Minority students passing matric to get Rs 10,000

PATNA: The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal to grant a sum of Rs 10,000 each as incentive to all minority students passing matriculation examination from Bihar School Examination Board. A sum of Rs two crore has been earmarked for the purpose and, if needed, the amount would be enhanced.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, cabinet secretary Girish Shankar said the minority students, who passed the matriculation examination in 2007, would also be eligible for the incentive.
The cabinet also decided to provide all medical facilities, including outsourced services such as scanning, radiation, ultrasound etc, in government hospitals free of cost to all the patients who live below the poverty line.

The government has also decided to open an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Kalyanbigha village in Nalanda district during the financial year 2008-09. A sum of Rs 42 lakh has been sanctioned for the purpose.

To develop basic infrastructure, including road, drainage and dividers in the urban areas, the government has released Rs 100 crore for 2008-09 under the Chief Minister's Integrated Urban Development Scheme.

Under the scheme, work would be allotted by a district-level managing committee which would consist of, among others, the local MLA.

The government has also given its nod for creation of 531 posts of panchayat secretary. The state cabinet also cleared the promotion of Bihar Police Service officers Arvind Kumar, Manju Jha, I N Mishra, Ajay Mishra, Gopal Prasad, S P Shukla and Awadhesh Kumar Sharma in the payscale of Rs 14,300-Rs 18,300.

The road construction department, building department and rural works department have been divided into separate cadres and accordingly the engineers' cadre would be trifurcated.

The cabinet has also sanctioned Rs 433.51 crore for renovation of zamindari bund.