Employees of various departments under the Upanal service in Uttarakhand have received significant relief from the state government. Following the orders of the Soldier Welfare Secretary, the wages of employees on strike will no longer be deducted. This comes after a recent 10% increase in their allowances.
The Uttarakhand government has brought relief to employees actively engaged in Upanal services through the former Soldier Welfare Corporation. After the decision to increase allowances and rehire employees who had been removed, the state government has taken another major step in favor of the employees. Now, the salary of employees on an 8-day strike will not be deducted; instead, it will be adjusted as leave. However, this adjustment is conditional on not repeating this in the future.
No Deductions during Strikes, Salaries Adjusted during Leaves
In essence, after a 10% increase in their allowances in February, the fear of salary deductions during strikes has been alleviated for the Upanal employees. Last month, around 25,000 Upanal employees in the state had gone on strike regarding various demands, impacting government operations. Following discussions between Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Soldier Welfare Secretary, and employee union representatives, the government assured the formation of a committee to address various demands, including reinstating removed employees.
Reinstatement of Removed Upanal Employees within a Month
Earlier last week, the Uttarakhand government issued directives for the rehiring of removed Upanal employees within a month. The Uttar Pradesh administration has written letters to the Managing Director of the Soldier Welfare Corporation, all department heads, both district commissioners, and all secretaries and caretaker secretaries. It explicitly states that if Upanal employees are not involved in corruption, indiscipline, or incompetence, they will be rehired. Employees will have one month to apply for reinstatement, and the responsibility for their reinstatement lies with the respective department heads and officials.
10% Allowance Increase in February
It is noteworthy that after the strike and protests last month, the Uttarakhand government, under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, had increased the allowances of Upanal employees by 10%. After approval from the finance department, the Uttarakhand government issued orders for this allowance increase. This will benefit over 25,000 employees in the state, with an increase in salary ranging from INR 1200 to 3600. Prior to this, there had been changes in the rate of allowances for employees in October 2021. The Uttarakhand government has revised the allowances of Upanal employees seven times since 2004, along with amendments to incentive allowances twice during this period.