Delhi State Government Employees to Get Rs. 7,000 Bonus
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday that Group B non-gazetted and Group C state government employees in Delhi will receive a Rs. 7,000 bonus. The decision will cost the exchequer a total of Rs. 12,815.60 crore per year.
The decision comes as the state grapples with rising air pollution. The Chief Minister has convened a high-level meeting to discuss the issue. Environment Minister Gopal Rai and other relevant departments will attend the meeting, according to PTI.
The meeting may discuss additional measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), such as allowing 50% of government employees to work from home, closing physical classes for grades six and above, and implementing the odd-even scheme. These measures are up to the discretion of state governments under GRAP 4.
According to the EWS forecast, the AQI in the national capital is likely to remain “severe” for at least the next two days.
The air quality index (AQI) in the national capital declined further on Monday, standing at 436 around 9am. The government had earlier decided to implement Stage 4 of the GRAP across Delhi-NCR with immediate effect, as the AQI was expected to cross 450.
Restrictions under Stage 4 include a ban on all diesel light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi and BS VI, trucks, diesel-Medium Goods Vehicles (MGV), and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV). All linear construction projects, such as highways, roads, and flyovers, will also be stopped.
