Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: October 4, 2008
Govt opens box of goodies for all
With an eye on the approaching Assembly elections,
the Centre on Friday opened a virtual sop opera, announcing major largesse
to various sections of employees and doling out a mutli-crore financial package
for upgrading madarsas.
The Rs 625-crore package for improving the
standard of education at madarsas would cover between 435 and 600 Government-controlled
institutions and 7 lakh students.
In addition, the Union Cabinet decided to
raise the income ceiling for the creamy layer from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh
annually in a move that would cover more OBCs under the reservation criteria.
The decision would be communicated to the Ministry of HRD and the Department
of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for issuance of appropriate orders to Central
educational institutions and Government departments for pursuance of the order.
"The Union Cabinet has given its approval
for revising the income criteria for the creamy layer from the existing Rs
2.5 lakh per annum to Rs 4.5 lakh per annum," Information & Broadcasting
Minister PR Dasmunshi said here.
The proposal had been mooted by the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) on the basis of recommendations of
the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
The proposal was discussed at an inter-Governmental
level, involving the Ministries of Tribal Affairs, Home, DoPT, Law and HRD,
besides Social Justice and Empowerment.
With the armed forces agitated over anomalies
in the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations, the Cabinet -- chaired by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh -- also decided to implement Phase-II of Ajai Vikram
Singh Committee (AVSC) and approved creation of 1,896 new posts in the three
defence forces at the top level (from Colonels to Lieutenant Generals and
their equivalents).
However, to cut the flab in the middle rungs
of Lieutenant Colonels and their equivalents, the Government also approved
reduction in the regular cadre of permanent commissioned officers and a corresponding
increase in the support cadre from the Short Service Commission (SSC) and
re-employed officers..
The Government also approved 73 days' productivity-linked
bonus to eligible Railway employees and enhancement in the prescribed wage
calculation ceiling and enhancement in the prescribed wage calculation ceiling.
This would, however, not cover RPF and RPSF personnel.
"The Cabinet also gave its approval for
enhancement in the wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB
and ad hoc bonus to the eligible non-gazetted Railway employees covered by
the PLB Scheme as also non-gazetted RPF/RPSF personnel covered by the ad hoc
bonus scheme," Dasmunshi said.
This increase is from Rs 2,500 per month to
Rs 3,500 per month and would be effective from April 1, 2006, he added.
Casting its net wide, the Cabinet approved
30 per cent interim relief to the journalist and non-journalist employees
of the newspaper industry.
Coinciding with the Cabinet's bonanzas, the
UGC Pay Review Committee on Friday recommended a whopping 70 per cent pay
hike with additional allowances and new positions to the academics. The committee,
headed by Prof G K Chadha, on Friday submitted its report to UGC chairman
Prof Sukhadeo Thorat.
As per the recommendations, at the entry level,
a faculty member would join as an assistant professor, not as a lecturer as
earlier, and his new pay band would be between Rs 15,600 and Rs 39,100. The
teacher at the entry level would be entitled for a grade pay of Rs 6,600.
At present, a lecturer's pay scale is between Rs 8,000 and Rs 13,500.
For assistant professor, assistant professor
(senior scale) and assistant professor (senior grade), the pay band would
be from Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100 while the grade pay would vary, Chadha told
reporters here.
