Interest Free Festival Advance 2019

Grant of Interest Free Festival Advance 2019 to the State Government Employees who the whole time piece-rate workers, either permanent or temporary and the employees belonging to work charge / contingent establishments for the current year, Interest Free Festival Advance will be disbursed Rs. 8,000/- per head.


Interest Free Festival Advance 2019

Grant of Interest Free Festival Advance to State Government Employees for 2019

 No. 3000-F(P2)  Dated, the 28th. May, 2019  

 The undersigned is directed by order of the Governor (গভর্নর) to say that the Governor has been pleased to accord sanction of Interest Free Festival Advance up to a maximum (সর্বোচ্চ) of Rs. 8, 000/- (Eight thousand) only to State Government employees (কর্মচারী) whose revised emoluments on 31st. March, 2019 exceeded Rs. 30,000/- per month but did not exceed Rs. 36,000/- per month, if applied for the same.

The persons/employee referred to in Rule 320 of the West Bengal Financial Rules, Volume-1 are the authorities for the advance approval of the Festival Free of Interest.

2. The undersigned is further directed to say that the benefit (সুবিধা) 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 charge / contingent establishments. Such employees drawing revised emoluments exceeding Rs. 30,000/- (Rupees thirty thousand only) per month but not exceeding (অধিক) Rs.36,000/- (Rupees thirty six thousand only) per month on 31.03.2019 may be allowed (সম্মতি) to draw the Interest Free (সুদ-হীন) Festival Advance Rs. 8,000/- (Rupees eight thousand only), if they apply for the same.

3. In case of the employees (কর্মচারী) 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 (রিকভারি) in this respect is completed.

4. The Advance will be recovered from the salary (বেতন) of the Government employee (কর্মচারী) concerned in not more than 10 monthly instalments. If the amount of Advance is exactly divisible by the number of instalments (কিস্তি) 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 (ফেরতযোগ্য) amount for each of the monthly instalments excluding the last (শেষ) instalment and the balance amount will be recovered in the last monthly instalment. The recovery of the Advance sanctioned (অনুমোদিত) under this order will begin either from the salary for the month of November, 2019 at the latest or from the salary for the month following the month in which the Advance (অগ্রিম) is drawn, as the case may be, However, recovery in all cases should be completed by 31st August, 2020 at the latest.

5. The State Government employees who will retire / part with the Government service (চাকুরী) on a date after the issue of this order but before 1st November, 2019 will not be allowed any Festival Advance. However, an employee who retires after November 1, 2019, will be eligible for the Interest Free Festival Advance approved in this order, provided that the recovery must be completed on or before the month of his superannuation.

6. (a) Persons who will enter into State Government Service for the first time after 31st March, 2019 but before 1st October, 2019 will be entitled to the benefit (সুবিধা) of Interest Free Festival Advance as sanctioned (অনুমোদিত) in this order subject to fulfilment of the terms and conditions (শর্ত) laid down and their emoluments for the purpose of payment of Advance will be determined (নির্ধারিত) on the basis of their emoluments at the time of entry into Government service.

(b) The above approved Interest Free Festival Advance facility will also be acceptable for regularly employed state government employees or contract basis provided they are not eligible to draw Ad-hoc Bonus on pro-pata basis sanctioned for accounting year 2018-2019 and provided their regular or contract emoluments did not exceed Rs. 36,000/- per month.

7. The previously recognized Interest Free Festival Advance will be acceptable to the personal staff of the Chief Minister, Ministers and State Ministers as well as to the private staff attached to the Chief Government Whip. Speaker and Deputy Speaker (স্পিকার) of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on the same terms and conditions as laid down hereinbefore above provided they are not eligible to draw ad-hoc bonus (বোনাস) for the accounting year 2018-2019.

8. The benefit of Interest Free Festival Advance will also be admissible to the personal staff (স্টাফ) of the Leader of the Opposition of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly provided they are not sanctionede ad-hoc bonus for the accounting year 2018-2019.

9. The benefit of Interest Free Festival Advance will also be admissible to the regular teaching and non-teaching staff of the educational institutions and regular employees of Panchayat and Local bodies.

10. The Central (কেন্দ্রীয়) Government Employees on deputation to the State Government may be granted Festival Advance as may be sanctioned by the Government of India for Central Government Employees (কর্মচারী) subject to the terms and conditions as may be laid down by the Government of India in this regard.

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

12. For the employees (কর্মী) drawing pay in the revised scale, the terms 'emoluments' will, mean (বেসিক) basis pay (i.e. pay in the pay band (পে ব্যান্ড) plus grade pay), dearness allowance and non-practicing allowance, if any.

13. The terms 'emoluments' in the case of employees drawing pay and allowances in the un-revised scale, will including basic pay, personal pay, Special pay, specialist pay, dearness pay, dearness allowance, deputation (duty) allowance and special (বিশেষ) allowance (Additional remuneration).

In case of retired (অবসরপ্রাপ্ত) Government employees (সরকারী কর্মী) on re-employment, the term 'emoluments' will, mean remuneration (পারিশ্রমিক) drawn by them in terms of Finance Department Memo No 3951-F dated 27.05.2009 plus basic pension.

14. Application (দরখাস্ত) for Interest Free Festival Advance on the strength of this order by all employees shall be made as early as possible.

Based on the power of this order, the distribution of Interest Free Festival Advance (where application will be made) should be made in the case of Muslim employees before the festival of Id-Ul-Fitre and in case of payment to other employees (Other than Muslim (মুসলিম) employees) should be made between 23rd September, 2019 and 1st October, 2019.

In case of failure, such disbursement should be complete before 1st December, 2019 in case of all employees at the latest. The Drawing and Disbursing Officers in order to minimize (কমান) the number of bills should, as far as possible, prepare one bill for Advance in such cases in respect of the establishment (প্রতিষ্ঠা)/ office for which they act as Drawing and Disbursing Officers.

15. The Advance (অগ্রিম) excluding the advance to the employees (কর্মচারী) borne on work-charged establishment will be debited to the standard detailed head 'Salaries Pay' under all major, minor and sub-heads in the Budget (বাজেট) grant available for the financial year 2019-2020 the recoveries thereof being automatically adjusted by monthly deduction of instalments of Advance paid to an employee from this pay. No new detailed hear is required to be opened for this purpose as per new classification in accounts. The advance (অগ্রিম) to persons borne on work-charged establishments will be debited to the same head from which their wage is met.

Sd/-  D K Mahapatra
OSD & EO Special Secretary to
the Government of West Bengal