PATNA: The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday raised the DA of its three lakh employees and pensioners, availing of the revised pay scales as per the sixth pay commission's recommendation, from 90% to 100% with effect from January 1, 2014.
According to principal secretary (cabinet coordination) Brajesh Mehrotra, the DA for the employees and pensioners still in the unrevised fifth pay commission payscales has been increased to 200% as against the existing 183%. The government would have to incur additional financial burden of Rs 1378.16 crore per annum on account of the raise.
The cabinet gave its nod to the parliamentary affairs ministry's proposal to convene the budget session of the state legislature from June 27. The session will continue till July 31 and will have 25 sittings.
The budget session could not be held in March as the electoral process was underway and the model code of conduct in force. A vote-on-account, however, had been passed for the financial exigencies of the state government.
The cabinet sanctioned a sum of Rs 1685.29 crore (both the central and state share) for the implementation of the midday meal scheme in the current financial year. It also OK'd Rs 74.57 crore for the installation of water treatment plants in nine districts where iron content in water is high. This also includes the cost of the plants' maintenance for five years.
The cabinet gave its go-ahead to the public health and engineering department's proposal to install 55,228 hand pumps in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 258.68 crore.
SOURCE - TOI
