The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved 78 days Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) for railway employees. According to sources, this will benefit about 11 lakh non-gazetted railway employees. This announcement will put an additional burden of Rs 2,000 crore on the exchequer. Apart from this, the government has also approved 4 per cent DA hike.
This bonus will be given for the financial year 2021-22. Even before this, the government had announced a bonus of 78 days in 2021. At that time also more than 11 lakh railway employees got its benefit. The government usually announces bonus before Dussehra. Due to the bonus given in 2021, there was an additional burden of Rs 1985 crore on the exchequer.
Every eligible employee will get such a bonus
Railway employees can be given a maximum productivity linked bonus of Rs 7,000 per month. On the basis of this, if the bonus of 78 days is calculated, then the government will give a bonus of Rs 17951 to every eligible railway employee.
The practice was started by the Railways. Indian Railways was the first among the departments working within the government to start PLB. Railways started it in 1979-80. Railway employees are given a different bonus than the payment of bonus X-1965. Considering the importance of railways in nation building, PLB was started. Although, it is different from the Payment of Bonus Act, but under it many of the main things of that Act were kept.
Sealed on many decisions related to the common man, in the meeting of the Union Cabinet today, 4 percent increase in dearness allowance for central employees was allowed. Central employees have been demanding this for a long time. After this, the dearness allowance of the employees will increase to 38 percent. Earlier in March also, dearness allowance was increased by 3 percent. Apart from this, the government has extended the Garib Kalyan Yojana for another 3 months. This means that about 80 crore Indians will now get free food grains till December.
