New Delhi: The report on allowances will be placed before the empowered
committee of secretaries in the next week for screening, a finance
ministry official told on Monday.
The empowered committee of secretaries to take up all issues of
allowances, including house rent allowance (HRA), which has been
submitted by Committee on Allowances headed by Finance Secretary Ashok
Lavasa on its report under the recommendations of the 7th Pay
Commission.
The Cabinet approved the setting up of Empowered Committee of
Secretaries on January 13, 2016 to process the recommendations of the
7th Pay Commission in an overall perspective. Accordingly, the report of
allowances will be screened by that Empowered Committee of Secretaries,
the official said.
The other members in the panel include secretaries from the Home Affairs
and Defence ministry and secretaries of department of personnel and
training, pension and PW, revenue, expenditure, posts, health, and
science and technology. Chairman of Railway Board, Deputy CAG and
Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat are also on the panel.
“It will look at all the issues of allowances, including HRA and it will
function as a Screening Committee to process the Committee on
Allowances report with regard to all relevant factors,” the official
said.
“The report on allowances is now being examined in the Department of
Expenditure. It will be completed shortly, we expect, the finance
minister Arun Jaitley next week will hand over it to the Empowered
Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) to examine it and after consideration
by the empowered committee of secretaries, the higher allowances shall
be placed before the Cabinet for approval.,” the official added.
The employees now get all allowances except dearness allowance at the old rates until the cabinet approval of higher allowances.