SHILLONG: The Fifth Pay Commission has recommended Rs 17,400 per month as the minimum salary for the lowest level staff of the Meghalaya government.
According to the 536-page report of the commission, Rs 17,400 will be a “fair and reasonable minimum salary for the lowest level of government service”.
Currently, the minimum basic of a lowest level employee (Grade IV) is Rs 6,500 per month.
“A fitment factor of 2.68 will apply uniformly to all existing pay scales of all levels of State Government employees,” the report said.
The report, while doing away with the existing provision of efficiency bar, stated that “the existing pay scales will be replaced with a new pay matrix for all the existing 22 levels of pay scales”.
“The pay matrix consists of two dimensions. On the one hand it has a ‘horizontal pay range’ in which each level corresponds to a functional role in the hierarchy and is denoted by numbers as 1, 2, 3 and so on till 22,” the report said.
The “vertical range” against each level indicates “pay progression” with pay cells, which provide fixed annual increment at the rate of 3 percent within each level, rounded off to the nearest 100. The starting point of the pay matrix is the minimum pay.
The report prescribed two dates for grant of increment in the revised scales, namely July 1 and January 1 of every year.
“All departments which do not have service rules need to frame, finalise and notify the same within one year from the date of implementation of the recommendations of this Commission,” the report said.
MATI to be professionalised
According to the report, the management of the Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute should be professionalised by employing a professional as director supported by subject-matter professional instructors to achieve the end-objective of providing periodic training to all levels of employees to upgrade their administrative skills and ability to make decisions.
The commission recommended prompt finalisation of the Meghalaya State Employees’ Group Insurance Scheme and its implementation in a time-bound manner, preferably within 2017-2018.
Job for female dependant
“In exceptional cases where it is found that the spouse or dependant of the deceased government employee is not gainfully employed as duly certified by the deputy commissioner, suitable employment may be provided on compassionate grounds by the government to one member of the deceased’s dependant (s), preferably a female dependant keeping in view the cultural traditions and practice of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo population of the state,” the report said.
Advance increments
The panel said the Finance department has to constitute a High Powered Expert Committee to examine and decide fair and equitable norms for grant of advance increments to government employees who attain higher qualification from a recognised institution, either at their own expenses or at government expenses. It will also examine whether such higher qualification is beneficial to the services rendered by the department where the person is employed.
According to the Commission, all departments should revisit, review and restructure the departmental hierarchy of posts in their service rules to ensure that every employee gets at least three regular periodic promotions during their service career.
“To raise the standards of administration and governance, SSLC passed or its equivalent should be notified as the minimum educational level for any Level 2 post in the State,” the panel said. To enable an officer at the level of the Head of Department to effectively contribute to the planning and implementation of Departmental programmes, based on such officers’ vast and life-long service experience, in a worthwhile manner, he or she should have a minimum tenure of not less than one year as per the report.
Modified Career Assurance
The panel also recommended a Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme to act as a safety net to deal with the problem of genuine stagnation and hardship faced by employees due to lack of adequate promotional avenues.
“Every employee will have the scope for at least three non-functional lifts or elevations in terms of job description and pay levels in one’s service career on completion of eight, 16 and 24 years of service, respectively, for all State Government employees drawing pay up to and including the Revised Pay at Level 17 except those belonging to the Organised Group A Services,” the report stated.
Dearness allowance
The existing pattern of dearness allowance to state government employees on a par with the rates of dearness allowances admissible to central government employees may continue and to protect the real income of the employees from inflation, DA should be merged with basic pay as and when the allowance reaches or exceeds 50 per cent, the report said.
Medical allowance
The existing rate of medical allowance at Rs 700 per month for all categories of state government employees and pensioners/family pension holders, including members of the All India Services who opt for it should be revised at Rs 1,400 per month for all categories of employees.
House rent
The house rent allowance will be based on a percentage of pay with reference to the station of work of a state government employee subject to a minimum and a maximum as specified by the Commission. The quantum of the ‘minimum’ and the ‘maximum HRA will be raised when the dearness allowance crosses 25 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively.
Hill allowance
The report said the Hill Compensatory Allowance should be raised to double the existing amount that is from Rs 300 per month to Rs 600 per month for all categories of employees, including members of the All India Services.
Winter allowance
The existing flat rate of winter allowance of Rs 400 per month should be doubled to Rs 800 per month, other conditions remaining the same.
“This allowance be also allowed to a pensioner/family pension holder whose residence is located in a station where the allowance is drawn by the state government employees, on production of residential certificate,” stated the report.
Travelling allowance
The existing structure of permanent travelling allowance payable to government employees (in lieu of all other forms of travelling allowance), whose duties require them to travel extensively, irrespective of whether the employees concerned stay away from the headquarters or not, to continue with certain modifications as specified by the Commission.
“The existing rates of daily allowance be increased by 100% across the board for all categories of government employee,” the report said.
The initial grant for nurses’ uniform allowance should be increased to Rs 5,000 while the subsequent years’ grant should be increased to Rs 2,500 per year.
“The messing allowance be increased to Rs 1,400 per month and a new allowance named nursing allowance be introduced at Rs 2,400 per month,” the report said.
Other allowances
The shift allowance should be raised to Rs 4,000 per month for lecturers of government/deficit colleges and training institution allowance be kept at 10 per cent of the revised basic pay but without any ceiling.
The Commission also stated that overtime allowance for employees of the government press be calculated on the basis of the formula specified by it.
The ration allowance for Armed Branch of Police should be fixed at Rs 1,680 per month and for the Unarmed Branch at Rs 1,320 per month. For Border Wing Home Guards, (up to the rank of Subedar) and the Meghalaya Secretariat Home Guards, same rate as proposed for the Armed Branch of the Police personnel, that is Rs 1,680 per month.
The Kit Allowance for Police should be fixed at Rs 8,000 (non-recurring) as initial grant and thereafter at the rate of Rs 3,000.00 (recurring) every three years.
“The kit maintenance allowance for them be fixed at Rs 200 per month for all gazetted officers and at Rs 100 per month for other ranks. Traffic personnel be allowed to maintain three sets of uniforms and accordingly the kit maintenance allowance for them be raised to Rs 300 per month for gazetted officers and Rs 150 per month for other ranks,” the report said.
For Border Wing Home Guards and Secretariat Duty Guards, the same rate of kit/kit maintenance allowances may be allowed as recommended for the State Police personnel. For Officials and ranks of the Prisons Department the initial grant of kit allowance (non-recurring) be fixed at Rs 8,000 for Superintendent, Rs 4,000 for Jailor/Assistant Jailor and Rs 3,000 for other ranks Rs 3,000.
There are a series of other allowances highlighted in the report of the commission.
