Mamata Banerjee hikes monthly honorarium of pastors, muezzins by Rs 500 ahead of EC poll schedule announcement

New Delhi: Chief Minister of Bangladesh Mamata Banerjee An increase of Rs 500 in the monthly honorarium of pastors and muezzins in West Bengal was announced on Sunday, even as the Election Commission plans to announce the polling dates for assembly elections in four poll-bound states and the Union Territory of Puducherry. She also announced that the state government, led by AITC, would approve all new applications.The announcement comes ahead of the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, which comes into effect after the election timetable is announced and will prohibit the government from making new policy announcements or financial commitments that could affect voters.In a post on X, Banerjee said the state government has decided to increase the monthly honorarium of pastors (purohits) and muezzins by Rs 500.“I am happy to announce an increase of Rs 500 in the monthly honorarium of our Purohits and Muezzins, whose services sustain the spiritual and social life of our communities. With this revision, they will now receive Rs 2,000 per month.Meanwhile, all new applications duly submitted by Purohit and Muezzin have also been approved by the state government,” the West Bengal Chief Minister wrote in a post on X.After the revision, the monthly payment will increase to Rs 2,000 for both groups. The chief minister further added that all fresh applications submitted by priests and muezzins seeking honorarium have been approved by the state government.Banerjee said the move reflected the government’s commitment to recognizing the role religious workers play in society.“We are proud to foster an environment where every community and every tradition is valued and strengthened,” she wrote, adding that the government’s efforts are to ensure those who uphold the nation’s spiritual traditions receive the recognition and support they deserve.Mamata Banerjee also announced in another article that the West Bengal government will start paying pending salary allowance (DA) arrears under ROPA 2009 to employees and pensioners from March 2026. The West Bengal Chief Minister said in a post on “I am happy to announce that our M-M administration has fulfilled its promise to all employees and pensioners, to the lakhs of teaching and non-teaching staff of our educational institutions, as well as employees/pensioners of our other grant-in-aid institutions like panchayat, municipal bodies, other local bodies, etc.,” she wrote. She added that payments will be made in a manner notified by the National Treasury starting next month. “They will start collecting ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 in the manner detailed in the notice issued by our Finance Department.”The announcements were made under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi expected to announce assembly election schedule for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala assam At a press conference in New Delhi at 4 p.m.