From Rs 1,650 To Rs 3,300: Bihar Doubles Mid-Day Meal Cook's Pay, Boosts Others | DETAILS

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announced a significant increase, doubling the honorarium for midday meal cooks, school night watchmen, and physical education instructors across the state.

Patna: Nitish Kumar attends a programme (PHOTO: IANS)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a major raise announcement for thousands of Mid-Day Meal cooks, night watchmen in schools, and physical education and health instructors in the state. The move, made public by the Chief Minister on platform X (Twitter), intends to enhance the well-being and working conditions of these school support personnel who play vital roles.

As per the new guidelines, the honorarium for cooks employed under the Mid-Day Meal scheme shall be doubled from ₹1,650 to ₹3,300. This decision satisfies a long-pending demand of these workers, who are critical in ensuring healthy meals for school-going children.

Likewise, night watchmen who work in secondary and higher education schools will also have their honorarium doubled from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000. They play a key role in ensuring security and protecting school premises.

नवम्बर 2005 में सरकार बनने के बाद से ही हमलोग शिक्षा व्यवस्था में सुधार के लिए लगातार काम कर रहे हैं। वर्ष 2005 में शिक्षा का कुल बजट 4366 करोड़ रूपए था जो अब बढ़कर 77690 करोड़ रूपए हो गया है। बड़ी संख्या में शिक्षकों की नियुक्ति, नए विद्यालय भवनों के निर्माण एवं आधारभूत संरचनाओं…

— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) August 1, 2025

In another initiative for the education sector, the honorarium of physical education and health teachers has been raised from ₹8,000 to ₹16,000, thus doubling the current salary. This increase recognizes their role in the comprehensive development and health of students.

"It has been decided to double the honorarium of the cooks employed under the mid-day meal scheme in the Education Department, from 1,650 rupees to 3,300 rupees," Chief Minister Kumar said in his social media update. He further stated, "Likewise, the night watchmen working in secondary/higher education schools have had their honorarium doubled from 5,000 rupees to 10,000 rupees. Besides, the honorarium of physical education and health teachers has been doubled from 8,000 rupees to 16,000 rupees."

The declaration is a relief for these employees at last and is a strategic step by the state government to acknowledge their critical contribution in the build-up of Bihar's educational system.