Patna: With an eye to the forthcoming Assembly polls in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today announced Rs 10,000 incentive to students belonging to upper castes passing matriculation examination in first division, and regularisation of contractual employees.

The chief minister informed the Assembly about these decisions of his government through a statement during Zero Hour.

In a bid to reach out to upper castes, Kumar announced his government's decision to pay Rs 10,000 as incentive to all students belonging to the upper castes who pass the matriculation examination in first division. The incentive would be paid on annual basis.

Scholarship would also be given to students of standard I to X hailing from upper castes whose parents' annual income is Rs 1.5 lakh or less, he said.

Kumar said a high-level committee to be headed by an officer equivalent to the rank of chief secretary has been tasked to submit a report in three months for regularisation of contractual workers in different sectors in the state.

Principal Secretaries of Finance, Education, Health, Road Construction, Water Resources and Law departments would be members of the committee.

There are more than three lakh contractual employees in Bihar in Education, Health and other sectors who have been agitating for regularisation of job.

Fixed pay teachers have been on protest for nearly a month and have even organised street march demanding regularisation of their jobs.

The CM announced decision to include "Teli" (oilman) caste in list of most backward caste. Likewise, people of "Timoli" and carpenters were also included in list of most backward castes.

While treasury bench members hailed the announcements by thumping the desk those from opposition BJP were not impressed.

Former Legislator and state Planning Board member Sanjay Jha hailed the announcements for upper castes in particular.

Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav dubbed the doles offered to upper castes as "a tool to win election".

He told reporters in his chamber that all these decisions including inclusion of Teli in the list of Most Backward castes were taken during NDA rule in which BJP was a partner but announced now with an eye on forthcoming Bihar poll.