Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
The Haryana Government has decided to grant an interest-free festival advance of Rs 13,000/- for all eligible Class-IV State Government employees during the year 2025-26. A letter in this regard was issued by Chief Secretary Sh. Anurag Rastogi, who holds the charge of the Finance Department.
The advance is available to permanent and temporary Class-IV regular State Government employees who are likely to continue in service for at least another 10 months. Employees who wish to avail themselves of this advance must submit their applications by October 14, 2025. The Drawing & Disbursing Officers (DDOs) concerned are responsible for sanctioning the advance. All payments must be drawn and disbursed on or before October 17, 2025.
The festival advance will be recovered from the employee in 10 equal monthly instalments. For temporary government employees, the advance is admissible only upon providing a surety of a permanent government employee to ensure the amount's full security and recovery.
For the sanctioning of the advance, the concerned DDO must be satisfied that the employee will remain in service until the entire amount is recovered.
The advance will not be admissible to work charged, contingent paid staff, daily wagers, or contractual employees. It should not be granted by parent Departments to Class-IV employees who are on deputation to other Government bodies, Corporations, or Local Bodies. If both a husband and wife are employed by the State Government, the advance is allowed to only one of them. Furthermore, no advance shall be sanctioned or disbursed to Government employees who are under suspension or against whom proceedings are pending under Rule 7 of HCS (Punishment and appeal Rule 2016).
The order emphasizes accountability, stating that in case of the advance's misuse, a penal interest of @10% will be charged from the concerned employee. Additionally, the DDO concerned will be held responsible, and action will be initiated as per rules in the event of sanctioning the festival advance to an ineligible employee.