7th Pay Commission allowances – Common allowances to be examined separately

7th Pay Commission allowances – Common allowances to be examined separately

Govt has formed a committee to examine the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission relating to all 196 allowances. Here is an analysis on why Common allowances should not be clubbed with other allowances

7th Pay Commission Allowances – Clubbing of examination of Common Allowances such as House Rent Allowance, Dearness Allowance, Children Education Allowance, Transport Allowance etc with lesser known and paid to few only allowances would cause more delay

7th Pay Commission Allowances – It may be recalled that 7th Pay Commission abolished as many as 51 allowances after examining 196 existing Allowances and also subsumed 37 Allowances.

As a result of such major change in 7th Pay Commission Allowances, Cabinet has decided that recommendations in respect of all the allowances are to be examined by a Committee headed by Finance Secretary.

What are those 196 allowances ?

Now, let us have a look at the a summary of recommendations in respect of all 196 allowances which have been taken for examination by 7th Pay Commission.

It could be seen that excepting certain common allowances that are granted to all Central Government Employees such as Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowances, Transport Allowance, Children Education Allowance, Tour Travelling Allowance, etc, many of the allowances are payable only to very few employees on the basis of nature of work, qualification, risk involved, place of work etc.

So, those common allowances could be examined separately without causing delay in revision and payment of these allowances.

It is of the opinion all benefiting employees out of implementation of 7th Pay Commission that clubbing these common allowances with other cadre specific allowances, examination of which involve considerable technical study. Hence it would result in more delay in taking decision on Common allowances as well by Govt.

Ultimately, it would result in considerable monetory loss to Central Government Employees as revision in allowances are paid on prospective basis only.

In fact, 7th Pay Commission itself has categorised these 196 allowances under 15 categories.

Sl No.	Category	No. of Allowances
1	Allowances payable for Additional/Extra Duty	14
2	Allowances related to Knowledge Updates	3
4	Allowances related to Working on Holidays	3
5	Allowances related to Housing	7
6	Allowances related to Good Service	4
8	Allowances related to Risk and Hardship	51
9	Allowances for Running Staff of Indian Railways	13
10	Allowances related to Sports	2
11	Sumptuary Allowances	5
12	Allowances related to Training	2
13	Allowances related to Travel	13
14	Allowances related to Uniform	9
15	Other Allowances	52
	Total:	196

It is found that all the common allowances viz., Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, Transport Allowance, Tour Travelling Allowance and Children Education Allowance, fall under 3 categories only out of 15 categories of Allowances discussed in detail by 7th Pay Commission.

Those categories are

1. Allowances related to Housing,
2. Allowances related to Travel and
3. Other Allowances

Even if allowances under these 3 categories are given priority in examination, all the main allowances could be examined by the Committee formed by the Govt well in prior, so that there will not be more delay for revision of Common Allowances.

We hope all Staff Unions and associations would take this aspect in to consideration to get the revision of common allowances as early as possible.

Travelling Allowance on training period while on Probation

DoPT clarifies that no Travelling Allowance may be allowed to the probationers for the onward journey for joining the training institute and while they are taken to outstation for training activity

DoPT OM on Admissibility of Travelling Allowance (TA) and other expenditure incurred while on training by the Government Servants on probation

Department of Personnel and Training has issued an OM regarding Admissibility of Travelling Allowance (TA).

No.T-25014/1/2016-TRG(ISTM Section)

Government of India
Ministry Of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training
(Training Division)

 Old JNU Campus, Block IV,
New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi – 110 067
Dated: 21st January, 2016

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Admissibility of Travelling Allowance (TA) and other expenditure incurred while on training by the Government Servants on probation.

Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM) is conducting Foundation Training Course of newly recruited Assistant Section Officers (DR) and Stenographers (DR). ISTM has received number of references from various Ministries and Departments, requesting for clarification, whether the expenditure incurred by trainee Assistants, now re-designated as Assistant Section Officers, for their boarding, lodging etc. while undergoing Foundation Training, under the aegis of ISTM can be reimbursed to them. Representations have also been received from Assistant Section Officers, through their administrative Ministries in this regard.

2. The matter has been examined in consultation with the IFD(MHA) with reference to the Supplementary Rules 164 and instructions issued by the Government from time to time under the aforesaid Rules, which govern claims of Travelling Allowances while on training by probationers. The rule position is clarified as under:-

    (i) No Travelling Allowance may be allowed for the onward journey for joining the training institute;

    (ii) No Travelling Allowance may be allowed to the probationers while they are taken for outstation for training activity;

    (iii) Probationers have to pay boarding /lodging /transport charges, if any, from their pocket.

    (iv) No daily allowance may be admissible.

    (v) One side TA may be allowed to the participants while reporting for duty in the allocated Ministry/Department on completion of the Training Programme from an outstation Institute, which are located at Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Shimla and Jaipur, where such training is being conducted by ISTM at present, or any other State Training Institute, which may be identified later, outside NCR.

3. All Ministries/Departments of Government of India are, therefore, advised to decide the claims made by Assistant Section Offices in respect of reimbursement of expenditure by them for boarding/lodging and other transport charges during the period of their Foundation Training conducted by ISTM, in accordance with the provisions contained at para (2) of this O.M. In case, any reimbursement has already been made, the same may be recovered immediately.

4. This issues with the concurrence with the IFD(MHA), vide their Dy. No. 299/Fin.II/15, dated 31.12.2015.

(O.P.Chawla)
Under Secretary to the Government of India

Download DoPT OM No.T-25014/1/2016-TRG(ISTM Section) dated 21.01.2016