The Odisha government on Thursday announced that all government employees will be granted paid leave for three days in order to enable them to cast vote in the upcoming election to urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State.
The election to three Municipal Corporations- Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur and 106 municipalities and NACs (notified area councils) in the State will be held on March 24, 2022 (Thursday).
In a letter to all the government departments, heads of the departments, revenue divisional commissioners (RDCs) and Collectors, Susamarani Devi, joint secretary to state Revenue and Disaster Management Department has directed to grant paid holiday to State government employees and special casual leave to government employees/ government undertakings in view of the polls.
“The government employees who desire to exercise their franchise at place away from their headquarters on the date of poll may be allowed Special Casual Leave for maximum three days i.e. on the day preceding poll, one day after poll and on the date of poll,” the letter read.
“The leave to be granted may be treated as special casual leave in addition to normal casual leave admissible to them during the calendar year, 2022,” the letter added.
Earlier, the State government had asked all business, trade and industrial undertakings to grant paid holiday to their employees on the voting day of the upcoming ULB elections.