Karnataka restores encashment of earned leaves for govt staff

The BS Yediyurappa administration has restored the provision for its employees to encash their earned leaves in the 2021 calendar year after having cancelled it citing financial crisis because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Finance Department has issued a fresh order reinstating the provision for employees to encash up to 15 days of earned leaves, a facility that has been in place since January 2013.

“All eligible officials/workers can, by providing a notice a month in advance, encash earned leave in any month of their choice between January 2021 and December 2021,” the Finance Department order stated.

The restoration was done after the government faced a backlash from its employees, it is said.

In an order dated January 4, the government had cancelled the provision to encash earned leaves, excluding employees who retire in the calendar year who could avail the facility in the month in which they superannuate.

The fresh order restoring encashment of earned leaves will also apply to employees working in government undertakings, aided or unaided, based on the financial situation, it said.

For gazetted officers, the government will rely on its human resource management system to approve encashment by calculating the earned leaves that are available, the order stated.