Bihar ex-CMs to keep 8 assistants for life

Bihar government today approved a proposal allowing all former chief ministers to keep eight personal assistants throughout their life, besides enhancing allowances of ministers, official sources said.
The eight personal staff that leaders like Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi could keep are a private secretary, two clerks, four peons and a driver.
A decision to this effect was taken at a state cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi here.
The cabinet also gave a green signal to a proposal to increase the allowances of the ministers.
The sources said the daily allowance of a minister has been doubled from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000.

The amount of monthly guest allowance for a cabinet minister was enhanced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 25,000.
For a minister of state, the guest allowance was increased from Rs 17,500 to Rs 24,000 per month and for a deputy minister from Rs 17,000 to Rs 23,500, the source added.
Altogether, the Bihar cabinet gave its nod to 45 proposals of various departments during the meeting.