Diwali cheer for Indian Railways employees! Cabinet approves productivity-linked bonus; Rs 1,865 crore payout
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved payment of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages to railway employees, with a financial implication of Rs 1,865.68 crore.The decision, taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will benefit about 10.91 lakh non-gazetted employees of the Indian Railways.
The bonus is paid annually before the Durga Puja and Dussehra holidays.According to the government, the maximum payable amount for each eligible employee has been fixed at Rs 17,951.
The payment will cover various categories of staff, including track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff, and other Group ‘C’ employees.The Cabinet Secretariat said the PLB scheme is designed to incentivise railway employees to improve efficiency and output.
It added that the bonus is a recognition of their performance, particularly in a year when the Railways posted record operational numbers.In 2024-25, Indian Railways loaded a record 1,614.90 million tonnes of cargo and carried nearly 7.3 billion passengers, the government said.
