DA hike for Punjab Government employees, pensioners

by Punjabnewswire4u (Balbir)
CHANDIGARH, OCT  13 
   On the personal intervention of the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, the State Finance Department today came out this evening with a bonanza for its employees and pensioners. It hiked the dearness allowance by 10 per cent from July 1, 2010 besides, enhancing the amount  of Conveyance Allowance to PCMS doctors, Local Travelling Allowance-cum-Maintenance Allowance to Group 'D' employees, Rural Area Allowance besides Design Allowance to certain categories of engineering personnel, Kit Maintenance Allowance for police personnel and Training Allowance admissible to the government employees on deputation with training institutes as faculty members, Secretariat allowance, special allowance to chowkidars and conveyance allowance to various categories of employees working in Punjab Civil Secretariat, in pursuance with the implementation of the recommendations of the Fifth Punjab Pay Commission. 
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said that the State Government had announced to increase 10% DA for its employees and pensioners from July 1, 2010. Previously, the DA was 35% of the basic pay which had been increased to 45%. The DA would be paid in cash to the serving employees along with the salary of October payable in November, 2010. The arrears would be credited to their respective GPF accounts. The pensioners would however, receive the entire amount along with the pension received in the month of November. The state exchequer would entail an additional expenditure of Rs. 495 crore annually on account of the revision of DA.
    The spokesman further said that the PCMS doctors would be now entitled for Rs.1800 as Conveyance Allowance for Car and Rs.720 per month for other vehicles for official use w.e.f. 1 st October 2010.   Likewise, the Local Travelling Allowance-Cum-Miscellaneous Allowance admissible to Group "D' employees had been revised from the existing  Rs.75 to Rs.150 per month w.e.f. 1st October, 2010.  This allowance would be admissible to only those employees to whom local travelling allowance at flat rate was not admissible and this enhanced rate of local travelling allowance-cum- miscellaneous allowance was inclusive of the cycle allowance earlier admissible to Group 'D' employees.  The monthly Design Allowance admissible to certain categories of engineering personnel performing design work had also been revised w.e.f. 1st October, 2010, resultantly, the Chief Engineer would now be entitled for Rs.1800, Superintending Engineer Rs. 1400, Executive Engineer Rs. 1000, Sub-Divisional Engineer/Assistant Engineer Rs.800 and Junior Engineer Rs.600 per month.
The spokesperson further said that with the upward revision of monthly Kit Maintenance Allowance for the various categories of police personnel, now the Deputy Superintendent of Police would now get Rs.160, Inspector Rs.120, Assistant Sub Inspector/Sub Inspector Rs.80 and Constable/Head Constable Rs.50 per month w.e.f. 1st October, 2010.   As an incentive, the Finance Department had also revised the Training Allowance admissible to the government employees on deputation with training institutes as Faculty members at the rate of 30% of the revised Basic Pay under the Punjab Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2009.  In a bid to motivate the government staff posted in the  rural areas (i.e. in villages and not in the cities/towns/NACs/Nagar Panchayats), the State Govt. has also decided to revise  the Rural Area Allowance @ 6% of the revised Basic Pay w.e.f. 1st April, 2011. 
    The Finance Department had also revised the monthly secretariat allowance of certain categories of employees and besides the conveyance allowance to Rs. 800 per month for Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, Senior Law Officer, Secretary/Minister, Special Secretary/ Minister, Superintendent Grade-1, Private Secretary and Personal Assistant working in the Punjab Civil Secretariat. This decision would also be applicable to the similar categories of employees working in the offices of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Financial Commissioner Secretariat, Punjab Raj Bhawan, Legal Remembrancer and Punjab Public Service Commission with effect from October 1, 2010. Apart from this, the special allowance admissible to chowkidars had also been revised from Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 per month with effect from October 1, 2010.
In a benevolent gesture towards its employees and pensioners, the State Government also decided to grant the ex-gratia payment at the rate of Rs.1 lac only in case of an employee's death in harness or is permanently disabled and rendered unfit for further service on the uniform basis.  Where death occurs in harness due to causes attributable to service i.e for reasons which are directly or substantially connected with the performance of official duties and was clearly relatable to performance of such duties, the payment of ex-gratia would be equal to 24 times the revised basic pay of the employee on the dates his/her death, with a minimum of Rs.2 lac and Rs.4 lac.  In case the death occurs in performance of duty such as dealing with riots, terrorist attack or enemy action, ex-gratia would be paid @ Rs.10 lac on a uniform basis.   These instructions would come into force retrospectively w.e.f. from January 1, 2006.