MSRTC's 87,000 employees to get Rs 5,000 in Diwali 'gift'

(Representative image)

The state-owned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Wednesday announced a Rs 5,000 Diwali ''bhet'' or bonus to its employees after the government gave it a Rs 45 crore financial aid. The MSRTC has around 87,000 employees, including officers, and all of them will get a ''Diwali bhet'' or gift of Rs 5,000.

“The state government has given Rs 45 crore financial aid,” the MSRTC stated in a release.

''Since the last two years, the ST has been facing a financial crisis due to a decrease in the number of passengers due to the coronavirus epidemic. Even in such a situation, this year, the corporation will give Rs 5,000 Diwali gift to the officers and employees,'' the release quoted MSRTC vice chairman and Managing Director, Shekhar Channe, as saying.

The amount will be credited to the bank accounts of employees soon.

MSRTC is one of the biggest state-owned public transport undertakings in the country with a fleet of over 16,000 buses. The loss-making corporation was ferrying over 65 lakh passengers daily before the outbreak of the pandemic.