Issues for Consideration of Sixth Central Pay Commission

I have come to know now about this unique and excellent platform called ‘sarkaribaboo.blogspot.com' where govt. employees can share their views. I think this is a very good and unique initiative which should have been taken some years back. But better late than never. My hearty congratulations to the innovator.

Good News is that 6th Pay Commission is expected to submit its report to the Government by the end of this year. The Pay commission has been considering the structure of pay, allowances, pension, death-cum-retirement gratuity, family pension and other terminal or recurring benefits etc. including payment of bonus, introducing Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme in place of the existing ad hoc bonus scheme in various Departments.

If you talk of problems - there are heaps of problems. My learned friend Mr. Sudesh Negi has aptly sketched the pitiable, wretched and pathetic plight of the govt. employees with regard to pay & allowances, medical treatment etc. One can write "Granthas" on the problems of Govt. employees, but I would like to mention a few of them.

There is an utmost urgency for a motivational plan for all the govt. employees which should, inter-alia, include time bound promotions/ financial upgradation/ incentives etc to motivate the employees for better and better performance. Recently, I came to know that in Central Sectt. Stenographer’s Cadre, there are stenographers who, even after putting in 18-20 long years of service as stenographer are still a stenographer. Same is the case with other clerical staff in Central Sectt. Of course, there is ACP - a financial upgradation after completing 12 years of service in a particular scale– but it does not have any motivating effect. ACP is merely an eye wash – as this is just a financial upgradation and is not considered for anything else except financial upgradation. Shouldn’t there be a time bound promotion scheme. Despite working for say about 30-40 years, a Group ‘D’ employee in Govt. of India remains a Group D employee – both in terms of designation and pay & allowances & facilities. The 6th Pay Commission might think it appropriate to consider this important aspect.

I am going to touch upon a forgotton topic – i.e. about the admissibility of House Rent Allowance (HRA) to working couples - who are both in govt. offices. If you have been allotted a Govt. accommodation, both of you would have to forego your HRA irrespective of the fact that you both are entitled for the govt. accommodation. In another probability, if only one of the two is entitled for govt. accommodation and both are in govt offices; even then both the employees have to lose their HRA. To my mind it defies any logic. If both of them have to lose their HRA, they should be entitled either for two accommodations or only one accommodation and should get one persons’ HRA, as is the case with other employees, one of whom is working in govt. office and other in public sector.

The other point is about CGHS facilities being provided to the govt. employees. Why don’t the govt. thinks in terms of Mediclaim sort of an insurance plan for Govt employees and their wards? I think paying a lumpsum amount monthly or annually as medical allowance would not be a bad idea at all as the services of CGHS are not up to the mark.

If you talk of other allowances viz OTA, Conveyance etc. we are still sticking to the “once upon a time” theme. The rate of overtime allowance for govt. employees is only Rs. 12.50 per hour for a long-2 time, which was revised after a long time from Rs. 3.45 per hour. I don’t know when the time will come to revise the rates.

Payment of Transport Allowance (TA) is one of the issues which should be considered by the Pay commission. At present, more TA is given to those who are also entitled for officials cars. Obviously, they should get more TA as per their entitlements, but the lower rung officials should not be overlooked. Is paying just Rs. 100/- as TA to a poorly paid baboo justified?

There are so many issues pertaining to Central government employees, which need to be looked into, but one thing is certain that they are a frustrated lot - Be it medical facilities, TA, OTA, Bonus, salary - everything has a cap/ condition over it. We may hope 6th Pay commission might ease up the position for sarkari baboos.

--Jagdish C. Bist