Ahead of Dusshera and the festive season, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a productivity-linked bonus equivalent to 78 days’ wage to eligible non-gazetted railway employees, which will benefit about 11.56 lakh non-gazetted railway employees. “Every year, the govt gives out this bonus to non-gazetted employees of the railways. A committee determines the bonus based on a formula. According to the formula, the employees were supposed to get 72 days’ wage as a bonus. But PM Modi and the Cabinet decided to give 78 days’ wage as a bonus to boost the morale of the railway employees,” Union minister Anurag Thakur said announcing the Cabinet decision. The bonus will cost the exchequer around ₹1,985 crores.
Every year, the decision is announced before the festive season and this year too, there has been no exception, the minister said.
This bonus pertains to the fiscal year 2020-21.
In 2019-20, the Indian Railways had given its nearly 11.58 lakh non-gazetted employees a bonus of 78 days. The total cost of the bonus was estimated at ₹2,081.68 crores. In 2020, the Railways had fixed the wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of the bonus at ₹7,000 per month. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee was set at ₹17,951 for 78 days.
The Cabinet on Wednesday also approved the setting up of seven mega integrated textile region and apparel parks with a total outlay of ₹4,4445 crores in a period of five years.
