Punjab government raises allowances of its officials

ISLAMABAD: Punjab government, without the sanction of legislature, raised allowances of civil servants on a large scale.

The chief secretary and the inspector general police have been allowed Rs 400,000 and Rs 375,000 per month higher post allowance. They are also entitled to post retirement additional benefits equivalent to that of high court judges.

Anyone having served as chief secretary and IGP in Punjab upon retirement for life and for their families for life in case of their death will be offered a) services of driver and orderly for life; 800 free local telephone calls per month; 800 units of electricity per month; 25HMs of Gas per month; and 200 liters of petrol per month.

Through an executive order, the officials working in provincial secretariat have also been allowed special allowance which will be 50% of their basic pay as frozen on June 30, 2011. Previously they were allowed 20% special allowance, which is also known as secretariat allowance.

The provincial government has also allowed grant of utility allowance for low scale officials working in civil secretariat. These allowances are Rs 3,000 per month for grade 1-6 officials, Rs 4,000 for BS 9-14 officials, Rs 5,000 for grade 15 officers and Rs 7,000 per month for grade 16 officials as well as for private secretaries (BS 17) and superintendents (BS 17).

Sources said that now the key field officers including deputy commissioners and district police officers will be allowed special allowance which will be 80% of their basic salary.   Informed sources said that these raises and additional perks have been allowed while using executive’s prerogative. 

These raises, it is said, are bound to bring instant pressure on other provinces as well as on the centre to match the perks and privileges of government employees working in other regions.

It is said that following the precedent of what has been offered to the Punjab chief secretary and IGP, the federal secretaries and all BS-22 officers in the centre and CSs and IGPs of other provinces will demand for similar raises and additional post-retirement benefits.  Previously also, it is said, that such precedents used to be set for top bureaucrats in Punjab whereas other provinces and centre followed them.

In regard to grant of special allowance at the rate of 50% of basic pay to the employees of civil secretariat Punjab, the Punjab government notification said that the Governor Punjab has been pleased to revise these rates from previous 20% to 50% of basic pay of basic pay scales 2008, as frozen on 30-06-2011 in favour of the employees of Punjab civil secretariat (BS-1 to BS-22).

However, this special allowance will not be offered to i) Officers/officials of Punjab civil secretariat departments, on deputation or posted by transfer outside the secretariat including attached departments, field formations and autonomous bodies; ii) Secretariat employees during extra ordinary leave, study leave, long leave for 120 days or more, training abroad or under suspension; iii) The officers (belonging to judiciary) deputed in the law or any other department in the Punjab Civil secretariat who are in receipt of judicial allowance; iv) The administrative secretaries (BS-20 and above) already allowed special allowance at the rate of 20% vide circular letter No. FD.PR.6-7/2006 dated 29.11.2006; v) The officers/officials of Punjab civil secretariat while posted in other departments in the secretariat who are in receipt of department specific allowance; vi) The officers/officials of non-secretariat offices deputed to work in the Punjab civil secretariat if already in receipt of department specific allowance; vii) The employees of special education department at secretariat level already in receipt of special allowance.