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

Employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (ST) have received good news ahead of Diwali. Talk over the bonus in recent days has now ended. Transport Minister and ST Corporation chairman Pratap Sarnaik announced the decision today.

According to Sarnaik's announcement, each of the 83,000 ST officers and employees will get an ex gratia payment of Rs 10,000. Eligible employees will also be given a festival advance of Rs 12,500. The dearness allowance will be raised from 58 per cent to 60 per cent.

The decision was announced at a meeting with representatives of the various ST employee unions. Sarnaik said the corporation is going through financial strain, but the employees' Diwali joy cannot be taken away.

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

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

The minister also 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 hardship. Employees and passengers are the two key parts of ST. We are always ready to find a way through talks on the employees' questions."

Sarnaik also underlined that the government and the corporation are committed to two goals: giving passengers good service while taking decisions in the interest of employees, and making the ST Corporation financially strong.

Besides the bonus, other financial and service-related demands were also discussed at the meeting. However, no immediate decision has been taken on these demands. Sarnaik said the employees' remaining questions will be resolved after Diwali.

The bonus announcement has brought employees relief, but they are looking to the decisions on the remaining demands after Diwali. There is a mood of happiness among ST employees, and they will have financial help to celebrate the festival.