Fact Check: No, Railways has no plan to cut salary of its 13 lakh employees

As many across the country face job loss and salary cuts due to COVID-19 lockdown, news articles regarding a similar salary cut in the

Indian railway is going viral. Multiple news organisations reported that due to the ongoing lockdown, the Indian Railway is planning to cut salaries of its 13 lakh employees.

Fact Check:

A report by Hindustan Times titled - Railways feels Covid-19 lockdown pinch, may trim allowances of nearly 13 lakh employees said. "In a bid to bridge the losses due to the coronavirus lockdown, the Railway Ministry is planning to trim thesalaries and allowances of over 13 lakh officers and employees. Under this, the allowances for overtime duty including travel allowance, dearness allowance will be stopped, HT's Hindi language publication, Live Hindustan reported."

NavBharat Times also reported a similar article- रेलवे को घाटा,

13 लाख कर्मियों के भत्ते में हो सकती है कटौती

(Losses to railways, 13 lakh personal allowances may be cut)

NewsMeter did a fact check on this claim. An enquiry with the official spokesperson of Southern Railway Shakeel proved that the

claim is false.

Mr Shakeel told NewsMeter, "As of now there is no directive to cut salaries and allowances of any of our employees. The news that

the railway is planning a pay cut is fake."

Moreover, a fact check report by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) also revealed that the viral claim is misleading and false.

Claim: Due to the lockdown, the ministry of railways is planning to cut the salary of over 13 lakh officers and employees.

Fact: This claim is FALSE. No such plans are being made by the ministry of railways.

However, Union railway minister Piyush Goyal in a tweet in March had said that 13 lakh railway and PSU employees will donate one day's salary, equal to ₹151 crores, to PM-CARES fund.

Result:

The claim that Indian Railway is planning to cut the salary of over 13 lakh officers and employees is false.