Summary of this article
The Government of West Bengal approved implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission for state employees.
The cabinet also announced free bus travel for women and launched the Annapurna Bhandar cash-transfer scheme.
The decisions mark an early push by Suvendu Adhikari’s government to implement key election promises.
The newly elected Bengal Government under Suvendu Adhikari on Monday decided to implement the 7th pay commission for state government employees allied statutory bodies and educational institutions. The decision was announced by minister Agnimitra Paul after the cabinet meeting.
The move is aimed at reducing the pay gap between union and state government employees.
Adhikari had earlier stated that “several important matters related to government employees and pensioners” would be discussed during the cabinet meeting, including DA and the Seventh Pay Commission.
New Welfare Schemes
Several other key announcements were also made after the cabinet meeting.
The cabinet announced the discontinuation of incentive schemes based on religious classifications. Paul also announced the approval of a scheme allowing free travel for women on government buses from June 1.
The government also announced the start of the Annapurna Bhandar, replacing former CM Mamata Banerjee’s Lakshmi Bhandar. Under the new scheme monthly cash transfers of ₹3,000 will be made to eligible women beneficiaries in the state, more than the ₹1,500 that beneficiaries received under the previous scheme.
The government also scrapped the existing state OBC list, in accordance with the Calcutta High Court judgment, and will set up a panel to decide quota eligibility.
These decisions stem from the new BJP government’s effort to deliver quickly on key election promises that they made in a bid to unseat the 15-year-long TMC regime.
The West Bengal government has also announced that implementation of key central government schemes that had been on hold under the previous administration will take place with urgency.
