The government on Wednesday gave its nod to the home (special) department's proposal to double the pension amount of the JP Movement activists under JP Senani Samman Pension Scheme.

Those who served jail term for more than six months during the Emergency from March 18, 1974, to March 21, 1977, would be entitled for a monthly pension of Rs10,000 instead of the existing Rs 5,000. Similarly, those who served jail term for less than six months would now be paid Rs 5,000 instead of Rs 2,500 as pension. After death of the activists, their spouses would be entitled for the benefits. Cabinet secretariat department principal secretary Shish Sinha said the government would incur an additional expenditure of Rs 12.47 crore for this. It also decided to provide medical treatment to the Movement activists free of cost on a par with the freedom fighters.

Around 3,000 activists would be benefited from the announcements.

JP Movement advisory board chairman Mithilesh Kumar Singh had earlier urged chief minister Nitish Kumar, also a product of the Movement, to raise the pension amount. The demand was also supported by former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, another product of the Movement.

The cabinet also decided to give one-time relaxation in 75 per cent mandatory attendance of students to give benefits under the chief minister cycle scheme. The cabinet sanctioned Rs 460 crore for payment under the scheme for 2015-16 financial year.

In addition, the cabinet sanctioned Rs.57.87 crore for providing sanitary napkins to school girl students. The cabinet allowed the health department to sign a memorandum of understanding for setting up multi disciplinary research units at five medical colleges in Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Gaya and Patna.