ST staff to get Rs 10,000 Diwali ex gratia each, Sarnaik announces

Officials and employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (ST) have received good news ahead of Diwali. Transport Minister and ST Corporation chairman Pratap Sarnaik has announced three decisions.

First, each of the roughly 83,000 ST officials and employees will receive an ex gratia of Rs 10,000. Second, eligible employees will be given a festival advance of Rs 12,500. Third, the dearness allowance will be raised from 58 per cent to 60 per cent.

The announcement was made at a meeting with representatives of the corporation's various employee unions. Sarnaik said the corporation is going through financial difficulties, but employees cannot be deprived of their Diwali joy.

Sarnaik said: "ST officials and employees work day and night to give lakhs of passengers a safe journey. Recognising their hard work, giving them an ex gratia on Diwali is not just a favour, it is their right. This decision will put a financial burden of about Rs 160 crore on the corporation, but ensuring employees celebrate Diwali happily is our first duty."

Sarnaik also expressed confidence that the ST Corporation's future is bright because of the strong support of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.

At the same meeting, Sarnaik appealed to employees not to take the path of agitation or strike. He said: "ST is the lifeline of ordinary passengers. No agitation should cause passengers inconvenience. Employees and passengers are two important parts of ST. We are always ready to find a way through talks on employees' questions."

Sarnaik also said the government and the corporation are committed to two aims: giving passengers good service while taking decisions in employees' interest, and making the ST Corporation financially stronger. He said some more decisions will be taken after Diwali.