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Monday, 30 November 2015

Recommendations of 7th CPC on Medical Facilities for Serving Employees and Pensioners


Introduction

The Central Government provides health care facilities for both serving and retired employees. Employees of some Central Government organisations, like Railways and Defence, are covered by captive medical facilities provided by the concerned administrative ministries. Certain other organisations have limited medical facilities covering out-patient treatment and limited hospitalisation. The general coverage of Central Government employees is under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and the Central Service (Medical Attendance) Rules, 1944 [CS(MA) Rules].

CGHS, under the aegis of Department of Health and Family Welfare, provides out-patient (OPD)/in-patient (IPD) treatment to its beneficiaries–both serving and retired employees– within its area of operation. Serving employees of the Central Government, outside CGHS area and thus not under its coverage, avail medical facilities under CS (MA).

CS (MA) Rules, 1944 are statutory provisions for medical relief to the serving Central Government employees and their family members who are not residing in CGHS covered cities. There is a provision for appointment of Authorized Medical Attendants (AMA) by the concerned department for their employees either from the Medical Officers working under the State/Central Government or from private practitioners depending upon the situation.

Pensioners are not covered under the CS (MA) Rules. Pensioners residing outside CGHS areas are entitled to Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) @ Rs.500 per month for their OPD/IPD needs. Such pensioners can also avail IPD/OPD under CGHS subject to some conditions, details of which have been explained in a subsequent paragraph.

Demands
During its interactions with various stakeholders, the Commission has received numerous demands relating to medical facilities. Broadly, these demands are as follows:

a. CGHS should be expanded and improved: It has been demanded that facilities offered by CGHS should be strengthened and more private hospitals should be empanelled in such a way that they are nearer to the residence cluster of the beneficiaries.

b. Pensioners be treated at par with serving employees: It has been represented that CS(MA) be extended to pensioners residing outside CGHS Area. It has been demanded that Smart Cards be issued to all pensioners for availing cashless medical facilities across the country in all government hospitals, all accredited Multi Super Speciality Hospitals which have been allotted land at concessional rates, all CGHS, (Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) empanelled Hospitals.

c. It has been demanded that the amount of FMA be raised to Rs.2,000 with DA thereon.

d. It has been pointed out that P&T pensioners who did not subscribe to CGHS while in service are not covered under CGHS post retirement. It has also been demanded that all P&T dispensaries should be merged with CGHS so that these pensioners can avail IPD/OPD benefits.

Analysis of the Demands
CGHS has benefited a significant number of government employees and pensioners. The Commission notes that the pressure on CGHS has been increasing over the years. This has affected its efficient functioning at times. However, the Commission is aware that services provided by CGHS are valued by a number of employees and most of the pensioners.

The demands of the various stakeholders, listed above, have been analysed keeping these facts in the backdrop. Broadly, these demands can be classified into three segments: (i) Expansion of CGHS to more areas, (ii) Strengthening of the existing facilities under CGHS, and (iii) Provision of medical facilities for pensioners living outside CGHS areas.

Expansion of CGHS to More Areas
CGHS is presently operational in 25 cities. The government is opening at least one CGHS Wellness Centre in 12 more cities. The Commission notes that with this addition, almost all the state capitals will be covered under CGHS.

The VICPC had recommended that all postal dispensaries should be merged with CGHS and all postal employees including retired postal employees be covered under CGHS wherever available. It is noted that out of 52 postal dispensaries, 19 have been merged with existing CGHS centres. During his presentation, DG, CGHS highlighted scarcity of resources, particularly that of manpower, due to which government is not in a position to extend CGHS to more areas. The Commission feels that modalities should be worked out to utilise the existing manpower of the postal dispensaries and steps should be taken to merge the remaining 33 postal dispensaries with CGHS. This will benefit a large number of postal employees and pensioners. This will also benefit those Central Government employees/pensioners who are otherwise eligible for coverage under CGHS but are being denied this facility because of absence of CGHS centres in their cities. The Commission feels that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s order dated 1 August, 1996 – which states that P&T pensioners who were not participating in CGHS while in service may not be extended medical facility under CGHS – is discriminatory and should therefore be revoked. This would enable all P&T pensioners, irrespective of their participation in CGHS while in service, to avail medical facilities under CGHS after making requisite subscription.

Strengthening of the Existing Facilities under CGHS
At present, CGHS is providing facilities to about 36 lakh beneficiaries (card holders and their dependents). This includes about 26 lakh serving employees and their dependants and about 10 lakh pensioners and their dependants. CGHS has a network of 273 Allopathic and 85 AYUSH Wellness Centres, 73 labs, 19 poly-clinics, 19 dental clinics, 4 hospitals and 2 geriatric clinics (Delhi only). CGHS has also empanelled about 750 private hospitals and diagnostic centres.

CGHS, thus, has indeed been catering to a sizeable population of government employees. However, there are many limitations on this count. The Commission notes that financial constraints, non-availability of sufficient health care professionals and other administrative limitations impede rapid expansion of CGHS to more areas or strengthening of its services. Even with the limited expansion, possibly a large number of employees/pensioners will still remain uncovered given their spatial distribution.

Provision of Medical Facilities for Pensioners Living Outside CGHS Areas
Pensioners residing in non-CGHS areas have three options. First, they may draw FMA. In this case, pensioners will have to make their own arrangements for both IPD and OPD treatment. Second, pensioners may draw FMA for OPD and avail CGHS benefits for IPD from the nearest CGHS city after making the required subscription to CGHS card. Third, pensioners may avail CGHS facility both for OPD and IPD from the nearest CGHS city after making the required subscription to CGHS.

In case of emergency, pensioners, under the second and the third options, can take treatment in a private hospital empanelled under CS(MA)/Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) or any private hospital in the domicile city. However, such pensioners will have to make payment upfront for their treatment and thereafter seek reimbursement from CGHS. This reimbursement is capped at CGHS rates.

Various pensioners’ associations have demanded that CS (MA) Rules should be extended to cover Central Government pensioners residing outside CGHS areas. As referred to earlier, CS (MA) Rules do not cover the pensioners. The Commission notes that the VICPC was not in favour of extending CS (MA) to the pensioners on the grounds of huge financial implications and administrative difficulties relating to submission and reimbursement of bills.

Recommendations
Health Insurance Scheme

In this backdrop, the Commission opines that health insurance for the government employees and pensioners remains the most optimal route for ensuring complete coverage for all employees, pensioners and their dependants in the long run. The IV CPC had suggested that feasibility and modalities of an Insurance Scheme for government employees in lieu of medical reimbursement may be considered by the government. The VI CPC had recommended introduction of a health insurance scheme for Central Government employees and pensioners. It had recommended that for existing employees and pensioners, the scheme should be available on a voluntary basis, subject to their paying the prescribed contribution. It had also been recommended that the health insurance scheme should be compulsory for new government employees who would be joining service after the introduction of the Scheme.
Similarly, it had recommended that those retiring after the introduction of the insurance scheme would be covered under the Scheme.

The Commission observes that in view of the recommendations of the earlier Pay Commissions and various high power committees, the government has been contemplating the introduction of a health insurance scheme on Pan-India basis. The Commission notes that although the Committee of Secretaries had given its ‘in principle’ approval way back in 2011, and an amount of Rs. 2,061 crore had been earmarked under the XII Five Year Plan, the Scheme has still not been implemented.

The Commission notes that given the tardiness in the introduction of the long awaited Insurance Scheme, as already mentioned earlier in this chapter, the pensioners residing outside CGHS area will continue to be at a disadvantage, in terms of medical facilities, compared to their counterparts residing in CGHS areas. As stated earlier in this chapter, according to existing provisions, pensioner residing outside CGHS area but subscribing to CGHS for OPD/IPD can avail medical facility from any hospital–private or public or empanelled under CS (MA)/ECHS–in his/her own city. However, in such cases, the pensioners have to make upfront payment to the hospital and claim reimbursement later. The Commission feels that this could be a limiting factor for many pensioners who may not have the resources to pay hospital expenses upfront. The Commission notes that under CS (MA) Rules/ECHS, there are empanelled hospitals in every part of the country, at least in all major locations. In this backdrop, after identification of some major centres/cities based on minimum population threshold of pensioners, these hospitals could be empanelled by CGHS as well, for extending medical facilities on a cashless basis.

Considering all the issues, the Commission makes the following recommendations:
i. The Commission strongly recommends the introduction of health insurance scheme for Central Government employees and pensioners. In the interregnum, for the benefit of pensioners residing outside the CGHS areas, the Commission recommends that CGHS should empanel those hospitals which are already empanelled under CS (MA)/ECHS for catering to the medical requirement of these pensioners on a cashless basis. This would involve strengthening of administrative capacity of nearest CGHS centres. However, this step will go a long way in ameliorating the pending grievances of these pensioners.

ii. The Commission recommends that the remaining 33 postal dispensaries should be merged with CGHS. The Commission further recommends that all postal pensioners, irrespective of their participation in CGHS while in service, should be covered under CGHS after making requisite subscription.

iii. Currently, there are various health care schemes in the Central Government catering to specific sets of employees. For example, apart from CGHS, there are Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and Railways Employees Liberalized Health Scheme (RELHS) which cover ex-servicemen and Railway employees/pensioners, respectively. Although the patterns in these schemes vary, a combined entity of CGHS-ECHS-RELHS would result in a very strong network of health facilities for the Central Government employees across the length and breadth of the country. The Commission recommends that possibility of such a combined network of various medical schemes should be explored through proper examination.
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Saturday, 28 November 2015

Central Govt Employees To Get PPO, Other Benefits On Retirement Day

New Delhi: The government has decided to give pension payment order (PPO) and all other retirement benefits on the day of retirement to all 50000 central government employees retiring every year, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

“The goal is to ensure 100 per cent payment of all retirement benefits and the delivery of pension payment order (PPO) to retiring employees on the day of retirement itself,” The Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said at the inauguration of a workshop on ‘Bhavishya ’, an online pension sanction and payment tracking system for central government retirees.

“Last year of a retiring employee is spent in preparation of pension payment order (PPO) and collecting no-dues certificates as he fears no one will let him in after he retires. The reputation of a retiring government servants becomes such that he is preparing to get his pension on time. This is just not done,” Singh said

“Our experience shows pension payments are considerably delayed. Retirees need a dignified exit from service and can’t be expected to run around for their pension payment order (PPO) and all retirement benefits or make requests to someone for it,” said an official on this occasion.

Bhavishya involves preparation of advance list of employees retiring in the next 12 months and sending each such employee a login and password for ‘ Bhavishya ‘ portal eight months before the date of his retirement on his mobile phone and e-mail ID.

The employee fills up his details on the portal and based on that information, pension forms are auto-generated by the software and submitted for processing. The system then sends SMS and e-mail alerts to the employee, his head of department and disbur...

The Minister said apart from ensuring timely disbursal of pension, the Department is also holding pre-retirement counselling for employees and considering various options on how best to utilize the experience of retired personnel who can contribute a lot to the government and society as they are energetic and resourceful for long beyond 60 years of age.

Source : http:// tkbsen.in

Thursday, 19 November 2015

Regarding 7th CPC

Dear Comrades,


FLASH NEWS : Salient Features Of 7th Pay Commission Recommendation 



7th Pay commission report submitted

♦ Report consist 900 pages
♦ Pay Panel recommends 16% Pay hike
♦ Grade Pay and Band Pay system abolished
♦ Minimum Salary 18000
♦ Apex pay scale 225000
♦ Cabinet secretary Pay 250000
♦ Annual increment 3%
♦ 23.5% hike in pay and allowance together
♦ Fitman formula 2.57%
♦ Group insurance increased to 50 lakhs
♦ HRA remains Same 10% 20% 30%
♦ 52 Allowances abolished
♦ 36 Allowances submerged

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 7TH PAY COMMISSION REPORT

Source : http://finmin.nic.in/7cpc/7cpc_report_eng.pdf
Key highlights of 7th Pay Commission report

7th pay commission report Highlights:
  • Minimum pay is 18,000/-
  • Grade Pay System abolished
  • fitment formula will be 2.57. So using present basic pay, 7th CPC pay can be calculated by multiplying the same with 2.57 factor.
  • Increase in Military service Pay increased to 16,500
  • 3% annual increment
  • 52 allowances abolished
  • 16% increase in pay
  • 23.55% increase overall salary when taking in to increase in allowances also
  • 24% increase in Pension

In a bonanza for central government employees, the Seventh Pay Commission on Thursday submitted its final report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recommending a 22-23 percent jump in their salary and allowances.

The Pay Commission headed by Justice A K Mathur has suggested a 15 percent increase over the basic salary plus DA for the central government staff. An increase in allowances like HRA has also been recommended.

The total increase will be 23.55 percent of the gross salary (basic plus DA plus allowances). The pay commission has also proposed a status quo on the retirement age of central government employees. Retirement age for central government employees is 60 years now.

The recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission are scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2016.

Besides Chairman, other members of the commission are Vivek Rae, a retired IAS officer of 1978 batch, and Rathin Roy, an economist. Meena Agarwal is secretary of the commission.

The central government constitutes the pay commission every 10 years to revise the pay scale of its employees and often these are adopted by states after some modifications.

The Commission was set up by the UPA government in February 2014 to revise remuneration of about 48 lakh central government employees and 55 lakh pensioners.

The Union Cabinet had extended the term of the panel in August by four months, till December. The 6th Pay Commission was implemented with effect from January 1, 2006.


________________________________________________________________________
Postal Services Board :

The Commission has examined the demand for granting apex level to the members of the PSB and is of the view that adequate functional justification for the same does not exist. ( Para 11.8.11)
The Commission however is no t in favour of creating an additional post of member to discharge the financial function and is of the view that the portfolios of the six members can be so re-arranged that the need to create a new post of Member is obviated. ( Para 11.8.12)

IPS (Group – A):

In so far as Director, National Postal Academy is concerned, the view taken is that functional justification from upgrading the post to Apex level does not exist. As far as the rest of the demands for upgradation / creation of posts are concerned, these are administrative matters, which may be taken up with the concerned departments in the government. ( Para 11.8.15)

Postmaster Cadre :

The Commission recommends that while 25 percent of the posts of Senior Post Master may continue to be filled up from Post Master Gr.III through seniority based promotions, eligible officers from the Post Masters’ cadre (Postmaster Gr.II and Postmaster Gr.III) may also be permitted to appear for LDCE along with Inspector (Posts) for the balance 75 percent of the Senior Postmasters’ posts ( Para 11.8.18)

Inspector Cadre :

The Commission, therefore, recommends that Inspector (Posts) who are presently in the GP 4200 should be upgraded to GP 4600. With this upgradation, Inspector (Posts) shall come to lie in an identical grade pay as that of their promotion post of Assistant Superintendent of Posts (ASPOs). A higher grade would thus need to be extended to ASPOs. Accordingly, the Commission recommends that the promotional post of ASPOs be placed in the next higher GP 4800 and further, the post of Superintendent (Posts), which is presently in the GP 4800, be moved up to GP 5400 (PB-2). ( Para 11.8.21)

Postal Assistants / Sorting Assistants / LSG / HSG-II / HSG-I:

The Commission is of the view that there is no justification for enhancement of minimum educational qualifications for Direct Recruits for Postal Assistants/Sorting Assistants from Class XII to Graduation and the entry grade pay from GP 2400 to GP 2800. No justification for upgrading LSG, HSG-II & HSG-I (Para 11.8.23 & 11.8.24)

P A ( SBCO) :

The Commission is therefore of the view that no upgradation is warranted. As regards grant of cash handling allowance, the Commission is of the view that with the spread of banking and internet based payments coming into vogue there is no merit in granting an allowance for handling cash. ( Para 11.8.27).

Postman :

The Commission has noted the entry level qualifications prescribed (Class X or ITI for MTS) as also the work content, and is of the view that there is no justification for further raising the entry grade pay of Postman. ( Para 11.8.29)

Mail Guard :

As no modification in the grade pay of Postman is recommended, the Mail Guard shall also be placed in same pay level. ( Para 11.8.33)

Multi Tasking Staff :

 No upgrade is considered necessary for either MTS-domestic or MTS-foreign posts. ( Para 11.8.37)

Binders :

There is no justification for raising the entry grade pay as sought. ( Para 11.8.39)

Artisans :

The Commission is of the view that no anomaly exists in the present pay structure of these posts. The cadre of artisans in the Department of Posts shall accordingly be extended only the corresponding replacement level of pay. ( Para 11.8.43)

Translation Officer :

The Commission, therefore, suggests that a comparative study of the job profiles be carried out by the department to arrive at the precise job content and a view taken thereafter. ( Para 11.8.45)

Technical Supervisors :

No upgrade is recommended. (11.8.47)

Gramin Dak Sewaks:

The Commission has carefully considered the demand and noted the following:

a.         GDS are Extra-Departmental Agents recruited by Department of Posts to serve in rural areas.
b.         As per the RRs, the minimum educational qualification for recruitment to this post is Class X.
c.         GDS are required to beon duty only for 4-5 hours a day under the terms and conditions of their service.
d.         The GDS are remunerated with Time Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA) on the pattern of pay scales for regular government employees, plus DA on pro-rata basis.
e.         A GDS must have other means of income independent of his remuneration as a GDS, to sustain himself and his

Government of India has so far held that the GDS is outside the Civil Service of the Union and shall not claim to be at par with the Central Government employees. The Supreme Court judgment also states that GDS are only holders of civil posts but not civilian employees.

The Commission endorses this view and therefore has no recommendation with regard to GDS
( Para 11.8.49 & 11.8.50)

Separate Cadre for S As / B Es :

System Administrators and Marketing Executives have demanded creation of separate cadres with higher pay scales. Presently incumbents of these posts are drawn from the cadre of Postal Assistants/Sorting Assistant Cadre.
The V and the VI CPC have also dealt with this issue and have not recommended separation of cadres. The Commission also does not see any rationale for creating separate cadres.
(Para 11.8.51 & 11.8.52)

7th CPC official web site confirmed the report submission on ( Today ) 19.11.2015 at 19.30 hours

Submission of 7th Pay Commission Report – Confirmation of official site of 7th CPC

The official website of 7th Central Pay Commission has confirmed the time and date of the submission of its report to the Central government.

The commission will submit its report on 19th November at 19.30 Hrs.

"The commission has completed its deliberations and will submit the report to the Government of India on 19.11.2015 at 19.30 hours."