7th Central Pay Commission: List of allowances approved by the Cabinet

The recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission received Cabinet clearance Wednesday with some modifications. The new allowances, which will be effective starting July 1, 2017, will benefit over 47 lakh employees.

Here are the highlights of the seventh pay commission (7th CPC) recommendations which received the Cabinet nod:

> House Rent Allowance (HRA)

HRA will be paid at 24, 16 and eight percent for X (population of 50 lakh and above), 20 percent for Y (5 to 50 lakh) and 10 percent for Z (below 5 lakh) category of cities, respectively.

Current HRA is at 30 percent for X, 20 percent for Y and 10 percent for Z category of cities.

However, it has been decided that HRA shall not be less than Rs 5400, Rs 3600 and Rs 1800 for X, Y and Z category of cities, respectively. This was calculated at 30, 20 and 10 percent of minimum pay of Rs 18,000.

The CPC recommended revision of HRA when DA reaches 50 per cent and 100 per cent. The government decided to revise rates when DA crosses 25 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively.

> Siachen Allowance

Siachen Allowance rates were enhanced from the existing rate of Rs 14,000 to Rs 30,000 per month for Jawans & JCOs (Level 8 and below) and from Rs 21,000 to Rs 42,500 per month for Officers (Level 9 and above).

> Dress Allowance

Allowances like washing, uniform, kit maintenance, outfit have been rationalised and subsumed in the newly-proposed dress allowance to be paid annually in four slabs Rs 5000, Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per annum for various categories of employees.

> Recommendations in respect of some important allowances paid to all employees:

• Rate of Children Education Allowance has been increased from Rs 1,500 per month per child (maximum 2) to Rs 2,250. Hostel Subsidy will also go up from Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,750 per month.
• Existing rates of Special Allowance for Child Care for Women with Disabilities has been doubled from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month.
• Higher Qualification Incentive for Civilians has been increased from Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000 (grant) to Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000 (grant).                                                                                                                                             > Tough Location Allowance
• Some allowances based on geographical location such as Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance (SCRLA), Sunderban Allowance and Tribal Area Allowance have been subsumed in Tough Location Allowance.
• The areas under TLA have been classified into three categories and the rates will be governed as per different cells of R&H Matrix and will be in the range of Rs 1000 – Rs 5300 per month.
• The pay commission had recommended that TLA will not be admissible with Special Duty Allowance (SDA) payable in North-East, Ladakh and the Islands.
• The Cabinet has decided that employees will be given the option to avail of the benefit of SCRLA at pre-revised rates along with SDA at revised rates.

• The recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission to abolish Launch Campaign Allowance and Space Technology Allowance has not been accepted.
• The rate of Launch Campaign and Space Technology Allowance has been increased from Rs 7500 per annum to Rs 11250 per annum.
• Professional Update Allowance for non-gazetted employees of Department of Atomic Energy will also continue to be paid at the enhanced rate of Rs 11250 per annum.
• The Rates of Antarctica Allowance will go up from Rs1125 per day (Summers) and Rs1688 per day (Winters) to Rs1500 per day (Summers) and Rs2000 per day (Winters).

> Allowances paid to Department of Posts

• The recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission to abolish Cycle Allowance, granted mainly to Postmen and trackmen in Railways, has not been accepted.
• Keeping in view the specific requirement of this allowance for postmen in Department of Posts and trackmen in Railways, the cycle allowance is retained and the rates have been doubled from Rs 90 per month to Rs 180 per month.

• Rates of Additional Allowance have been increased from Rs 500 / 1000 per month to Rs 1125 / 2250 per month. This has also been extended to Loco Pilot Goods and Senior Passenger Guards also at Rs 750 per month.
• Special Train Controller’s Allowance of Rs 5000 per month for Train Controllers of Railways has been introduced.

•  Existing rate of Nursing Allowance has been increased from Rs 4800 per month to Rs 7200 per month.
• Rate of Operation Theatre Allowance has been increased from Rs 360 per month to Rs 540 per month.
• Rates of Hospital Patient Care Allowance / Patient Care Allowance have been increased from Rs 2070 – Rs 2100 per month to Rs 4100 – Rs 5300 per month.

• Rates of Additional Allowance have been increased from Rs 500 / 1000 per month to Rs 1125 / 2250 per month. This has also been extended to Loco Pilot Goods and Senior Passenger Guards also at Rs 750 per month.
• Special Train Controller’s Allowance of Rs 5000 per month for Train Controllers of Railways has been introduced.                                                                                                                                                                              > Recommendations in respect of some important allowances paid to Nurses & Ministerial Staffs of Hospital
• Existing rate of Nursing Allowance has been increased from Rs 4800 per month to Rs 7200 per month.
• Rate of Operation Theatre Allowance has been increased from Rs 360 per month to Rs 540 per month.
• Rates of Hospital Patient Care Allowance / Patient Care Allowance have been increased from Rs 2070 – Rs 2100 per month to Rs 4100 – Rs 5300 per month.
• The 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations modified to the extent that it will be granted to Ministerial staff also. > Recommendations in respect of some important allowances paid to Pensioners
• Rate of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for Pensioners has been increased from Rs 500 per month to Rs 1000 per month.
• The rate of Constant Attendance Allowance granted on 100 per cent disablement has been increased from Rs 4500 per month to Rs 6750 per month.

> Recommendations for allowances paid to Uniformed Services: Defence, CAPFs, Police, Indian Coast Guard and Security Agencies

• Technical allowance of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 per month being paid to defence personnel belonging to technical branches has been merged with Higher Qualification Incentive.
• For the defence personnel in peace areas, Ration Money Allowance will now be given in "cash" and it will be directly transferred to their bank accounts.
• The facility of one additional free railway warrant (Leave Travel Concession) presently granted to personnel of defence forces serving in field/ high altitude/ counter-insurency shall also be extended to all personnel of Central Armed Personnel Forces (CAPFs) and the Indian Coast Guard.
• Rates of High Altitude Allowance granted to Defence Forces and CAPF personnel will be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will go up from Rs 810 – Rs 16800 per month to Rs 2700 – Rs 25000 per month.
• The rates of Field Area Allowances (Modified Field, Field & Highly Active) will go up from Rs 1200 – Rs 12600 per month to Rs 6000 – Rs 16900 per month.
• The rates of Counter Insurgency Ops (CI Ops) Allowance, granted to Defence and CAPFs while deployed in counter – insurgency operations will be governed by the R&H Matrix. The rates will go up from Rs 3000 – Rs 11700 per month to Rs 6000 – Rs 16900 per month.
• Rates of MARCOS and Chariot Allowance granted to marine commandos of Indian Navy will go up from Rs 10500 – Rs 15750 per month to Rs 17300 – Rs 25000 per month.
• Rates of Sea Going Allowance granted to personnel of Indian Navy will go up from Rs 3000 – Rs 7800 per month to Rs 6000 – Rs 10500 per month.
• Rates of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) Allowance granted to CRPF personnel deployed in Naxal hit areas will go up from Rs 8400 – Rs 16800 per month to Rs 17300 – Rs 25000 per month.
• Rates of Flying Allowance granted to flying branch and technical officers of Defence Forces will go up from Rs 10500 – Rs 15750 per month to Rs 17300 – Rs 25000 per month. It has been extended mutatis mutandis to BSF Air Wing also.
• Aeronautical Allowance, now paid only to personnel of Indian Navy, has been extended to Indian Coast Guard. The rate of this allowance has been increased from Rs 300 per month to Rs 450 per month.
• Rates of Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineer Allowance will go up from Rs 1500 / Rs 3000 per month to Rs 4100 / Rs 5300 per month.
• Rates of Territorial Army Allowance have been increased from Rs 175 – Rs 450 per month to Rs 1000 – Rs 2000 per month.
• Ceilings of Deputation (Duty) Allowance for Defence Personnel have been increased from Rs 2000 – Rs 4500 per month to Rs 4500 – Rs 9000 per month.
• Rates of Detachment Allowance have been increased Rs 165 – Rs 780 per day to Rs 405 – Rs 1170 per day.
• Rates of Para Jump Instructor Allowance have been increased from Rs 2700/3600 per month to Rs 6000 / 10500 per month.
• Special Incident / Investigation / Security Allowance has been rationalised. Rates for Special Protection Group (SPG) have been revised to 55 per cent and 27.5 per cent of Basic Pay for operational and non-operational duties respectively.

According to Indian Express, the increased allowance will impose an additional annual burden of Rs 30,748 crore on the exchequer. The modifications will result in an additional burden of Rs 1,448 crore.