Patna: The Bihar government on Tuesday allocated Rs. 100 Crore per annum for a scheme aimed at employment generation among people from minority communities belonging to families with a modest income.

The state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gave its nod for an amendment in the guidelines for “Mukhayamantri Alpasankhyak Rozgar Rin Yojana” (Chief Minister minorities employment loan scheme), Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat department, Upendra Nath Pandey told reporters in Patna.

As per the amendment, the state minorities finance commission will be given Rs. 100 crore every year, with effect from the financial year 2017-18, Upendra Nath Pandey said.

All persons who belong to minority communities and hail from families with an annual income of less than Rs. four lakh, would be eligible for availing the benefits of this scheme, he added.

The cabinet also approved the release of a sum of Rs. 2,600 crore for payment of salary arrears, due since August, 2017, to teachers employed under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the special secretary said.

Besides, another Rs. 770 crore were sanctioned for payment of salary and post-retirement benefits to teaching and non-teaching staff still working or having retired from state’s universities, he added.The cabinet also gave its nod for setting up of a “Centre for Geographical Studies” inside the premises of Aryabhatta Knowledge University here, besides approving the creation of posts of director and coordinator for running the same, Mr Pandey said.

Nod was also given for setting up a search committee for appointing directors and fixing their pay scales of the aforementioned study centre. This will be in addition to three others which are already functional – ‘School of Journalism and Mass Communication’, ‘Pataliputra School of Economics’ and ‘Centre for River Studies’, he added.