Bonus Hike – Big news for government employees. The Modi government has announced a Diwali bonus for railway employees. This year, the 10.90 lakh employees of the Indian Railways will receive 78 days’ salary as a bonus. Recognizing the outstanding performance of Railway employees, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved payment of Rs 1865.68 crore as Productivity-Linked Bonus (PLB) for 78 days to 10,91,146 Railway employees, the Railway Ministry said.
Maximum bonus Rs 17,951
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav informed the cabinet briefing that the Diwali bonus for railway employees will be equivalent to 78 days’ salary. The bonus is paid to eligible railway employees every year before Diwali. This year, the maximum bonus an eligible railway employee will receive is Rs 17,951. This benefit will be available to locomotive pilots, track maintainers, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff, and other Group C employees.
The Railway Ministry also announced that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the doubling of the Bakhtiyarpur-Rajgir-Tilaiya single-track section (104 kilometers) in Bihar. The total cost of this project is approximately ₹2,192 crore. This rail project, covering four districts of Bihar, will add approximately 104 kilometers to the existing Indian Railways network.
The project will also connect major destinations like Rajgir (Shanti Stupa), Nalanda, and Pawapuri, which are visited by pilgrims and tourists from across the country, to the railway network. According to an official statement, the multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to approximately 1,434 villages with a population of approximately 13.46 lakh and two aspirational districts, Gaya and Nawada. It will also facilitate the transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, and fly ash. The capacity enhancement works will result in additional freight traffic of 26 MTPA (million tonnes per annum).