Employees link to PSDP-funded projects get pay boost

The federal government has revised pay packages of officials working in development projects funded under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), setting a monthly salary cap of Rs1.4 million for top officials while fixing Rs28,000 as the minimum paycheck for bottom grade staff.

The government announcement would apply to current employees and officials directly recruited for the PSDP-funded projects in the country. The revised standard pay package has set a minimum monthly pay scale range from Rs 28,000 to Rs 875,000 and a maximum monthly pay scale range from Rs 44,800 to Rs 1.4 million for officials from grade 1 to 22 in basic pay scales (BPS) and officials in grade 1 to 12 in project pay scales (PPS) respectively.

According to an Office Memorandum issued from the Federal Finance Ministry, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, the revised pay packages are applicable from April 1, 2022. The employees would get an annual increment of five percent in their salaries. The new pay package is applicable to current employees as well as those to be recruited in the PSDP-funded projects. The current employees will receive a lump sum salary as per the revised pay package from April 1. The newly-hired contractual employees would also get a five percent annual increment on their initial pay grade.

According to the Finance Ministry notification, the salaries of the current employees in the PSDP-funded projects would be fixed according to the next higher slab on the revised pay scale. Employees in BPS grade 1 to 4 and PPS grade-1 would get a minimum monthly salary of Rs 28,000 and a maximum monthly salary of Rs 44,800 based on an annual increment of five percent on the last slab.

For employees in BPS grade 5 to 8 and PPS grade-2 the minimum monthly salary has been set at Rs 36,000 with a maximum monthly ceiling of Rs 57,750 based on an annual increment of Rs 1,400 on the last slab. Employees in BPS grade 9 to 10 and PPS grade-3 would receive a minimum monthly salary of Rs 43,500 and a maximum salary of Rs 70,030 adjusted according to an annual increment of Rs 2,190 on the last slab.

Similarly, employees would get a minimum monthly salary of Rs 52,500 with a maximum monthly ceiling of Rs 84,000 adjusted for an annual increment of Rs 2,625 on the last slab in the BPS grade 11 to 13 and PPS grade-4.

Officials in the PPS grade-5 and in BPS grade 14 to 15 would get a minimum salary of Rs 75,000 which would increase to a maximum of Rs 112,000 monthly with an annual increment of Rs 3,500. Those in the PPS grade-6 and in BPS grade-16 would see their minimum monthly salary jump to Rs 105,000 and reach a maximum ceiling of Rs 168,000 with an annual increment of Rs 5,250.

The minimum monthly salary for officials in the PPS grade-7 and in BPS grade-17 has been fixed at Rs 157500 that would increase with an annual increment of Rs 7,875 to the maximum figure of Rs 252,000.

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Senior officials in the PPS grade-8 and in BPS grade-18 would take home a minimum monthly sum of Rs 218,750 and bag a tidy maximum amount of Rs 350030 monthly with Rs 10,940 in annual increment in the last slab. Those in PPS grade-9 and BPS grade-19 would see their monthly pay checks range between a minimum of Rs 306,250 and a maximum of Rs 490,030 based on annual increment of Rs 15,315. The minimum monthly salary has been set at Rs 437,500 for officials in the PPS grade-10 and BPS grade-20 who would get a maximum salary of Rs 700,000 with Rs 21,875 annual increment in last slab.

Top officials in the PPS grade-11 and BPS grade-21 would take home a minimum monthly sum of Rs 612,500 while their maximum salary has been capped at Rs 980,000 along with annual increment of Rs 30,625.

However, the last and top tier of officials in the PPS grade-11 and BPS grade-21 would not feel starved out with a hefty minimum monthly package of Rs 875,000 but like in officers in the previous grade the maximum salary has been capped Rs 1.4 million monthly calculated on the basis of annual increment of Rs 43,750.

According to the Finance Ministry notification, the employees in the PSDP-funded projects would not receive no additional benefits apart from the lump sum salaries under the revised pay package. Contractual employees would be eligible for annual increment upon completion of one year of service from the date of joining.

In addition, the notification clarified that lump sum salary drawn by the employees in development projects should not be less than the minimum salary fixed in the revised packages. The notification further said that the number of staff required for development projects approved by PSDP would be determined by the relevant forum comprising the Communication and Works Department and Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC). The regular government employees sent on deputation to the PSDP-funded project would receive salary and allowances according to their pay scales as well as get a deputation allowance. The revised pay package would not be applicable to officials recruited after their retirement or on contract. These retired government servants would be paid salaries and allowances as per the provisions of the contract policy issued by the Establishment Division. However, retired government servants hired on open merit would be eligible for pay package and benefits according to their posts, the notification stated.