LETTER TO THE HON'BLE PRIME MINISTER

1/GS/2010 dated 16/04/10
To
The Hon’ble Prime Minister,
Government of India,
New Delhi

Sub: Upgradation of grade pay of LDC & UDC in the Administrative branch of Government of India Offices.

Respected Sir,

With due respect it is to bring to your kind notice that the Sixth Pay Commission has not recommended vertical relativity in the pay scale/grade pay of the LDC & UDC of the Administrative offices compared to their lower cadres. The Government while implementing the report has ignored this aspect which ultimately caused to put these dynamic young cadres in great distress. When the matter was taken up with the higher office of our Ministry we have been told that LDC and UDC are common cadres in the Government of India Offices and therefore any change in the pay scale at this level in a particular department alone is not possible.

Lower Division Clerks in the Central Government Office are appointed through Staff Selection Commission by conducting highly competitive examination. The minimum required academic qualification for the post is now is 12th Standard. Majority of the persons selected for the post are graduates and even post graduates and qualified to handle any kind of assignment including computer.

As per DoPT Manual the work allotment for the post of LDC in the Government of India Offices are maintenance of inward-outward registers, copying, preparation of arrear statement, typing of letters, filing etc and accordingly the pay scale for the post has been decided by the successive pay commissions. Since practically the work allotted/done by them-qualitatively and quantitatively- are many fold higher than the prescribed allotment, the pay scale granted to them on the lines of DoPT manual was not sufficient and as such several of the major Department viz. Income Tax, Central Excise, etc. has upgraded these posts to the pre-revised scale of 4000-6000/4500-7000 in the nomenclatures to suit the concerned Department through restructuring etc.

Moreover, the job profile of the post of LDC has undergone significant changes after introduction of modernization in Government offices. Now, computers have taken the place of typewriters. As a result LDC & UDC have been trained to work in various computer applications viz. Word Processor, M.S. Excel etc without granting the minimum pay scale prescribed for doing work in computers. Moreover, they are also engaged in day-to-day work using the various software viz. pay bill software, income tax software, uploading of details of officials covered under New Pension Scheme etc.
The offices of the Ministry of Statistics, especially its field offices are functioning smoothly virtually due to the fact that LDCs & UDCs are shouldering heavy responsibilities. Here LDCs have been allotted major section. Similar is the position of other subordinate offices especially the smaller offices and even then the Pay Commission has not considered adequate pay for the work done by them. This has affected desperately to the enthusiasm of this young and talented cadre in the Government offices.

These facts were well aware to the Government while implementing 6th Pay Commission report/MACP and yet any action to improve the grade pay of the LDC & UDC has not taken. Mean while the pay scale/grade pay of the erstwhile group D has been increased many fold by granting 3 ACP by ignoring the promotions/ACP granted to them in the pre-revised pay scale which awarded them double benefit. As a result they got a very upper hand over the pay structure of the LDC/UDC. Similarly, the posts holding the pre-revised pay scale 5000 have been granted 3 fresh ACP under MACP by ignoring promotions and ACP given in the past. While welcoming this decision, we are compelled to put up the demand to increase the grade pay of the LDC/UDC on the following reasons:

1. Lower Division Clerks in the Central Government Office have been appointed through Staff Selection Commission by conducting highly competitive examination.

2. Major Departments have upgraded the post by granting 4000-6000/4500-7000 pre-revised pay scale through cadre restructuring.

3. The pay band of Group D, LDC & UDC are same. The status of one particular post in the Sixth Pay Commission is considered by grade pay. The grade pay of LDC is Rs. 1900/ whereas a group D getting MACP will be placed in a grade pay of Rs. 2400/. This is highly demoralizing.

4. In the subordinate offices viz NSSO, LDCs have been allotted major sections/work viz. Establishment, Accounts, Budget, Income Tax, Store etc., worth to do by Assistant and Office Superintendents(grade pay 4200) with the responsibility of noting & drafting of the respective seats. (Please see work allotment to the LDCs by some Regional Offices of NSSO in Annexure I to IV). Moreover, several of the Ministerial Cadres in the offices of Government of India especially in the smaller offices are lying vacant, the duties and responsibilities of the such posts has to be forcibly shares by the staff on roll in public interest which ultimately falls on the shoulders of LDCs/UDCs.

5. The LDC/ UDC in the Central Government offices especially in the smaller office are highly trained to handle computers, the offices who got trained them to handle the computers have not bothered to recommend the upgradation of their scale/grade pay at-least to the minimum of the EDP staff. The working of the EDP staff and LDC are different. The EDP has only to enter the data given to them into a specific programme where as the LDC has to create data/letters in connection with sections allotted to them and type(including typing it by creating minor programmes in the MS Excel etc) it in various software applications.

6. A comparative study of the duties and pay scale granted to group D and LDC during 5th & 6th Pay Commissions are given below:

(i) COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE SCALES DURING 5TH PAY COMMISSION

Group D

Educational Qualification : 8th Standard
Mode of Selection : By local offices from the list of candidates supplied by the EE
Duties prescribed : To carry messages, papers, registers, files, circulars, letters etc. from
one place to another inside office or outside. To affix stamp on
letters/parcel. Assist Dispatch clerk. To attend officers etc in connection
with their official duties
Pay Scales group D post entry level and their promotion posts:
S-1 2550-3200
S-2 2610-3540
S-3 2650-4000
S-4 2750-4400

ACP
1st. 2610-3540
2nd 2750-4400

LDC

Educational Qualification : Matriculation or equivalent with typing speed 40 wpm/ Knowledge
of operating computers
Mode of Selection : By highly qualified examinations conducted by the Staff Selection
Commission.
Duties prescribed : Doing the work of various sections of Administrative branches of the
Office, operation of computer, noting/drafting on the matters of the
section dealt. Doing Accounts work, Income Tax, Budget work etc. And
all the work assigned by the officer from time to time.

Pay scale of LDC & Promotion posts

S-5 LDC 3050-4590
S-7 UDC 4000-6000
S-9 Assistant 5000-8000
S-10 Office Superintendent 5500-9000
S-11 AAO 6500-10500

ACP
1st 4000-6000
2nd 5000-8000

(ii) COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE SCALES/GRADE PAY DURING 6TH PAY COMMISSION

Group D

Educational Qualification : 8th Standard plus group C training
Mode of Selection : By local offices from the list of candidates supplied by the EE(No
fresh appointment)
Duties prescribed : Duties not prescribed as yet. Thus continuing the duties done by
them so far.
Pay Scales/Grade Pay:Rs. 5200-20200 Grade Pay 1800

ACP
1st. 5200-20200 Grade Pay 1900
2nd 5200-20200 Grade Pay 2000
3rd 5200-20200 Grade Pay 2400

LDC

Educational Qualification : 12th Standard with typing speed 40 wpm/ Knowledge of operating
computers
Mode of Selection: By highly qualified examinations conducted by the Staff Selection
Commission.
Duties prescribed : Doing the work of various sections of Administrative branches of the
Office, operation of computer, noting/drafting on the matters of the
section dealt. Doing Accounts work, Income Tax, Budget work etc.
And all the work assigned by the officer from time to time.

Pay scale of LDC & Promotions posts

Rs. 5200-20200 Grade Pay 1900
Rs. 5200-20200 Grade pay 2400
Rs. 9300-34800 Grade pay 4200
Rs. 9300-34800 Grade Pay 4600

ACP
1st 5200-20200 Grade Pay 2000
2nd 5200-20200 Grade Pay 2400
3rd 5200-20200 Grade Pay 2800

This is evident that the position of LDC& UDC in the Government of India Offices has gone down in the Sixth Pay Commission. A group D(now group C with out work assignment) official with comparatively less qualification and work norms is getting more benefit than an LDC, in comparison to the 5th Pay Commission pay scales, who is basically responsible for the smooth running of the offices.

During the 5th Pay Commission, pay scale S-1 to S-4 were granted to the group D posts and pay scale S-5 was granted to LDC i.e. one step above than the Group D posts. In the 6th Pay Commission the pay band of group D, LDC & UDC are same and Grade pay of LDC is 1900/ and that of group D through MACP is 2400/. Thus the pre-revised pay scale of LDC & UDC may be merged for granting Rs. 2800/ grade pay, which is the immediate higher grade pay of Rs. 2400/ granted as 3rd ACP to erstwhile group D staff.In order to remove this anomalous situation it is our fervent appeal that kindly issue necessary instructions to revive the grade pay of the LDC & UDC of the Government of India Offices.

Yours faithfully

(TKR Pillai)
General Secretary