Ministers and officials of Jharkhand will now use expensive phones with modern technology. For this, the Finance Department has issued a notification on Wednesday. It has already been approved in the cabinet meeting.
According to the notification, the ministers will now be given mobile phones up to Rs 40,000 by the state government. Along with the ministers, this facility will also be available to the Minister of State and the Deputy Minister. Chief Secretary, IG, Commissioner, Secretary, Head of Department, Divisional Commissioner, Regional Inspector General, Constable Deputy Inspector General, Deputy Commissioner and SP will also get mobile phones up to Rs. 40,000.
Along with this, these ministers and senior officers will be able to take recharge coupons up to three thousand rupees per month. Earlier, the facility of mobile phones of Rs 10,000 and recharge coupons of Rs 3 thousand was available for ministers and senior officers. After nine years, the state government has amended the maximum limit for purchase of phones for ministers and officials. As per the notification mobile phones are no longer limited to just conversations. Now the work of video calling, video conferencing, internet and data transfer etc. is being taken from the mobile set itself. In such a situation, it has become necessary to use a mobile set with good configuration for better connectivity and stability. The tenure of the new phone will be for three years only.
According to the notification, officers of the level of Special Secretary will be able to take mobile phones up to Rs 35,000. They will be able to spend up to Rs 2,000 on recharge coupons. Earlier, we had the facility to spend 10 thousand rupees on phones and 2 thousand rupees on recharge. Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, Additional Director and Joint Director will be able to take mobile phones up to Rs 30,000 and spend Rs 600 on recharge coupons. Earlier, these officers used to get seven and a half thousand phones and 600 rupees per month for recharge.
Deputy Secretary, Deputy Director and Senior Principal Emergency Secretary will get mobile phone up to Rs 25,000 and Rs 500 per month for recharge. Earlier, the cost of the phone for these officers was 5 thousand and the recharge limit was 500 rupees per month. Under Secretary, Assistant Director of Directorate Headquarters, Principal Objective Secretary and Treasury and Deputy Treasury Officers will be able to use mobile phones up to 20 thousand rupees. Whereas their recharge coupon limit will be Rs 400 per month. These officers could also take phones up to Rs 5000 earlier, while they could spend Rs 400 on recharge.
(EW correspondent)
