Nitish Kumar Raises Honorarium for Government School Support Staff

Quick Summary

• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced:

– Honorarium for cooks under the mid-day meal program doubled from ₹1,650 to ₹3,300.
– Honorarium for night watchmen in secondary/higher education schools doubled from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.
– Incentive for physical education and health instructors raised to ₹16,000 with annual increments increased from ₹200 to ₹400.- ASHA workers’ monthly incentives increased from ₹1,000 to ₹3,000; Mamta health workers’ delivery bonuses were also doubled earlier this week.

• Notable improvements cited in the state’s education system since November 2005:

– Increased education budget from ₹4,366 crore (2005) to ₹77,690 crore (2025).

• Pension hikes under Social Security scheme earlier this year:

– Old age/differently abled individuals/widows’ pensions increased from ₹400 per month to ₹1,100.

• CM Nitish Kumar emphasized the contributions of cooks and instructors in strengthening Bihar’s educational system alongside new school buildings and infrastructure development.
• Bihar Deputy Chief minister Samrat Choudhary (BJP) praised the initiatives as commendable steps toward improving education quality.
• Janata Dal-(United) State president Umesh Singh Kushwaha described the decision as sensitive governance promoting dignity and inclusivity.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The recent wave of measures by CM Nitish Kumar highlights a deep focus on bolstering grassroots contributors within critical sectors like education and healthcare in Bihar. Doubling honorariums for support staff such as cooks or night watchmen acknowledges their indispensable roles in maintaining infrastructural functionality alongside instructional efforts. This step could provide them moral encouragement while fostering better service delivery outcomes.

The broad increase in pensions across social schemes paired with targeted investments into school infrastructure reflects an attempt at holistic development aimed at both raising standards within public institutions and delivering equity-focused benefits.However, coming ahead of Assembly elections raises questions about political timing even if it sustains long-term impact aligned with empowerment narratives around marginalized workforce sectors.

such measures frequently enough hinge on consistent budgetary execution over time-a challenge that will test whether thes advancements solidify rather than recede once electoral priorities shift.

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