Guwahati: The Assam government on Monday introduced a new welfare measure enabling state government employees to draw their salary in advance on a need-based basis, aimed at helping them meet urgent financial requirements.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the initiative at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur while launching Swagat Satirtha Portal 2.0, an online system designed to streamline and bring transparency to employee transfers across departments.
Under the scheme, eligible employees can avail advance salary and repay the amount either in one instalment or through monthly instalments over a period of up to one year.
A nominal rate of interest will be charged by the concerned bank. Sarma explained that employees who repay the advance immediately after receiving their regular salary would incur lower interest, while those opting for instalment-based repayment would be charged slightly more.
The Chief Minister said the initiative is intended to provide timely financial support during emergencies and to reduce dependence on private moneylenders and high-interest loans.
Speaking about the Swagat Satirtha transfer portal, Sarma reiterated that it would be opened twice in a financial year to ensure a transparent and employee-friendly transfer process.
He said another round of transfers would be completed before March 31.
Clarifying eligibility, Sarma said around 9,000 employees who had already availed transfers during the earlier phase of the portal would not be eligible to apply again.
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Employees who could not benefit earlier, however, would now be allowed to seek transfers to their preferred postings.
The previous phase of the portal was operational from January 1 to June 7, 2025.
The chief minister said the government is aiming to complete the current transfer exercise by March 7 and that the Election Commission would be informed, as the process is administrative in nature.
Employees have been asked to submit their applications within 15 days to facilitate timely implementation.
Sarma said both the advance salary facility and the revamped transfer portal underline the government’s focus on employee welfare, transparency and improved administrative efficiency.
