Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has announced a hike in Onam benefits for employees and pensioners. Finance Minister K N Balagopal said the bonus for government employees and teachers has been raised by ₹500, taking it to ₹4,500 this year. Employees not eligible for a bonus will get a special festival allowance of ₹3,000, up from ₹2,750.
For service pensioners, the festival allowance has been raised by ₹250 to ₹1,250. Retirees under the contributory pension scheme will also get this benefit.
All government employees will be sanctioned an Onam advance of ₹20,000, while part-time and contingent staff will get ₹6,000. Contract and scheme workers who received the allowance last year will also see an increase of ₹250.
Over 13 lakh employees and workers in the state will benefit from these Onam payments. Despite financial constraints caused by central government policies, the state has decided to enhance the allowances, the finance minister said. He assured that all categories that received benefits last year will get the revised rates this time as well.
