Central Cabinet Approves 78-Day Bonus for 12 Lakh Railway Employees; ₹1 Lakh Crore Allocated for Farmer Schemes

12 Lakh Railway Employees to Receive 78 Days Bonus Ahead of Diwali

In a significant decision, the Central Cabinet on Thursday approved a 78-day productivity-linked bonus for 12 lakh railway employees ahead of Diwali. According to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the government has approved a total of ₹2029 crore for the bonus, which will benefit 11,72,240 railway employees across the country.

Additionally, the Cabinet has also approved two major schemes for the welfare of farmers, with a total provision of ₹1,01,321 crore. These schemes include the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) and the Krishonnati Yojana, aimed at boosting agricultural development in the country.

5 Key Decisions Made During the Cabinet Meeting:

1. Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali to be granted the status of “Classical Languages.”
2. ₹63,246 crore allocated for Phase-2 of the Chennai Metro project.
3. Productivity-linked bonus scheme approved for 20,704 port employees.
4. Under the National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO-Oilseeds), ₹10,103 crore to be spent from 2024-25 to 2030-31 to promote oilseed production and achieve self-reliance in edible oils.
5. The criteria for granting classical language status include an ancient history of at least 1000 years, a significant body of ancient literature, and an original literary tradition.
   

Criteria for Classical Language Status

To classify a language as “Classical,” the language must meet three criteria:

1. It must have a recorded history or ancient texts dating back at least 1000 years.
2. The language should possess a collection of ancient literature or texts valued by many generations.
3. The literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from other languages.

India created this “Classical Language” category on October 12, 2004, and Tamil was the first to receive this status. Sanskrit was added in 2005, followed by Telugu in 2008, Kannada in 2008, Malayalam in 2013, and Odia in 2014.

Approval for 12 New Industrial Smart Cities a Month Ago

In a previous meeting on August 28, the Cabinet approved the creation of 12 new industrial smart cities spread across 10 states and six key corridors. These cities are expected to boost manufacturing and serve as a major leap in India’s industrial development. Under the National Industrial Corridor Development Program, the government will invest ₹28,602 crore in these cities.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that India will soon witness a “golden quadrilateral” of industrial smart cities, creating 10 lakh direct jobs and 30 lakh indirect jobs. These projects are expected to attract investments worth ₹1.52 lakh crore.

PM Modi’s First Cabinet Meeting after Taking Oath

After being sworn in for his third term as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi held his first Cabinet meeting on June 10. In this meeting, approval was granted to construct three crore new houses for the poor, with a total of 4.21 crore homes built under this scheme in the last 10 years.

The Cabinet also approved the next installment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, which provides an annual financial aid of ₹6,000 to 9.3 crore farmers across the country.