Thursday, November 8, 2012

Pay of seniors getting lesser salary than juniors to be hiked Tribune News Service


Removing certain anomalies in its career progression scheme, the Central government has ordered stepping up of pay of employees in cases where a senior is getting lower emoluments than his junior.
The disparities had arisen between employees who came under the scheme before 2006 and those who got benefits between 2006 and 2008 consequent to the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (SPC).
Orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training earlier this month state, “It has been decided to allow stepping up of pay in such cases where the senior, but for the pay revision on account of the SPC, would have continued to draw higher pay”.
A large number of Central government employees will be financially benefited by this order. The employees affected had taken up the matter with the government and the anomalies committee, following which the issue was examined by the Department of Expenditure.
The government’s Assured Career Progression Scheme (ACPS), which granted two financial upgrades on completion of 12 and 24 years of regular service to employees who did not get promotion in the existing grade, was applicable up till August 2008.
It was replaced in September 2008 by the Modified Career Progression Scheme. As the revised pay scales under SPC were applicable with effect from January 2006, those employees who received benefits under ACPS between 2006 to 2008 got financial upgrade in the revised scales. Consequently, senior employees who got benefit under ACPS prior to 1996 began drawing lesser pay than their juniors.
The new order stipulates that for pay to be stepped up under the scheme, the junior and senior employee should belong to the same cadre and the posts in which they have been promoted or upgraded should be identical. Further, the senior employee should have been drawing equal or more pay than the junior before receiving ACPS benefits.

Tribune News Service

SALIENT FEATURES OF EXISTING TATKAL SCHEME

a. Tatkal booking opens at 10 AM on the previous day of journey excluding date of journey from the train originating station. b. The reservation under this scheme is available only upto the time of preparation of charts.  .  c. The facility of change of name is not permitted on the bookings made under Tatkal scheme.  d. No duplicate Tatkal tickets are issued except in exceptional cases on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges.  e. The reservation under this scheme can be sought by full fare paying passengers only and no passenger holding concessional ticket is allowed to avail reservation under this scheme.  f. Tatkal tickets are issued only on production of one of the nine prescribed proofs of identity as mentioned below and passenger should carry the same proof of identity(in original) during the journey failing which all the passengers booked on that ticket are considered as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly:- 
i. Voter Photo Identity Card issued by Election Commission of India.  ii. Passport  iii. PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department  iv. Driving Licence issued by RTO  v. Photo Identity Card issued by Central /State Government  vi.  Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their Students  vii. Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph and   viii. Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph.  ix. Unique identification Card “Aadhar “.
g. The procedure for booking Tatkal ticket is as under:- 
(i) For booking Tatkal ticket, a self attested photo copy of any one of the proofs of identity mentioned above, of any one passenger, is to be attached to the requisition slip.    (ii) The details of the identity proof is captured by the system and indicated on the reserved tickets as well on the reservation chart.   (iii) It is not mandatory for the passenger(s) to go to the counter to book the Tatkal ticket, however, the proof is to be sent in the aforementioned manner.    (iv) For internet booking of Tatkal tickets, the passenger shall enter the identity proof type and number, which is to be used for travel.  These details shall be printed on the ERS/indicated on the MRM/VRM as well as in the reservation chart. (v) During the journey, the passenger, whose identity card number has been indicated on the ticket, has to produce original proof of identity indicated on the ticket, failing which all the  passengers booked on the ticket are treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly. Indication comes on the ticket regarding carrying the same original proof of identity during the journey, as indicated on the ticket.   (vi) If the passenger whose identity card number is indicated on the ticket is not travelling, all other passengers booked on that ticket, if found travelling in train, will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly.   (vii) No refund is granted on the cancelation of confirmed Tatkal tickets. However, full refund of fare and  Tatkal charges is granted on the cancellation of confirmed Takal tickets booked under Tatkal scheme under certain circumstances like non-attachment of coach, cancellation of train, as mentioned in the scheme.  (viii) Tatkal tickets are issued subject to the distance restriction on travel applicable to the train.  (ix) Booking of maximum of only four  passengers per PNR for Tatkal tickets is permitted.  (x) The web/web services agents of IRCTC have been permitted to book only one Tatkal ticket per train per day on the internet.  (xi) Agents/RTSAs have been restricted from the booking Tatkal tickets at the counters as well as through internet between 1000 hours and 1200 hours. 
h. Tatkal charges have  been fixed as a percentage of fare at the rate of 10% of basic fare for second class and 30% of basic fare for all other classes subject to minimum and maximum as given in the table below:- 
 
Class of Travel
Minimum Tatkal Charges (in Rs.)
Maximum Tatkal Charges(in Rs.)
Reserved Second Sitting (2S)
10
15
Sleeper
75
150
AC Chair Car
75
150
AC-3 tier
200
300
AC-2 tier
200
300
Executive
200
300
i. Powers for earmarking of Tatkal accommodation in different classes have been delegated to Zonal Railways. Keeping in view the utilization pattern in the class of travel during the previous financial year and availability of accommodation, the Tatkal accommodation is earmarked in the  zonal Railways subject to maximum as under:- 
Classes
Maximum Tatkal accommodation which can be earmarked in a train
Executive Class
5 seats per coach
2 AC
10 Berths Per Coach
3 AC
16 Berths Per Coach
AC Chair Car
16 Seats Per Coach
SL
30% of the accommodation
Reserved Second Sitting (2S)
10% of the accommodation
j. At present this scheme is available in  around 2677 trains. Out of the total berth of around 11.57 lakhs berths/seats per day, on an average, around 1.71 lakhs seats/berths are available for booking under Tatkal every day i.e. approximately 14.75% of the total accommodation.
(Based on information for the period from April 2011 to March 2012)
k. Extent of Tatkal accommodation earmarked in a specific train can be checked up from the computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters or from website www.indianrail.gov.in
l. The earnings from Tatkal Scheme during the last few years has been as under:-
Financial Year
Earnings from Tatkal Scheme (in Rs. crores)
2005-06
126
2006-07
207
2007-08
396
2008-09
605
2009-10
672
2010-11
729
2011-12
847
2012-13 (till August 2012)
409
Source: indian rail.gov.in