after the state government increased their monthly honorarium by 50% and promised them a 5% increment every year.

Manohar Lal Khattar with Waqf board imams at Gurugram University at sector51 on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)
Manohar Lal Khattar with Waqf board imams at Gurugram University at sector51 on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Tanzeem Aima-e-Auqaf, an organisation of the imams, said the salary hike was unprecedented and at least 800 imams working with various mosques in Haryana will benefit by this decision. Imams are paid salaries by Haryana Waqf Board, which gets grants from the state government and also generates income from its own properties.

Zakir Hussain, administrator, Haryana Waqf Board, said that imams will be paid between ₹14,000 and ₹16,000 as honorarium per month. “The provision of 5% yearly hike in imams’ salary has never happened anywhere in India,” he said.

Addressing the media after meeting with 30 imams and office bearers of Haryana Waqf Board at Gurugram University, chief minister Khattar said, “Imams can play a crucial road in improving education and health facilities in areas such as Mewat. We are also working on creating more infrastructure and development in this region. The imams have also played an important role in the success of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign in Mewat as well as the Swachh Bharat campaign,” he said.

Khattar added the government is working to ensure that temple priests are also paid minimum wage by the organisations that employ them. “A board has been formed by the government to oversee this aspect and also for the welfare of this section,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Khattar inaugurated the animation and multimedia lab at Gurugram University and digitally laid the foundation stone of the teaching block of the University being constructed at a cost of ₹44 crore in Sector-87.

University vice chancellor professor Dinesh Kumar said that they developed a state-of-the-art computing lab to provide students with practical education in animation and multimedia.

  • Abhishek Behl
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Abhishek Behl

    Abhishek Behl is a Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times, Gurugram bureau. With over a decade of experience in journalism, he reports on Gurugram's rapid urban transformation, covering the city's changing infrastructure, governance, and planning landscape. His reporting spans major civic agencies, such as the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Behl has reported on key urban development issues such as RRTS projects, metro expansion, road and highway projects, water supply, drainage, mobility, environmental concerns, land use planning, affordable housing, and the city's real estate sector. He closely tracks policy decisions, infrastructure implementation, and their impact on the city and its residents. He also covers regulatory action against illegal constructions, urban flooding, traffic management, and initiatives aimed at improving civic services and sustainable development. Behl has also written on political developments in south Haryana, focusing on elections and governance. His journalism is driven by fact-based reporting, ground-level coverage, and an understanding of the social and economic dynamics of Gurugram. Apart from work he is a cyclist and a cricketer and a resident of Palam Vihar since 2010.Read More