Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (File Photo)
The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday increased the dearness allowance of state government employees, pensioners and family pensioners by two per cent.
They would now get a total DA of nine per cent in place of the existing seven per cent, cabinet secretariat department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar said.
The enhanced DA would be given to the employees with effect from July 1 this year, Kumar told reporters here in a post cabinet briefing.
This would be applicable to those employees, pensioners and family pensioners who are getting revised pay scales, the Principal Secretary said adding that the revision of DA would have an additional burden of Rs 419 crore on the state exchequer annually.
In another important decision, the cabinet gave its nod to convening winter session of the bicameral state legislature in Bihar from November 26.
The cabinet approved Parliamentary Affairs department's tentative schedule for a week-long winter session, Kumar said adding that there will be five sittings between November 26 and 30.
The decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said. The cabinet has altogether approved 25 proposals.
Among other significant decisions, it also gave its nod for getting ITDC, New Delhi run hotel "Patliputra Ashok" at Patna transferred to Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) on the payment of Rs 13.005 crore to the former, Kumar said.
The hotel is spread over 1.5 acres of land located in the heart of the capital, official sources said.
The 1.5 acres of land belonging to state's Revenue and Land Reforms Department located at the prime location was given to Centre's Tourism ministry on a lease with certain terms and conditions on May 26, 1973, Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had said earlier.
It was also incorporated as the condition that the state government would take back its land by giving three months to the lessee (Tourism Ministry), Modi had said adding that the Central government is going to disinvestment in ITDC run hotels that included "Patliputra Ashok".
The cabinet also gave its nod for transfer of 37 acres and 24 decimal land to education department for construction of buildings and other facilities for Purnea University, Purnea, he said.
It also sanctioned Rs 38.38 crore for carrying out acquisition of 33 acres of land for setting up an IT park in 'Mega Industrial Park' at Bihta (in Patna district), Principal Secretary said.
The cabinet also gave its nod five proposals of Road Construction Department for carrying out strengthening, upgrading, constructing culverts on five different state highways in different areas of the state, Kumar said.
