Delay in holding DPC causes Financial loss to Retiring Govt servants

Delay in holding DPC causes Financial loss to Retiring Govt servants

Shri. Gopal Krishnan has raises an issue regarding Retiring Government servants missed promotion and suffered financial loss because of delayed holding of DPC. He pleaded that notional pensionary benefits of the promotion post should be given to retired /retiring Government servants who missed promotions due to delay in Holding DPC.  NCJCM Staff Side may take a note of this and the matter is required to be taken up with the Secretary, DOPT for early decision.

The write up is given below..

I intend to bring to you kind notice the following facts highlighting the financial loss, which is getting compounded every month, being suffered by very senior/senior pensioners, who missed promotion while in service because of the delayed holding of DPC meeting by various Ministries/Departments despite repeated and strict instructions from the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training about holding of timely DPC meetings for preparing panels in advance for promotions.

The original policy guidelines about holding DPC meetings framed way back during 1989 in consultation with the Department of Expenditure etc. do not put any bar to

(i) consider retirees retrospectively when they were due for such a consideration for promotion while in service

(ii) include those found fit in the select lists etc and then

(iii) give notional pensionery benefits of the promotion post .

Those guidelines have not undergone any change. Of course some clarifications had been issued from time to time first being in October, 1998. This clarification provided that those who were included in the panels would have no right to ‘actual promotion’. Unfortunately, the DOPT, because of the expression, ‘ shall have not right to actual promotion, had been wrongly advising every Ministry/Department where people missed promotion and suffered financial loss because of delayed holding of DPC, that no notional pensionery benefits should be given to them even if they are included in the panel(s).

The latest stand of the DOPT, which became public in reply to a Lok Sabha question in May, 2015 is that “while promotions will be made in the order of the consolidated select list, such promotions will have only prospective effect even in cases where vacancies relate to earlier years(s) i.e. from the date of assumption of charge in the higher post.” This was stated in response to a Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 6439 replied on the 6th May, 2015, although prior to that an official mentioned to the PTI that all those missed such a promotion would get notional benefits and order to that effect had been issued. That fact was reported in various new papers on the 2nd Feb. 2015. Although the clarification to the earlier policy decision cannot change the complexion of the original guidelines the DOPT took a stand that as the retirees even though included in the panel(s) did not assume charge of the higher post hence they are not entitled to any notional pensioner benefits. Realizing that the stand of the Government depriving the pensioners of their legal due was not logical/rational, in August, 2015, it was decided to review the same by the Government.

Now it is more than two years since the decision was taken to review the earlier policy, which deprived the pensioners of the benefits in terms of higher pension with reference to promotion post. The matter is required to be taken up with the Secretary, DOPT for early decision.