There's nothing wrong in saying you've applied to other ministries and stat boards. My guess is they are trying to see if you've offers from them. This could be somewhat of an indication of how "good" you are. For me, I told them upfront I had several other offers waiting, and used that to negotiate for higher salary successfully.

stat board, background check is before or after sign the employment letter?

i only know reference check is after sign of employment letter.

does all statboard contract will be auto renew after end of contract?

No, it's dependent on your performance.

any update on salary review ?

What salary review? Is there going to be an adjustment? Or are you refering to merit increments?

3-4 yearly adjustments. it is due already

May i ask what are the employment benefits in MTI? E.g, number of leaves, amount of dental/medical benefits, etc?

i thought that there was an adjustment in aug 2014?

Can tell the previous and current ranges ?