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Top bureaucrats get 20% special pay allowance
Earlier, 20% special pay allowance was only awarded to grade-22 officers who were serving as federal secretaries.
Earlier, 20% special pay allowance was only awarded to grade-22 officers who were serving as federal secretaries. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
In a move to appease the highest bureaucracy in the country, the finance ministry has awarded a special 20% relief allowance to all grade-22 officers from the new fiscal year.
The move will result in a 40% total increase in the salaries of these officials and is likely to earn much criticism as the rest of the employees are only to get a 20% pay raise from July 1.
Earlier, the 20% special pay allowance was only awarded to those grade-22 officers who were serving as federal secretaries. But to end what a top official in the Accountant General of Pakistan termed “discrimination”, the stipend was extended to all grade-22 officers.
“It is very unfortunate that grade-22 officers, who are the highest paid employees, get a special allowance in the name of relief,” said a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Yasmeen Rehman. In another move which will further displease lower-ranking civil servants, the ministry turned down proposals to increase the medical allowance of grade-1 to grade-15 employees. It also refused to extend utility allowance to all employees; it is currently given only to those serving in the presidency and the prime minister’s secretariat.
“The finance ministry is only taking care of the privileged class. When it comes to lower ranking employees, it suddenly starts talking about austerity measures and budgetary constraints,” said the General Secretary of Federal Secretariat Employees Coordination Council Syed Farrukh.
Farrukh added that grade-1 to 15 officers were getting a monthly medical allowance of Rs1,000 and the ministry rejected their demands to increase it to Rs5,000. It also refused to provide health insurance in exchange for forgoing medical allowances though the move would have only presented a minimal additional cost.
The increase in transport/conveyance allowances is also a reflection of this disparity. Grade-20 to 22 officers not only enjoy an allowance of Rs68,000 to Rs96,000, but also have a number of official vehicles at their disposal.
Despite repeated attempts, finance ministry officials could not be reached for comments.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2012.
Reader Comments (11)
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While ordinary citizen is suffering because of high prices, the top babus get 20% pay increase.This just cannot go on…….things will snap
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you scratch my back and I scratch yours….. in the mean time screw ordinary citizens
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we should get rid of bureaucrats, not give them allowances and two plots. They are the most corrupt lot and get away with it in both democracy and dictatorship …..
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why not special allowances for Teachers, Engineers and doctor..
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Federal Secretaries being policy makers as well as executing authorities are sanctioning financial benefits to themselves without any relevance to the economic conditions of the country.Each batch of these secretaries that assumes group leadership ,not over bureaucracy but also the political leadership,because of inherent fragility of the system,arrogates to itself the right to appropriate any sum and benefit ,it deems fit. And you have to admire their innovative minds for such self-serving solutions. I wish they were equally smart to resolve miseries of their poor countrymen also.Sometime back,it was additional plots from CDA and now the special allowance.What are the justifications for this?Do they think that they need more than a man on the street.When doctors protest against their pay structure,the bureaucrats advise their arrests!! There should be some method in their madness to usurp everything in the name of seniority rather than what is delivered.
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Poorest of the poor ought to be taken care of, no big deal !!!
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These are the people who make this type of money daily or possibly hourly – democracy for the few by the few.
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And this news ruined my day!!!!!!!!
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@AV Bhagowal: I think that basically our incompetent policy makers are responsible for the miseries of common man. We are facing problems in every field. Can anybody ask them what policies they made and what are they doing now to get out of this mess. I am sure it would be difficult for us to read their plans on paper but factually nothing. When it comes to their own, they had all the best solutions to resolve their all sorts of problems.
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Pakistan should cut down the size of bureaucracy through deregulation and have a small but thoroughly professional cadre.For instance our Accounts Service are not recruited on the basis of proficiency in accountancy and never acquire it in course of service.
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As far as ordinary citizens are concerned, they should understand that their democratically elected government first needs to cement its place by rewarding it allies, MNAs, MPAs and military and civil bureaucracy. Once the democratically elected government is done with this, it will focus all its energies on the betterment of ordinary people. For God’s sake people have patience and give democracy some time.
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