The West Bengal government announced a hike of Rs 800 in ad-hoc festival bonus and Rs 2,000 in festival advances without interest for government employees for Durga Puja and Eid.

In a notification published on Tuesday, the state’s finance department said those employees who earn a maximum of Rs 44,000 per month as of March 31 this year will get an ad hoc bonus of Rs 6,800. Last year, those who got maximum salary of Rs 42,000 had received a bonus of Rs 6,000.

Besides, those who earn between Rs 44,000 and 52,000 a month will get Rs 20,000 as a festival advance. The advance amount was Rs 18,000 for those who earned between Rs 42,000 and 50,000 till 2024.

The notification also announced an increase in festive allowance for employees who will be retired as of March 31. Those who get pensions of less than Rs 38,000 a month will get an allowance of Rs 3,500, a 300 rupee increase from last year when the salary limit for festival allowances was Rs 35,000.

The state clarified that this announcement is also applicable for employees of public enterprises, teachers of public schools, and panchayat employees.