Thu Oct 03 17:38:47 UTC 2024: ## Railway Employees to Receive Productivity Bonus, Chennai Metro Gets Second Phase
**New Delhi:** The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹2,028.57 crore productivity-linked bonus (PLB) for over 11 lakh Railway employees, announced Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday. The bonus, equivalent to 78 days of wages, will be distributed to various categories of staff, including track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers, station masters, and technicians.
The Cabinet also approved the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail Project, consisting of three corridors connecting Madhavaram to SIPCOT, Light House to Poonamallee Bypass, and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur. This phase will add 118.9 km of new lines and 120 stations, bringing the total Chennai Metro network to 173 km. The project, estimated to cost over ₹63,000 crore, is expected to be completed by 2027.
The second phase aims to connect major industrial, commercial, and residential areas of Chennai, including the South Chennai IT corridor, offering enhanced public transportation for commuters and reducing carbon emissions compared to traditional fossil fuel-based transport.
Furthermore, the Cabinet granted Classical Language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bangla. This recognition is expected to stimulate academic and research opportunities in these languages, leading to job creation in archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media.
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