Patna, March 24: The state government today decided to increase the monthly remuneration of assistant engineers from the existing Rs 20,000 to Rs 27,000.

A total of 355 engineers appointed on contract basis would benefit from the decision. The cabinet in its meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar today passed the proposal submitted in this regard by the water resources department. The cabinet also sanctioned a sum of Rs 1,206 crore to urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions on the recommendation of 4th state finance commission.

In another decision, the cabinet agreed to release additional grant of Rs 200 crore to power companies for replacing burnt transformers and other related work to improve the distribution system of power. In addition, the government decided to sanction Rs 17 crore to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna.

The cabinet also decided to set up a regional office of the commercial tax department at Supaul, close to India-Nepal border in the Kosi region. The cabinet passed a total of 28 proposals.

Wai Wai plant boon

Nepal's CG Foods, makers of the popular Wai Wai noodles, has commissioned a plant in Purnea.

The company has invested Rs 30 crore in the plant having capacity to produce 15 million packs of noodles per month, which would cater Eastern region markets of Bihar, Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and eastern Uttar Pradesh, CG Foods India said in a statement.

The four-acre plant, which is operational from March 1, is expected to directly employ about 400 people, it said.