Government employees in Bihar will be getting earlier than usual remittance of salary this month because of the upcoming festivities, state Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said on Monday.
He said a decision to this effect was taken by the department after consultation with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Payment of salaries will begin on October 20, he said.
While Diwali will fall on October 23, it will be followed, less than a week later, by Chhath, arguably the state's most popular festival, which is marked by three days of austerities.
"Owing to the COVID pandemic, festivities had been subdued in the past couple of years. This year, the people will be looking forward to celebrating with gusto. To help them, the government decided to pay this month's salary early," Chaudhary added.
