Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has announced a bonus of ₹7,000 for its employees, with distribution beginning today. Alongside the bonus, the enhanced festival allowance will also be paid, following the disbursement of August salaries last night, the transport minister confirmed.
This marks the first time since the early years of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government that KSRTC is providing a bonus. However, the scheme will benefit only a small section of the workforce. Under the existing rules, only employees earning up to ₹24,000 are eligible for the payout. As most permanent staff now earn above ₹35,000, very few qualify. With no fresh recruitment over the past nine years, there are no entry-level employees on the rolls. Only those recently rejoining service after long leave are likely to come under the eligibility bracket.
While dependent appointments continue, they are largely contractual, excluding them from the bonus benefit. The management has yet to clarify the exact number of beneficiaries. At its recent board meeting, KSRTC did raise the festival allowance from ₹2,750 to ₹3,000 but did not discuss changes to the bonus eligibility limit.
