Hours before the code of conduct for the Maharashtra assembly elections came into force, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday announced a Diwali bonus of Rs 29,000 for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) employees. The BMC is the richest civic body in the country with a budget of over Rs 53,000 crore. Currently, the BMC is being run by a government-appointed official as the civic polls are pending.
Later in the day, the Election Commission of India announced election dates for Maharashtra. The state will go to polls on November 20. The BMC has around 92,000 employees and officials on its payroll. In 2023, they were given a bonus of Rs 26,000, compared to which this time the amount is 11.53 per cent higher.
BMC said in the statement, “A demand was made from the Coordination Committee of different worker and employee unions of the Municipal Corporation regarding Diwali-2024 Preetirtha Grant to the officers/employees of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.”
The Diwali bonus was announced after a discussion between Commissioner Administrator Bhushan Gagrani and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the official release said.
Apart from civic employees, teachers, professors and educational attendants of BMC schools and colleges, both grantee and non-grantee, will also receive bonus of equal amount, the release said.
Community health workers will get Rs 12,000 and ‘balwadi’ or kindergarten teachers and helpers will get Rs 5,000 as “Bhabhi gift”, it said.
CM Shinde said that all kindergarten teachers and Asha workers in the state will also be given a bonus. This will be Rs 3,000 more than last year. On November 8 last year, Shinde had announced a Diwali bonus of Rs 26,000 for BMC employees.
Voting for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20, while the counting of votes will take place on November 23. The term of the state assembly will end on November 26, 2024. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was implemented soon after the announcement of the Election Commission.
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