Patna, Aug. 27: The state cabinet today approved the monthly pay hike of Rs 3,000 for teachers of primary, middle and high schools of the state.

These teachers, appointed on consolidated (fixed) pay, have been demanding payment of regular payscale instead of fixed pay.

“The cabinet decision would benefit around 2.48 lakh primary teachers besides 90,000 primary teachers, the process for whose appointment is underway. Similarly, it would benefit around 17,897 secondary school teachers and 50,845 teachers of higher secondary schools,” cabinet co-ordination department secretary Brajesh Mehrotra told reporters here.

“Following the hike of Rs 3,000 per month, trained primary school teachers would now get Rs 10,000 while untrained would get Rs 9,000. The trained primary school teachers (holding graduate degrees) would get Rs 11,000, while the untrained gradu- ates would get Rs 10,500,” Mehrotra said.

Similarly, trained secondary school teachers would now get Rs 11,000 per month, while untrained teachers would draw salaries of Rs 10,500 and the trained teachers of higher secondary schools would receive Rs 12,000 and untrained would get Rs 11,500 per month, Mehrotra said.

The decision to increase the salary of primary teachers by Rs 3,000 per month would put an additional financial burden of Rs 520 crore, while the burden for payment to secondary and higher secondary teachers would be Rs 247.47 crore annually, the secretary said.

“The cabinet also decided to increase the salary of teachers appointed on fixed pay in 205 madarsas of the state,” he said, before adding that the move would incur a financial burden of Rs 10.46 crore.

The cabinet also sanctioned Rs 470.61 crore as an additional subsidy to Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd for the year 2013-14 and released a sum of Rs 310.61 crore for payment of energy bills of various organisations/undertakings. This (Rs 470.61 crore) would be in addition to Rs 2,160 crore subsidy being made to the holding company.

“The cabinet also sanctioned Rs 200 crore per month to be paid between August 2013 to March 2014 for the purchase of power from NTPC,” said Mehrotra, before adding that the payment would be made directly to the NTPC through Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The cabinet also approved the setting up of general facilitation centre for Chief Minister Micro and Small Industries Cluster Development Scheme.

It also gives nod for payment of Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia to four Bihar soldiers killed during the patrolling along Indo-Pak border in Saria Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir on August 6, Mehrotra said.

The cabinet also approved the re-organisation of forest divisions and gave its nod for setting up six new forest division and creation of 54 posts of different categories, the secretary said.

“It also gave its nod to construct post-mortem house’ in 36 districts at a cost of Rs 25.03 crore,” said Mehrotra, before adding that each such post-mortem house would cost Rs 69.55 lakh.