The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved payment of PLB of 78 days for Rs 2009.61 crore to 11,40,770 railway employees, in recognition of the excellent performance by the Railway staff.
Payment of PLB to eligible railway employees is made each year before the Durga Puja/Dusshera holidays. This year also, PLB amount equivalent to 78 days’ wages is being paid to about 11.40 lakh non-gazetted Railway employees. The payment of PLB acts as an incentive to motivate the railway employees for working towards improvement in the performance of the Railways.
The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days. The above amount will be paid to various categories, of Railway staff like Track maintainers, Loco Pilots, Train Managers (Guards), Station Masters, Supervisors, Technicians, Technician Helpers, Pointsman, Ministerial staff and other Group ‘C staff.
The performance of Railways in the year 2025-26 was very good. Railways loaded a record cargo of 1670 Million Tonnes and carried nearly 7.41 Billion Passengers.
Notably last year, Cabinet cleared the same 78-day bonus at Rs 1,865.68 crore for 10,91,146 employees.
This year’s total is Rs 143.93 crore higher, a rise of about 7.7 per cent. The 78-day period and the ceiling per employee are unchanged. Last year’s maximum was also Rs 17,951.
Notably, the Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association (IRTSA) had sought an increase in the ceiling to Rs 18,000 plus dearness allowance (DA) for Level-2 employees and above, with proportionate increases for higher pay levels.
It argued that the current ceiling needs to be revised, pointing to a minimum wage of Rs 21,000 for unskilled workers, and based on a wage ceiling of Rs 18,000, it has recommended raising the annual bonus to at least Rs 46,184.
Cabinet Approves 78-Day Bonus Worth Rs 2,010 Crore For 11.4 Lakh Railway Employees
