Just ahead of Diwali, the Uttarakhand government under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has sanctioned a tadarth bonus (ad-hoc bonus) — equivalent to 30 days' pay — for thousands of state government employees across Group C, Group D, and eligible non-gazetted Group B categories for the financial year 2025-26.

Who qualifies — and exactly how much

The Finance Department's government order spells out the eligibility in precise terms. Employees in Group C and Group D, along with non-gazetted Group B employees whose grade pay does not exceed ₹4,800 (revised pay scale ₹47,600–₹1,51,100, Level 8), are covered — provided they are not already covered under any productivity-linked bonus scheme.

For regular staff, the bonus is calculated on a maximum monthly emoluments ceiling of ₹7,000, making the maximum payout approximately ₹6,908. Casual and daily-wage workers are also included, but their calculation uses a lower ceiling of ₹1,200 per month, yielding a maximum of around ₹1,184.

Daily-wage workers: the 240-day and 206-day thresholds

The order extends the benefit to eligible daily-wage employees in a carefully calibrated way. Those working in six-day-week offices must have completed at least 240 working days per year over the preceding three years or more. In five-day-week offices, the minimum threshold is 206 working days per year. Meeting these thresholds in each of the qualifying years makes a daily-wage worker eligible for the ad-hoc payout.

Service cut-off: March 31, 2026

Eligibility is anchored to a single date: employees must have been in service on 31 March 2026 and must have completed a minimum of six months of continuous, satisfactory service by that date. Those with service between six months and one year receive a pro-rated bonus in proportion to their tenure.

Local bodies and development authorities are also covered — but only those operating in profit. Their eligible staff will receive the bonus from the respective body's own resources, not from the state exchequer directly.

CM Dhami's Diwali message to the workforce

Chief Minister Dhami framed the decision as a statement of the government's priorities. 'The state government is sensitive to the interests and welfare of its employees,' he said, adding that it is the 'hard work, dedication, and contribution' of government staff that translates welfare schemes and development projects into ground-level reality. The CM added that 'Diwali khushiyon, utsaah, samridhi aur aapsi sadbhaav ka parv hai' — 'Diwali is a festival of joy, enthusiasm, prosperity, and mutual goodwill' — and that the bonus would multiply those joys for employees and their families. He pledged that the government would continue to take employee-welfare decisions with a positive outlook in the future.

The scope of beneficiaries stretches beyond the secretariat — it covers staff in aided teaching and technical institutions, local bodies, district panchayats, and departmental work-charged employees, making this one of the broader pre-festival financial decisions from Dehradun this season.

With the government order already issued and the eligibility date set at 31 March 2026, disbursements are expected to flow through the festive period — putting real money in government pockets well before the lamps are lit.