New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the payment of productivity linked bonus (PLB) to railway employees for the financial year 2021-22, as informed by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur during the cabinet session. The session was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Payment of PLB to eligible railway employees is made each year before the Dussehra/puja holidays. This year too, PLB amount equivalent to 78 days' wages has been paid to about 11.27 lakh non-gazetted Railway employees. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days.
The above amount has been paid to various categories, including track maintainers, drivers and guards, station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, controllers, pointsmen, ministerial staff and another group C' staff. The financial implication has been estimated to be Rs 1,832.09 crore. The above decision for payment of PLB has been taken despite the adverse financial situation caused by post-Covid challenges, a statement from the government said.
The actual number of PLB days paid is more than the days worked out on the basis of defined formulae, it said. The payment of PLB acts as an incentive to motivate the railway employees for working towards improvement in the performance of the Railways, it added.
Additionally, the Union Cabinet also approved the project to develop the container terminal at Tuna-Tekra, Deendayal Port in Gujarat under the public-private partnership mode. The estimated cost of Rs 4,243.64 crore will be on the part of the Concessionaire and an estimated cost of common user facilities of Rs 296.20 crore will be on the part of the concessioning authority toward the development of common user facilities.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur further said that during the concession period, the concessionaire will have the liberty to handle vessels up to 18 metre-draught by deepening/widening its approach channel, berth pocket and turning circle. Deendayal Port is one of the 12 major ports in India and is located on the west coast in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.
The project is proposed to be developed on BOT (Built Operate Transfer) basis by a private developer/ BOT operator to be selected through an international competitive bidding process. The concessionaire will be responsible for the design, engineering, financing, procurement, implementation commissioning, operation, management and maintenance of the project.
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Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet also approved the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE). The scheme was already announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in the last budget. “Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26. The scheme is a Central Sector Scheme with 100 per cent Central funding and will be implemented by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER),” sources in the central government said.
The PM-DevINE Scheme will have an outlay of Rs 6,600 crore for the four-year period from 2022-23 to 2025-26. “Efforts will be made to complete the PM-DevINE projects by 2025-26 so that there are no committed liabilities beyond this year. This implies front-loading of the sanctions under the Scheme in 2022-23 and 2023-24 primarily. While expenditure would continue to be incurred during 2024-25 and 2025-26, focused attention will be given to completing the sanctioned PM-DevINE projects,” sources said.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday also reiterated its commitment to the overall development of the Northeastern region. Sources said that by the end of the financial year 2022-23, more 19 railway projects covering an area of 1909 km at a cost of Rs 77,930 crore will be completed. “As of now, Rs 44,775 crore has been spent by the central government for railway projects in the northeastern States,” sources said. Work for 122 railway tunnels is ongoing in the region that includes the largest ever railway tunnel of 37 km, they added.
Admitting the importance of air connectivity in the region, sources said that all the Northeastern States have been asked to submit their proposal for setting up airstrips and helipads in their States. “As of now Assam, Sikkim and three other States have submitted their proposals for setting up airstrips and helipads in their States,” they said, further adding that the central government has also decided to ensure maximum telecom connectivity in all the villages of Northeastern States in the next 500 days. “Maximum villages in the Northeast will get proper telecom connectivity, subject to availability of land and forest clearance,” the sources said.
