It’s bizarre. You can calculate your pay hike even before 7th Pay Commission submits its report

Under Construction? A work in progress in 7th CPC

SOUNDS odd, but random internet sites have placed calculators to give you a fair idea of what could be your salary hike post 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations, even as the union cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod for the extension of the Pay Commission’s terms by four months, i.e. up to December 31, 2015. So, the question is how can you know your new salary when the 7th CPC is yet to finish writing its reports? BoI finds out this simple formula. In fact, if you…

Give us the same salary, promotion and perks as IAS: Central Secretariat Service to Government

AS THE 7th Central Pay Commission which will make recommendations on pay hike of Central government employees and pensioners, is finalizing its reports, one of the relatively non-influential Group “A” services---Central Secretariat Service (CSS) is now demanding parity in salary, promotion and perks with IAS. Under the current structure, CSS cadre officers, numbering 2,200 usually work under…

7th Pay Commission: Should other Central services officers get an IAS salary?

THE IPS, IRS, IRTS and other Central service officers may step up their demands of getting equal pay with that of an IAS or IFS officer, as the 7th Pay Commission is now examining a pay revision that may come into effect from April 1, 2016. Satya Prasant P, an Indian Revenue Service officer who had earlier voiced his concerns about the IAS hegemony, has in his personal blog made a strong pitch for equal salary for officers belonging to all services, appealing the 7th Pay Commission to end the existing distortion. Let’s first see how much more an IAS officer gets than that of officers belonging to other services:

Central government employees to get free courses from IGNOU

THE Central government employees who received two continuous installments of 6^th Pay Commission arrears in pre-festive seasons of the last two consecutive years, are bestowed with yet another bonanza this time round. The only difference however is that the blessings this time have come not from Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, but from Saraswati, the goddess of education.
The department of personnel and training (DoPT) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on Tuesday signed an MoU for offering distance and e-learning programmes to government employees. The government employees can now enroll for a wide spectrum of programmes offered by IGNOU and get their fees reimbursed on successfully completing the programmes. The MoU was signed in the presence of Secretary DoPT, Shantnu Consul and IGNOU Vice Chancellor , Prof. VN Rajasekharan Pillai (See Picture Above).

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the proposal of the ministry of environment and forests for extension of inter-cadre deputation of Sewa Sinh, a 1992 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IFS from Tamil Nadu to Punjab cadre for a further period of two years beyond July 31, 2010.

b) The ACC has approved the appointment of Ms P Gopinath, a 1977 batch IPos, as Member Secretary, Tariff Commission, DIPP.

c) Atulya Misra, a 1988 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS has been appointed as chairman, Chennai Port Trust, for a period of five years.

5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats

Watch out this space to find out who are 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Most Powerful Bureaucrats in India, according to BoI (babusofindia.com) list of 5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats. KM Chandrasekhar and TKA Nair have clinched the first two ranks.

Brand babu: Change the meaning forever…

IF all-powerful Indian bureaucrats feel that they will someday be able to wipe out the word babu, which still carries a negative connotation thanks to the colonial baggage, it’s just impossible. It’s a small and sweet-sounding word which people would continue to use and hear in lieu of the tongue twister “bureaucrat” or more official type “civil servant”. Though most civil servants blame media, and probably rightly so, for corrupting the word babu to make it synonymous with comfort and laziness, it’s a fact that media will continue to use it for humour and space. It’s space because “bureaucrat” is a lousy word for a headline, and “civil servant” is too big to fit into a space which demands large font-size! Mind you, the word “bureaucracy” is no longer a positive word, and it won’t take much time for the media to belittle the word “civil servants” either. Before I air my views, let’s first see how popular dictionaries are interpreting the word. In dictionary.com which is considered to be the Bible for tech savvy netizens looking for word meanings, here are the meanings for babu: a) Hindu title of address equivalent to Sir, Mr., or Esquire. b) A Hindu gentleman. c) A native Indian clerk who writes English. d) Usually Disparaging. Any native Indian having only a limited knowledge of English. Will you agree with this set of meanings for babu? I don’t. Let’s now read what Wikipedia, which is the most respected free encyclopedia used by net users across the world, has to say. It says, “In British India, ‘babu’ was a term used to describe a native Indian clerk. The word was originally used as a term of respect attached to a proper name, the equivalent of ‘mister’, and ‘babuji’ was used in many parts to mean ‘sir’; but when used alone without the suffix, it was a derogatory word signifying a semi-literate native, with a mere veneer of modern education. In the early 20th century the term babu was frequently used to refer to bureaucrats and other government officials, especially by the Indian media; in this sense the word hints at corrupt or lazy work practices. It can also mean the pimp or client of a sex worker. The term babu has thus fallen out of favour in polite society, since it may be taken as an insult.” I strongly feel that Indian bureaucrats should engage in a brand-building exercise to convert “babu” into a neutral word if not bringing it straight into the positive zone. First, the connotation of the word will automatically change if administrative reforms are being carried out from time to time. I feel many Indian bureaucrats are very hard working and disciplined and there are cases where they have proved to be better managers than India Inc’s top ranking CEOs. I personally know many bureaucrats who are not only the products of top Indian B-schools, but have the quality of the best managers of the country. Here is my big dilemma: If a St Stephens pass-out or an IIM guy joins Infosys or HSBC, he earns respects and reputation, forget his fat salary for a moment. But how can the same person turn into a lazy babu if he cracks the UPSC exam to join as an IAS? That’s the irony which administrative reformers need to look at very carefully. The 6th Pay Commission has introduced, though symbolically, a performance incentive for those who are better than the rest. I feel it’s the high time healthy competition should be encouraged within the government. The time-bound promotion needs to be weeded out if the government wants its schemes to be successful, and more significantly, if India aspires to be a truly developed nation by 2020. Also, why not encourage entry of professionals into the bureaucratic set-up at mid-career level? If Nandan Nilekani can join the government, or Cornell professor Kaushik Basu taking up a full-time job in North Block sacrificing his high salary, there would be many mid-career professionals with rich experiences in their own domain, won’t mind taking a joining bureaucracy and becoming babus? Let’s induct professionals at the joint secretary level and make them the mission heads of various programmes across the country. Yes, babu remains in your mind-space. Let’s change its meaning forever. If you spot a smart bureaucrat call him a smart babu, if he is lazy call him a lazy babu. And those who are smart, dedicated and yet powerful, babu blogger loves to call them, babuz --- both for singular and plural. babu survives, and maybe for a better tomorrow…

THREE CHEERS: 5% increase in DA, second installment of Pay Commission arrear & concession in housing projects…

IN A good gesture for the government employees ahead of the festive season, the Indian Cabinet on Thursday decided to release an additional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to all Central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July 1, 2009. This along with the approval of 1% interest subvention on housing loans up to Rs 10 lakh at a time when government employees are getting their 60% arrear of the 6th Pay Commission, may be seen as huge positives for Central government employees. There are about 5 million employees working with various Central government ministries or departments. In fact, the enhanced installment of DA, which represents an increase of 5% over the existing rate of 22% of the basic Pay, is meant for compensating price rise. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission, a government release said. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be about Rs 4355.35 crore in a full year and Rs 2903.55 crore for a period of 8 months from July, 2009 to February, 2010. So far as the housing incentive approved by the Cabinet on Thursday is concerned, it’s meant for all citizens but it could benefit government employees in particular as many realty developers building sub-Rs 20 lakh houses are aggressively wooing government employees and are also doling out special rebate for them ahead of the second installment of the Pay Commission arrear. In fact, interest subvention of 1% will be made available on individual housing loans upto Rs 10 lakh for construction or purchase of a new house or extension of an existing house provided the cost of the construction or price of the new house/extension does not exceed Rs 20 lakh. Inter-ministry Kabaddi tournament The inter-ministry Kabaddi tournament for 2009-2010 is scheduled to be held on October 13 & 14, 2009 at Brassey Avenue Sports Complex, New Delhi. If you feel you can bet for it, you may send your entry in the prescribed proforma duly signed by the welfare officer of the concerned ministry to the office of CCSCSB, Room No 361, B Wing, 3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi along with an entry fee of Rs 50.

Japanese bureaucrats may no longer be able to practise age-old Amakudari; what’s about Indian retired babus?

WITH anti-bureaucrats party Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) registering a landslide victory in the recent Parliamentary polls in the world’s second largest economic power, senior civil servants in Japan are now in a state of nervousness. The DPJ, which has openly declared that it would bring in more elected representatives to fill up top bureaucratic posts, may end the practice of Amakudari, meaning “descent from heaven” under which Japanese senior bureaucrats take up high-profile positions in the private and public sectors after retirement. The practice is increasingly viewed as corrupt as former officials might have given preferential treatment to their would-be employers in securing key government contracts. The practice, which in a diluted form is practised in various countries including in India, is believed to have helped bringing in government expertise to private entities. But thanks to a number of corruption scandals surfaced in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enacted new rules to eradicate amakudari in 2007, but his reforms were termed by critics as toothless. Now DPJ is determined to end this practice. In India too, retired bureaucrats who have worked in ministries such as finance, industry, power and railways are in high demand for taking up plum private sector posts. They have to wait sometime as government regulations don’t allow any retired civil servant taking up a private job within one year of retirement. However, special permissions can be granted if it’s proved that the concerned officer has not handled any file related to his would-be employer during the last three years prior to retirement. The most high profile case of Amakudari in India is that of former finance secretary Ashok Jha who took special permission last year to join as Hyundai India president with a monthly remuneration of about Rs 15 lakh. This is over 15 times of a senior bureaucrat’s salary in India, as even after the implementation of 6th pay Commission recommendations, the cabinet secretary who is the senior-most Indian bureaucrat, receives a gross monthly salary of Rs 80,000! Related stories a) It’s not funny: Japanese bureaucrats get lessons from comedians, posted on June 8, 2009. b) Global cues for Indian Babus: Retired Korean bureaucrats clinch high paying bank jobs, posted on June 10, 2009. c) Japanese bureaucrats face highest ever bonus cuts; Indian babus are still lucky, posted on August 5, 2009. CJI’s office falls under RTI purview: Delhi HC Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that Chief Justice of India was a public authority and is thereby covered under the Right to Information Act (RTI). The Court observed that the information in possession of the CJI is within the purview of the RTI Act and all such information should be disclosed. However, it added that personal information about judges need not be disclosed.

Time to Splurge: Rs 17,500 crore for government employees in mid-September

YES, about Rs 17,500 crore will come into the pockets of government employees in mid-September ensuring that five million families in India will have a party time ahead of Diwali and Durga Puja. In fact, government employees are set for the bonanza with the Centre releasing the second and last installment of arrears promised in 6th Pay Commission last year. The government employees received 40% of the arrears last year. Though the office memorandum of finance ministry released last Tuesday did not mention when exactly the remaining 60% arrear would be handed over, sources said, it would be given to the government employees in mid-September. So how are you investing or splurging that amount? Here are a few tips from babu blogger: 1) If you plan to buy a flat, look out for special discounts that many builders give for government employees. 2) If you wish to buy a car, bargain hard with the bank for a lower interest rate insisting that yours is the safest job during this bad time of economy. 3) Don’t splurge everything. Spare some money for rainy days and invest it in a few selective saving instruments. Last but not the least, don’t just save the entire money either. Why? First, during this economic downturn, many durable assets mainly real estates, are priced comparatively less. Secondly, government sincerely wants you to spend rather than save. If you spend 17K crore, it may stir the economy and help reviving many sectors!

Time schedule for completion of PAR for IAS The performance appraisal reports, or PARs of IAS officers are required to be completed at different stages strictly as per the time schedule given in All India (PAR) Rules, 2007, a department of personnel and training (DoPT) memo said. Rule 5.1 of these rules provides that "if PAR for a financial year is not recorded by 31st December of the year in which the financial year ended, no remarks may be recorded thereafter and the officer may be assessed on the basis of the overall record and self assessment for the year, if he has submitted his self assessment in time”. It has been decided that for the PARs of the year 2008-09, only such remarks of the reporting, reviewing and accepting authorities would be kept in the PARs dossier of the officer reported upon as are recorded by 31st December 2009, and that this practice would be followed uniformly in the coming years, it further said. Read, “Can every IAS, IPS or IFS be MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar? Government says NO” posted on June 11, 2009. Also read, “MHA officials in jitters as P Chidambaram writes long comments on performance appraisal reports”, posted June 1, 2009. Tribal affairs ministry claims to have a site allowing citizens contacting officials through web The ministry of tribal affairs has claimed its revamped “Dynamic Website” (http://tribal.nic.in/) help members of the general public contacting the concerned officers directly through e-mail and apprise them of their problems and views. The website has the facility of a “Help Desk” through which people would be able to contact the ministry officials, it claims. Why don’t you try it yourself?

Japanese bureaucrats face highest ever bonus cuts; Indian babus are still lucky

THE Central government employees of Japan face the largest-ever bonus cuts this year, according to news agency Bloomberg quoting a report published by Yomiuri newspaper. The National Personnel Authority plans to recommend to the country’s Parliament that bonuses be cut by about 8.9 percent, according to the Yomiuri. This is done in tandem with the wage cut and trimming of bonuses of the employees working in private organizations. This means Indian civil servants are a lucky lot as their salary and allowances (DA) have risen continuously during this era of financial turbulence, thanks to the implementation of the 6th pay commission recommendations and the government’s conscious attempt to woo the Central government employees by generously enhancing the dearness allowances before the general elections. In fact, the Labor Ministry of Japan has recently reported that wages for the average Japanese worker fell at the fastest pace during the month of June as companies cut bonuses to protect ever-declining profits. According to reports, monthly pay including overtime and bonuses dropped 7.1% from a year earlier to 430,620 yen ($4,500). Bonuses fell by whopping 14.5%. Full-time workers in Japan get about 25% of their annual salary in two lump payments, one in summer and the other in winter. Union steel minister Virbhadra Singh booked in a corruption case registered by a retired IAS Union steel minister and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife have been booked in a corruption case by the state vigilance bureau after it was alleged that an audio CD released two years ago contained the voice of Singh and his wife talking to a retired bureaucrat Mohinder Lal about alleged corruption. Mr Lal has since died. The case was registered on a complaint by a retired IAS officer S M Katwal. Mr Singh has termed the FIR a cheap gimmick which shall collapse under its own weight. UPSC prelims results out, Mains from October 23 Union Service Public Commission (UPSC) has announced the result of the civil services (preliminary) examination, 2009 held on May 17, 2009. The successful candidates have qualified for admission to the civil services (main) examination, scheduled to be held from October 23, 2009. For any clarification, one can make a phone call at 011-23385271, 011-23381125 and 011-23098543. The result is available on the UPSC website www.upsc.gov.in

Beating The inflation: A PSU babu of 2009 is better off than his counterpart of 1971

AN average employee of a public sector undertaking today is better off than his counterpart nearly four decades ago if a comparison is drawn between rise of emoluments vis-à-vis an increase of consumer price index, which factors in inflation. Though many of the PSUs have sound internal resources to afford even a better pay to its employees than what they have been offering now, the current crisis in Air India has forced analysts to revisit the recently presented Economic Survey, 2008-09, which compares the increase in the per capita emoluments of public sector employees in India with the increase in the consumer price index (CPI) over the years. The per capita income of public sector employees from 1971-72 to 2007-08 rose by 58 times whereas the rise of CPI was mere 30 times, an analysis in a recent media report showed. That means an Air India employee, for example, should have earned substantially lower if rise in CPI had been a major criteria to increase salary. Yet, the establishment cost of the government as a whole is not alarmingly high as yet. The provision for pay and allowances of the government employees for 2009-10 is Rs 85,078 cr, which is just 8.5% of the government’s proposed expenditure of Rs 10 lakh crore during the fiscal, the report further said. A woman civil servant to get 180 days of child adoption leave The government has decided to increase the Child Adoption Leave from 135 days to 180 days in line with the maternity leave which was already increased to 180 days according to the recommendation of the 6th Pay Commission. According to an office memo, issued by department of personnel and training (DoPT), a female government servant in whose case the period of 135 days of Child Adoption Leave has not expired on the date of issue of these orders shall also be eligible for Child Adoption Leave of 180 days. It was further decided that a male government servant including an apprentice may be sanctioned Paternity Leave for a period of 15 days within a period of six months from the date of valid adoption.

Tendulkars among officers may now get higher increment than what was proposed in 6th Pay Commission

IF Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has its way, performing government officials may end up receiving better yearly increment than what was even promised in the 6th Pay Commission recommendations. While modifying the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission that up to a 20% of the performers among officers may be given an annual increment of 3.5% instead of a normal practice of 2.5%, the government has now proposed that performers may be granted even 4% of increment. About 20% Group A officers in Pay Band 3 category will be benefited by this proposed guidelines. For the next one month, suggestions from various government ministries and departments will be accepted after which the DoPT would frame the guidelines. Officers at the lowest PB-3 band get a salary Rs 15,600 --39,100 with grade pay Rs 5400, whereas those at the highest level of the band get Rs 15600-39100 with grade pay of Rs 8400. Action & Appointments 1) Shekhar Agarwal, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS and currently Financial Adviser (Acquisition) & Member (Defence Procurement Board) and additional secretary, ministry of defence, has been appointed as additional secretary in department of ex-servicemen welfare in the ministry of defence in the vacancy of Ms Neelam Nath, a 1975 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS. Mr Agarwal’s position will now be filled up by S Chandrasekharan, a 1975 batch IRAS. 2) Padamvir Singh, a 1977 batch IAS, presently Joint Director, in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie in the rank and pay of additional secretary has been re-designated as special director, LBSNAA. New initiatives to reduce suicide cases among armed forces The ministry of defence has taken a number of measures including better man-management techniques and increased inter-personnel relationship and communication between officers and jawans to reduce the incidents of suicide and fratricide cases in the armed forces, defence minister AK Antony said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Monday. The government’s initiative has come in the wake of virtual status quo of such cases during the last three years. Whereas there were 142 suicide cases in 2007, it went up to 151 during the following year. There have been 48 such suicide cases in 2009 so far.

Short Take

Children of IAS officers may unlikely to figure in the list of civil services aspirants which have witnessed 42% rise

LBS National Academy of Administration,

Mussoorie

I was writing a series of articles two years ago when a number of IAS and Group A officers, decided to jump into the uncertainties of private sector, and became CEOs overnight. Various prominent companies in India, mainly those in infrastructure space, including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), IL&FS, IDFC, GMR, Ramky Infrastructure to name a few, recruited senior government officials at key management positions, preferring them over those with rich private sector experience. Even consultancy firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) attracted talents from IAS cadres. The trend is reversed altogether after the global economic slowdown hit the capabilities of the private sector, though temporarily, to participate in big public private partnership (PPP) projects. What has also made Babus stick to their current positions, is the massive 6th Pay Commission bonanza for government employees, making their pay packages respectable though not yet comparable with that of CEOs. Now, let’s come to the news point. There have been media reports saying that Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) examination this year has seen a rise of 42% - up from last year’s figure of 2.8 lakh to a little over 4 lakh. Incredible! But the bigger question here is babudom has still remained a pure middle class dream. Most of the children of IAS and allied services officers prefer to take GRE, or CAT rather than taking up UPSC examination. The Harvard Business School or IIM-Ahmedabad are still the preferred destinations than making an attempt to get trained at IAS academy at Mussoorie!