PATNA: In a significant cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bihar Cabinet has approved 36 major proposals spanning education, transport, health, welfare, and election preparedness.
The decisions come as Bihar prepares for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections, reflecting a clear push by the government to bolster infrastructure and social welfare schemes.
In education, the Nitish Kumar government has approved a doubling of honorarium for physical education and health instructors in middle schools from Rs 8, 000 to Rs 16, 000 per month. The annual increment has also been raised from Rs 200 to Rs 400.
Besides, an approval for increasing the honorarium of cooks and night watchmen will also boost the morale of essential support workers in the education ecosystem.
The Nitish Kumar government has approved the Bihar State School Teacher Appointment Transfer Service Manual, aimed at streamlining appointments and transfers in the education sector, and 151 new posts have been approved for Teacher Academies in Munger University to strengthen higher education.
In the transport sector, the state government approved a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to operate 200 inter-state AC and non-AC buses (44-seater) with incentives for private operators. Under this proposal, Rs 150 per seat during peak hours and Rs 300 per seat during off-peak hours.
The estimated operational expenditure is Rs 36.35 crore (for over five years), Rs 7.27 crore additionally earmarked for FY 2025-26 from the Bihar Contingency Fund.