Around 1,700 Pune Municipal employees from 2022-23 have been denied this year’s Diwali bonus.
PMC rules require one year of service by March 31, 2024, and 180+ working days in 2024-25, excluding many recent recruits.
The Workers’ Union urges the Commissioner to revise the criteria and grant bonuses as done last year.
Pune, 14 October 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) declared a Diwali bonus for its officers and employees; however, around 1,700 staff members who joined the corporation almost two years ago have not been granted this bonus.
Although they have met the corporation's specified requirements, these employees are still left out, leading to a complaint being filed with the PMC Commissioner.
As per the agreement between the PMC and the workers' union, employees are eligible for an 8.33% bonus on their basic salary and Dearness Allowance, in addition to a ₹25,000 ex-gratia payment.
The circular from PMC's Chief of Accounts and Finance, Ulka Kalskar, specifies that eligibility is limited to employees who have completed one year of service by March 31, 2024, and have worked over 180 days in the 2024-25 period.
In 2022 and 2023, the PMC hired approximately 850 staff members over two phases, comprising junior engineers, clerks, and assistant encroachment inspectors. A significant number of these employees have served for 600-700 days, qualifying them for a bonus based on the corporation's previous standards.
While some received the bonus last year, this year's circular introduced more stringent criteria, leading to dissatisfaction among the staff.
The PMC Workers’ Union filed a complaint with Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, requesting the exclusion of the March 31, 2024, cut-off date and urging that all employees who complete one year of service by any time be granted the bonus, as was done previously.
Ulka Kalskar explained, “As per the bonus rules, employees become eligible after completing one year of service and at least 180 working days in the following year. This has been the standard even last year.”
A junior engineer said, “I received the Diwali bonus last year. Even though I completed one year of service before March 31, 2024, and worked over 180 days in 2024-25, I was denied the bonus this year. Rules are being interpreted arbitrarily, leaving us unfairly excluded.”