Ad hoc bonus for govt staff increased to Rs 5,300: Minister

MP | 27 Mar 2023 | Kolkata: Bengal has announced an ad hoc bonus of Rs 5,300 up from Rs 4,800 in 2022, for all state government employees whose monthly salary is below Rs 37,000. The figure remained at Rs 4,500 in 2021, Rs 4,200 in 2020. 

Senior minister Manas Bhunia in Nabanna said that the state government employees will also get a hike in festival advance by Rs 2,000 from this year. The development comes at a time when a section of state government employees has been staging protests for a DA hike. A total Rs 16,000 will be given to the government employees in 2023 while in 2022, the people had received festival advance of Rs 14,000. 

Amount of ex-gratia has also gone up to Rs 2,900 in 2023 from what stood at Rs 2,700 last year. The decision has been taken in the Cabinet meeting. Employees of state-run statutory and local bodies and state-aided educational institutions are eligible for the bonus. Casual employees who have worked for 120 days will also enjoy the benefit of ad hoc bonus. 

The state government last year directed the release of Rs 14,000 as ‘festival advance’ to employees with a monthly salary of less than Rs 47,000. The advance will be recovered from the salary of an employee in not more than 10 monthly instalments. State pensioners who get below Rs 32,000 a month will now be given an ex-gratia of Rs 2,900. 

On the DA issue, the state government has made its point clear. It said that Bengal is the only state in the country that offers pension post-retirement. “If Bengal stops giving pensions after retirement as other states have, it could save Rs 20,000 crore,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed earlier. 

“I have done my best to cover all people across caste, community and religion and I can’t do anything more. If you still dislike me, you can chop off my head; I am ready to sacrifice my life but you will not get more (DA) from me at this point,” Banerjee had said. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/ad-hoc-bonus-for-govt-staff-increased-to-rs-5300-min-513152