Govt declares paid holiday in Delhi on April 10

Employees of government and private establishments, besides daily wage and contractual workers will get a paid holiday on April 10 when the polling for Lok Sabha elections will be held in the national capital, Delhi government said today.
"As per the provision of Section 135 B (i) of the Representation of People (RP) Act, every person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment and entitled to vote, shall be granted a holiday on April 10, the day of Poll in Delhi," a Delhi Government order said.
The order said the provisions require that all establishments and shops including those which work on shift basis should be closed on the day of poll and no deduction or abatement of the wages should be made on account of holiday.

It added that the daily wage and casual workers are also entitled for a holiday and wages on poll day.
"No deduction or abatement of the wages shall be made on account of this holiday and if any person is employed on the basis that they would not ordinarily receive wages for such a day, they shall nonetheless be paid wages they would have drawn had not a holiday been granted to them on that day," the order further said.
P C Jain, Special Secretary, General Administration Department, said any contravention of the above provisions by an employer is punishable under the relevant section of the RP Act.

However, this section shall not apply to any elector whose absence may cause danger or substantial loss in respect of the employment in which he is engaged, Jain added.