UP approves special festival package, advance payments to state employees

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday approved benefits of special festival package and advance payments, special cash package (in lieu of LTC) schemes announced by the Centre to state government employees. The decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

“Keeping in view the broad objectives of the special festival package for central government employees and the scheme for making advance payments for it, the state government has approved proposal to implement it for state government employees also,” an official statement issued here said.

“This facility will be given to all employees of the state government and will remain in force till 31 March 2021. Under this scheme, an advance special festival package of Rs 10,000 will be sanctioned by the Head of the Office to the government employees concerned before any important festival, which will be interest free. With the implementation of the scheme, the state government will incur an expenditure of about Rs one thousand crore rupees,” the statement said.

A special festival package for central government employees and advance payment allowance has been implemented by the Centre to enable festival related expenditure.

The state cabinet also decided to allow special cash package in lieu of LTC (leave travel concession) facility for state government employees.

The cabinet has approved the proposal to implement it for the state government employees, keeping in view the broad objectives of the plan to allow a special cash package in lieu of LTC facility for Central Government employees also.

This facility will be admissible to those employees of the state government who are eligible to avail this facility under the LTC pre-issued government orders till March 31, 2021 and who are willing to get special cash package in lieu of this facility, it said.

“To make the benefit of this arrangement permissible, the concerned employee can be paid 50% of the LTC’s deemed rental amount in advance to the employee’s bank account, which can be adjusted to him on submission of the purchase voucher of the goods,” the statement said.

The rules of income tax will apply to the amount of special cash package allowed in lieu of LTC, in the same way as payment of rental of LTC. Implementation of the scheme will incur an expenditure of about Rs 960 crore on the state government.

A special cash package has been decided by the Centre in lieu of LTC facility for its employees.