After a delay of one year, the Union
Cabinet finally cleared the 7th Pay Commission allowances and recommendations.
This was something that 50 lakh government employees were waiting for.
The government called it a modest
increase of Rs 1448.23 crore per annum over the projections made by the pay
panel. The additional financial burden is estimated at Rs 30748.23 crore per
annum. Below we give you all the details you should know about the cabinet
meeting that took place on Wednesday, June 28.
Allowances
The governmen tdecided not to
abolish 12 of the 53 allowances which were recommended to be abolished by the
7th Central Pay Commission. The decision to retain these has been taken for
specific functional requirements of Railways, Posts and Scientific Departments
such as Space and Atomic Energy.
It has also been decided that three
of the 37 allowances recommended to be subsumed by the pay panel will continue
as separate identities considering the unique nature of these allowances.
The rates of these allowances have
also been enhanced as per the formula adopted by the Commission. This will
benefit over one lakh employees belonging to specific categories in Railways,
Posts, Defence and Scientific Departments.
HRA
HRA is currently paid at 30 per cent
for X (population of 50 lakh and above), 20 per cent for Y (5 to 50 lakh) and 10
per cent for Z (below 5 lakh) category of cities. The panel recommended
reduction in the existing rates to 24 per cent for X, 16 per cent for Y and 8
per cent for Z category of cities.
As the HRA at the reduced rates may
not be sufficient for employees falling in lower pay bracket, it has been
decided that HRA shall not be less than Rs 5400, Rs 3600 and Rs 1800 for X, Y
and Z category of cities respectively.
This floor rate has been calculated
at 30 per cent, 20 per cent and 10 per cent of the minimum pay of Rs 18000.
This will benefit more than 7.5 lakh employees belonging to Levels 1 to 3.
The panel also recommended that HRA
rates will be revised upwards in two phases to 27 per cent, 18 per cent and 9
per cent when DA crosses 50 per cent and to 30 per cent, 20 per cent and 10 per
cent when DA crosses 100 per cent. Keeping in view the current inflation
trends, it was decided that these rates will be revised upwards when DA crosses
25 per cent and 50 per cent respectively. This will benefit all employees who
do not reside in government accommodation and get HRA.
Decision
on Siachen Allowance
The commission had placed Siachen
Allowance in the RH-Max cell of the R&H Matrix with two slabs of Rs 21,000
and Rs 31,500. Recognising the extreme nature of risk and hardship faced by
those deployed on a continuous basis in Siachen,
It was decided to enhance the rates
of Siachen Allowance from the existing rate from Rs 14,000 to Rs 30,000 per
month for Jawans & JCOs (Level 8 and below) and from Rs 21,000 to Rs 42,500
per month for Officers (Level 9 and above). With this, Siachen Allowance will
become more than twice the existing rates.
Dress
Allowance
This will be paid annually in four
slabs of Rs 5000, Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per annum for various
category of employees. Nurses will continue to get this on a monthly basis in
view of high maintenance and hygiene requirements. The government has decided
to pay higher rate of Dress Allowance to SPG personnel keeping in view the
existing rates of Uniform Allowance paid to them. The rates for specific
clothing for different categories of employees will be governed separately.
Tough
Location Allowance
Some allowances based on
geographical location such as Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance
(SCRLA), Sunderban Allowance and Tribal Area Allowance have been subsumed in
Tough Location Allowance.
The areas under TLA have been
classified into three categories and the rates will be governed as per
different cells of R&H Matrix and will be in the range of Rs 1000 – Rs 5300
per month.
The pay commission had recommended
that TLA will not be admissible with Special Duty Allowance (SDA) payable in
North-East, Ladakh and the Islands. The Cabinet has decided that employees will
be given the option to avail of the benefit of SCRLA at pre-revised rates along
with SDA at revised rates.
Recommendations
in respect of some important allowances paid to all employees:
(i) Rate of Children Education Allowance (CEA) has been
increased from Rs 1500 per month / child (maximum two) to Rs 2250 per month /
child (maximum two). Hostel Subsidy will also go up from Rs 4500 per month to
Rs 6750 per month.
(ii) Existing rates of Special Allowance for Child Care for
Women with Disabilities has been doubled from Rs 1500 per month to Rs 3000 per month.
(iii) Higher Qualification Incentive for Civilians has been
increased from Rs 2000 – Rs 10000 (Grant) to Rs 10000 – Rs 30000 (Grant).
Recommendations
for allowances paid to Uniformed Services: Defence, CAPFs, Police, Indian Coast
Guard and Security Agencies
(i) The commission has recommended abolition of Ration Money
Allowance (RMA) and free ration to Defence officers posted in peace areas. It
has been decided that Ration Money Allowance will continue to be paid to them
and directly credited to their account. It will benefit 43,000 Defence
officers.
(ii) Technical Allowance (Tier – I & II) paid to Defence
officers belonging to technical branches will now be merged with Higher
Qualification Incentive for Defence personnel. “In view of the specific requirements
of Defence Forces for the Defence personnel to keep pace with changing Defence
requirements and technologies, the Government has decided not to discontinue
Technical Allowance. The list of courses for these allowances will be reviewed
to remain in sync with the latest technical advancements in Defence,” the
notification said.
(iii) The facility of one additional free railway warrant (Leave
Travel Concession) now granted to personnel of Defence Forces serving in
field/high altitude/CI Ops shall also be extended to all personnel of CAPFs and
the Indian Coast Guard.
(iv) Rates of High Altitude Allowance granted to Defence Forces
and CAPF personnel will be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will go up
from Rs 810 – Rs 16800 per month to Rs 2700 – Rs 25000 per month.
(v) The rates of Field Area Allowances (Modified Field, Field
& Highly Active) will now be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will
go up from Rs 1200 – Rs 12600 per month to Rs 6000 – Rs 16900 per month.
Classification of field areas for this allowance will be done by Ministry of
Defence for Defence personnel and by Ministry of Home Affairs for CAPFs.
(vi) The rates of Counter Insurgency Ops (CI Ops) Allowance,
granted to Defence and CAPFs while deployed in counter – insurgency operations
will be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will go up from Rs 3000 – Rs
11700 per month to Rs 6000 – Rs 16900 per month.
(vii) Rates of MARCOS and Chariot Allowance granted to marine
commandos of Indian Navy will be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will
go up from Rs 10500 – Rs 15750 per month to Rs 17300 – Rs 25000 per month.
(viii) Rates of Sea Going Allowance granted to personnel of Indian
Navy will be governed by the R&H Matrix. The 12-hour conditionality for
determining the eligibility of Sea Going Allowance has been reduced to four
hours. The rates will go up from Rs 3000 – Rs 7800 per month to Rs 6000 – Rs
10500 per month.
(ix) Rates of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) Allowance
granted to CRPF personnel deployed in Naxal hit areas will be governed by the
R&H Matrix. The rates will go up from Rs 8400 – Rs 16800 per month to Rs
17300 – Rs 25000 per month.
(x) Rates of Flying Allowance granted to flying branch and
technical officers of Defence Forces will be governed by the R&H Matrix.
The rates will go up from Rs 10500 – Rs 15750 per month to Rs 17300 – Rs 25000
per month. It has been extended mutatis mutandis to BSF Air Wing also.
(xi) Rates of Higher Qualification Incentive for Defence
Personnel have been increased from Rs 9000 – Rs 30000 (Grant) to Rs 10000 – Rs
30000 (Grant).
(xii) Aeronautical Allowance, now paid only to personnel of
Indian Navy, has been extended to Indian Coast Guard. The rate of this
allowance has been increased from Rs 300 per month to Rs 450 per month.
(xiii) Rates of Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineer Allowance will
be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will go up from Rs 1500 / Rs 3000
per month to Rs 4100 / Rs 5300 per month.
(xiv) Rates of Territorial Army Allowance have been increased
from Rs 175 – Rs 450 per month to Rs 1000 – Rs 2000 per month.
(xv) Ceilings of Deputation (Duty) Allowance for Defence
Personnel have been increased from Rs 2000 – Rs 4500 per month to Rs 4500 – Rs
9000 per month.
(xvi) Rates of Detachment Allowance have been increased Rs 165 –
Rs 780 per day to Rs 405 – Rs 1170 per day.
(xvii) Rates of Para Jump Instructor Allowance have been increased
from Rs 2700/3600 per month to Rs 6000 / 10500 per month.
(xviii) Special Incident / Investigation / Security Allowance has
been rationalised. Rates for Special Protection Group (SPG) have been revised
to 55 per cent and 27.5 per cent of Basic Pay for operational and
non-operational duties respectively.
Recommendations
in respect of some important allowances paid to Indian Railways
(i) Rates of Additional Allowance have been increased from Rs
500 / 1000 per month to Rs 1125 / 2250 per month. This has also been extended
to Loco Pilot Goods and Senior Passenger Guards also at Rs 750 per month.
(ii) In view of strenuous nature of the job, new Allowance
namely Special Train Controller’s Allowance of Rs 5000 per month for Train
Controllers of Railways has been introduced.
Recommendations
in respect of some important allowances paid to Nurses & Ministerial Staffs
of Hospital
(i) Existing rate of Nursing Allowance has been increased from
Rs 4800 per month to Rs 7200 per month.
(ii) Rate of Operation Theatre Allowance has been increased from
Rs 360 per month to Rs 540 per month.
(iii) Rates of Hospital Patient Care Allowance / Patient Care
Allowance have been increased from Rs 2070 – Rs 2100 per month to Rs 4100 – Rs
5300 per month. The 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations modified to the
extent that it will be granted to Ministerial staff also.
Recommendations
in respect of some important allowances paid to Pensioners
(i) Rate of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for Pensioners has
been increased from Rs 500 per month to Rs 1000 per month. This will benefit
more than five lakh central government pensioners not availing CGHS facilities.
(ii) The rate of Constant Attendance Allowance granted on
100 per cent disablement has been increased from Rs 4500 per month to Rs 6750
per month.
Allowances
to Scientific Departments
(i) The recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission to
abolish Launch Campaign Allowance and Space Technology Allowance has not been
accepted. In order to incentivize the supporting employees in Space and Atomic
Energy sector, the rate of Launch Campaign and Space Technology Allowance has
been increased from Rs 7500 per annum to Rs 11250 per annum. Professional
Update Allowance for non-gazetted employees of Department of Atomic Energy will
also continue to be paid at the enhanced rate of Rs 11250 per annum.
(ii) The 7th Pay Commission had placed Antarctica Allowance,
paid to the Scientists and other members undertaking the expedition to
Antarctica under the Indian Antarctic programme, in the RH-Max Cell of the
R&H Matrix. The rates of the RH-Max Cell recommended by the 7th Central Pay
Commission were less than the existing rates of Antarctica Allowance which is
currently paid on per day basis.
Considering the specific nature of
these expeditions and to provide an appropriate increase in rates, Government
has decided to keep Antarctica Allowance out of the R&H Matrix and the
allowance will continue to be paid on per day basis as per existing practice.
The Rates of Antarctica Allowance
will go up from Rs1125 per day (Summers) and Rs1688 per day (Winters) to Rs1500
per day (Summers) and Rs2000 per day (Winters).
Allowances
-Department of Posts
The recommendations of 7th Pay
Commission to abolish Cycle Allowance, granted mainly to Postmen and trackmen
in Railways, has not been accepted. Keeping in view the specific requirement of
this allowance for postmen in Department of Posts and trackmen in Railways, the
cycle allowance is retained and the rates have been doubled from Rs 90 per
month to Rs 180 per month.
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