The Manipur cabinet has approved the release of Phase-II compensatory amounts of Rs 13,30,04,314 for 2,072 affected farmers and the revision of minimum wages for 24 scheduled employees.
Ahead of the upcoming Manipur Legislative Assembly session, a state cabinet meeting was held at the CM Secretariat office on Wednesday from 5 pm to 6.30 pm.
Information and Publicity Minister S Ranjan told the media at his Lamphel residence in Imphal West on Wednesday evening that a total of 16 listed agendas were tabled during the meeting, with some agendas deferred. He said no unlisted agendas were proposed during the meeting.
Among the 16 agendas, six were presented by the finance department, including budget documentation for 2024-25; the AG report for placing before the assembly; the Manipur Contingency Fund Bill; the demand for excess grants for 2018-19; the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2024; and the recruitment of four public finance management system (PFMS) experts through the Directorate of Treasuries and Accounts (DTA), Manipur.
The minister said the funds of centrally sponsored schemes are transferred through the public finance management system’s single nodal agency. To deliver the funds, the cabinet approved the recruitment of four PFMS experts through DTA.
He added that after the incident on May 3, 2023, many farmers were affected due to the ongoing crisis. To provide assistance to the affected farmers, the government had already released a sum of Rs 18.91 crores in Phase-I.
To provide the remaining financial assistance to the affected farmers, the state cabinet approved the release of Rs 13,30,04,314 in Phase-II for a total of 2,072 affected farmers, he added.
As per the recommendation by the State Advisory Board on minimum wages in its meeting held on February 20 for the revision of the existing minimum wages, the state cabinet has approved the revised rates for different categories of skilled and unskilled labor.
Ranjan said the existing minimum wages for unskilled labor of Rs 225 per day has been increased to Rs 400 per day in revised minimum wages; for semi-skilled labor, Rs 248 per day has been increased to Rs 400 per day; for skilled labor, Rs 273 per day has been increased to Rs 480 per day; for manager/principal/vice principal, Rs 333.33 per day has been increased to Rs 590 per day; for employment in local authority as chowkidar/peon/sweeper/cleaner/worker, Rs 255 per day has been increased to Rs 450 per day; for part-time sweeper (others), Rs 240 per day has been increased to Rs 420 per day, and for domestic work (part-time employee) such as sweeping/swabbing/dusting (housekeeping)/washing utensils/washing clothes, Rs 30 per hour has been increased to Rs 53 per hour, while for cooking/baby care/old age care, Rs 35 per hour has been increased to Rs 62 per hour.
The cabinet further approved the proposal for the upgradation of seven posts of accountants to senior accountants in the Rural Engineering Department for Rural Department and Panchayati Raj (RD and PR), he added.
The proposal for the amendment of the ‘Retired Chief Justices and Retired Judges of the High Court of Manipur (Assistance and Facilities) Rule, 2020’ was also approved in the cabinet meeting, said the IPR minister.