The Yogi Adityanath government  issued instructions for the disbursal of salaries and pensions for the month of February before Holi festival, bringing cheers and smiles on the faces of about 18 lakh staffers as well as pensioners. 

The decision will benefit scores of state government employees engaged in departments ranging from education to civic bodies to various ministries.

According to official instructions, the salary cycle has been revised in wake of consecutive holidays, pertaining to Holi, falling in the first week of the March.

March 1 is Sunday, a weekly holiday while March 2 and 4 have been announced holidays for ‘Holika Dhahan’ and the festival of colours, respectively.

To avoid inconvenience and delay in salaries due to Holi, the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday directed the concerned department to expedite the salary disbursal process.

To facilitate the smooth disbursal of salaries, Saturday i.e. February 28 has been turned into a working day.

“Ensure all employees’ salaries are paid before Holi. Ensure all employees, including outsourcing/contractual employees/sanitation workers, are paid before Holi,” says clear instructions from CM Yogi to the officials.

The department has also been directed that no negligence is allowed to creep in.

The salaries are likely to credited into accounts of employees and pensioners on February 28 only. Officials have been directed that the salaries and pensions are processed by the treasury department on time, without fail.

Uttar Pradesh has currently about 18 lakh government employees and 12 lakh pensioners, taking total figure to 28 lakhs.

The move is seen as a major administrative decision, to lift the festive spirit of government employees while ensuring that the larger message of public welfare is delivered.

Usually the salaries and remunerations for the current month are paid by the government in next month but this marks a new trend, signalling a new measure at bolstering public welfare.

Officials said that the decision was taken to ensure that employees have enough funds to meet their respective festive expenses and their festivities don’t get hampered by delayed payment.