7th Pay Commission Recommendations Risk and Hardship Matrix and Salient Features
The construct of the Risk and Hardship Matrix, proposed above, is a new paradigm intended to rationalize the myriad allowances, their categories and sub-categories that exist today. It would make the administration of these allowances simple and provide a framework for the government for future inclusion of any new allowance, which can be placed in the appropriate cell depending upon the severity of the risk and hardship involved.
Salient Features of Risk and Hardship Matrix
The salient features of the matrix are given below:
- The matrix is divided into 9 cells, based on Low, Medium and High risk juxtaposed with Low, Medium and High hardship. One extra cell has been added to the top: RH-Max to include Siachen Allowance. The Commission is of the view that the combination of risk/hardship in Siachen area is the maximum that any government employee faces. Hence, this cell is meant to serve as the ceiling for risk/hardship allowances and the amount of no individual RHA should be more than this allowance.
- The rates in each cell are in the nature of Rupees per month (₹ pm). The rates will increase further by 25 percent each time DA rises by 50 percent.
- Equal weightage has been given to Risk and Hardship. Hence, rates in cell R1H2 are similar to those in cell R2H1. Similarly, rates in cell R1H3 are identical to cell R3H1 and rates of cell R2H3 are at par with cell R3H2. The matrix is, therefore, symmetrical.
- Since the severity of Risk/Hardship decreases as we move from left to right or top to bottom, the rates of allowance follow the same path.
- Various allowances, currently payable, have been subsumed in different cells of the matrix. While the allowances shall maintain their names and conditions attached with their admissibility (unless otherwise stated), they will be paid as per the rate of the cell under which they have been placed.
- It should be clearly understood that this matrix only aims to compensate for risk and hardship involved in jobs/work environments. It does not determine the status in any way.
- The grouping of allowances in different cells is based on (a) present rates, (b) representations received, and (c) firsthand experience of the Commission during visits to various places.
Cell Name: RH-Max
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹31,500 pm
Level <=8: ₹21,000 pm
- As mentioned earlier, this is taken as the ceiling for RHA, i.e., no government employee faces more Risk/Hardship in his work than our Defence officers and jawans posted in Siachen Glacier. Hence, no RHA can have a value higher than this allowance.
- The cell subsumes two allowances: Siachen Allowance and Antarctica Allowance.
- The rate in this cell has been worked out by multiplying the existing Siachen Allowance by a factor of 1.5.
Cell Name: R1H1
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹25,000 pm
Level <=8: ₹17,300 pm
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: Flying Allowance, MARCOS and Chariot Allowance, Special Forces Allowance, Submarine Allowance, COBRA Allowance, High Altitude Allowance-CAT III.
- The rates have been arrived at by averaging the existing rates of Flying Allowance above and below GP 5400 (PB-3) and then applying a factor of 1.5. For e.g. for GP>=5400, the average of ₹15,750, ₹21,000, ₹16,500 and ₹13,500 comes to ₹16,688 With a factor of 1.5, the rate becomes ₹25032 pm (which has been rounded off). Similarly exercise has been done for GP<5400 also. The methodology adopted will have the intended consequence of benefitting the junior officers and ranks more compared to higher officers and ranks. For e.g. the allowance for a Sepoy will go up from ₹10,500 to ₹17,300 pm, while it would have been only ₹15,750 if a simple factor of 1.5 was applied to his rate of allowance.
- There is an existing parity between Flying Allowance, MARCOS and Chariot Allowance, Special Forces Allowance and Submarine Allowance. This parity has been kept intact.
- COBRA allowance, which is currently 80 percent of MARCOS and Chariot Allowance has been brought at par with MARCOS and Chariot Allowance. This is a conscious decision in view of the threat of Left Wing Extremism and a strong demand for parity in this regard.
- Flying Allowance, covered in this cell, should be extended mutatis mutandis to personnel of BSF Air Wing also and their present system of paying flying allowance on an hourly basis should be done away with.
Cell Name: R1H2
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹16,900 pm
Level <=8: ₹9,700 pm
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: Highly Active Field Area Allowance, CI Ops Allowance in Field Areas
- As was done in the case of Cell R1H1, the rates have been arrived at by averaging the existing rates of Highly Active Field Area Allowance above and below GP 5400 and then applying a factor of 1.5.
- Presently CI Ops Allowance in Field Areas is 93 percent of Highly Active Field Area Allowance. This percentage has now been raised to 100 percent. This is again done having regard to the importance of Counter Insurgency Operations in view of the threat of Left Wing Extremism.
- CI Ops Allowance in Modified Field Areas is presently 77 percent of CI Ops Allowance in Field Areas. It is recommended that this percentage be retained.
Cell Name: R1H3
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹5,300 pm
Level <=8: ₹4,100 pm
- This rate is equal to the rate of Cell R3H1 since equal weightage has been assigned to risk and hardship.
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: Hospital Patient Care Allowance (HPCA), Patient Care Allowance (PCA), Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineer Allowance.
- The Commission notes that HPCA and PCA are admissible to ministerial staff as well on the premise that the entire hospital area carries the risk of communicable diseases. This practice should be stopped and HPCA/PCA should be admissible to only those employees who come in continuous and routine contact with the patients.
Cell Name: R2H1
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹16,900 pm
Level <=8: ₹9,700 pm
- The rate is the same as in Cell R1H2.
- This cell that does not subsume any existing allowance.
Cell Name: R2H2
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹10,500 pm
Level <=8: ₹6,000 pm
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: Field Area Allowance, CI Ops Allowance in Peace Areas, Sea Going Allowance, Para Jump Instructor Allowance, Free Fall Jump Instructor Allowance, Para Allowance.
- The rates have been arrived at by averaging the existing rates of Field Area Allowance above and below GP 5400 and then applying a factor of 1.5.
- Modified Field Area Allowance, which is currently at the level of 40 percent of Field Area Allowance, will now be paid at 60 percent of Field Area Allowance, or 60 percent of the rate of this cell. There is a strong demand from CAPFs that the classification of Field Areas into Highly Active, Field or Modified, which is presently done by Ministry of Defence, should be done jointly by Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs for places where CAPFs are deployed. The Commission finds the demand reasonable after taking into account the first-hand experience during its visits at various places. Hence, it is recommended that a joint committee of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence should revisit the present classification of places, and future categorizations should also be done as a joint exercise for places where CAPFs are posted.
- Border Out Posts (BOPs) should be treated as Field Area for the purposes of Risk and Hardship Allowance. Moreover, allowance at air-maintained BOPs that require a foot march of five days or more should be enhanced by further 25 percent.
- The existing parity between the rates of Field Area Allowance, CI Ops Allowance in Peace Areas and Sea Going Allowance has been maintained.
- Prior to VI CPC recommendations, Para Jump Instructor Allowance, Free Fall Jump Instructor Allowance and Para Allowance used to be 30-40 percent of Special Forces Allowance. Post VI CPC recommendations; the government increased Special Forces Allowance but left the other allowances untouched. Due to this the percentage was reduced from 30-40 percent to about 8-10 percent, which has caused resentment especially because the personnel drawing these allowances are drawn from the same regiment, viz., the Para regiment. The traditional relationship has been restored now. Para Reserve allowance will continue to be one-fourth of the rate of Para Allowance.
- The personnel of National Disaster Response Force should be paid a Risk and Hardship Allowance as per the rates of this cell for the period for which they are deployed in disaster or disaster like situations.
- Taking into account the fact that there is a length of time taken in preparation of a seavessel sailing out, the 12- hour conditionality should be reduced to 4 hours for Sea Going Allowance.
- Regarding Highly Active Field Area Allowance, Field Area Allowance and Modified Field Area Allowance, there is currently a conditionality that if an employee posted in such areas proceeds on leave for more than fifteen days, the payment of these allowances is stopped. This ceiling should be raised from fifteen days to thirty days.
Cell Name: R2H3
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹3,400 pm
Level <=8: ₹2,700 pm
- The cell does not subsume any of the allowances currently paid.
- The rate is the same as for Cell R3H2.
- An RHA based on the rates of this allowance should be granted to the firefighting staff in the Central Government.
Cell Name: R3H1
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹5,300 pm
Level <=8: ₹4,100 pm
- Rate is derived by taking the average of SCRLA-Part A and Part B and then applying the factor of 1.5.
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: High Altitude Allowance-CAT II, Tough Location Allowance-I, Boiler Watch Keeping Allowance, Submarine Duty Allowance.
- Submarine Duty Allowance shall be payable on pro-rata basis
Cell Name: R3H2
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹3,400 pm
Level <=8: ₹2,700 pm
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: High Altitude Allowance-CAT I, Tough Location Allowance–II, Project Allowance, Compensatory (Construction or Survey) Allowance, and Hydrographic Survey Allowance (except non-surveyors).
- The rate has been arrived at by applying the factor of 1.5 to the rates of Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance–Part C.
- Track Maintainers–I, II, III and IV of Indian Railways should be granted a RHA based on the rates of this cell, in view of the hardship faced by these categories of employees.
Cell Name: R3H3
- Rate recommended:
Level >=9: ₹1,200 pm
Level <=8: ₹1,000 pm
- The cell subsumes the following allowances: Tough Location Allowance–III, Cooking Allowance, Hardlying Money (Full Rate), Health and Malaria Allowance, Special LC Gate Allowance, Submarine Technical Allowance, Hydrographic Survey Allowance (for non-surveyors)
- The rate is calculated by applying the factor of 1.5 to the existing rate of Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance–Part D followed by slight increase on the consideration that the minimum rate of RHA should be ₹1,000 pm.
- Hardlying Money Allowance (Half Rate) will be half the rate in this Cell.
- Submarine Technical Allowance should be extended to Master Chief Artificier/Mechanicians