Odisha: govt hikes annual honorarium for employees as utkal divas gift 

The state government has increased the annual honorarium provided under Rule-120 of the Odisha Service Code as a Utkal Divas gift to government employees. 

On the occasion of Utkal Divas, The State government has increased the annual honorarium provided under Rule-120 of the Odisha Service Code as a gift to government employees. An honorarium is usually given to a government employee for work that is irregular or intermittent, either tedious or of such exceptional worth that it warrants a special reward.  

The maximum honorarium that can be paid to government employees in a financial year has been increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. The sum will be established in a graduated way within the upper ceiling of Rs 50,000 for different ranks, according to an office memorandum issued by the Finance department, to rationalize honorarium payable to government employees.  

The maximum honorarium for personnel in the category of Additional and Joint Secretary has been raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, while for employees in the category of Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, Principal PS, and Senior PS, the ceiling has been raised from Rs 35,000 to Rs 44,000.  

SO, DO, ASO, PS, PA, issue superintendent, diary superintendent, senior steno, senior DEO, and equivalents will now be paid Rs 38,000 instead of Rs 30,000, while typist, junior steno, driver, and equivalents would be paid Rs 31,000 instead of Rs 25,000.  

Meanwhile, the honorarium ceiling for diarists, Daftar is, peons, and equivalents have also been raised from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000. Employees hired on a contract basis, as an OSD, or as a consultant will be paid an honorarium equal to the position for which they were hired.  

The upper ceiling of honorarium payable to various categories of employees was determined using the basic pay as determined by the Odisha Revised Scale of Pay (ORSP) Rules, 2017, without considering the Revised Assured Career Progression (RACP)/changed Assured Career Progression (MACP) benefit accrued to the employees concerned.  

Demands for a modification of the ceiling were received from many quarters in response to rising commodity and fuel prices. It’s been four years since the honorarium was last changed, a Finance Department official stated.

After the adoption of ORSP Rules in 2017, the honorarium was last updated in February 2018. The amount that can be spent has been increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000. 

Published By :- Shubham Agarwal

Edited By ;- Khushi Thakur