Dear friends,
Sixth 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 edge of administration and may, in most cases, determine whether a particular policy turns out to be a success or 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 said recommendation has been accepted by the Government of India.
Sixth 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 edge of administration and may, in most cases, determine whether a particular policy turns out to be a success or 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 said recommendation has been accepted by the Government of India.
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 Assistants grade
of CSS by the Government vide DoP&T O M No. 19/1/2008-CSI(P) dated
20/07/2010 and proposed a further cadre re-structuring of the CSS Ministerial
cadres after 3 years of the implementation of the present cadre re-structuring.
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.
Now All India MES
Clerical Cadre & Group D Employees Association has filed OA No. 2389/2012
before Central Administrative Tribunal Principal Bench against the two
different pay structure for subordinate and Central Secretariat Ministerial
Staff. The court observed that while doing their right for fixation of pay scales,
the employers should ensure that these fixations have been done on the basis of
some rational grounds and the traditional parity reinforced by the
recommendations of the Pay Commission should not be disturbed. The court
further observed that “What is not understood is as to how a higher scale of
pay or grade pay which is justified on the ground of direct recruitment is
extended to the promotees also. If that is justified on the ground that both
direct recruits and promotes are doing the same work and, therefore, differential
can be introduced, then how can it be justified that the same treatment cannot
be given to a cadre which hitherto enjoyed parity with the Assistants/PAs of
CS/AFHQ only on the ground that they are appointed 100% by promotion”.
The court finally directed the concerned Department to constitute
an expert group to consider the representations of the applicants in the light
of the observation made by the court (The full order is posted hereunder).
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