PLEASE spare some of your time for a critical reading of this MEMORANDUM that contains justification of the DEMAND FOR HIGHER GRADE PAYs TO A.Os & Sr A.Os and it also convinces everyone to support it.
Memorandum
In all pay revisions and cadre restructure, only one cadre which has received a raw deal was the cadre of AOs/Sr.AOs. In this regard the Sr Accounts Officers & Accounts Officers Association of o/o Prl AG(A&E)AP,
The vertical relativity between the cadre of Audit/Accounts Officers and that of Sr. Divisional Accounts Officers is that the Audit/Accounts Officers is at the higher level than that of Sr. Divisional Accounts Officers. This vertical relativity has been disturbed when the recommendations of the VI pay commission was implemented by the Notification dated
It is further submitted that historically the cadre of Divisional Accountant was placed below the cadre of Section Officer of the IA & AD. Following hierarchal setup was maintained for decades in IA & AD.
Auditor /Accountant
Divisional Accountants
Section Officer
Asstt. Audit /Accounts Officer
Audit / Accounts Officer
Sr.Audit/Accounts Officer
Even the Pay Scale of Divisional Accountant up to IV Central Pay Commission was lower than the Pay Scale of the Section Officer. It was during the cadre of Divisional Accountant was restructured and the post of Divisional Accounts Officer Grade III, Grade II & Senior Divisional Accounts Officer were created. The Pay Scale of Divisional Accounts Officer Grade II was brought at par with Section Officer; however the Pay Scale of Sr. Divisional Accounts Officer was one scale below the Pay Scale of Audit / Accounts Officer.
The Audit/Accounts Officer supervise the work of S.O.G Examination passed Section Officers. Every Audit and Accounts Officer supervises the work of 4 to 5 S.O.G. passed Section Officers and 16 to 20 Sr. Auditors/Accountants; where as the Sr. Divisional Accounts Officer supervises the work of Clerk in the Division.
This fact was taken note of by the 6th Central Pay Commission which decided that “this parity will need to be maintained” and placed the Sr.Divisional Accounts Officers in the scale of 8000-13500 with grade pay of 5400 and placed them in PB3. However the Pay Commission ignored its own conception and placed the Audit/Accounts officers in the PB 2 (8700-34800), merging them with the Assistant Audit/Accounts Officers, with a Grade pay of 4800 in PB2 without any logic. Though the Government did make an attempt to correct this anomalous recommendation, it was only half step as Audit/ Accounts Officers were continued to be placed in PB2 with grade pay of Rs.5400. This resulted in placing the cadre of Audit/Accounts Officers below that of Sr.Divisional Accounts Officers.
The Audit/Accounts officers are better qualified (SOG Examination) and are eligible for consideration for promotion to the cadre of IA&AS after promotion to the cadre of Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers. They also supervise the Sr.Divisional Accounts Officers. This being the actual relative status in the Department, it is illogical and anomalous to retain the Audit/Accounts Officers in PB 2. They should, in fact, be placed at a higher status by granting them the Grade Pay of 6600 in PB 3. The Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers being a higher cadre to Audit/Accounts Officers and constituting the promotional channel to the cadre of IA&AS, should, in all fairness and equity, be granted the Grade Pay of 7600 in PB 3. The present scales and Grade Pays granted to Audit/Accounts Officers & Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers are anomalous.
The revised scales, it is the considered opinion; only perpetuate injustice to Audit/Accounts Officers / Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers which has been suffering since long. The Association is, therefore, constrained to reiterate its arguments.
1. The reasons cited in the Pay Commission report to deny higher pay scales to Sr. Audit/Accounts officers and Audit/Accounts officers is very hollow and unscientific. Traditionally Audit/Accounts Officers of IA&AD were always on a grade higher than that of Section officers of Central Secretariat Services. In that background only the Sr. Audit/Accounts officers were in the scale of 8000-13500 as per the recommendations of the V CPC. It is another issue that the VI CPC did not attempt proper evaluation of the work and status of the cadre. This horizontal relativity was disturbed by a decision of the government to grant the Section Officers of Central Secretariat Services with four years of service pay scale of Rs.8000-
2. The Commission has placed the Section Officers in the Pay Band of 8700-34800 on the logic that the merger of the scales 5000-8000, 5500-9000 and 6500-10500 would place the posts of Sr.Auditors/Accountants and the Section officers in an identical pay and grade pay even though the former are a feeder cadre for promotion to the latter and hence the post of the Section Officer had to be upgraded to the scale 8700-34800 with grade pay of Rs.4800. According to the pay commission, this necessitated up gradation of the scales of Assistant Audit/Accounts officers and Audit/Accounts officers. However it has recommended the same scale and grade pay of Section officers to the Assistant Audit/Accounts officers and Audit/Accounts officers, without any stated logic. Going by the same logic which determined the vertical relativity between Sr.Auditors/Accountants and Section officers that the commission has recognised, the scales of Assistant Audit/Accounts Officers, to which the Section officers constitute the feeder cadre, should have been upgraded to higher grades. By the same logic, the position of Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers should have been arrived at as follows.
Cadre Pre-revd.Pay Scales G.Pay
Section Officers 7500-12000 4800
Asst Audit/Acounts Ofrs 8000-13500 5400
Audit/Accouts Officers 10000-15200 6600
Sr Audit/Accounts Ofrs 12000-16500 7600
3.The recruitment Rules framed by the President of India under Article 148(5) maintain a clear vertical relativity of the cadres placing the Audit/Accounts officers above the Assistant Audit/Accounts officers and the Sr. Audit/accounts officers above the Audit/Accounts officers . As per MSO (Admn) Volume I, the Accountant General’s are assisted by the Audit/Accounts/Senior Accounts/Senior Audit Officers. All outgoing correspondences (Authorisations / Audit notes and observations) bear their signatures. Moreover, the Audit/Accounts officers invariably partake as a member of DPCs for Group C&D cadres. The statutory role under Provident Fund, Pension Acts, contains ‘Authorisation responsibilities’ to Audit/Accounts officers /Sr. Audit/Accounts officers for expenditure out of Public Fund. Special powers to approve Inspection Reports and settle observations and objections of minor nature are significant nature to the post of Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers/Audit/Accounts Officers. The Sr. Audit/Accounts Officers and Audit/Accounts Officers function as Branch Officers. They have been delegated technical and administrative powers that require them to take independent decisions. They are subject to only partial supervision and they act as independent field officers. Going by the logic of the Pay Commission, they constitute the cutting edge and have to be granted higher scales and Grade Pay.
4.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.
The Association, therefore, urges that the anomaly is rectified by revising the scales as above.
-----Sd/-----
General Secretary
SrAO&AOs' Association
Prl AG(A&E)AP,
