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Wednesday 29 July 2009

AO's Assn Meeting with PD, Staff

ALL INDIA AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS OFFICERS ASSOCIATION



No. AIAAAOA/Circular/ 2009-10/2 dated 26.07.2009




Courtesy Meeting with Pr.Director (Staff): The delegation comprising the Secretary General Com S.Mohan, and the Secretary Finance Com. P.Prabhakar met the New Pr.director (Staff) on 17th July 2009 @ 3.30 p.m. as a courtesy in her Cabin. After formal exchange of pleasantries we presented the following issues.

Up gradation of Pay Scales of Audit/Accounts and Senior Audit/Accounts Officers:
The Ao/Sr.AOs in Indian Audit and Accounts Department are facing a very demoralising situation due to the following:
1. The Notification dated 29th August 2008 prescribing the new pay scales effective from 1.1.06 has granted the Sr .Divisional Accounts officer of IA&AD the scale of pay Rs. 8000-13500 with a Grade pay of Rs.5400 and placing them in PB3.The AOs of the IA&AD have been granted the same scale and Grade pay but placed in PB2. Thus the present scales have disturbed the well established vertical relativity by placing the Sr. DAO above the AO in an equal position with the SAO of IA&AD ignoring the fact that the department’s recruitment rules place the Divisional Accounts Officer in the scales equal to the AAO and the Sr. DAO has been placed in the scales applicable to the AOs only.
2. At the time of promotion to Audit / Accounts Officer they are entitled to one increment along with Rs.5400 as Grade pay. When they are promoted to the cadre of Sr.Audit or Sr.Accounts Officer they are granted one increment with the Same Grade Pay. When conferred IAAS also they are offered one increment with the same grade Pay.
3. When the implementation of MACP in the department most of the seniors in the merged cadre of SOs/AAOs would, on account of the run away stagnation in the department, become eligible for placement in the Grade pay of Rs.5400 placing the supervisors and the supervised in the same Pay Band and Grade Pay.
This has fuelled the frustration already existing in the minds of Audit and Accounts Officers and Sr.Audit and Sr.Accounts Officers further. With the implementation of MACP Scheme there will be less motivation factor to take up SOG Examination seriously unless Grade Pay of the Supervising Cadres is suitably upgraded and further promotional avenues are opened up for the AOs/SAOs.
In the background of appointment of Anomaly committee by the Government of India which is exclusively for Group ‘C’and ‘D’ employees it has been repeatedly requested that this issue be taken up through appropriate channel. Accordingly the departmental head had forward the case to finance ministry bringing the issue within the definition of Anomaly.

The response from the Pr.Director was positive. She explained that the department had taken much care to remove this anomalous situation and assured that this issue would be pursued vigorously.

Cadre Review:
The cadre of SAOs has no promotional prospects in the department except for induction to IA & AS cadre. The induction is a very small percentage with the conditionality of age restriction etc. Moreover the induction to IA&AS is of no incentive as it has too many unreasonable and unscientific riders and also number of promotions is very meagre. This has resulted in persons stagnating in the same cadre for more than 10 to 12 years resulting in frustration coupled with de-motivation.
To remove this acute stagnation and also to meet the functional needs of the department there is an urgent need to have fresh review of the cadre providing more promotional opportunities to the SAOs in the department. This is not exclusive phenomena for Indian Audit and Accounts Department. In all other Central Government Departments like Income Tax, Customs, and Central Secretariat the same process is on. In most of the other Departments the respective recognised federation were taken into confidence by inducting their representatives into respective Cadre restructuring Committees whereas in Indian Audit and Accounts Department only there is just a vague assurance given by the authorities that the recognised federations would be consulted before finalising the proposal of the committee.

The Pr.Director responded that there was a proposal for a cadre review in this department. The proposal was yet to crystallise. The Department is keeping a watch on the reports of similar reviews elsewhere in other departments and it has been indicated that any proposal from our departmental side would normally attract the comment of repercussion in other cadres whenever such proposal is sent to Ministry of Finance by the C&AG

Conferment of Group A status to Sr.AOs:
An immediate conferment of Group A Status to Sr.AOs of this Department as per the Notification of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of personnel and training) Order dated 9th April 2009 is the need of the Hour. Even though this conferment would not fetch any immediate benefit to our cadre it would facilitate us to meet the illogical argument developed by 6th CPC that the AO Cadre is the Feeding cadre of Group A cadres and it would further facilitate us to get some improvement in our career and in the long run it would remove some frustration in the minds of the Sr.AOs

The Pr.Director of Staff indicated that this matter was under examination of the top management of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department.

Transport Allowance:
As per the recommendations of the Sixth pay commission the City Compensatory Allowance has been subsumed in Transport allowance. The City Compensatory Allowance was paid to all Officers and Employees irrespective of the fact that whether the Officer/Employee was on leave or on tour in excess of 30 days. In view of the subsuming of City Compensatory Allowance in transport allowance the retention of condition disallowing transport allowance for those who were on tour for more than 30 days in a month is illogical and anomalous and needs to be deleted. In view of the nature of duties involved in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, the Officers and Employees of the Department are more frequently subject to long tours exceeding 30 days. The non – removal of the second condition therefore affects the Employees and Officers of the Department much more than other employees and is serving as a disincentive to the employees and Officers in discharging their normal functions.

The Pr.Director of Staff concurred with our views and she agreed to instruct informally all the heads of offices in the department to bring back all audit parties once in a calendar month and she agreed to take up this issue with Government.

Amendment to the Constitution
It has been insisted that the Conference of the Association should take place once in two years despite the decision of the Executive Committee to change the period to three years. We are very much constrained that our federated units being spread all over India and it is being found to be difficult and very expensive to hold its Conference biennially. Therefore it is insisted the CAG administration to re-examine this clause of the Constitution of the All India Audit and Accounts Officers Association and to facilitate this Federation to hold its Conference once in three years.

The Pr.director of Staff has agreed to examine this issue.

Filling up of the Post of Welfare Officer:
We insisted that Welfare Officer Post should be created in each office of the Audit/Accounts office without any reference to the total number of staff working in that office. Further the Welfare officer post should be filled up on the basis of strict of seniority. More over in some offices the post of Welfare Officer remaining vacant and it has not been filled up.
The Pr.Director of Staff agreed to examine this issue and further she agreed to instruct the Director (P) in respect of filling up of Welfare Officers in certain field Offices.

Recognition to the P&T Audit officers/Sr.Audit Officers Association & North Western Railway Audit Officers Assn:
This issue is a long pending one and the respective field level associations have complied their respective compliance of the Constitution the recognition has not been accorded to above said associations so far.
The Pr.Director of Staff agreed to pursue the case further.

Entitlement of TA/DA claims:
Our authorities’ response is very negative in respect of accepting the Self Certification for Food bills and Travel bills. They fail to realise the difficulties faced by our Officers while on tour in respect of production of food bills and travel bills. In the last meeting with DAI we reminded that it was illegal, and illogical to deny the benefits of revisions of Daily allowance entitlements even after 10 years to those who opted for old DA pattern. Hence the Clarification must be the double the rate of old DA pattern or new DA/TA entitlements would be the logical one. Now it has been learnt that even the above said proposal forwarded by our Department had been turned down by the expenditure Secretary. Hence we insisted that the department should take up this issue again with Ministry of Finance for the disposal of TA/DA claims on the basis of self Certification. We pointed out that the some of the Departments have already issued orders in this regard.

The Pr.Director of Staff agreed to take up this issue with the Finance Ministry again and she assured that the department would pursue the case for disposal of TA/DA claims on the basis of self certification.

Problems relating to North Eastern region:
In the North Eastern region separate offices have been created in each state and Audit and Accounts Officers working in these offices are very minimal and they are not able to form the association as they are not able fulfill the required strength to form the association. Hence practically there is no grievance redressal machinery available in the North Eastern States except the Offices in the Assam. There are exclusive problems like Deputation, transfer from those states to other states and vice versa to be sorted out. Therefore we insisted that suitable mechanism would be worked out to have grievance redressal machinery for those states.
The Pr. Director agreed to examine this issue.

Permit to stay in hotels of appropriate entitlement to Railway Audit Personnel wherever Rest house facilities are not available:
The Officers and staff of the Railway Audit wing of the I.A&A.D while on tour duty for inspections/reviews are governed by the Railway T.A Rules envisaging travelling on Duty passes and stay in Railway Rest houses at the work spot. The difficulties are being faced by the inspection personnel on tour due to non-availability of Railway rest houses at the work spot/ non-allotment of accommodation for the required periods in the rest houses wherever available due to priority in allotment in favour of the Railway personnel on tour. The period of allotment does not exceed 3 days at a time as per the local arrangements. Besides, the touring personnel have to vacate the accommodation even after allotment for these restricted periods in the event of requirement for Railway personnel in exigencies arising out of Railway operations. As this affects the unhindered conduct/ completion of inspections/ reviews as programmed to the required satisfaction and impacts on the output it was requested during earlier meetings that the members of the inspection/ review parties may be permitted to stay in hotels of appropriate entitlement wherever Rest house facilities are not available/ accommodation not allotted during the period of inspection/ review and expenditure thereof be reimbursed to the personnel on tour duty.
The Pr. Director of Staff agreed to examine this issue.

Lower HRA to the Audit Staff& Officers At Guntapalli:
At present the staff and officers of the Railways posted to work at the Wagon Repair Shop, South Central Railway located at Guntapalli are granted House Rent Allowance at the rates applicable for Vijayawada. However the Railway Audit employees posted at Workshop Audit office, Wagon Repair Shop, Guntapalli, are granted at the rates applicable for Guntapalli only. This discrimination is affecting the morale of the Audit employees & Officers posted at Guntapalli whereas no such problem is faced by the employees in the Auditee units. This needs to be addressed.
The Pr.director of Staff agreed to examine this issue.

Observe Protest Day On 12th Aug:
Though the meeting with the New Pr.Director (Staff) was on a positive note we cannot afford to be complacent in the matter. We have no choice but to vigorously follow our negotiations through organizational efforts and create tremendous pressure to achieve our demands. Our experience all along has been that the authorities take a lackadaisical approach in all the matters relating to benefits and facilities to the AOs /Sr.AOs. The Association has, therefore decided to mobilize the entirety of its membership throughout the country and to wage a relentless battle under the banner of our Association. We have to mobilise our cadres to observe protest day on Aug 12th by holding General Body meetings and adopting resolution to this effect. (Resolution is enclosed)

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