Extending the much-awaited relief to Uttar Pradesh government employees during Diwali, the Yogi Adityanath government has issued orders to distribute Diwali bonus to around 14 lakh non-gazetted state employees.
In an attempt to pacify the state employees, who are on a war path over their demand for revival of old pension scheme, the government decided to distribute bonus.
The government also announced additional dearness allowances (DA) for all government employees and pensioners from July, 2018. There are around 18 lakh state employees and pensioners who will be benefitted.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had approved the bonus and DA on Thursday night and the government orders were issued on Friday, official sources here said.
The employees would receive bonus for 30 days this year, estimated to be around Rs 7,000 but actually they will actually get Rs 6,908.
Employees, whose grade pay is less than Rs 5,400, will be eligible for bonus, including employees of local bodies, panchayats and even daily-waged workers.
While 75 per cent of the bonus will be deposited in the provident fund account of the employees and remaining 25 per cent will be paid in cash before Diwali. The daily-waged worker will get Rs 1,184 as bonus.
The UP government will have to bear an additional financial burden of Rs 982 crore for extending this benefit to the employees, a senior official in the Department Finance department bonus said.
As for the additional 9 per cent bonus, while the arrears will be deposited in the PF account of the employees, the ADA will be paid to the employees from the November salary which they will receive in December, 2018.
The state government will have to bear Rs 2,000 crore an additional burden bonus on ADA to be paid to the state employees and pensioners.