Lucknow, Feb. 28 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday directed that salaries for all government employees be disbursed before Holi and declared that holidays for the festival will be observed from March 2 to 4 while February 28 (Saturday) will be a working day.

The chief minister issued these instructions to the administration after returning to Lucknow from his two-nation tour of Singapore and Japan on Friday morning. He described his visit as one that would give a new direction to UP's industrial future.

He further ordered the release of wages for outsourcing staff, contractual workers, sanitation workers, and all other employee categories before the festival so that no employee faces financial inconvenience during the celebrat...