Transport Minister Sarnaik orders MSRTC staff salaries paid before Diwali

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has given clear instructions to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation that employees must receive their salaries before Diwali. He said the administration should act urgently so that about 83,000 officers and employees of the corporation do not have to wait for their pay during the festive season.

Sarnaik also directed the management to take urgent financial measures to release funds well before the festival season begins.

The corporation usually pays its officers and employees between the 7th and 10th of each month. This year, however, Diwali begins on November 6, well before the usual salary dates. This had raised the question of whether salaries would arrive on time during the festival.

Late receipt of monthly funds hits family budgets hard, and transport employees have to wait for their money. Severe financial strain in the public transport system has often put even basic payments for employees' welfare at risk. Delays in the reimbursement by the state government of the amounts due under various concessional travel schemes badly hit the corporation's internal cash flow last month.

To deal with the mounting financial difficulty, Sarnaik asked the finance and planning department to release the pending grant due from the state. Under this urgent order, the accounts department had to simplify the recording of transactions and speed up the process of crediting the amount directly to bank accounts.

The decision has brought timely financial relief to 83,000 families in the state's transport system. With salaries in hand early, drivers and conductors will be able to run the special festival bus trips smoothly.

In brief, about 83,000 transport officers and employees have received their salaries early. Sarnaik ordered the funds to be released urgently, aimed to complete the full disbursement before the festival season begins, and the disbursement was made by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.