Attention is invited to Board’s letter of even number dated 18.08.2022 whereby instructions issued by DoP&T vide their O.M. No. 36012/01/2020-Estt. (res-II) dated 17.05.2022 for grant of reservation in promotion to PwBDs have been made applicable mutatis mutandis for promotion from Group ‘C’ to Group ‘B’ posts.
2. In this connection, DoP&T vide their O.M. under reference have clarified:
“If any extent of relaxation has been decided for a particular Limited Departmental Examination / Departmental Examination in respect of candidates belonging to SC/ST category, where sufficient number of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories (as per vacancies earmarked for these categories) do not qualify the examination in the normal course, same extent of relaxation can be extended to candidates belonging to those PwBD category, who do not belong to SC/ST category. In case the candidates belonging to PwBD category also belong to SC/ST category, they would be eligible to be considered either as a SC/ST category or PwBD candidate for seeking relaxation of standard for Departmental Examination but not both. ”
3. The issue of grant of relaxed standards of suitability to PwBDs in promotion from Group ‘C’ to Group ‘B’ posts has also been examined by the Board. Accordingly, it has been decided that extent of relaxation provided to SC/ST candidates in Selections and LDCEs for promotion from Group ‘C’ to Group ‘B’ posts may also be extended to PwBD candidates, in case sufficient number of PwBD candidates are not available on prescribed standards. Further, in case PwBD candidates also belong to SC/ST category, they would be eligible to be considered either as a SC/ST category or PwBD category candidate for availing relaxation of standard for Departmental Examination but not both.
DA. As above.
(Meenakshi Saluja) Dy. Director Estt. (GP)III Railway Board
Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2023-24 (Series IV) – Issue Price
In terms of Government of India Notification No.4(6)-B(W&M)/2023 dated December 08, 2023, Sovereign Gold Bonds 2023-24 (Series IV) will be opened for subscription during the period February 12-16, 2024 with Settlement date February 21, 2024. The issue price of the Bond during the subscription period shall be ₹6,263 (Rupees Six Thousand Two Hundred Sixty Three only) per gram, as also published by RBI in their Press Release dated February 09, 2024.
Government of India in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India has decided to allow discount of ₹50 (Rupees Fifty only) per gram from the issue price to those investors who apply online and the payment is made through digital mode. For such investors the issue price of Gold Bond will be ₹6,213 (Rupees Six Thousand Two Hundred Thirteen only) per gram of gold.
Dearness Relief for Bank Pensioners from Feb 2024 to July 2024 – IBA ORDER
Indian Banks’ Association
HR & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
No.CIR/HR&IR/D/G2/2023-24/8 16
February 7, 2024
Designated Officers of all Member Banks which are parties to the Bipartite Settlement on Pension
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Dearness Relief payable to Pensioners for the period February 2024 to July 2024
The confirmed All India Average Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial Workers (Base 1960=100) for the quarter ended December 2023 are as follows:-
October
2023
9098.22
November
2023
9144.24
December
2023
9124.52
The average CPI of the above is 9122.33.
In terms of Regulation 37 of Bank Employees’ Pension Regulations. 1995 Dearness Relief is payable to pensioners at rates specified in Appendix II to the Regulations.
Further, we draw your attention to our circular HR&IR/MBR/G2/0533 dated 16.10.2023, wherein we have communicated about DR neutralization for pre 01.11.2002 retirees and family pensioners. The amount of ex-gratia to be paid, to a group of pensioners, was also mentioned therein.
Pending amendments to Pension Regulations, Banks may pay on ad hoc basis, the Dearness Relief payable to pensioners for the period February 2024 to July 2024 as per Annexure.
Amendment in Rule 8 of All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958.
MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (Department of Personnel and Training) NOTIFICATION
New Delhi the 6th February, 2024
G.S.R. 102(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the All India Services Act, 1951 (61 of 1951), the Central Government, after consultation with the Government of the States concerned, hereby makes the following rules further to amend the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, namely:—
1. (1) These rules may be called the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Amendment Rules, 2024.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. In the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, in rule 8, after sub-rule (7), the following sub-rule shall be inserted, namely:—
“(7A) A member of service who is deputed on foreign service to the United Nations’ Secretariat or other United Nations’ Bodies or the International Monetary Fund or the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development or the Asian Development Bank or the Commonwealth Secretariat or any other International organisation may opt –
(a) to pay the pension contributions in respect of his foreign service, at such rates as the Central Government may, from time to time, prescribe and count such service as qualifying for retirement benefits under these rules; or
(b) not to pay the pension contributions in respect of his foreign service and not to count such service as qualifying for retirement benefits under these rules:
Provided that where a member of service opts for clause (b), pension contributions, if any, paid by the member of service, shall be refunded to him.”
[F. No. 29018/01/2023-AIS-II(Pension)] BHUPINDER PAL SINGH, Under Secy. (AIS-II)
Note: The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India vide notification number G.S.R. 728(E), Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), dated the 18th August, 1958 and was last amended vide notification number G.S.R. 487(E), Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), dated the 06th July, 2023.
The Government has created a unified grievance redressal platform namely Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) accessible at https://pgportal.gov.in. Any citizen can lodge his/her grievances pertaining to the Central Ministries/ Departments /State Governments / Union Territories (UTs) on CPGRAMS. Every Ministry / Department in Government of India and State Government/UT have access to this system and grievances are resolved by the concerned Ministries/ Departments/ States/ UTs on decentralized basis. About 1.3 lakh Grievance Officers of Central and State Governments are mapped on this system. The CPGRAMS has also been integrated with Grievance portals of 19 States /UT.
The government has launched Good Governance Index (GGI) framework in 2019 to assess the State of Governance across all States and Union Territories (UTs) on common indicator. The Index provides a comparative picture among the States/ UTs, while developing competitive spirit for improvement. The second edition of Good Governance Index, GGI 2020-21 was released in 2021 covering a total of 58 indicators under ten sectors i.e Agriculture and Allied Sector, Commerce and Industry, Human Resource Development, Public Health, Public infrastructure & Utilities, Economic Governance, Social Welfare & Development, Judiciary and Public Safety Environment and Citizen Centric Governance.
Restoration of Old Pension Scheme to Railway Employee: Lok Sabha QA
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 73 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024
RESTORATION OF OLD PENSION SCHEME
*73. SHRI A. RAJA: SHRI A. GANESHAMURTHI:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether some railway trade unions have recently staged agitations by going on fast against the reported move to gradually privatise Railways and for restoration of Old Pension Scheme to its employees;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to restore Old Pension Scheme to railway employees and to assure them regarding non-privatisation of operation of existing trains or the trains that are likely to be introduced in future?
ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 73 BY SHRI A. RAJA AND SHRI A. GANESHAMURTHI TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 07.02.2024 REGARDING RESTORATION OF OLD PENSION SCHEME.
(a) to (c) : Railways continue to function as a Ministry of Government of India. There is no proposal of privatizing operations of Railways. All matters related to salary, emoluments, pension, leave, retirement etc. are governed by various policies from time to time.
8th Pay Commission Latest News : No proposal under consideration – Rajya Sabha QA
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE
RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 395 TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2024/ 17 MAGHA, 1945 (SAKA)
INFORMATION REGARDING EIGHTH PAY COMMISSION
395 SHRI RAM NATH THAKUR:
Will the Minister of Finance be pleased to state:
(a) the reasons recorded on files for not considering and according approval of Para 1.22 of 7th CPC by Government;
(b) whether no proposal for setting up Eighth Central Pay Commission is under consideration due to the fact that Government is not in a position to bear the burden of pay commission;
(c) if so, the details and reasons for such situation; and
(d) if not, the reasons why 5th largest economy is not setting up Eighth Central Pay Commission and revising pay of the Central Government employees who are facing unprecedented inflation in the last thirty years?
ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)
(a): This issue has not been considered by the Union Cabinet while according the approval for the revision of pay and allowances based on 7th CPC.
(b) to (d): No such proposal is under consideration of the Government.
DA for Bank Employees from Feb 2024 to April 2024 – IBA ORDER
Indian Banks’ Association
HR & Industrial Relations
No.CIR/HR&IR/76/D/2023-24/0800
February 1, 2024
All Members of the Association (Designated Officers)
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Dearness Allowance for Workmen and Officer Employees in banks for the months of February, March & April 2024 under XI BPS/ 8TH 4 Joint Note dated 11.11.2020
The confirmed All India Average Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial Workers (Base 1960=100) for the quarter ended December 2023 are as follows:-
October 2023 – 9098.22 November 2023 – 9144.24 December 2023 – 9124.52
The average CPI of the above is 9122.33 and accordingly the number of DA slabs are 693 (9122.33— 6352= 2770.33 /4= 693 Slabs) The last quarterly Payment of DA was at 693 Slabs. Hence, there is no change in DA slabs and rate for the quarter February, March & April 2024. In terms of clause 7 of the 11th Bipartite Settlement dated 11.11.2020 and clause 3 of the Joint Note dated 11.11.2020, the rate of Dearness Allowance payable to Workmen and Officer employees for the months of February, March & April 2024. shall be 48.51 % of ‘pay’. While arriving at dearness allowance payable, decimals beyond third place may please be ignored.
Central government introduces Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha
Government introduces a Bill in the Lok Sabha titled “The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024” to curb paper leaks, malpractices as well as organised alpractices in recruitment examinations like UPSC, SSC etc and entrance tests such as NEET, JEE and CUET
The Bill is aimed at preventing organised gangs and institutions that are involved in unfair means for monetary gains, but it protects candidates from its provisions: Dr Jitendra Singh
“High level National Technical Committee on Public Examinations will be set up to develop protocol for developing foolproof IT security system for online and technology based exams”: Dr Jitendra Singh
The Centre today introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha titled “The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024” to curb leaks, malpractices as well as organized malpractices in recruitment examinations like UPSC, SSC etc and entrance tests such as NEET, JEE, and CUET.
The Bill was introduced in the house by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.
“Prevention of Unfair Means Bill, 2024” will also cover entrance examinations held by the Union Public Service Commission, the Staff Selection Commission, the Railways, banking recruitment examinations and all computer-based examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency.
The Bill proposes a punishment of a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment to curb cheating and for those involved in organised crimes of cheating will face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.
The Bill is aimed at preventing organised gangs and institutions that are involved in unfair means for monetary gains, but it protects candidates from its provisions.
In the last few years, leaks of question papers and organised cheating had affected the interests of lakhs of student due to cancellation of tests and examinations, said Dr Jitendra Singh, elaborating on the need and significance of the bill.
“In the recent past, many States have had to cancel or were unable to declare results of their public examinations due to adverse impact of unfair practices and means adopted by antisocial, criminal elements. These unfair practices if not effectively prevented and deterred will continue to jeopardize the future and careers of millions of aspiring youths of this country. In many instances, it has been observed that organized groups and mafia elements are involved. They deploy solver gangs, impersonation methods and indulge in paper leaks. The Bill primarily aims to deter such kind of nefarious elements,” he said.
At present, said the DoPT Minister, there is no specific substantive law at national level to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by persons, organized groups, or any other agency/organization that adversely impacts the conduct of Public Examinations by Central Government and its agencies.
“Therefore, it is imperative that the elements both within and outside the examination systems, that exploit these vulnerabilities are identified and effectively dealt with by way of a comprehensive Central legislation. There is a need to prevent such criminal elements from playing with lives and hopes of genuine and sincere youths who appear in these examinations,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the objective is to bring in greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the Public Examination systems and to reassure the youths that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their futures are safe.
“The Bill is aimed at effectively and legally deterring persons, organised groups or institutions that indulge in various unfair means and adversely impact the public examination systems for monetary or wrongful gains,” he said.
The Bill, however, clarified Dr Jitendra Singh, protects the candidates appearing in the examination from the punitive provisions and they will be governed under the provisions of the existing unfair means policy of the examination conducting authority.
“Candidates shall not be liable for action within the purview of the Bill and shall continue to be covered under the extant administrative provisions of the concerned public examination authority,” he said.
In view of many examinations being conducted online and the increasing role of technology in conduct of public examinations, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it has also been decided to set up a High level National Technical Committee on Public Examinations which shall look into developing protocol for insulating digital platforms, devising ways and means for developing foolproof IT security system, ensuring comprehensive electronic surveillance of the examinations centres and formulating national standards and service levels for both, IT and physical infrastructure, to be deployed for conduct of such examinations.
Central Government Employees likely to get 4% DA hike from January 2024
The Labor Bureau has released the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) for December 2023. The latest CPI-IW figures suggest a potential rise in Dearness Allowance for central government employees. Although there is a slight dip in the index, it is certain to reach 50 percent of the employee discount rate. The AICPI Index fell by 0.3 points to 138.8. On a month-on-month percentage change, it has decreased by 0.22 percent compared to the previous month.
Based on these index numbers, from January 2024, the dearness allowance of Central Government Employees will increase to 50%. That means there will be a 4 percent hike in the dearness allowance rate. At present Dearness Allowance of employees and pensioners (Dearness Allowance) is 46 percent. If the DA reaches 50%, it would signify a significant increase in the overall salary for Central Government employees and pensions for pensioners.
This hike would also trigger an automatic increase in House Rent Allowance (HRA) and Children Education Allowance (CEA) as per government regulations.
The official announcement regarding the revised DA rate is yet to be made by the government. It’s typically announced by the end of March, so we can expect clarity soon.
Some other allowances will also increase once the dearness allowance crosses 50%. When DA reaches 50%, certain allowances and pay components are increased as recommended by the 7th Pay Commission. Here are the details of those allowances.
House Rent Allowance (HRA)
Children Education Allowance
Special Allowance for Child Care
Hostel Subsidy
TA on Transfer
Gratuity Gratuity Ceiling
Dress Allowance
Mileage Allowance for Own Transport
Daily Allowance
This article is based on DA Calculation Sheet and expert predictions. The actual DA revision might differ depending on final government decisions.
