Allowances and Special Facilities for civilian Employees of the Central Government serving in the States and Union Territories of the North-Eastern Region and in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Groups of Islands
F.No.11(2)/97-E.II(B)
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure
New Delhi, Dated July, 22, 1998.
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject:- Allowances and Special Facilities for civilian Employees of the Central Government serving in the States and Union Territories of the North-Eastern Region and in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Groups of Islands – Recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission:
With a view to attracting and retaining competent officers for service in the North-Eastern Region, comprising the territories of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manjpur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Negaland and Tripura, orders were issued in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/3/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983 extending certain allowances and other facilities to the Civilian Central Government employees serving in this region. In terms of paragraph 2 thereof, these orders other than those contained in paragraph 1(iv) ibid, were also to apply mutatis mutandis to the Civilian Central Government employees posted to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. These were further extended to the Central Governemtn employees posted to the Lakshadweep Islands in this Ministry’s O.M. of even number dated March 30, 1984. The allowance and facilities were further liberalised in this Ministry’s O.M. No.20014/16/86/E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1, 1988 and were also extended to the Central Government employees posted to the North Eastern Council when stationed in the North-Eastern Region.
2. The Fifth Cental Pay Commission have made certain recommendations suggesting further improvements in the allowances and facilites admissible to the Central Government employees, including Officers of the All India Services, posted in the North-Eastern Region. They have further recommended that these may also be extended to the Central Government employees, including Officers of the All India Services, posted in the North-Eastern Region. They have furtheer recommended that these may also be extended to the Central Government employees, including Officers of the All India Services, posted in Sikkim. The recommendations of the Commission have been considered by the Government and the President is now pleased to decide as follows:
(i) Tenure of Posting/Deputation
The provision in regard to tenure of posting/deputation contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/3/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983, read with O.M. No. 20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1, 1988, shall continue to be applicable.
(ii) Weightage for Central Deputations/Traning Abroad and Special Mention in Confidential Records The provisions contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/3/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983, read with O.M. No. 20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1, 1988, shall continue to be applicable.
(iii) Special [Duty] Allowance
Central Government Civilian employees having an “All India Transfer Liability” and posted to the specified Territories in the North-Eastern Ragion shall be granted the Special [Duty] Allowance at the rate of 12.5 percent of their basic pay as prescribed in this Ministry’s O.M. No.20014/3/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983, read with O.M. No.20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1, 1988, but witout any ceiling on its quantum. In other words, the ceiling of Rs 1,000 per month currently in force shall no longer be applicable and the condition that the aggregate of the Special [Duty] Allowance plus Special Pay/Deputation (Duty) Allowance, if any, will not exceed Rs 1,000 months shall also be dispensed with. Other terms and conditions governing the grant of this Allowance shall, however, continue to be applicable.
In terms of the orders contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No.20022/2/88-E.II(B) dated May 24, 1989, Central Government Civilian employees having an “All India Transfer Liability” and posted to serve in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Groups of Islands are presently entitled to an Islands Special Allowance at varying rates in lieu of the Special [Duty] Allowance admissible in the North-Eastern Region. This Allowance shall continue to be admissible to the specified category of Central Government employees at the same rates as prescribed for the different specified areas in the O.M. dated may 24, 1989, but without any ceiling on its quantum. This Allowance shall also henceforth be termed as Island Special (Duty) Allwance. Separate orders in regard to this Allowance have been issued in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 12(1)/98-E.II(B) dated July 17, 1998.
Attention is also invited in this connection to the clarificatory orders contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No.11(3)/95-E.II(B) dated January 12, 1996, which shall continue to be applicable not only in respect of the Central Government employees posted to serve in the North-Eastern Region but also to those posted to serve in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Groups of Islands.
(iv) Special Compensatory Allowances
Orders in regard to revision of the rates of various Special compensatory Allowances, such as Remote Locality Allowance, Bad Climate Allowance, Tribal Area Allowance, Composite Hill Compensatory Allowance, etc., which are location-specific, have either been separately issued or are under issue based on te Government decisions on the recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission relating to these allowances. These orders shall apply to the eligible Central Government employees posted in the specified localities in the North-Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands, depending on the area(s) of their posting and subject to the observance of the terms and conditions specified therein. Such of those employees who are entitled to the Special [Duty] Allowance or the Island [Special Duty] Allowance shall also be entitled, in addition, to the Special Compensatory Allowance(s) as admissible to them in terms of these separate orders.
Central Government employess entitled to Special Compensatory Allowances, separate ordres in respect of which are yet to be issued, will continue to draw such allowances at the existing rates with referencce to the notional pay which they would have drawn in the applicable pre-revised scales of pay but for the introduction of the corresponding revised scales till the revised orders are issued on the basis of the recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission and the Government decisions thereon.
(v) Travelling Allowance on First Appointment
The existing concessions as provided in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/4/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983 and further liberlised in O.M. No. 20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1, 1988, shall continue to be applicable.
(vi) Travelling Allowance for Journeys on Transfer; Road Mileage for Transportation of Personal Effects on Trnasfer; Joining Time with Leave
The existing provisions as contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/3/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983 shall continue to be applicable.
(vii) Leave Travel Concession
In terms of the existing provisions as contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No.20014/3/83.E.IV dated December 14, 1983, the following options are available to a government servant who leave his family behind at the old headquarters or another selected place of residence, and who not availed of transfer travelling allowance for the family:
(a) The Government servant can avail of the leave concession for journey to the Home Town once in a block period of two years under the normal Leave Travel Concession Rules;
OR
(b) in lieu thereof, the government servant cab avail of the facility for himself/herself to travel once a year from the station of posting to the Home Town or the place where the family is residing and for the family [restricted only to the spouse and two dependent children of age up to 18 years in respect of sons and up to 24 years in respect of daughters] also to travel once a year to visit the government servant at the station of posting.
These special provision shall continue to be applicable.
In addition, Central Government employees and their families posted in these territories shall be entitled to avail of the Leave Travel Concession, in emergencies, on two additional occasions during their entire service carrer. This shall be termed as “Emergency Passage Concession” and is intended to enable the Central Government employees and/or their families [spouse and two dependent children] to travel eithe to the home town or the station of posting in an emergency. This shall be over and above the normal entitlements of the employees in terms of the O.M. dated December 14, 1983, and the two additional passages under the Emergency Passage concession shall be availed of by the entitled mode and class of travel as admissible under the normal Leave Travel Concession Rules.
Further, in modification of the orders contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1,1988, Officers drawing pay of rs 13,500 and above and their families, i.e. spouse and two dependent children [up to 18 years in respect of sons and up to 24 years in respect of daughters] will be permitted to travel by air on Leave Travel Concession between Agartala/Aizawl/Imphal/Liabari/Silchar in the North East and Calcutta and vice versa; between Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Calcutta/Madras and vice Cersa; and between Kavaratti in the Lakshadweep Islands and conchin and vice versa.
(viii) Children Education Allowance and Hostel Subsidy
The existing provisions as contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/3/83-E.IV dated December 14, 1983 shall continue to be applicable. The rates of Children Education Allowance and Hostel Subsidy having been revised in the Department of Personnel & Traning O.M. NO. 21017/1/97-Estt.(Allowances) dated June 12, 1998, the Allowance and Subsidy shall be payable at the revised monthly rates of Rs 100 and Rs 300 respectively per child.
(ix) Retention of Government Accommodation at the Last Station of Posting
The facility of retention of Government accommodation at the last station of posting by the Central Government employees posted to the specified territories and whose families continue to stay at that station is available in terms of the orders contained in the erstwhile Ministry of works & Housing O.M. No. 12035/24/77-Vol.VI dated February 12, 1984, as amended from time to time. This facility shall continue to be available to the eligible Centra Government employees posted in the North-Eastern Region. Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands. In partial modification of these orders, Licence Fee for the accomodation so retained will be recoverable at the applicable normal rates in cases where the accommodation is below the type to which the employee is entitled to and at one and a half times the applicable normal rates in cases where the entitled type of accommodation has been retained. The facility of retention of Government accommodation at the last station of posting will also be admissible for a period of three years beyond the normal permissible period for retention of Government accommodation prescribed in the Rules.
(x) House Rent Allowance for Employees in Occupation of Hired Private Accommodation
The orders contained in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 11016/1/E.II(B)/84 dated March 29, 1984, and extended in this Ministry’s O.M. No.20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B) dated December 1, 1988, shall continue to be applicable.
(xi) Retention of Telephone Facility at the Last Station of Posting
As provided in this Ministry’s O.M. No. 20014/16/86-E.IV/E.II(B)/84 dated March 29, 1984, Central Government employees who are eligible for residential telephones may be permitted to retain their residential telephone at their last station of posting, provided the rental and all other charges are paid by the concerned employees themeselves.
(xii) Medical Facilities
Families and the eligibel dependents of Central Government employees who stay behind at the previous stations of posting on the employees being posted to te specified territories shall continue to be eligible to avail of CGHS facilities at stations where such facilities are available. Detailed orders in this regard will be issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
3. The President is also pleased to decide that these orders, in so far as they relate to the Central Government employees posted in the North-Eastern Region, shall also be applicable mutaits mutandis to the Civilian Central Government employess, including Officers of the All India Services posted to Sikkim.
4. These orders will take effect from August 1, 1997.
5. In so far as persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department are concerned, these orders issue after consultaion with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
6. Hindi version will follow.
(N.SUNDER RAJAN)
Joint Secretary to the Government of India