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
