Grant of Interest Free Festival Advance, 2018

Government of West Bengal
Finance (Audit) Department
325, Sarat Chatterjee Road, Nabanna,
Howrah-711102.

No. 3426-F(P2)/FA/O/2M/493/12 Howrah, the 30th May, 2018

Sub.: GRANT OF INTEREST-FREE FESTIVAL ADVANCE TO STATE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES FOR THE YEAR 2018.

The undersigned is directed by order of the Governor to say that the Governor has been pleased to accord sanction of interest-free festival advance upto a maximum of Rs. 6,000/- (Rupees six thousand) only to State Government employees whose revised emoluments on 31st March, 2018 exceeded Rs. 28,000/- per month but did not exceed Rs. 36,000/- per month, if applied for the same.

The authorities competent to sanction the interest-free festival advance are those mentioned in Rule 320 of the West Bengal Financial Rules, Volume-1.

2. The undersigned is further directed to say that the benefit of interest-free festival advance may also be allowed to (a) the whole time piece-rate workers, either permanent or temporary and (b) the employees belonging to work-charged/ contingent establishments. Such employees drawing revised emolument exceeding Rs. 28,000/- per month but not exceeding Rs. 36,000/- per month on 31st March, 2018 may be allowed to draw the interest-free festival advance of Rs. 6,000/- only, if they apply for the same.

3. In case of the employees falling under Para 2 above, the authority sanctioning the advance shall certify after being satisfied that the employee is likely to continue in service until the recovery in this respect is completed.

4. The advance will be recovered from the salary of the Government employee concerned in not more than 10 monthly instalments. If the amount of advance is exactly divisible by the number of instalments opted for the recovery, then it will be recovered in equal monthly instalments for that number of instalment months. If not, the figure obtained by so dividing should be rounded off to the nearest rupee which will be the recoverable amount for each of the monthly instalments excluding the last instalment and the balance amount will be recovered in the last monthly instalment. The recovery of the advance sanctioned under this order will begin either from the salary for the month of November, 2018 or from the salary for the month following the month in which the advance is drawn, whichever is later. However, recovery in all cases should be completed by 31st August, 2019 at the latest.

5. The State Government employees who will retire from/ part with the Government service on a date after the issue of this order but before 1st November, 2018 will not be allowed any festival advance. However, an employee who will retire after 1st November, 2018 will be eligible for interest-free festival advance sanctioned in this order subject to the condition that the recovery should be completed on or before the month of his/her superannuation.

6. (a) Persons who will enter into State Government Service for the first time after 31st March, 2018 but before 1st October, 2018 will be entitled to the benefit of interest-free festival advance as sanctioned in this order subject to fulfilment of the terms and conditions laid down herein and their emoluments for the purpose of payment of advance will be determined on the basis of their emoluments at the time of entry into Government service.

(b) The benefit of interest-free festival advance sanctioned above will also be admissible to the State Government employees who have been appointment on regular or contract basis provided they are not eligible to draw ad-hoc bonus on pro-rata basis sanctioned for the accounting year 2017-2018 and provided their regular or contract emoluments did not exceed Rs. 36,000/- per month.

7. The benefit of interest-free festival advance sanctioned hereinbefore will also be admissible to the personal staff of Chief Minister, Ministers, Minister of State as well as personal staff attached to the Chief Government Whip, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on the same terms and conditions as laid down hereinbefore provided they are not eligible to draw ad-hoc bonus for the accounting year 2017-2018.

8. The benefit of interest-free festival advance will also be admissible to the personal staff of the Leader of the Opposition of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly provided they are not sanctioned ad-hoc bonus for the accounting year 2017-2018.

9. The Central Government Employees on deputation to the State Government may be granted festival advance as may be sanctioned by the Government of India for the Central Government Employees subject to the terms and conditions as may be laid down by the Government of India in this regard.

10. For the purpose of this order, member of All India Services serving in connection with the affairs of the State will be regarded as State Government employees.

11. For the employees drawing pay in the revised scale, the term ’emoluments’ will, mean basic pay (i.e pay in the pay band plus grade pay), dearness allowance and non-practicing allowance, if any.

12. The term ’emoluments’ in the case of employees drawing pay and allowances in the un-revised scale, will include basic pay, personal pay, special pay, specialist pay, dearness pay, dearness allowance, deputation (duty) allowance and special allowance (Additional remuneration).

In case of retired Government employees on re-employment, the term ’emoluments’ will mean remuneration drawn by them in terms of Finance Department Memo. No. 3951-F dated 27-05-2009 plus basic pension.

13. Application for interest-free festival advance on the strength of this order by all employees shall be made as early as possible.

DISBURSEMENT OF INTEREST-FREE FESTIVAL ADVANCE (WHEREVER APPLIED FOR) ON THE STRENGTH OF THIS ORDER SHOULD BE MADE IN CASE OF MUSLIM STATE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES BY 8th JUNE, 2018 AND IN CASE OF PAYMENT TO OTHER STATE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (OTHER THAN MUSLIM EMPLOYEES) SHOULD BE MADE FROM 26th SEPTEMBER, 2018 TO 5th OCTOBER, 2018.

In case of failure, such disbursement should be completed before 1st December, 2018 in case of all employees at the latest. The Drawing and Disbursing Officers in order to minimize the number of bills should, as far as possible, prepare one bill for advance in such cases in respect of the establishment/office for which they act as Drawing and Disbursing Officers.

14. The advance excluding the advance to the employees borne on work-charged establishments will be debited to the standard detailed head ‘Salaries-Pay’ under all major, minor and sub-heads in the budget grant available for the financial year 2018-2019 the recoveries thereof being automatically adjusted by monthly deduction of instalments of advance paid to an employee from his pay. No new detailed head is required to be opened for this purpose as per new classification in accounts. The advance to persons borne on work-charged establishments will be debited to the same head from which their wages are met.

Sd/-
O.S.D & E.O Special Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal
Finance Department

No. 3426-F dated 30.05.2018, Source