Patna: In a major step towards employee welfare, East Central Railway has announced several important decisions for the benefit of railway workers and their families. The announcements were made during the Central Staff Benefit Fund (CSBF) meeting held at the office of the General Manager in Patna. The meeting focused on health, education, social security and other important needs of employees.
One of the biggest announcements made during the meeting was that children of railway employees who score more than 95% marks in their Class 12 board exams will receive free tablets. This move is aimed at encouraging students and supporting digital education. Along with this, officials also discussed increasing scholarship amounts for students pursuing higher technical and vocational education.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Personnel Officer Suresh Chandra Srivastava and attended by railway officials and representatives of various unions. During the discussion, it was decided that a proposal would be sent to the Railway Board and the Union finance minister to increase financial help for serious illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease and paralysis. The current support of Rs 75,000 may be increased to Rs 1.5 lakh.
Other welfare proposals include financial help of Rs 10,000 for ambulance services, increasing IVF treatment assistance from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, and raising accidental death funeral assistance from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Plans were also made to appoint physiotherapists and specialists in homeopathy, Ayurveda and acupressure at railway hospitals to improve healthcare services for employees and their families.
Keeping the summer heat in mind, East Central Railway has decided to provide lemon water, jaggery, roasted gram and ORS to employees working in the field. This includes loco pilots, guards and staff from the TRD and S&T departments who often work under extreme weather conditions.
Apart from health and education, many other welfare measures were approved. These include setting up centres for pure oils and spices in railway colonies, modernising clubs and institutions, organising women’s empowerment programmes and renovating holiday homes. The long-pending Kendriya Vidyalaya project in Barwadih will also be started, and the ‘Little Angel’ play school in Konhara Ghat Railway Colony will be expanded.
Santosh Kumar Paswan, Central President of ECREU, said this is the first time such large-scale decisions have been taken in the interest of railway employees. He added that the union will continue to work hard to make sure these decisions are implemented properly.
