Bihar Cabinet reserves 85% of teaching jobs for natives ahead of polls

Bihar cabinet gives nod to domicile policy in teachers' recruitment; more than 50 per cent of seats were already reserved for residents of the state

In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved the implementation of a domicile policy for teacher recruitment, reserving approximately 85 per cent of posts for native residents of Bihar.

 

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced on Monday that the policy would be applied to the recruitment process for school teachers.

 

“The proposal for giving preference to native residents of the state in teachers' recruitment exams was cleared,” said Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddharth following the cabinet meeting.

 

He said that more than 50 per cent of seats were already reserved for residents of the state, as quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) accounted for nearly 50 per cent, with an additional 10 per cent set aside for the economically weaker sections.

 

 

Siddharth also noted that 35 per cent of posts are reserved for women, and the government has already decided that only Bihar residents will be eligible under that category.

 

The additional chief secretary further stated that of the remaining positions, 40 per cent would now be allocated to native residents of Bihar who had completed their class 10 and class 12 education within the state. He added that this would result in the effective reservation for native residents exceeding 85 per cent.

 

Increased honorarium for school support staff

 

On August 1, Nitish Kumr announced a revision of the honorarium for support staff working in government schools, including cooks, night watchmen, and physical education and health instructors.

 

In a post on X, Kumar stated that the monthly honorarium for cooks under the mid-day meal scheme had been increased from ₹1,650 to ₹3,300. Night watchmen would now receive ₹10,000 per month, while physical education and health instructors would be paid ₹16,000. Additionally, the annual salary increment for instructors has been raised from ₹200 to ₹400.

 

Hike announced for ASHA, Mamta workers

 

In July, the chief minister had also announced a rise in monthly incentives for ASHA workers, increasing their pay from ₹1,000 to ₹3,000. The incentive for Mamta workers was likewise doubled—from ₹300 to ₹600 per delivery. Kumar stated that the revised incentive structure would enhance worker morale and help strengthen healthcare services in rural areas.

 

Political fight over issue of domicile 

In the lead-up to the Assembly polls, there have been growing efforts to rally public support around the issue of domicile in the state. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has pledged to implement a ‘100 per cent domicile’ policy if the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) forms the government. Union minister Chirag Paswan also recently backed the demand for a domicile policy. Assembly elections in Bihar are expected to be conducted in November.