Cabinet approves 78-day Productivity Linked Bonus for railway employees

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the payment of a Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages for railway employees. The decision involves a total outlay of ₹1,865.68 crore, benefitting 10,91,146 non-gazetted staff.

The government releases the PLB every year ahead of Durga Puja and Dussehra. This year, too, employees will receive the bonus equivalent to 78 days’ wages. The payment, which serves as an incentive to improve performance, will go to various categories of staff, including track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff and other Group ‘C’ employees.

Each eligible employee will receive a maximum bonus of ₹17,951. Officials noted that the Railways performed exceptionally well in 2024–25, recording a cargo loading of 1,614.90 million tonnes and transporting nearly 7.3 billion passengers.