UP scraps multiple allowances of staff
State suspends transfers of staff during 2020-21
LUCKNOW: In view of the additional financial burden following the coronavirus pandemic, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to scrap multiple allowances given to its employees.
Last month, the government had decided to stop these allowances for the employees of different departments for a year. A notification issued by Finance Secretary Sanjeev Mittal on Tuesday said, "A review of the allowances stopped or not existing at the Centre and permissible in state was carried out, following decline in state government's revenues in view of the corona pandemic."
The department, through separate orders, scrapped the city compensatory allowance (CCA), secretariat allowance, special allowance given to different wings of the police, the special allowance paid to junior engineers in all the departments, the research, orderly and design allowance paid in the Public Works Department (PWD), along with the investigation and planning and orderly allowance paid to the officers and employees of the irrigation department and the encouragement allowance to employees for keeping Provident Fund records.
The government aims to save at least Rs 1,500 crore a year through the move.
The Uttar Pradesh government had last month decided to put on hold the dearness allowance (DA) increase for its 16 lakh employees. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has suspended transfers of its officers and employees for the financial year 2020-2021 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, an official order said. However, in case of unavoidable circumstances, transfers can be carried out with the chief minister's approval, it stated.
According to the order issued by Chief Secretary R K Tiwari late on Tuesday night, transfers of government employees for the financial year 2020-2021 would remain suspended till further orders in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. Posts falling vacant due to death, medical emergency, promotion, resignation, suspension can be filled through transfers after approval from relevant authorities, it said.