HP govt to now disburse salaries to staff on Oct 1

Shimla: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh announced on Friday that govt employees will receive their Sept salaries on Oct 1, while pensioners will have to wait until Oct 9.The decision was made following a review of the cash flow in the state govt’s treasury by the finance department. The cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh govt had disbursed Aug month’s salary to its employees on Sept 5 and pension on Sept 10. The state govt disburses Rs 1,200 crore as monthly salary to its 2.42 lakh employees and Rs 800 crore as pension to 1.89 lakh retirees every month. A state govt spokesperson said the govt authorities were actively working to minimise the gap between receipts and expenditures to facilitate timely borrowing, thereby reducing the interest burden on state loans.The CM on Sept 4 clarified in Vidhan Sabha that the decision on releasing salaries for the month of Sept would be made on Sept 28 or 29 after reviewing the state’s financial condition, as many employees who have taken loans from the banks have equated monthly instalments (EMIs) scheduled for the first day of the month. He had then reasoned that this step was necessary to ensure judicial use of financial resources by mapping the expenditure with the receipts. The disbursement of salaries and pension on the first day of the month was burdening the state exchequer with Rs 3 crore per month on account of 7.50% interest to be paid on the advance loan taken from the market just for 5-6 days. The state govt receives Rs 520 crore revenue deficit grant from the central govt on the sixth day of the month and Rs 740 crore share in central taxes on the tenth day of every month.

Govt staff to disclose assets by Sept 30 or go without salary

The Uttar Pradesh government will withhold September salaries for employees who fail to disclose their movable and immovable property assets by month-end. Aimed at enhancing transparency, this directive has seen around 90% compliance. Drawing and Disbursing Officers are tasked with reviewing adherence, while exemptions must be recorded on the Manav Sampada Portal.

Govt to carry out month-long anti-dust drive from Oct 7

The Delhi government will conduct an anti-dust campaign from October 7 to November 7 as part of its winter action plan, according to Environment Minister Gopal Rai. Fines up to Rs 2 lakh can be imposed for violating dust norms. A total of 523 teams from various departments will monitor dust control efforts around the clock in the city.

TNAU to host state-level farmers day from Sept 2629

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore is set to host a state-level Mega Farmers' Day-2024 from September 26 to 29. Supported by the state agriculture department and ICAR, the event will include over 250 stalls and seminars on modern agricultural practices such as micro-irrigation, drone technology, and digital agriculture. Admission is free.