NEW DELHI: The Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officers, who are demanding a hike in their pay scale and time-bound promotions, have sabotaged their chances of getting reviewed by bypassing their cadre control authority the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and approaching Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Not just that, they have also spoiled the chances of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service officers (DANIPS) working with Delhi Police and other forces in Union Territories.
They approached Kejriwal as the MHA has been sitting on their decade-old demands. While the chief minister has no say in their services, he took this as an opportunity against the Central government and approved their demands. On August 11, the Delhi government ordered that pay scales of DANICS officers be revised.
The Centre immediately declared the Delhi government’s order “null and void”. In addition, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung in a stern message directed all officers not to follow the Delhi government orders. Jung issued a memorandum on September 18, stating that officers would face strict action for non-compliance with the order. Three days after Jung’s directive, the Delhi Cabinet decided to defer the government’s earlier decision to upgrade the salary structure of DANICS officers and put the ball in the Centre’s court.
This move shattered the hopes of 434 DANICS officers, including 315, who are serving in Delhi. This week, a delegation of DANICS officers met Jung, who assured them that he would take up the issue with the MHA on priority. However, he told them that their decision of approaching the Delhi government has dented their chances of a hike in salary and time-bound promotions. Jung has written to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to consider DANICS officers’ demand.
In their presentation before Jung, the DANICS Association stated that in 2006, the MHA had agreed to fulfill their demands but did not implement them.
DANICS officers said that a proposal for giving a pay scale of Rs 18,400 to Rs 22,400 (now called Rs 10,000 as per the Sixth Pay Commission terminology) was mooted in 2006. A Cabinet note was sent to the Cabinet Secretariat with the approval of the home minister, but the proposal was closed without being put before the Cabinet.
On August 31, 2006, the Home Minister gave in-principle approval for introduction of a pre-revised pay scale of Rs 18,400 to Rs 22,400. The main objective was that “the officers with eight years of regular service are eligible to be inducted into IAS but are stagnating even after rendering about 25-26 years of service in DANICS. As a result, these officers become ineligible for induction to IAS as the maximum age limit for induction into IAS is 54 years”.
“This is precisely the contention of DANICS and DANIPS officers,” said DANICS Association president Ajay K Gupta.
On November 5, 2006, the Union home secretary observed that the proposal “is a much needed relief to DANICS officers” and that the Ministry of Finance “has also suggested that to Cabinet” and requested the home minister “may see for approval”.
On November 8, 2006, the home minister approved a draft Cabinet note for introduction of pre-revised pay scale, but there were certain observations of the Department of Personnel and Training and Department of Expenditure on it. However, the home minister decided to place it before the Union Cabinet.
“Similar or even higher pay scales are available in other state Civil Services. The state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have already granted the pay scales of Rs 18,400-22,400 or above to the officers in the respective state Civil Services,” states the documents accessed by The Sunday Standard.
It was noted that DANICS is a feeder cadre to Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre of IAS. On account of the delay in induction into IAS, which extends up to 26 years, many DANICS officers become age-barred and stagnate in the existing highest scale of Rs 14,300-18,400.
The officers of other state civil services like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra are getting inducted comparatively much earlier into IAS compared to the long slot of 25-26 years of service required to be rendered by DANICS officers before their induction.
It was also noted that DANICS, unlike other Group B Central Services, bears functional parity with the state Civil Services due to the nature of duties and responsibilities entrusted to these officers.
On April 4, 2007, the home minister approved the proposal again to place the Cabinet note before the Union Cabinet, and sent to the Cabinet Secretariat.
However, the Cabinet Secretariat returned the note for re-examination, and in April 2010 the matter was abruptly closed by the MHA.
The matter was not placed for consideration of the Cabinet.
Shockingly, DANICS officers are eligible for promotion to the IAS after completing eight years of continuous service, but this actually takes around 27-28 years.
Most DANICS officers are choked to stagnate for more than 25 years to retire even without induction into IAS.