Bhubaneswar: Employees of Odisha government departments, as well as employees of state government undertakings, boards, corporations, and apex bodies, will be granted three days of special casual leave to vote in the state’s three-tier panchayat elections.
In a letter, Panchayati Raj and District Welfare Department Secretary Ashok Kumar Meena asked the Secretaries and senior officials to sanction the special casual leave for a maximum period of three days to employees who wish to exercise their franchise at a place away from their headquarters during the panchayat elections.
The employees will get special casual leave for one day preceding the polls, one day after the poll and on the poll day, the letter mentioned.
The head of office granting the leave will decide on the number of days of special casual leave to be sanctioned, which will not exceed three days.
These leaves will be in addition to the regular casual leaves that employees are entitled to during the calendar year 2022. A written application submitted by the employees will suffice to demonstrate their enrolment in a specific gram panchayat.
The letter asked the secretaries and officials not to prevent employees from exercising their franchise and to ensure that all necessary facilities are provided.
Meanwhile, collectors have been given the authority to declare the polling day for blocks and gram panchayats as a holiday. The polling day will be declared a holiday for judicial courts located within the block areas, the letter read.
The panchayat elections will be held phase-wise in the state February 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24.