Patna: 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 here.
The cabinet sanctioned Rs one 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.
Meanwhile, state Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya said a team of central government is currently on a visit to Beed and Osmanabad districts to assess the situation.
Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the government will go all out in providing succour to Marathwada region which is reeling under acute water scarcity and added that funds will not be an issue.
"We will go to the extent of levying additional taxes by taking people into confidence," he said.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil questioned the "farce" of having a central team when the government has no plans to announce immediate relief. "Everyday eight to ten farmers are committing suicide," he said.
A section of the media has reported that the central team is not here to announce any immediate relief.
Questioned Mungantiwar's statement of levying additional tax, Vikhe Patil said in the last few months, there has been decrease in petrol and diesel prices and gold, steel resulting in reduction of expenditure on imports. The Centre can easily utilise the savings by providing financial assistance to farmers.
State Congress chief Ashok Chavan wondered why the government was planning separate tax to help farmers when it can make budgetary provision for Local Body Tax (LBT) and toll scrapping.
