The Maharashtra government has announced a ₹10,000 Diwali bonus for around 83,000 Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees, along with a two percentage-point increase in dearness allowance and a ₹12,500 advance for eligible staff.
The announcement was made by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik during a meeting with representatives of various MSRTC employee unions at the Transport Commissioner’s Office in Bandra. The dearness allowance will rise from 58% to 60%, according to the report.
Sarnaik said MSRTC officers and employees work around the clock to provide safe travel to millions of passengers. He described the bonus as an entitlement for employees during the Diwali festival.
The combined decisions will place an additional financial burden of about ₹160 crore on the state transport corporation, the minister said. The announcement comes as MSRTC continues to face financial challenges, although the government has decided to provide the payments so employees can celebrate the festival without financial difficulty.
MSRTC operates a fleet of around 15,000 buses and transports approximately 5.5 million passengers to their destinations every day. Its workforce is therefore directly linked to the functioning of one of Maharashtra’s largest public road transport networks, which serves passengers across the state.
The ₹12,500 advance will be available to eligible employees. The report did not specify the payment schedule for the bonus, the advance or the revised dearness allowance, nor did it provide further details on how the additional cost will be funded. The announcement was made after discussions with employee union representatives at the Bandra meeting.
