‘Hike Deepavali bonus for public sector employees’ 

PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Wednesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide 25% [of a fixed salary ceiling] as Deepavali bonus instead of the usual 20% to those employed in public sector institutions. In a statement, he said: “Bonus for public sector employees is not calculated as a percentage of gross salary. A pay ceiling is fixed and 20% of the annual average is paid as bonus,” he said. Dr. Ramadoss said the workers accepted 10% as bonus during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is a fear that the State government will continue to pay 10% as it did last year despite the economic situation returning to normal.