The West Bengal cabinet has given its nod to bring all employees and pensioners of the panchayat department under the state health scheme akin to other employees, minister Manas Bhunia said.

This was in accordance with a promise made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee before this year's panchayat elections.

"The cabinet today decided to bring all panchayat department employees and pensioners under the state health scheme. They will get all benefits like other state government employees," Bhunia, the Water Resources Investigation and Development Minister, said on Wednesday.

According to a source in the administration, there are a total of 30,000 workers in the Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat, while 20,000 are recipients of pension.

"The association of panchayat workers has been appealing to the state government to bring these 50,000 people under the health scheme. The chief minister had made a promise in this regard before the panchayat elections this April," the source said.

The cabinet also gave its nod to set up a 40-bed sick neonatal care unit (SNCU) at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri. It also approved the appointment of doctors and paramedical staffers as 26 posts were created, Bhunia said.

The cabinet also okayed the decision to provide land pattas (documents) to tea garden workers under the 'Chaa Sundari' scheme, he said, adding that the workers would be allowed to build their houses and would be given a financial assistance of Rs 1.2 lakh for the purpose.

The state cabinet also cleared the appointment process of 427 contractual data entry operators for the land and land reforms department besides recruitment of 29 homeopathic medical officers for various dispensaries.

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