Cabinet approves 78-day bonus for 1.14 million railway staff

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a productivity-linked bonus equal to 78 days’ wages for 1,140,770 eligible nongazetted railway employees, with a total financial implication of ₹2,009.61 crore, according to the government’s announcement. The maximum payment will be ₹17,951 per eligible employee. The government said the bonus would be disbursed before the Durga Puja and Dussehra holidays, continuing an annual payment practice ahead of the festive period. The bonus covers a range of Group C and other nongazetted railway staff, including track maintainers, locomotive pilots, train managers or guards, station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen and ministerial employees. Eligibility is limited to qualifying employees, the government said. The government described the payment as recognition of railway staff contributions and an incentive to sustain or improve performance. The total amount represents the financial implication of the approved bonus; the per-employee cap is ₹17,951. The announcement follows operational figures reported by the government for 2025-26. Indian Railways loaded 1,670 million tonnes of cargo and carried nearly 7.