Sunday, 17 January 2016
Recruitment in DRDO - 1142 Vacancies
DRDO announced a recruitment notification to fill up 1000+ vacancies in Technical and admin Depts.
- Online Application Facility will be Available from 16.01.2016 to 08.02.2016 (15-01-2016)
- Links for "Online Application for CEPTAM-08 Advt.", "CEPTAM-08 Advt." and "CEPTAM-08 Application Form (For Vehicle Operator 'A' & Asstt. Halwai-cum-cook Only)" will be available from 16.01.2016 on Homepage of DRDO website under What's New Section. (15-01-2016)
- Instructions for Online Application (15-01-2016)
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Online Applicants (15-01-2016)
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (15-01-2016)
- Note : FAQs and Instructions given on the website are only for guidance for the candidates and the same should not be construed as a statement of law or used for any legal purposes. (15-01-2016)
- Re-conduct of written exam for post code 0109 (Electronics or Electronics & Communication or Electronics & Telecommunication) under CEPTAM-07 Advertisement. (08-01-2016)
- CEPTAM-08 Advt. Highlights : Poster (08-01-2016)
- CEPTAM-08 Advt. Highlights : Curtain Raiser (08-01-2016)
http://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/ceptam/ceptamnoticeboard.html
Courtesy : SA Post Blog
UPSC Advt No 51/2016 for Various Vacancies
UPSC Advt No 51/2016 for Various Vacancies: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has issued notification for Various Vacancies.
Name of the Posts:
Important Dates:
Closing Date for Submission of Online Application: 04-02-2016 up to 23:59 hrs
Last Date for Printing of Completely Submitted Online Application: 05-02-2016 up to 23:59 hrs
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Apply Online : Click Here
Name of the Posts:
- Assistant Directors (Cost): 24 Posts
- Qualifications recognized for enrolment in the Register of Members of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India or of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India
- Age: 35 years
- Assistant Architect: 01 Posts
- Degree in Architecture of a recognized University or equivalent. Should be registered with Council of Architecture
- Age: 30 years
- Deputy Architects in CPWD: 13 Posts
- Possess Degree in Architecture of recognized University or Institution. (ii) Be registered as Architect with the Council of Architecture under the Architect Act 1972 ( 20 of1972 )
- Age: 35 years
- Assistant Architects in CPWD: 22 Posts
- Degree in Architecture from a recognized University or Institution and registered with Council of Architecture as Architect
- Age: 30 years
Selection Process: Selection will based on recruitment test followed by interview.
Application Fee: Candidates are required to pay a fee of Rs. 25/- (Rupees Twenty five) only either by remitting the money in any branch of the SBI by cash or by using net banking facility of the SBI or by using visa/master credit/debit card.
How to Apply: How to Apply: Eligible Candidates must apply online through the website http://www.upsconline.nic.in. & Candidates must upload documents pertaining to educational qualification(s) and experience (preferably in prescribed format), if any, as claimed in the online application, in a single pdf file in such a way that the file size does not exceed 2 MB and is legible when a printout taken. For that the applicant may scan the experience certificate in 200 dpi grey scale. Documents like Pay Slip, Resume, Appointment Letter, Relieving Letter, Un-signed Experience Certificate etc. must not be uploaded in the Document Upload Module.
Closing Date for Submission of Online Application: 04-02-2016 up to 23:59 hrs
Last Date for Printing of Completely Submitted Online Application: 05-02-2016 up to 23:59 hrs
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Apply Online : Click Here
Source : SA Post Blog
GSRTC Recruitment for 626 Various Posts (Advt. No 01 to 15/2015-16) 2016 (OJAS)
Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), Naroda, Ahmedabad has published a Advertisement for below mentioned Posts 2016. Check below for more details.
Posts , Education Qualification and Age Limit :
Total No. of Posts : 626 Posts
Selection Process : Candidates will be selected based on written test and Computer Test.
How to Apply : Interested Candidates may Apply Online Through official Website https://ojas.gujarat.gov.in.
Notification : Click Here
Apply Online : Click Here (Starts from 15-01-2016)
Important Dates :
Starting Date of Online Application : 15-01-2016
Last Date to Apply Online : 14-02-2016
Posts , Education Qualification and Age Limit :
- Assistant Traffic Inspector : 25 Posts
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate, Valid H.T.V. / H.P.V. Licence (Must obtain within 5 years from the joining date).
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Assistant Traffic Superintendent : 01 Post
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate or Diploma in Labour Laws or Transport Management or Personnel Management or Industrial Relations, Valid H.T.V. / H.P.V. Licence (Must obtain within 5 years from the joining date).
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Assistant Safety Supervisor : 12 Posts
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate & NCC Course with 'C' certificate of 3 years.
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Clerk : 335 Posts
- H.S.C (10+2 Pass) or Any Graduate or Post Graduate from a recognized university.
- Age : 18 to 33 years
- Departmental Safety Supervisor : 03 Posts
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate, "B" certificate of NCC or 3 years.
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Junior Assistant : 70 Posts
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate or Personnel Management from a recognized university.
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Junior Accountant : 15 Posts
- Commerce Graduate or Postgraduate or Diploma in Taxation & Practice or Inter Mediate (Institute of Cost & Works Accountants - I.C.W.A.) or Inter Mediate (Institute of Chartered Accountant - C.A.)
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Safety Assistant : 15 Posts
- H.S.C (Std 12th Pass) or Any Graduate or Postgraduate & NCC Course with 'C' certificate of 3 years.
- Age : 18 to 33 years
- Senior Accountant / Inspector of Accountants : 06 Posts
- Commerce Graduate or Postgraduate or Diploma in Taxation & Practice or Inter Mediate (Institute of Cost & Works Accountants - I.C.W.A.) or Inter Mediate (Institute of Chartered Accountant - C.A.)
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Senior Assistant : 05 Posts
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate or BBA or BBM or Personal Management or Industrial Relations Degree or Diploma.
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Stenographer - B (Gujarati) : 05 Posts
- H.S.C. (Std 12th Pass), 80 WPM Shorthand and 20 WPM typing in Gujarati, Computer Data Entry Certificate of Any Govt. recognized I.T.I./Institute. or Any Graduate or Postgraduate & Typing speed of 100/40 w.p.m in English.
- Age : 18 to 33
- Store Supervisor : 09 Posts
- Degree of any recognized university or Second year of Diploma in Mechanical / Automobile /Electrical /Industrial / Production Engineer or Degree in Business Management or Business Administration or Diploma in Material Management.
- Age : 21 to 35 years
- Store Keeper : 15 Posts
- Diploma in Mechanical from recognized University/ Polytechnic or Automobile or Electrical or Industrial or Production Engineer or Degree or Diploma in Material Management or in Business Management.
- Age : 18 to 33 years
- Traffic Controller : 70 Posts
- H.S.C. (10+2) or Any Graduate or Post Graduate from a recognized university.
- Age : 18 to 33 years
- Traffic Inspector : 40 years
- Any Graduate or Postgraduate or Diploma in Labour Laws or Transport Management or Personnel Management or Industrial Relations, Valid H.T.V./ H.P.V. Licence (Must obtain within 5 years from the joining date)
- Age : 21 to 35 years
Total No. of Posts : 626 Posts
Selection Process : Candidates will be selected based on written test and Computer Test.
How to Apply : Interested Candidates may Apply Online Through official Website https://ojas.gujarat.gov.in.
Notification : Click Here
Apply Online : Click Here (Starts from 15-01-2016)
Important Dates :
Starting Date of Online Application : 15-01-2016
Last Date to Apply Online : 14-02-2016
Govt sets up panel to study 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations
The implementation of the ne pay scales is estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on the exchequer in 2016-17.
Government today decided to set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
The Cabinet has approved the setting up of Empowered Committee of Secretaries to process the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission in an overall perspective, Parliamentary affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.
The implementation of the new pay scales is estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on the exchequer in 2016-17. Subject to acceptance by the government, they will take effect from January 1, 2016.
Source:http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/govt-sets-up-panel-to-study-7th-pay-commissions-recommendations/
Government today decided to set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
The Cabinet has approved the setting up of Empowered Committee of Secretaries to process the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission in an overall perspective, Parliamentary affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.
The implementation of the new pay scales is estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on the exchequer in 2016-17. Subject to acceptance by the government, they will take effect from January 1, 2016.
Source:http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/govt-sets-up-panel-to-study-7th-pay-commissions-recommendations/
India Post Shows Profit Making Trend in E-Commerce Boom
For India Post, the boom in e-commerce deliveries is proving to be a big money spinner, especially the surging cash-on-delivery consignments of the country’s top online sellers — Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart-Myntra. Revenues of India Post by ways of COD consignments from e-commerce majors have been doubled in the first nine months of this fiscal at Rs 1,000 crore, up from Rs 500 crore during the whole of 2014-15, and just Rs 100 crore in 2013-14.
The deliveries are primarily directed at tier-II towns, and parts of the rural heartland, where India Post has unparalleled reach. The incremental e-commerce revenue boost, said Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, are at the heart of his plans to revive the fortunes of India’s postal service.
Average monthly consignments from the department’s top six e-commerce customers is up over six-fold in the first nine months of this fiscal, primarily on account of a big surge in Amazon’s deliveries, which have sharply jumped to 3 lakh consignments until December 2015 from an average of 50,000 in 2014-15.
Average numbers of consignments from Snapdeal had reached 80,000 until December 2015, as against 35,000 in 2014-15. Flipkart-Myntra have clocked average consignment numbers of about 80,000 so far this year. “The new facet is cash-on-delivery. India Post has become the premium courier service for e-commerce, so that is a definite improvement. (India Post’s revenues from) cash-on-delivery is going to be Rs 1,500 crore by the end of this year (fiscal ending March, 2016),” Prasad told.
With 1.56 lakh post offices, 1.25 lakh of which are in rural areas, India Post is also seeing a sharp uptick in the parcel business, including the e-commerce business of Speed Post. Revenues have risen to over Rs 165 crore till November this fiscal, as against Rs 172 crore in 2014-15, and Rs 80 crore in 2013-14. “… There are local products such as Madhubani paintings of Bihar, so they (India Post) are also going big on these deliveries. They are getting good money for handicrafts and artisans. About 65 per cent of the catchment area is small towns for e-commerce,” Prasad said
Over the last 24 months, India Post has entered into tie-ups with online retailers, introducing COD facility, and offering e-commerce companies credible last mile connectivity outside of large cities. India Post has set up 57 modern delivery centers to handle the e-commerce traffic, with a big centre at Parel, Mumbai. Prasad said the other key aspect in the postal services’ turnaround plan is for India Post to enter into banking services with the launch of a payment bank that is likely to commence operations by March next year. It would be a “game changer”, Prasad said: “It will be a big platform for delivery of subsidies, third party delivery in banking.
He said a total of 62 players had approached India Post for partnership for banking products. The domestic players include NABARD, HSBC, Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Kotak Life Insurance, HDFC, PNB Metlife, ICICI Lombard, ICICI Prudential, and Bajaj Allianz, while the international ones include Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Transport USA for renting solutions, Western Union, ClearSecurity and Japan’s Hitachi.
These companies have approached the postal department for partnering on banking products, banking solutions, consultancy, banking correspondents, physical security products, ATMs and digital payment services. “I have given them full permission to hire as many as possible so that good competition takes place,” Prasad said.
In August 2015, the Reserve Bank of India had granted in-principle approval to 11 applicants to set up payments banks, including India Post.
Source: The Indian Express
Courtesy : Post Bank Of India
Features of Rural ICT Handheld Device Supplied to Branch Post Offices
Posted: 16 Jan 2016 10:20 AM PST
As a pilot phase Department of Post has started using solar powered, biometric hand-held devices in rural post office with connectivity along with the application software in selected circles viz. Bihar, UP and Rajasthan. This move was the outcome of Rural ICT project declared by the Government of India.
Following re the important features or benefits of Hand-held device supplied to Branch Post Offices.
1. Electronic transactions- Booking and delivery of Speed Post, registered mail, money orders, sale of stamps and postal stationery will be done through these devices and paper receipt shall be generated
2. Instantaneously thereby eliminating chances of overcharging and other problems associated with manual transactions. Savings Bank deposits & withdrawals, PLI/RPLI premium deposits and loan/claim payments will also be done electronically on these devices.
3. Immediate uploading of transaction data and financial reconciliation- Using mobile connectivity, data pertaining to all transactions done on the hand-held devices shall be uploaded onto the central server. E-Money order will reach the destination post office instantaneously unlike present day where the money order is digitized at the nearest computerized Post Office and leads to delay in delivery. All financial transactions shall also be reconciled immediately without any manual intervention and Cash on Delivery amount collected in the village shall be immediately credited to the account of e-Commerce Company. Similarly the artisans would be able to fulfill e-commerce orders and receive immediate payment for their sold products online. This will have a positive impact on the overall economy of the villages.
4. Automatic track and trace- Speed Post and Registered letters/parcels and money remittances will be trackable at the Branch Post Office level and booking/delivery information will also be uploaded to central server immediately.
5. Fraud and leakage elimination- As Savings Bank and Postal Life Insurance transactions will be done on a real-time basis and through immediate generation of receipt and voice message, chances of fraud would be eliminated. Biometric authentication of MNREGS and social security beneficiaries at the time of pay-out would also reduce leakage in the schemes
6. Post Offices as Common Service Centres- Branch Post Offices shall be able to work as Common Service Centres and offer services such as Railway Reservation, online bill payment for electricity and water utilities, mobile and DTH recharge, insurance policy premium payments & transactions for partner banks/insurance companies/mutual funds etc.
Source: Post Bank of India
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Clarification on Child Care Leave (CCL) in respect of Central Government Employees -DOPT ORDER 2016
IMMEDIATE
No.13018/6/2013-Estt.(L)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
(Department of Personnel and Training)
JNU (Old) Campus, New Delhi
Dated the 12th January, 2015
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
The undersigned is directed to refer to this Department’s O.M. No.13018/2/2008-Estt.(L) dated 11/09/2008 regarding introduction of Child Care Leave (CCL) in respect of Central Government women employees.
Subsequently, clarifications have been issued vide OMs dated 29.9.2008,18.11.2008, 02.12.2008,07.09.2010, 30.12.2010, 03.03.2010 & 05.06.2014. Child Care Leave at present is allowed for women employees to facilitate them to take care of their children at the time of need.
This Department is considering issuing the following instructions:-
"In cases where a female Government servant applies for Child Care Leave for at least five working days, she should normally not be refused leave citing exigencies of work unless there are grave and extraordinarily compelling circumstances that warrant refusal".
2. Ministries/ Departments are requested that their views/ comments may be forwarded to this Department latest by 27.01.2016. A soft copy may be forwarded to email of US (Allowance.) i.e. sunil.mandi@nic.in
(S.K. Mandi)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India
Seventh Pay Commission Report: A tough challenge
The 7th pay commission recommendations should not become an exercise of granting a bonanza to central govt employees at the expense of other sections of the society
Seventh Pay Commission Report: The bulk of the expenditure of Rs 1.02 lakh crore relates to augmenting the salaries and allowances of the clerical-level employees, where the value added to decision-making is minimal.
The country recently witnessed a sad spectacle when 255 PhDs and over 25,000 post-graduates, apart from nearly 30 lakh other candidates, applied for 368 positions of peons at the state secretariat in Lucknow. This distortion, by no means unusual, is the direct result of base-level government employees being paid wages much above the market rate. Such instances are likely to further increase after the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, which will be one of the main challenges the central government will face in the new year.
The commission has determined the initial starting salary at the lowest entry point in government at Rs 18,000, when the comparable wage for a helper in the private sector would be only about Rs 9,000 to Rs 11,000 per month. Currently, in the government, this employee gets about R15,750, including dearness allowance. In other words, if the proposals are accepted, with effect from the new year, the increase in emoluments at the lowest level in the government will be a minimum of 14.2%.
The figure of Rs 18,000 has been determined after considering the minimum nutritional, clothing, fuel, recreational and housing requirements for a family of four. The pay commission has, by and large, followed the methodology approved by 15th Indian Labour Commission. Its approach is based on the idealistic notion that the government should set standards by being an ideal employer. The pay commission then divides the proposed new minimum basic pay by the existing basic salary of Rs 7,000 to determine a factor of 2.57. With some small modifications, this is applied across the board to determine salaries all along the hierarchy comprising fifteen levels in all. At the apex level of secretary to the government, this multiplier is 2.81. The salary at this level will thus increase from the existing Rs 80,000 per month (Rs 1,78,000 with dearness allowance) to Rs 2,25,000 per month.Along with increase in pensions of 23.66%, these proposals will require an additional outlay of Rs 1, 02,100 crore per annum (0.65% of GDP). The commission is confident that the government will be able to absorb this expenditure without straining the fisc. This however may be a flawed assumption, especially if oil and commodity prices do not remain so benign and inflation returns. Also, the commission has hardly examined the effect of this expenditure on state governments and various autonomous and private organisations, often compelled to follow suit in some form or the other. Some state governments in fact have already petitioned the Centre to postpone the implementation of these proposals because they expect that implementing them will strain their limited budgets.
It is worthwhile also to examine the opportunity cost of this expenditure and its overall effect on the economy; 89% the persons employed by the central government, admits the Pay Commission, belong to Group ‘C’ where functions are clerical; 8% of the personnel belong to Group ‘B’ where responsibilities tend to relate to first level supervision of clerical cadres or day-to-day implementation of policies and rules. This leaves just three 3% Group ‘A personnel’ whose responsibilities are either managerial or relate to policy formulation or evaluation. The bulk of the expenditure of Rs 1.02 lakh crore thus relates to augmenting the salaries and allowances of Group ‘C’ employees where the value added to decision-making is minimal. Increasing their pay and allowances further, in economic terms, means only increasing the subsidy to a privileged segment of the population. The government must ask itself the question whether with all its pressing developmental responsibilities, it can afford to pay such a subsidy to people who, comparatively speaking, are already much better off than millions of their countrymen. If a subsidy has to be given, wouldn’t marginal farmers in distress or those below the poverty line be better candidates for such largesse? Wouldn’t this huge outlay serve the national interest better if, for example, it were directed towards increasing irrigation facilities or providing better infrastructure or improving healthcare?
On the other hand, the 3% Group ‘A’ employees—particularly at the top echelons—are being paid much below the market wage, that is, they would earn much more were they to carry out comparable functions outside the government. Even after the pay commission recommendations, a secretary to the government, would get only Rs 2,25,000 per month. Even a middle-level executive in a multi- national corporation would be earning a higher salary than this. Impartial commentators may point out to the posh housing such officials are entitled to. Most of this unfortunately was built decades ago. Its written-down value today, apart from the locational advantage it enjoys, is negligible. It is generally poorly maintained; when properly maintained, it invariably results in heavy annual expenditure on account of current repairs and maintenance. Perhaps both the government as well as the officials concerned would be better served if such old construction were demolished, the lands auctioned and the officers concerned paid wages commensurate with the functions they perform. Failure to look at the problem realistically has only resulted in some officials obtaining all manner of perks in an opaque manner. Conditions thus continue to be created for rent-seeking and corruption. Despite this, the government may be constrained not to go beyond what the commission has recommended, quite simply because it may not want to be seen as favouring the rich and increasing inequality in the society.
The present occasion is also a good opportunity for the government to examine how it can improve governance through its personnel policies: in recent times, despite its best efforts to downsize, the sanctioned strength of personnel which stood at 38.25 lakh on January 1, 2006, increased to 40.49 lakh, exactly 8 years later, on January 1, 2014. Over the years, the departments have hardly reduced the number of unproductive posts; or rationalised the functioning of departments through computerisation; or out-sourced peripheral functions. The government urgently needs to develop leaner and more effective organisational structures, rationalise procedures, decrease the wage bill, and use resources productively. But it would need a third party to carry out such a review, because most departments would be loath to do anything that reduces their turfs.
The appointment of a pay commission and implementation of its recommendations every ten years should not degenerate in to a mechanical exercise of granting a bonanza to central government employees at the expense of other sections of the society. Such a course of action is is potentially inflationary- and as such, hardly benefits even those persons for whom the expenditure is incurred. Reckless spending has twice nearly landed the country in an economic crisis-once in 1989-90, when the government started depending on short term external commercial borrowing to finance its current expenditure; and again more recently, in 2013, when the current account and fiscal deficits almost span out of control because of excessive governmental spending.
“…..And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry,” (Hamlet I:3). These words of Shakespeare apply as much to nations as they do to households. At a time when ten lakh people are joining the workforce every month, the country needs productive jobs outside the government, not sinecures within it.
The author was formerly chief commissioner of income-tax and ombudsman to the income-tax department, Mumbai
Source:http://www.livemint.com/Politics/RuVSKJzYLsGKcz95L1Ma4K/Finance-ministry-rejects-railway-ministrys-request-for-Rs32.html
Seventh Pay Commission Report: The bulk of the expenditure of Rs 1.02 lakh crore relates to augmenting the salaries and allowances of the clerical-level employees, where the value added to decision-making is minimal.
The country recently witnessed a sad spectacle when 255 PhDs and over 25,000 post-graduates, apart from nearly 30 lakh other candidates, applied for 368 positions of peons at the state secretariat in Lucknow. This distortion, by no means unusual, is the direct result of base-level government employees being paid wages much above the market rate. Such instances are likely to further increase after the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, which will be one of the main challenges the central government will face in the new year.
The commission has determined the initial starting salary at the lowest entry point in government at Rs 18,000, when the comparable wage for a helper in the private sector would be only about Rs 9,000 to Rs 11,000 per month. Currently, in the government, this employee gets about R15,750, including dearness allowance. In other words, if the proposals are accepted, with effect from the new year, the increase in emoluments at the lowest level in the government will be a minimum of 14.2%.
The figure of Rs 18,000 has been determined after considering the minimum nutritional, clothing, fuel, recreational and housing requirements for a family of four. The pay commission has, by and large, followed the methodology approved by 15th Indian Labour Commission. Its approach is based on the idealistic notion that the government should set standards by being an ideal employer. The pay commission then divides the proposed new minimum basic pay by the existing basic salary of Rs 7,000 to determine a factor of 2.57. With some small modifications, this is applied across the board to determine salaries all along the hierarchy comprising fifteen levels in all. At the apex level of secretary to the government, this multiplier is 2.81. The salary at this level will thus increase from the existing Rs 80,000 per month (Rs 1,78,000 with dearness allowance) to Rs 2,25,000 per month.Along with increase in pensions of 23.66%, these proposals will require an additional outlay of Rs 1, 02,100 crore per annum (0.65% of GDP). The commission is confident that the government will be able to absorb this expenditure without straining the fisc. This however may be a flawed assumption, especially if oil and commodity prices do not remain so benign and inflation returns. Also, the commission has hardly examined the effect of this expenditure on state governments and various autonomous and private organisations, often compelled to follow suit in some form or the other. Some state governments in fact have already petitioned the Centre to postpone the implementation of these proposals because they expect that implementing them will strain their limited budgets.
It is worthwhile also to examine the opportunity cost of this expenditure and its overall effect on the economy; 89% the persons employed by the central government, admits the Pay Commission, belong to Group ‘C’ where functions are clerical; 8% of the personnel belong to Group ‘B’ where responsibilities tend to relate to first level supervision of clerical cadres or day-to-day implementation of policies and rules. This leaves just three 3% Group ‘A personnel’ whose responsibilities are either managerial or relate to policy formulation or evaluation. The bulk of the expenditure of Rs 1.02 lakh crore thus relates to augmenting the salaries and allowances of Group ‘C’ employees where the value added to decision-making is minimal. Increasing their pay and allowances further, in economic terms, means only increasing the subsidy to a privileged segment of the population. The government must ask itself the question whether with all its pressing developmental responsibilities, it can afford to pay such a subsidy to people who, comparatively speaking, are already much better off than millions of their countrymen. If a subsidy has to be given, wouldn’t marginal farmers in distress or those below the poverty line be better candidates for such largesse? Wouldn’t this huge outlay serve the national interest better if, for example, it were directed towards increasing irrigation facilities or providing better infrastructure or improving healthcare?
On the other hand, the 3% Group ‘A’ employees—particularly at the top echelons—are being paid much below the market wage, that is, they would earn much more were they to carry out comparable functions outside the government. Even after the pay commission recommendations, a secretary to the government, would get only Rs 2,25,000 per month. Even a middle-level executive in a multi- national corporation would be earning a higher salary than this. Impartial commentators may point out to the posh housing such officials are entitled to. Most of this unfortunately was built decades ago. Its written-down value today, apart from the locational advantage it enjoys, is negligible. It is generally poorly maintained; when properly maintained, it invariably results in heavy annual expenditure on account of current repairs and maintenance. Perhaps both the government as well as the officials concerned would be better served if such old construction were demolished, the lands auctioned and the officers concerned paid wages commensurate with the functions they perform. Failure to look at the problem realistically has only resulted in some officials obtaining all manner of perks in an opaque manner. Conditions thus continue to be created for rent-seeking and corruption. Despite this, the government may be constrained not to go beyond what the commission has recommended, quite simply because it may not want to be seen as favouring the rich and increasing inequality in the society.
The present occasion is also a good opportunity for the government to examine how it can improve governance through its personnel policies: in recent times, despite its best efforts to downsize, the sanctioned strength of personnel which stood at 38.25 lakh on January 1, 2006, increased to 40.49 lakh, exactly 8 years later, on January 1, 2014. Over the years, the departments have hardly reduced the number of unproductive posts; or rationalised the functioning of departments through computerisation; or out-sourced peripheral functions. The government urgently needs to develop leaner and more effective organisational structures, rationalise procedures, decrease the wage bill, and use resources productively. But it would need a third party to carry out such a review, because most departments would be loath to do anything that reduces their turfs.
The appointment of a pay commission and implementation of its recommendations every ten years should not degenerate in to a mechanical exercise of granting a bonanza to central government employees at the expense of other sections of the society. Such a course of action is is potentially inflationary- and as such, hardly benefits even those persons for whom the expenditure is incurred. Reckless spending has twice nearly landed the country in an economic crisis-once in 1989-90, when the government started depending on short term external commercial borrowing to finance its current expenditure; and again more recently, in 2013, when the current account and fiscal deficits almost span out of control because of excessive governmental spending.
“…..And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry,” (Hamlet I:3). These words of Shakespeare apply as much to nations as they do to households. At a time when ten lakh people are joining the workforce every month, the country needs productive jobs outside the government, not sinecures within it.
The author was formerly chief commissioner of income-tax and ombudsman to the income-tax department, Mumbai
Source:http://www.livemint.com/Politics/RuVSKJzYLsGKcz95L1Ma4K/Finance-ministry-rejects-railway-ministrys-request-for-Rs32.html
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