Over 11 lakh railway employees to get productivity-linked bonus; Prakash Javadekar says incentive to equal 78 days' wages

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved productivity-linked bonus for over 11 lakh railway employees. [caption id=“attachment_6803101” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. PTI[/caption] The move will benefit 11.52 lakh railway employees who will get 78 days wages as bonus, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet. He said the step would entail an expenditure of over Rs 2,000 crore and was an acknowledgement of the employees’ contribution to efficient railway operations. “It is an acknowledgement of employees contribution to efficient railway operations and aimed at maintaining high levels of motivation among railway personnel,” Mint quoted a government stated as saying. The bonus will exclude Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) employees. This is the sixth consecutive year that productivity-linked bonus is being given to railway employees. Earlier in the day, the Cabinet approved an ordinance to ban the production, import, distribution and sale of electronic cigarettes. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who had headed a Group of Ministers (GoM) on the issue, said the Cabinet decided to ban e-cigarettes and similar products as they pose health risk to people, especially the youth. With inputs from agencies