West Bengal: Urban healthcare employees’ pay hiked by 44%-95%

Acknowledging “the irreplaceable importance” of medical workers in its struggle towards the coronavirus, the West Bengal authorities on Wednesday elevated honorarium and terminal advantages for 2 classes of municipal healthcare employees.
Urban Development and Municipal affairs Minister Firhad Hakim tweeted, “The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak helped the world understand the irreplaceable importance of our healthcare workers. While they continue to fight this battle every day, it gives me immense pleasure to inform that the State Finance Department has accorded approval for enhancement of honorarium & other benefits of health workers of urban local bodies.”
According to Hakim, contractual honorary well being employees (HHW) will now get Rs 4,500 a month towards the sooner Rs 3,125 — a 44 per cent elevate. Similarly, the honorarium for first tier supervisors (FTS) has been elevated 94.72 per cent to Rs 6,500 a month from Rs 3,338. Terminal advantages for each classes have been hiked to Rs 3 lakh.

A senior official of the Municipal Affairs Department mentioned the choice was taken after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announce the honorarium hike for Asha employees in rural areas. “As a result, the honorarium of urban health workers became less than that of Asha workers. So, the government decided to do the same for urban healthcare workers,” mentioned the official.