Less than two hours before the Election Commission’s announcement of the Assembly poll schedule, Mamata Banerjee made a major welfare announcement, increasing the monthly honorarium for Hindu priests and Muslim clerics in the state.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said the government would raise the stipend for purohits and muezzins by Rs 500, taking the total monthly assistance to Rs 2,000. She added that all pending applications submitted by eligible beneficiaries have also been approved.
Banerjee said the decision reflects the state’s commitment to supporting religious functionaries who contribute to the social and spiritual fabric of society. She emphasised that the government aims to ensure dignity and recognition for custodians of diverse traditions.
In a separate announcement, she said state government employees, pensioners, teachers, non-teaching staff, and workers of grant-in-aid institutions would begin receiving long-pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears under ROPA 2009 from March 2026. The payments will follow the modalities outlined by the Finance Department.
The announcement came shortly before the Election Commission of India is scheduled to unveil the election timetable for Assembly polls in West Bengal and four other regions on Sunday at 4 pm.
Polling is due this year in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. The Commission’s full bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, recently completed a review of poll preparedness in these regions.
Political observers view the timing of the announcement as significant, coming just ahead of the formal declaration of the election schedule.
