India, Sept. 18 -- Odisha government issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Thursday for timely payment of maintenance allowances and alimony awarded by competent courts, including a provision to deduct the ordered amount directly from the salaries of government employees.

The move follows the government receiving information that certain employees were not paying court-ordered maintenance and alimony on time. According to the SOP, such delays cause financial distress to dependent spouses, children and parents and force beneficiaries to initiate repeated execution proceedings.

The new procedure has been prescribed for immediate implementation across all departments to ensure compliance with judicial orders and protect dependent ...