MSRTC Announces ₹10,000 Diwali Bonus for 83,000 Employees, DA Increased to 60%

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workers will get a Diwali bonus of ₹10,000 each and the Dearness Allowance (DA) has been hiked from 58 per cent to 60 per cent, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said Thursday.

The decision will benefit about 83,000 workers of the state-run transport undertaking. The employees who are eligible will also get an advance of ₹12,500 for the festival from Sarnaik.

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The statement came at a meeting with the representatives of various unions of the MSRTC at the office of the Transport Commissioner in Bandra here.

MSRTC, the largest state-run public transport organisation in the country has flock of almost 15,000 buses and ferries and carries around 55 lakh passengers every day.

The decisions on bonus and DA will add a strain of about ₹160 crore on the corporation, said the minister.

Though the corporation was struggling financially, the government had already made it clear that the employees will be celebrating Diwali, he said.

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"ST officers and employees work round the clock to provide safe travel to lakhs of passengers. Providing them a bonus on the occasion of Diwali is not merely an act of generosity but their right," Sarnaik said.

He urged staff to avoid protest or strike as it will cause inconvenience to normal passengers who rely on the state transport undertaking.

The minister added that the government and the corporation would work towards resolving the problems of its employees through dialogue and enhancing the passenger services and financial standing of the MSRTC.

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