New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a 78-day productivity-linked bonus (PLB) for nearly 11 lakh railway employees ahead of Diwali. The bonus payout, estimated at Rs.1,865.68 crore, is intended to serve as an incentive for improving efficiency and performance within the Railways.
The maximum amount payable under the scheme is Rs.17,951 per employee, covering categories such as track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers, station masters, supervisors, technicians, ministerial staff and other Group ‘C’ employees.
Alongside the festive bonus, the cabinet sanctioned several major infrastructure projects. These include the doubling of the Bakhtiyarpur–Rajgir–Tilaiya railway line in Bihar, a project worth Rs.2,192 crore that is expected to speed up freight services and improve passenger convenience.
In road infrastructure, the government cleared the expansion of the Sahibganj–Araraj–Bettiah stretch of NH-139W into a four-lane highway. The Rs.3,822.31 crore project, spanning nearly 79km, will be developed under the hybrid annuity model to bolster connectivity and commercial activity in the region.
Perhaps the most ambitious announcement came in the maritime sector, where the cabinet approved a Rs.69,725 crore package aimed at revitalizing India’s shipbuilding and port infrastructure, part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s role in global trade.
