The State government has decided not to pay honorarium to serving government employees nominated to various Committees/Boards/Panels/Commissions, as it was noticed several claims for honorariums were being made even though they were attending panel meetings only in official capacities.
Government servants, who were nominated to various panels “by virtue of their official capacity”, were granted an honorarium when the Tamil Nadu Fundamental Rules 46 (b) clearly provided for granting honorarium to them as remuneration for work performed, which was “occasional or intermittent in character and either so laborious or of such special merit” as to justify a special reward, a G.O. issued in this regard on July 8 stated. The practice is not in consonance with the provisions of fundamental rules, it pointed out.
“In view of the FR 46(b) and the financial crisis arising out of COVID-19, honorarium should not be paid to serving government employees nominated to various Committees/Boards/Panels/Commissions, etc.,” it stated.
The payment of honorarium already made need not be recovered wherever it was paid under a valid G.O., it added. When contacted, a senior official told The Hindu , “It is not part of the austerity measures but more of a matter of propriety.”
A serving official, who was part of a search committee along with a retired High Court judge and other retired officials claimed honorarium and it was granted by mistake.
“Citing that case, several officers, who were part of various panels have been claiming honorariums, even though the rules clearly allowed honorarium were to be paid only for specific expertise, in case of serving officers and not for those in official capacities,” he said. Such honorariums being paid to serving officers were running into a few lakhs of rupees, he said.
