Karnataka govt hikes festival advance to Rs 25,000

Bringing some relief to government employees amid the price rise of essential commodities, Karnataka has hiked their festival advance to Rs 25,000.

At present, the government gives Rs 10,000. The decision to increase the festival advance was taken following a demand from the Karnataka State Employees Association.

A finance department order in this regard said all permanent government employees, including the IAS cadre, would be eligible for this advance. An employee can avail the advance, free of interest, once a year. The amount has to be returned within ten months, the order stated.

The government decision follows another recent decision to hike the Dearness Allowance (DA) to its staff. In October, the government increased the DA from 21.5% of basic pay to 24.5%. The hike also applied to pensioners.

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