Cabinet approves bonus equal to 78 days' wage for 1.1 mn railway employees

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a productivity-linked bonus equivalent to 78 days' wage to eligible non-gazetted Railway employees, Union mini­ster Anurag Thakur said.
 
The bonus for the financial year 2020-21 will benefit about 1.156 mill­ion non-gazetted Railway employees, he said. An expenditure of nearly Rs 1,985 crore will be incurred on this. The bonus is usually announced ahead of Dussehra and Puja festivities.
 
The wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB to the eligible non-gazetted railway employees is Rs 7,000/- p.m. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days.
 

About 1.156 mill­ion non-gazetted Railway employees are likely to benefit from the decision. Railway Board Chairman and COO Suneet Sharma, later at a press conference, said that the bonus will be disbursed as usual before Dussehra. He said that the payment of these bonuses, specially after a tough year that saw railwaymen battling against coronavirus and still reporting for duty, would encourage them to work harder.