Lalu Prasad welcomes former Union minister Md Taslimuddin to RJD in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday said the Union home ministry has asked the Jharkhand government to reimburse Rs 2,584.09 crore, which Bihar paid as pension amount to retired employees of the neighbouring state.

“The Centre has directed the Jharkhand government to reimburse Rs 2584.09 crore to Bihar under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000. Our government has been giving the pension to Jharkhand employees ever since that state was carved out of Bihar on November, 11, 2000,” he told newspersons on the sidelines of his janata durbar.

Modi added: “The Jharkhand government has not made the payment of pension liability, whereas the accountant-general of Bihar has made separate details of year-wise figures for the period up to 2009-10 regarding payment and retirement benefits to pensioners who retired before November 15, 2000, and those who retired after the date.”

He said Bihar had spent Rs 31,344.03 crore on pension and other retirement benefits to the government employees. He added that Jhakhand has not prepared year-wise figure and incurred an expenditure of Rs 9,286.14 crore up to March 31, 2011.