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Patna,(BiharTimes): Three days after Health Secretary’s announcement in this regard the Bihar cabint on Monday finally hiked the stipend of junior doctors by 20 per cent.
According to the Principal Secretary (Cabinet Coordination and Secretariat) Ravikant the junior resident doctors studying post-graduation medical course would receive a monthly stipend of Rs 30,000 as against Rs 25,000 earlier. |
The state government also approved Rs 92 crores for providing honorarium to the representatives of the three-tier panchayati raj institutions and ordered immediate release of Rs 50 crore for the purpose, he said.
It has also been decided to hike the VAT rate on tobacco and tobacco products, except bidi from 13.5 per cent to 20 per cent on all category of such products.
It has, however, exempted from VAT the products like broom, lamp black for use on eyes, sewai, water chestnut and its flour.
Notwithstanding the final decision on hike the Junior Doctors strike in PMCH completed entered its 13th day on Tuesday. Their colleagues in other hospitals have also joined the strike. This time the main demand of the striking doctors is adequate security to them and not hike in stipend. They went on strike following attack on one of their colleagues on June 13 night by the attendants of a patient who died of encephalitis.
Junior doctors are of the view that they are not to be blamed for the spread of the epidemic as the primary responsibility to check it lies with the state government.
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