look news india
A very positive and relieving news has emerged regarding salary increase and career upgradation for central employees and officers. The administrative delay in promotion for officers of Organized Group ‘A’ Services (OGAS) has been resolved as per the discussions of the 8th Central Pay Commission and the policy orders of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Under the new rules and upgraded pay-matrix system, now senior Group ‘A’ officers will be provided the next financial pay level even if there is no vacancy in the post in the department or if they do not get functional promotion. This arrangement will provide direct financial benefits to thousands of civil servants, officers of Railways, Defense Production, Telecom, Engineering and other central cadres.
What is the rule for increasing pay level without promotion? (Non-Functional Upgradation)
Many times it happens in government service that officers complete the prescribed service period (residency period) and their performance is also excellent, but due to lack of vacancy in higher posts (hierarchy vacancy) in the department, their promotion remains stuck for years. This creates frustration and service dissatisfaction among the officers.
Government to end this impasse ‘Non-Functional Upgrade’ (NFU) And ‘Non-Functional Selection Grade’ (NFSG) Applies the provisions of. According to this:
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When a batch of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is empaneled or posted at a particular pay-level (such as Level-11, 12, 13 or 14) in the Central Government, officers of other Organized Group ‘A’ Services of the same seniority are also issued the same pay-level and basic pay individually (In Situ/Personal Basis) without assigning a new post.
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This upgradation is purely personal, i.e. the pay and allowances of the officer are equated to the higher pay level without any alteration in the responsibilities or designation of the officer.
What are the conditions and eligibility prescribed in the DoPT order?
As per DoPT guidelines, this financial upgradation is not available to everyone automatically but is subject to meeting stringent evaluation standards:
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Regular Service Period: The officer must have successfully completed the prescribed minimum years of service (Residency Period) in his parent cadre.
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Annual Confidential Report (APAR): It is mandatory to have a high standard (Very Good/Outstanding) performance record (Benchmarking) for the last 5 years.
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Vigilance Clearance: There should not be any disciplinary or vigilance inquiry pending against the officer.
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Screening Committee Approval: The official order of financial upgradation is issued only after thorough verification of service records by the Departmental Screening Committee (DSC) of the concerned ministry.
Expected Pay Matrix under 8th Pay Commission
With the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, there will be a significant increase in the basic salary of various pay levels of Group ‘A’ based on the expected fitment factor (ranging from 1.92 to 2.28):
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Pay Level 10 (Entry Level Group ‘A’): The basic salary in the 7th Pay Commission starts from ₹56,100, which can increase to an estimated ₹1,02,000 to ₹1,28,000 per month in the 8th Pay Commission.
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Pay Level 11 (Deputy Secretary Level): The current basic may increase from ₹67,700 to the range of ₹1,23,000 to ₹1,54,000.
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Pay Level 12 (Director / Joint Secretary Level): The current basic of ₹78,800 may reach ₹1,44,000 to ₹1,80,000.
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Pay Level 13 & 14 (SAG/Joint Secretary GoI): There will be a huge jump in the current basic ₹1,18,500 and ₹1,44,200, which will significantly increase the take-home pay of officers reaching these levels.
By upgrading the pay level without promotion, officers directly get the initial basic pay of the next pay level, due to which their Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA) and Traveling Allowance (TA) also automatically increases.
Impact on pension and future retirement benefits
The biggest benefit of this non-functional upgradation is given to the officers at the time of their retirement. According to the pension rules of the Central Government, pension is determined on the basis of Last Drawn Basic Pay.
If an officer has attained a higher pay-level (such as Level-13 or Level-14) under NFU before retirement, even if he has not been promoted, his monthly pension and gratuity will be calculated on the basic pay of the same higher pay-level. This results in a huge increase in the social security received after retirement.
Effort for equality in All India Services and Central Cadres
There was a demand for a long time that various technical and administrative cadres posted in the Central Secretariat and in the field (like IRS, IES, CPWD, IRTS, IDAS etc.) should get time bound financial progress at par with the IAS cadre.
This order of DoPT and the proposed structure under the 8th Pay Commission is a strong step towards bridging this gap. This will keep the efficiency and morale of officers high despite barriers to promotion within the bureaucracy.