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National

Cabinet decision “distorted” in pay scales formulation

Special Correspondent

Fixation tables reflect neither Cabinet decision nor expenditure department resolution: Central service officers

Grant of four additional increments to
IAS and IFS violates existing relativities
Fix responsibility for wilfully manipulating Cabinet decision

NEW DELHI: Resentment is brewing among officers belonging to the Central services, including those from the Indian Police Service, over “distortion” of last month’s Cabinet decision on the Pay Commission report by the government in formulating certain pay scales.

According to the Cabinet decision, the “edge presently granted to Indian Administrative Service and Indian Foreign Service officers at middle level” will continue in the form of two increments in the pay band at the existing three levels.

The resolution of the Department of Expenditure also maintained the same line that the “edge presently according to the IAS and IFS at three grades will continue in the form of two additional increments” but the fixation tables, the officers alleged, reflected the spirit of neither the Cabinet decision nor the resolution.

The gazette notification, relating to the resolution on All-India Services, translated it to mean that two additional increments would be granted at the time of promotion to each of the grades like the Senior Time Scale (STS), Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) and Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG).

“Grade pay corresponding to Rs. 6,600 (STS) and Rs. 7,600 (JAG) belongs to the same pay band in the revised pay structure. Hence, to provide an edge of two increments at the STS and JAG levels, it is sufficient to provide two increments at the time of promotion to the grade of Rs. 6,600 (STS), because this edge carries over in the entire pay band, irrespective of the grade pay. Providing two additional increments at the time of promotion to the grade pay of Rs.7,600 would give IAS an edge of four increments at this level, which is against the decision of the Cabinet,” senior IPS officials argued.

They pointed out that the Cabinet had in principle accepted that the “grade pay will determine seniority of posts only within a cadre’s hierarchy, and not among cadres.” Granting an edge of four additional increments to the IAS and the IFS also violated the existing relativities by granting more pay to IAS Directors than DIGs who were in the supertime scale, they said.

Central service officers, including those from the IPS, have submitted their representation to the Ministry of Personnel, pointing to the errors in the fixation tables and notifications.

These were “too glaring and consistent to be innocent typographical or calculation errors.”

The officers said lower fixation of pay in respect of STS applied not only to the DIG level of the IPS but also to the Conservator of Forests in the IFS, brigadiers, scientific officers grade ‘F’, superintending engineers and other levels by equating them to the NFSG of the IAS.

“There has been no recommendation of the Pay Commission in this regard or decision of the Cabinet.”

Citing an example, the officers said the pre-revised basic pay of Rs.15,100 for all other services was translated to Rs. 47,230 while for the IAS the same pay got revised to Rs. 48,390.

The officers have demanded that the revision of pay rules of All India Services be done strictly in conformity with the Cabinet decisions. Responsibility should be fixed against erring officials for “wilfully manipulating and attempting to misinterpret Cabinet decisions.”

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