Bihar cabinet approves pay cut for legislators; money to be diverted to corona fund

The Bihar cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to slash the salaries of all members of the states bicameral legislature by 15 per cent for one year and divert the money towards the corona eradication fund set up by the state government.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in which all ministers took part via video conferencing.

Another important decision was to promote students of classes 5 and 8 to the next grade without examinations since they could not be held in the academic year 2019-20 because of closure of schools and colleges in view of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

An education department official clarified that all students from class 1 to 9, except 10, will now be promoted due to the cabinet decision.

The department needed approval for classes 5 and 8 and was competent to take a decision on its own for other classes, the official said.

Meanwhile, Congress MLC and AICC media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra said in a statement,"We support of the cabinet's decision with regard to pay cut of MLAs and MLCs since it is the duty of elected representatives to come forward and make whatever contributions possible in an hour of crisis like this."

He, however, added that the Congress would like to know how the government, which has just about five to six months of its tenure left, could take a decision with regard to pay cut for one year.

Assembly polls in the state are due by November this year.

Mishra also wondered if the chief minister wanted to fight coronavirus with the money realised from the salaries of legislators only?

MLAs and MLCs have, in the recent past, contributed their one month's salary and agreed to divert Rs 50 lakh from their respective local area development fund to the corona eradication fund.

"But what about the chief ministers repeated assertion that those affected by a calamity had the first claim on the states exchequer?" he asked.

He also alleged funds were not being properly utilised in the state and medical equipment were in short supply.

Apparently echoing the statement of AICC president Sonia Gandhi in her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bihar Congress leader said the state government should also tighten its belt and avoid splurging on unnecessary advertisements.