In view of Onam, there is good news for government employees in the state of Kerala in South India. Keeping in mind the upcoming festival, the state government has announced a bonus of Rs 4,000 for its employees. On Monday (August 29, 2022), the government announced a financial package for all its employees and pensioners, under which about 13 lakh people would benefit.
There Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal said that government employees who are not entitled to the bonus will get Rs 2,750 as special festival allowance. According to the statement, more than 13 lakh employees and laborers working in the government sector will get the benefit of this scheme of the government. Under the Contributory Pension Scheme, a special festival allowance of Rs 1,000 will be given to service pensioners and employees.
According to the minister, all government employees in the state would be entitled to an advance of Rs 20,000 before their monthly salary. Apart from this, part time and casual employees will get an advance amount of Rs 6,000 from their salary.
Actually, Onam Bonus has been a custom in the state for years. In such a situation, this time it included Rs 4,000 for all government employees and Rs 2,750 for those who were not eligible for bonus. To meet these Onam commitments, the state government, which is facing shortage of money, will have to spend an additional Rs 1,000 crore.
Meanwhile, the general norm in the private sector in the state is that all employees are eligible to get one month’s salary as Onam bonus. Unlike the last two years when the festival was less celebrated due to the pandemic, this year the state is all set to return to the pre-Covid times and celebrate the harvest festival in a grand manner.
