Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday announced that the State Government will grant an interest-free festival advance of Rs. 10,000 to its Class-IV (Group-D) employees to assist them in celebrating the upcoming Diwali festival.
Revealing this in a press communique issued here, the Finance Minister said, “We have dedicated a budget provision of Rs. 20.00 crore for this initiative during the 2026-27 financial year to ensure that our workforce can joyfully celebrate Diwali with their families.” He said that this advance is available to the state’s total strength of approximately 34,604 Group-D employees.
Giving details, the Finance Minister Cheema said, “Should every eligible employee opt to take the loan, the total expected expenditure for the state will be Rs. 34.60 crore. To ensure timely access to these funds before the Diwali festival on November 8, employees are permitted to withdraw the amount from the treasury until November 6, 2026. The advance will then be recovered smoothly in five equal monthly installments, with deductions commencing from the employees’ December 2026 salary.”
