Islamabad
The government has approved pay and package increase for thousands of employees working for over1,000 projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and maximum package for project pay scale equivalent to grades 22, 21 and 20 jacked up to Rs795,160, Rs 491,030 and Rs 293,810 respectively on monthly basis.
According to standard pay and package for the project staff directly recruited for development projects funded from PSDP, approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet in its meeting held on June 7, 2017, under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the government approved enhanced salary and perks for project pay scale employees.
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal told The News on Thursday that the government increased standard pay and package for project employees as the government was facing difficulties to find out suitable and competent candidates for executing important development projects as the remuneration were so low that no one wanted to join the government. “We have made revolutionary changes in the pay and package of project employees,” he added.
The project pay scales (PPS) distributed into 12 categories equivalent from BS-1 to BS-22. For project pay scale PPS-1, which will be equivalent to BS-1 to 4, its minimum salary will be standing at Rs14,000 per month. After increment at rate of 5 percent, the PPS-1 will be added Rs700 which can go up to Rs20,000 per month.
For PPS-2, equivalent to BS-5 to 8, the minimum salary will be standing at Rs20,000 and after increment 5 percent, it will add up Rs1,000 and maximum salary can be increased to Rs29,000 per month.For PPS-3, equivalent to BS-9 and 10, the minimum salary will be standing at Rs25,000 and increment 5 percent, the maximum salary will go up to Rs36,250.
The PPS-4, equivalent to BPS-11 to 13, the minimum salary will be standing at Rs30,000 and with increment 5 percent, the maximum salary will be increased to Rs 43,500. For PPS-5 equivalent to BS-14 and 15, the maximum salary with increment of 5 percent will go up to Rs58,000. For PP-6, equivalent to BS-16 and PPS-7 equivalent to BS-17, the maximum salary with increment will go up to Rs87,000 and Rs130,500 per month respectively.
In case of PPS-8 and PPS-9, equivalent to BS-18 and 19, the maximum salary will be increased up to Rs143,000 and Rs217,500 respectively. For PPS-10, equivalent to BS-20, the maximum pay will go up to Rs298,810 per month with increment 5 percent. For PPS-11, equivalent to BS-21, the maximum salary will be increased to Rs 491, 030 per month. For PPS-12, the maximum salary package with 5 percent increment will go up to Rs795,160 per month.
This increase in PPS will be allowed under certain conditions, including the pay package will be followed for the appointment of officer/staff including project directors (PDs), advisers, specialists, consultants etc in the PSDP funded development projects as reflected in the PC-I and PC-II duly approved by the competent forum. Based on the sensitivity and size of the project, the CDWP shall decide on whether the project director is to be placed in PPS-10, 11 and 12.
The lump sum pay package shall not be less than the minimum rates of wages as revised from time to time.
The pay of the existing PSDP funded projects employees shall be fixed to the next higher stage of the revised stage of the above pay package. The government employees may apply for project posts. However, if any government employee is selected on a project post he/she will have to resign from government service before appointment on project post.
The relevant project approving forum like CDWP or ECNEC will decide the number and pay scales of project staff. Adoption to Standard Pay Package-2017 shall require revision/ approval of PC-1 from the competent forum. The Projects employees will be appointed on contract basis in PSDP projects for an initial period not exceeding two years which will be extendable further till the completion period of the project on yearly basis after evaluation of their performance.
Annual increment to the Project employees in accordance with Standard Pay Package shall be admissible on completion of one year continuous service from the date of appointment on the relevant post and also in the subsequent years in the same manner.
No additional facility, in addition to the revised Standard Pay Package, shall be admissible for PSDP Projects' employees. This pay package shall not be admissible to those who are re-employed/appointed on contract after the, retirement. They may be allowed pay and allowances, as per provisions of the contract policy of the Establishment Division issued vide their OM No F.10/52/95-R-2, dated 18th July, 1996, and as amended from time to time.
Those retired government servants who compete with others from the private sector for appointments against projects positions on the basis of open competition and are selected on merit should be entitled to the package, perks and privileges laid for that positions in the projects according to the clarification issued through the Establishment Division's 0M No.10/67/2004-R-2, dated 21-06-2005 or as revised from time to time.