Bihar elections: Nitish Kumar government to provide clothes to landless, poor

The Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday approved a programme to provide clothes like dhoti, sari, blankets and sheets to landless and helpless sections of the society.

The programme of the state Social Welfare Department was approved at a meeting of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Under the non-plan social security programme in fiscal 2015-16, landless, poor and those living on alms and helpless would be given dhoti, sari, sheets and woollen blankets, an official statement said in Patna.

The cabinet sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the purpose. The state government also gave its nod to 36 items at the meeting.

The meeting approved a proposal to provide facility of convertible leave to state government officials for medical care of husband/wife and son/daughter. In another important decision, the cabinet gave green signal to a proposal to increase honorarium of Tola sevaks and teachers and volunteers of Talimi Markaz centres from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 per month. They would also be provided a compensation of Rs four lakh in case of death in harness.

Around 20,000 Tola sevaks and 10,000 teachers and volunteers of Talimi Markaz centres would benefit from this.

The Bihar cabinet gave its nod to a proposal of the Cabinet department to organise a function on 'Martyrs' Day' every year on August 16 in honour of four martyrs of the 1942 Quit India movement.