By Amin Ahmed
Wednesday, 07 Jul, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The government notified on Tuesday a special increase in the pay, allowances and pension of its employees with effect from July 1.

The finance ministry issued office memorandums announcing that the president had sanctioned revision of rates of special pay and allowances; grant of ad hoc allowance and medical allowance; increase in pension of retired civilian and armed forces’ personnel; increase in family pension; minimum pension; and grant of medical allowance to civilian pensioners.

The night duty allowance for assistants and clerks has been increased from Rs10 to Rs40 and for staff car drivers, dispatch riders and naib qasids from Rs5 to Rs25 per night.

The conveyance charges for late sitting employees in BPS 1 to 15 and 16 (non-gazetted), excluding drivers and dispatch riders, on working days has been increased from Rs12 to Rs50 per day. The allowance for holidays has been increased from Rs18 to Rs75.

The special pays of private secretaries and personal assistants have also been increased. According to a memorandum, a private secretary to a federal minister or minister of state will now get Rs1,000 instead of Rs500 per month.

A private secretary to a ministry’s secretary will get Rs800 per month instead of Rs400 and private secretary to additional secretary Rs600 instead of Rs300.

The special pay of personal assistants to ministers, ministers of state, secretaries and additional secretary had been increased from Rs200 to Rs400 of personal assistants to joint secretaries from Rs160 to Rs320.

The daily allowance within the country for BPS 12 to 16 has been increased from Rs280 to Rs500 (ordinary) and Rs365 to Rs600 (special) and for BPS 5 to 11 from Rs155 to Rs220 (ordinary) and Rs200 to Rs440 (special).

Pensioners who retired before Dec 1, 2001, will get a raise of 20 per cent and those who retired later of 15 per cent.

The president has sanctioned an increase in the rate of family pension from 50 per cent to 75 per cent.

Medical allowance has been introduced for all civilian pensioners of the federal government, including civilians paid from the defence budget.

Those who retired or will retire in BPS 1 to15 will get 25 per cent and those in BPS 16 to 22 20 per cent of their pension as medical allowance.

The ministry announced that the president had sanctioned an ad hoc allowance of 50 per cent of the basic pay of Rs24,465, included in a package of Rs31,500, to the section officers re-employed against civil posts on a contract basis.

An ad hoc allowance equivalent to 50 per cent of the existing basic pay of the scales of 2008 for all civilian employees of the government and civilians paid from the defence budget, including contingent paid staff and contract employees employed against civilian posts in basic pay scales on standard terms and conditions or contract appointment has also been sanctioned.

On recommendation of the Pay and Pension Commission, medical allowance in lieu of outdoor treatment and reimbursement of medical expenses has been granted at the rate of Rs1,000 per month, up from Rs500, for BPS 1 to 15 and 16 (non-gazetted) and 15 per cent of the basic pay for officials in BPS 16 to 22.

The facility of reimbursement of amounts spent on purchase of medicines by government servants and local purchase of medicines by government hospitals for outdoor patient will be discontinued.

However, the existing facilities for consultation and diagnostic investigations at out-patient departments will continue.

Reimbursement and local purchase will be admissible for OPD patients of cancer, hepatitis B and C and insulin-dependent diabetes.

The facility of re-imbursement of expenditure on indoor medical treatment will continue as before.