TN CM K Palaniswami declares Diwali bonus of Rs 215.99 crores

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Friday announced a Deepavali bonus to the tune of Rs 215.99 crore that would benefit 1.44 lakh employees of the state transport corporations. As per the orders issued by the Chief Minister, 1.44 lakh employees of the transport corporations would receive a bonus of 20 per cent including 11.67 per cent ex-gratia, an official release said.

The Chief Minister also issued orders that the subsidy provided by the government to the transport corporations would continue enabling them to meet the additional expenditures incurred due to rise in fuel costs.

"Based on the directive, to meet the additional expenses between January 20 and September 30, 2018, the government announced a subsidy of Rs 198.66 crore to the transport corporations", the release said. Noting that the transport corporations were undergoing severe financial crunch, Palaniswami issued orders to release the arrear amount of Rs 251.2 crore to benefit the retired employees of the corporation, it added.