Chandigarh: Facing criticism over delays in salary disbursal, the Punjab govt has directed all departments to ensure that salary bills are submitted to treasury offices by the 7th of every month, warning of disciplinary action for lapses.The move follows repeated delays in processing monthly payrolls, with the finance department observing that many drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) were submitting bills only by the 20th or 25th of the month.In a communication issued on Thursday, the department said such delays were creating a negative perception among govt employees, many of whom wrongly believed that funds had not been released by the finance department.The department clarified that funds for salary disbursal were being made available on time and that the bottleneck lay at the level of bill submission by departments.The directive, issued by Harvinder Singh, budget officer-cum-deputy secretary, said any DDO failing to meet the new deadline would face “strict disciplinary action”. The instructions have been sent to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners across the state. The issue has become a recurring grievance among Punjab govt employees, with delayed salaries often fuelling questions over the state’s financial health.
