Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has taken a strict stand against government employees who fail to pay maintenance or alimony to their wives or children despite court orders.
Under a new government directive issued on the Chief Minister’s instructions, the prescribed maintenance amount will be deducted directly from the salary of the concerned government employee and transferred electronically to the bank account of the wife or children.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, several cases have come before the grievance cell involving government employees who have allegedly failed to provide maintenance to their wives or children. On average, two to three such cases are received during each grievance hearing conducted by the Chief Minister.
The government said that in many cases, courts have already issued clear orders directing the employees to pay maintenance or alimony. However, some employees have continued to neglect these orders.
Taking a serious view of the issue, the Chief Minister directed the government to ensure that court-ordered maintenance is recovered directly from the salaries of such employees.
Under the new guidelines, once the concerned department receives a court order directing payment of maintenance or alimony, the departmental Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) will deduct the court-prescribed amount while preparing the employee’s monthly salary bill.
The deducted amount will then be transferred electronically directly to the bank account of the employee’s wife or children.
The Chief Minister said that it was not acceptable for a government employee to disregard a court order and, at the same time, cause hardship to his wife and children.
The government also plans to integrate court-directed maintenance payments into the state’s Human Resources Management System (HRMS). The move is aimed at making the process more systematic and automated in the future.