Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced a Rs 6,000 special `Diwali gift` for around 85,000 employees and officers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).
An official statement said that the state government will also provide Rs 65 crore every month to MSRTC to pay the pending salary hike arrears. Eligible employees will receive a Diwali advance of Rs 12,500, as done in previous years.
The announcement was made during a meeting with employee unions and action committees at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai. The meeting was attended by Transport Minister and MSRTC Chairman Pratap Sarnaik, senior government officials, and union representatives, it said.
Shinde said, “Just like the state is standing firmly with farmers affected by heavy rains, we also want MSRTC staff to have a happy Diwali. Hence, we have taken this decision today.”
He added that efforts are being made to strengthen MSRTC financially, including developing MSRTC land under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to increase revenue.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik explained the details and said that Rs 51 crore will be given as a one-time grant to cover the Rs 6,000 Diwali bonus per employee, salary arrears from 2020 to 2024 will be paid monthly along with regular salary, requiring Rs 65 crore per month and Rs 12,500 Diwali advance will be available to interested eligible employees, for which Rs 54 crore has been requested from the state government.
In a post on X, Sarnaik wrote, “To ensure that the Diwali of ST employees is also sweet, the government has taken this decision today. At the same time, it is necessary to make the ST Corporation financially robust. Various measures are being implemented to increase the revenue of the ST Corporation. The government has approved a grant of approximately Rs 51 crore to provide Rs 6,000 as a Diwali gift to all employees and officers. Additionally, the salary increment arrears for the period 2020-24 will be paid to employees along with their monthly salary, for which the government has allocated Rs 65 crore. Furthermore, eligible employees who wish to avail of the festival advance will also be given Rs 12,500 as before, for which the ST Corporation has requested Rs 54 crore from the government.”
