Letter to Minister of State for Finance to intervene in GP matter.

No. GS/AIAIASP/GP/2012                                                                            Dated 3rd September, 2012

To,
Hon’ble Shri Namo Narain Meena,
Minister of State for Finance,
Govt. Of India,
New Delhi 110 001.
Subject : Disparity in the pay scale of Inspectors Post (Group B).

Respected Sir,

I wish to bring to your kind notice the discrimination meted out to the cadre of Inspectors Post (Group B) in the Department of Post under Ministry of Communication in the matter of Grade Pay in comparison to the grade pay granted to the analogous cadres in other departments such as CBEC/CBDT and Assistants in Central Secretariat.

The pay scale of Inspectors Post (IPs) was having a historical parity with the pay scales of Inspectors in CBDT/CBEC/IB. However, this parity was disturbed in 1986 and Inspectors Post cadre is forced to perpetuate miserable fate by 1986 pay commission. The 5th Central Pay Commission however recognized this parity in pay scales between these cadres and placed Inspectors Post in the scale of Rs. 5500-9000 on par with the Inspectors in CBEC & CBDT. The Inspectors of CBI and IB were however placed in the scale of Rs. 6500-10500.

However, like Inspectors Post (Group B), the Inspectors in CBEC & CBDT taken up the disparity and anomaly in their pay scales in Comparison to the Inspectors of CBI/IB with respective Ministry/Department. After negotiation, litigation and struggle the inspector in CBEC & CBDT get justice from the Government who were finally placed in the pay scale Rs. 6500-10500 vide the Department of Expenditure (Implementation Cell) Office Memorandum F.No.6/37/98-IC dated 21.4.2004 bringing at per with Inspectors of CBI and IB. Unfortunately the above grant of replacement in scale was not done in the cadre of Inspectors Post and Govt. left the issue to be decided by 6th pay commission.

The Sixth Central Pay Commission has recommended merger of pre-revised pay scales of Rs.5500-9000 and Rs.6500-10500 with a view to bring Inspectors Post at par with Inspectors in CBEC & CBDT as well as Assistants in CSS and this has also been accepted and implemented by the Govt. Accordingly Inspectors Post have been placed in PB-2 with grade pay of Rs.4200/- at par with Assistant in CSS/Inspectors and Analogous post in CBEC & CBDT.

Now again, the Grade Pay of Inspectors in CBEC & CBDT has been revised from Rs.4200/- to 4600/- vide Ministry of Finance Memo. No.1/1/2008-IC dated 13th Nov.2009 (Annex-I) leaving Inspector Post in stagger. The Grade Pay of Assistants in the Central Secretariat has also been upgraded from Rs.4200/- to 4600/- vide Ministry of Finance Memo No. 1/1/2008-IC dated 16th November 2009 (Annex-II) but the file of Inspector Posts has been returned back by Ministry of Finance with the remarks that the post of Inspector Posts is not comparable to that Inspector in CBEC & CBDT.



SIR, Your good self can well imagine the plight of Inspector Posts and as such we are harried a lot. Sir, it is wrong to say that our cadre is inferior to any analogous post rather we are superior to them that is why we have been considered in Group B and given the responsibility as recruiting officers, appointing authorities, as sub divisional officer has to manage total postal affairs. We are investigating authority, inquiring authority; attend court cases like law officer, handle technology deals like IT professional and process legal cases such as police cases, forum cases, labour court cases still how we are inferior to Inspectors of CBDT what a strange on the part of official dealing the case in Ministry of Finance. Sir, we are recruited through the same examination (Graduate Level Examination) as is in the case of other Inspectors than how the cadre of Inspector Posts can not be compared with other Inspectors. Sir, any other cadre in analogous post is not given the responsibility as Inspector Post has been given.

Department of Posts (Pay Commission Cell) continuously pursued the case at highest level with Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure with recommendations of the Secretary (Posts) for pay parity of Inspector Post but the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure is not ready to take the view of the Department of Posts positively resulting frustration and demoralization amongst the Inspector, Posts cadre.

Out of this frustration some of our members approached Hon’ble CAT for natural justice. Hon’ble CAT Ernakulam Bench has specifically stated in para 33 of its judgment dated 19th October’2011 (Annex-III) that “.....the case has been considered and the Tribunal is of the considered view that there is no justification in denying the Inspector (Posts) the higher Grade Pay of Rs 4600/- when the same is admissible to Inspectors of other Departments with whom parity has been established by the very Sixth Pay Commission vide its report at para 7.6.14 extracted above......."(Annex-IV).

Hon’ble CAT has allowed the OA to the extent that keeping in tune with the observations of the Sixth Pay Commission, coupled with the strong recommendations of the Department of Post and also in the light of our discussion as above, first respondent, i.e. the Ministry of Finance shall have a re-look in the matter at the level of Secretary and consider the case of the Inspector (Posts) for up-gradation of their grade pay at par with that of the Inspector of income tax, of CBDT and CBEC.

Since it appears that the proposal sent by the DOP to implement the orders of Hon’ble CAT has not yet been considered by the Secretary (Finance), we request your good self to please intervene in the matter and take up the issue with the appropriate authorities for an early settlement and grant of pay grade of Rs.4600/- to Inspector Posts w.e.f 1.1.2006 as has been done in the analogous post in other departments.

For this act of kindness, we shall remain ever obliged.

Yours sincerely,

Sd/-

(Vilas Ingale)

General Secretary