Check Guidelines For Interest-Free Loan To Odisha Govt Employees For Purchasing EVs

Bhubaneswar: To fuel the transition from petroleum-based vehicles to cleaner electric vehicles (EVs), the Odisha government has issued guidelines for sanctioning interest-free advance to its employees for purchasing EVs.

The guidelines are in accordance with Electric Vehicle Policy 2021, approved in August 2021 with the aim to have 20% EVs on road by 2025.

GUIDELINES:

• The advance for purchasing electric vehicles for the state government employees will be available only up to December 31, 2025. The application received after the expiry of the policy period will not be considered.
• The interest-free advance for the purchase of an electric-operated car will be available only to Group-A & Group-B category of government employees. The maximum amount of advance is limited to 75% of the cost of the EV subject to a maximum of Rs 15 lakh.
• Interest-free advance for purchases of electric two-wheeler (electric motorcycle/scooter/scooty/invalid carriages), will be available to Group C and Group D government employees and above. The advance amount is limited to 75% of the cost of the EV subject to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh.
• The advance amount is to be recovered in 100 equal instalments from the monthly salary of government employees from subsequent months. If the government employee retires or expires without repaying the loan, the residual amount needs to be recovered from their arrear salary bill, leave salary bill, pension, commutation pension or gratuity before its disbursements. If he/she resigns/quits from government Service, the amount will be recovered under OPDR Act.
• If the government servant so desires he will be allowed to repay the instalment in advance.

The guidelines issued by Principal Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev further said that other conditions as prescribed under Rule-2 of chapter 14 of Odisha General Financial Rule (Volume-I) and circulars issued there under in force for sanction of interest-bearing advance for purchasing a vehicle are applicable in this case mutatis mutandis.

“The advance is debitable to “Demand No – OS – 7610 – Loans to Government servants etc. – 00 – Administrative Expenditure – Establishment, Operations and Maintenance Expenditure – 202 – Advance for purchase of Motor Conveyances – 3609 – Advance for purchase of Electric Operated Motor Car / Motor Cycle – 48001 – Advances.”

Necessary amendment to Odisha General Finance Rule will be affected in due course, it added.