Tamil Nadu grants Rs 370 crore in terminal benefits to 1,279 transport staff

CHENNAI: In a big pre-festival relief for transport workers who retired, took VRS, or died between December 2022 and March 2023, Chief Minister MK Stalin has sanctioned Rs 372 crore for 1,279 persons from the State Transport Corporations.

Provident fund, gratuity, surrender leave, and commutation benefits would be settled for the employees or their kin, according to an official release.

The government has sanctioned the amount for the welfare of the workers despite the financial crunch the transport corporations, the release said.

In the first instalment, Rs 242.67 crore was released in December 2022. Another Rs 308.45 crore was released on March 27, 2023, for the benefit of workers, the release pointed out.

In March 2023, the CM sanctioned Rs 1,031.32 crore for 3,414 persons who worked in the State Transport Corporations.

A trade union leader in the transport corporation said that the State government has released the terminal benefits for transport corporation employees after a gap of more than 18 months since the last release in March 2023.

"The employees who retired from the service and those who took VRS and also deceased worker's families are getting their terminal benefits after such a long wait. Even now, the funds are sanctioned for four months till March 2023. The government should immediately sanction funds to pay terminal benefits to all the workers and their families as of date," the union leader said.