Bonus and festival allowance: Staff to get last year's rates

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUG. 23. The Government employees and pensioners will be getting bonus and festival allowance at the same rates as last year.

Accordingly, the Government employees and teachers will get one month's salary as bonus subject to a ceiling of Rs. 2,500. This means that those who drew a salary of up to Rs. 5,000, including 32 per cent dearness allowance, in March this year would be eligible for bonus. Others will get Rs. 1,000 as special festival allowance.

The Chief Minister told presspersons after a Cabinet meeting here today that all employees who received festival allowance last year would be receiving it this year also at the same rates.

These were Rs. 425 for anganwadi and balawadi teachers; Rs. 400 for social activists and tribal extension workers of the Tribal Development Department, pollination workers of the Agriculture Department, cattle improvement assistants of the Dairy Development Department, life guards, casual labourers and CLR workers of the Tourism Department and family planning volunteer workers, part time contingent workers and volunteers of the Attappady Area Development Society; Rs. 375 for helpers and ayas of anganwadis and balawadies; Rs. 325 for leprosy patient employees; Rs. 275 for conveners of anganwadies and balawadies; Rs. 225 for sweepers getting consolidated pay and Rs. 175 for kashaya workers of Ayurveda colleges.

Mr. Nayanar said the festival allowance of service pensioners would be Rs. 275 and family pensioners Rs. 175 as before.

As in last year, all employees including teachers would get Rs. 400 as festival advance. Only those with salaries not exceeding Rs. 10,000 would be eligible for the advance.

He said the financial burden for payment of the bonus and allowances would be Rs. 85 crores. An increase in the rates could not be thought of as the elections to the local bodies had been announced.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : City police website becomes more user-friendly
Next     : States would intensify their protest: CM