Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced doubling the honorarium of mid-day meal cooks, guards, physical education and health instructors at schools in the latest of such announcements ahead of the assembly election in Bihar this year.
The honorarium of cooks will be increased from ₹1,650 to ₹3300, while that of guards from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000, and instructors from ₹8,000 to ₹16,000, with an annual increment of ₹200 to ₹400. “This has been done to boost their morale for greater efficiency and sincerity in their work, as they play a vital role in the education system,” said Kumar on X. He said the government has been consistently working for improvement in the education system.
Kumar said the education budget has increased from ₹4,366 crore in 2005 to ₹77690 crore. He added there has been a significant improvement with large-scale recruitment of teachers and the construction of new schools and basic infrastructure.
The honorarium for cooks was just ₹1,250 until 2019. It was increased to ₹1650 in two phases. The physical education and health instructors were demanding a salary increase. They organised a protest in June to raise their demands.
{{/usCountry}}The honorarium for cooks was just ₹1,250 until 2019. It was increased to ₹1650 in two phases. The physical education and health instructors were demanding a salary increase. They organised a protest in June to raise their demands.
{{/usCountry}}From April 1, the government fixed a minimum daily wage for an unskilled labourer at ₹424, semi-skilled at ₹440, skilled at ₹536, and fully skilled at ₹654.
Kumar has made a slew of announcements in the last few months to counter criticism over employment generation, salaries, honorarium, and pension covering all sections of society. He announced a nearly three-fold increase in old-age pension, a 1.5 times raise in monthly allowance for all panchayat representatives, and enhanced financial autonomy to local bodies, etc.
Ruling Janata Dal (United) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said everything should not be seen from the election point of view, even as polls are due this year. “What the chief minister is doing is paying back to society the benefits of Bihar’s growth, which the state has witnessed under his leadership over the last two decades.”
Jha said Kumar first worked on strengthening the basics, and now that the state has reached the take-off stage, he is giving back to the people. “This is also an indication that in the coming years, more will follow, as he has the vision, passion, and will to work for Bihar’s transformation.”