Cabinet gives its nod to LBSNAA for capacity building of public officials of Namibia

UNION cabinet on Wednesday not only approved the release of an additional installment of dearness allowance (DA) to Central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from January 1, 2017, but gave its nod to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie and…

Office memorandum gives clarity on 2% dearness relief extended to 58 lakh pensioners

SUBSEQUENT to the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations, the government on the eve of the Diwali had announced 2% dearness allowance for the Central government employees and 2% dearness relief to Central  government pensioners or family pensioners. In an office memorandum dated November 16, some of the confusions on dearness relief, which are given with effect from July 1, 2016, are done away with. Here are 5 such clarifications on dearness relief.

How government converted an April Fool joke into reality; this DA hike not fake

THE government on Tuesday converted an April Fool joke into a reality by hiking the dearness allowance (DA) by six percent, a move that will benefit 48 lakh government employees and 55 lakh pensioners. On April 1, the department of expenditure under the ministry of finance was forced to clarify that an office memorandum bearing the number F. No. 1/2/2015-E.II (B) dated March 30, 2015 regarding hike of DA is “fake”. According to the fake circular under the signature of…

Whispers in Corridors: Merger of DA with basic pay this weekend; What about retirement at 62?

DURING the last few days, Delhi’s corridors of power have witnessed unprecedented speculation on the government’s possible masterstroke --- the merger of dearness allowance (DA) with the basic pay and raising of retirement age to 62 years, so as to woo over 50 lakh Central government employees and 30 lakh pensioners ahead of the general elections. The gossips in various departments and ministries have centred around…

DoPT clarifies on allowances for children education etc. after DA raise

THE government has issued a clarification on increase of allowances for children education, child care to women with disabilities and education allowance for disabled children of government employees.

In an office memo dated May 5, 2011, the DoPT has clarified on increase of these allowances by 25 percent as a result of enhancement of Dearness Allowances with effect from January 1, 2011.

Here are the clarified points:

a) The annual ceiling limit for reimbursement of Children Education Allowance will be Rs 15,000 per child. Accordingly, the quarterly claim could be more than Rs 3750 in one quarter and less than Rs 3750 in another quarter subject to the annual ceiling of Rs 15,000 per child and hostel subsidy will be Rs 3750 per month per child.

b) The rates of Special Allowance for Child Care to women with disabilities stands revised to Rs 1250 per month; and

c) The annual ceiling for reimbursement of education allowance for disabled children of Government employees shall be treated as revised to Rs 30,000 per annum per child and the rates of hostel subsidy for disabled children of government employees shall be treated as revised from Rs 6000 per child per month to Rs 7500 per child per month.

Action and Appointments

a) G Balachandran, a 1977 batch West Bengal cadre IAS, currently working as Adviser, in Inter State Council Secretariat, has been appointed as Chairman, National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority under the department of pharmaceuticals in the rank and pay of additional secretary in place of SM Jhanval, an IES officer.

b) Pranay Sahay, a 1975 batch Manipur Tripura cadre IPA has been appointed as secretary (security) in Cabinet Secretariat in place of BK Dey, a 1973 batch Assam cadre IPS (retired).

c) Pramod Agarwal, a 1991 batch MP cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of disinvestment. He is currently working as Director in the ministry of

youth affairs and sports.