Safe to spend: Finance Dept restores project allowances

The allowances had been discontinued under austerity measures taken by the government in 2011.

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has restored project allowance for officials supervising various projects, programmes, policy units, cells, companies and commissions.

The allowances were stopped in June 2011 under an austerity policy pending rationalisation of salary structure of civil servants.

The Finance Department has now directed the administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners and district coordination officers to implement the new policy from December 1, a department official said.

Heads of projects will now get Rs80,000.

Previously, the allowance had been Rs175,000 for officers in BS 20 to 22 in addition to regular salaries and other perks.

Under the new policy, the Finance Department fixed Rs60,000 for BS-19 officers, Rs50,000 for BS-18 officers, Rs40,000 for BS-17 officers, Rs15,000 for BS-16 officers, Rs8,000 for officers between BS 11 to 15, Rs4,000 for BS 5 to 10 and Rs2,000 for other subordinates, a document said.

According to the new policy, the government will select a project director from among applicants after approval of the Provincial Development Working Party in case of projects having an outlay of more than Rs10,00 million.

The project director would be appointed for five years.

Private sector employees chosen for the project would be offered competitive salaries to be standardised by the Finance Department.  Minimum academic qualification for the post of project director would be no less than 16 years in the relevant field from an HEC-recognised institution.

Minimum of five years experience in project management was fixed by Finance Department for the project director.

The age limit may be decided by the concerned department before hiring.

A committee headed by secretary of the concerned department and including a representative of Planning and Development, Finance and Services and General Administration Departments would select project directors.

In case of mega projects, the Planning and Development Board chairman would head the committee to select suitable candidates for project directors.  An official of the Finance Department said the new policy aimed to save Rs.1.5 billion annually which was consumed over extra allowances for officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2014.

Correction: In an earlier version of this article, allowance for officers in BS 20 to 22 was mentioned as Rs75,000 instead of Rs175,000. The error is regretted.