A Akhter / New Delhi
Government of India has approved increase of cost norms for supplementary nutrition provided in Anganwadis and for out of school adolescent girls under Integrated Child Development Services, ICDS. It will involve an additional investment of 12 thousand crore rupees over the next three years.
Addressing media on cabinet decision finance minister Arun Jaitley said, the revised cost norms for children upto six years will be eight rupees, for adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers, it will be 9.50 rupees and for severely malnourished category 12 rupees will be given.
Under the ICDS, children between six months to three years are entitled to a morning snack as well as a hot-cooked meal at an anganwadi centre, while pregnant women, lactating mothers and severely malnourished children, who can’t walk to the centre, are entitled to take home ration.
The Cabinet also approved productivity link bonus of 78 days wages for Railway employees. About 12.3 lakh non-gazetted employees are likely to benefit from the decision. This does not include Railway Protection Force and Railway Protection Special Force personnel.
The payment will be made before Dussehra puja holidays. Briefing reporters after the meeting in New Delhi today, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, the incentive is aimed at improving productivity and motivating large number of railway employees.
Union Cabinet also gave its nod for transfer of Hotel Jaipur Ashok to Rajasthan government and Lalitha Mahal Palace hotel, Maysore to Karnataka government. It also approved disinvestment 51 percent equity shares of ITDC in Donyi Polo Ashok Hotel Itanagar.
The government also decided to merge existing 17 government presses into five to rationalize and modernize them. The Finance Minister said, the surplus employees will be re-deployed in the new presses. He said, 468 acres of land of merged presses will come to central land pool after merger.
