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Haryana to merge 50 pc DA with basic pay
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 9
The Haryana Cabinet today decided that a large portion of dearness allowance of its employees would be merged with basic pay on the pattern of the central government with effect from April 1. While the employees now get DA at the rate of 59 per cent of the basic salary, when the Cabinet decision taken today is implemented, 50 per cent of the DA will be merged with the basic pay and the remaining nine per cent will be given as DA. The step will result into a substantial hike in the gross pay of the employees. The state government would issue a notification regarding the step soon after a similar notification is issued by the centre.

The employee-friendly measures cleared by the Cabinet apparently in view of the coming Lok Sabha poll also included the reinstatement of about 60 general-category employees dismissed for launching an agitation. This decision has been taken following an unconditional apology tendered by the dismissed employees, an official press note said.

The Cabinet also amended the policy for regularising ad hoc and daily-wage employees. The condition that an ad hoc or daily-wage employee should have been engaged against a vacant post before January 31, 1996, was waived. However, such an employee must possess the required qualification for the position on the date of his/her engagement or on September 30, 2003.

The Cabinet also amended the Haryana Compassionate Assistance to the Dependents of Deceased Government Employees Rules, 2003. In case no family member of the deceased employee is eligible for appointment, the nearest kin will be given an ex-gratia assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh. An exception to this rule will be made if the family is already well settled.

It was also decided to substitute rule 7(c) to offer a post of clerk or its equivalent in those cases where the deceased employee was working at the lowest level in group C such as junior engineer, JBT teacher, pharmacist, driver and patwari. While offering such a post only the substantive or officiating post of the deceased employee would be considered and not the pay scale.

It was decided to pay ex gratia amounting to Rs 2.5 lakh to the family of a deceased government employee dying in harness at the age of 55 years or thereafter.

The Cabinet decided that anomalies in the assured career promotion policy of employees of Power Utilities would be removed. It was decided to withdraw a Bill through which the restricted belt along bypasses had been proposed to be reduced from 100 metres to 30 metres.

The Cabinet decided to amend the HUDA Act and empower the Secretary, Town and Country Planning, to hear revision petitions against the orders of the Chief Administrator. It was decided to place the leisure valley in Faridabad district in the low-potential zone. It was decided to make Bahal a sub-tehsil. The new sub-tehsil would be carved out of Loharu tehsil in Bhiwani district.