Jharkhand govt nod to one month's extra pay to Covid health workers

The Jharkhand government on Friday approved a number of proposals including one month's extra pay to Covid health workers and enhancement in honorarium for mid-day meal assistants.

The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Sorent.

The Jharkhand government last month announced Rs 103 crore incentive for frontline health workers.

"The Cabinet has approved incentives for health department workers including doctors engaged in coronavirus related contact tracing, testing, supervision etc work in COVID hospitals and wards besides control rooms, which will be equivalent to their one month's salary," an official statement after the Cabinet meeting said.

The incentive will be equivalent to the basic salary of April, 2020.

Soren had earlier announced through social media one month's additional salary to doctors and medical workers employed to contain the pandemic.

"In these troubled times, corona warriors are working day and night. Therefore, the state government has decided that doctors and medical workers employed in COVID-related works will be paid one month of their salary as incentive," Soren had said.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to raising the honorarium for mid-day meal kitchen assistants to Rs 2,000 which will result in a total additional expenditure of Rs 40 crore for the year.

Approval was also given for installation of 100-MW capacity floating solar plant at Getalsud Reservoir, Ranchi, an official statement said.

Approval was also given on a proposal to make a recommendation to the Centre for inclusion of Domra caste in the list of Scheduled Castes of India.

Government nod was also given on a proposal to reduce the stamp duty on documents for loan agreements related to bank loans for street vendors in order to ensure loans to them at affordable rates, the statement said.