Granting parity between the Assistants of CSS & Field Offices

To

Dr. T.C.A. Anant,
Secretary,
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation,
New Delhi.

Sub: Granting Parity between analogous posts of Ministerial Staff in the CSS & Field Offices as per the recommendation of 6th Central Pay Commission.

Sir,
It is bring to your kind notice that 6th Central Pay Commission had recommended for granting parity between analogous posts of Ministerial Staff employed in field offices and in the Secretariat till the grade of Assistant. In this respect the Commission observed that: “Higher pay scales in the Secretariat offices may have been justified in the past when formulation of proper policies was not paramount importance. The present position is different. Today, the weakest link in respect of any Government policy is at the delivery stage. This phenomenon is not endemic to India. Internationally also, there is an increasing emphasis on strengthening the delivery lines and decentralization with greater role being assigned at delivery points which actually determines the benefit that the common citizen is going to derive out of any policy initiative of the Government. The field offices are at the cutting edge of administration and may, in most cases, determine whether a particular policy turns out to be a success or a failure in terms of actual benefit to the consumer. Accordingly, the time has come to grant parity between similarly placed personnel employed in field offices and in the Secretariat. This parity will need to be absolute till the grade of Assistant.” And the Government had accepted the recommendation of the Commission in toto.

It is to be mentioned here that the Staff Associations of the Field Organizations under Government of India have been demanding parity between the Assistants in CSS & Field Offices for several years. The Staff Side of the National JCM in its memorandum to the Pay Commission had also demanded parity to the post in Government of India offices as a whole.

But Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) O.M. F. No.1/1/2008-IC dated 13.11.2009 has upgraded the grade pay of the Assistant in CSS to Rs. 4600/ and the same has not been granted to the Assistants posted in field offices. Moreover 1467 posts of UDCs have been upgraded to Assistant grade of CSS by the Government vide DoP&T O.M; No. 19/1/2008-CSI(P) dated 20/7/10 and proposed a further cadre re-structuring of the CSS Ministerial cadres after 3 years of the implementation of the present cadre re-structuring. Whereas parity between the Assistants of CSS & Field Offices and also the cadre re-structuring of the Ministerial Staff of the NSSO Offices of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation have not been considered so far. Thus the long pending dream of parity between the Ministerial Cadres of CSS & Field Offices has been denied to the Ministerial Staff of the Field Offices even after the 6th Pay Commission has given ample justification for the same.

It is therefore requested that considering the facts and figures put forth by the Pay Commission for recommending parity between the Assistants of CSS & Field offices, the grade pay of the Assistants in the Field Offices may be upgraded to Rs. 4600 w.e.f. 1.1.2006 and also the upgradation of the UDC of the Field Offices may be made to Assistant on the line of DOPT OM No. 19/1/2008-CSI (P) dated 20/7/10.

A favorable action on the matter is requested please.

Yours faithfully

(TKR Pillai)
General Secretary

Copy to:
1. The Additional Director General, NSSO (FOD), New Delhi.
2. The Additional Director General, NSSO (DPD), Kolkata.
3. The Additional Director General, NSSO (SDRD), Kolkata.