New Delhi: The government has made changes in several rules for Central Govt Employees in view of the increasing threat of COVID-19 pandemic that will benefit millions of central government employees.
At a time when 50 lakh central government employees and over 65 lakh pensioners are waiting to reap the benefits of increased Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief, it is also pertinent to mention about Night Duty Allowance). It is expected that the government may soon come with a guideline on Night Duty Allowance of employees.
As per the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, the Department of Personal and Training (DoPT) issued guidelines in the first half of the last financial year regarding night duty allowance. Regarding this, the Department of Personal and Training (DoPT) issued guidelines for this. Although, all sorts of allowances are put on hold in the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that the news on hike in DA and DR in July will also bring clarity on hike in night duty allowances.
Central government employees will be given separate allowance on night duty, and not on the basis of grade pay. Night duty allowance was available on the basis of special grade pay till now. According to the new system, giving night allowance will benefit the employees and will increase the in hand salary.
A 10-minute weightage will be given for every hour during the night duty while the duty done from 10 am to 6 am is considered night duty. For this, basic pay ceiling for night duty allowance has been fixed on the basis of Rs 43,600 per month salary.
The government has also fixed a calculation for giving night duty allowance. The payment of this allowance will be done on an hourly basis, which will be given by dividing the total of basic pay and dearness allowance by 200 (BP + DA / 200). The basic pay and dearness allowance will be calculated on the basis of the seventh pay commission. On the day of joining night duty, basic salary will be calculated on the same basis. This will be applicable only to those employees who do duty at night. The same formula will apply to employees of all ministries and departments.
Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur had in March this year told Parliament that the employees will get full benefits of dearness allowance starting July 1 and all the three pending installments will be restored prospectively. However, what may upset the central government employees is that any increase in DA from July 1 will only be effective from that day, which means that the employees would not get any arrears on non-revision of DA for previous period.
The three installments of dearness allowance for central government employees and DR for pensioners, due on January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021, were frozen in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Thakur said: "As and when the decision to release the future installments of Dearness Allowance due from 01.07.2021 is taken, the rates of DA as effective from 01.01.2020, 01.07.2020 and 01.01. 2021 will be restored prospectively and will be subsumed in the cumulative revised rates effective from 01.07.2021."
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