Shillong: A day after the Union government has withdrawn special benefits including additional monetary allowance given to All India Services (AIS) officers posted in the North Eastern states, the All North East IAS and other Associations are preparing to send representations to Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) to rescind its order.
The DOPT on Friday had issued an order to all the State Chief Secretaries informing that special incentives and allowances of additional 25 per cent basic pay among other incentives granted to AIS officers posted be withdrawn with immediate effect.
Some of the AIS officers serving in the North Eastern states have described the order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) on Friday as “insensitive and abrupt with no regard or consideration of suffering and challenges which AIS officers posted in the North Eastern States face.”
“North-East rank and file of officers are very unhappy with the order. Now it seems officers are getting punished for serving in the North East. Just imagine already for 1.5 years during Covid-19 pandemic and our DA increments were denied and now this,” one of the AIS told UNI on condition of anonymity.
The additional monetary allowance introduced in 2009 for AIS officers comprising Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) belonging to the Assam-Meghalaya joint cadre, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur cadres has been discontinued, the order read.
“The incentive of reimbursement of payable Income Tax to Tribal All India Service officers belonging to the North-East Cadres while on central deputation has been withdrawn,” the order read.
Further, the order stated that post-retirement housing facility which was introduced in the year 2007 for officers belonging to cadres shall be withdrawn.
The inter-cadre deputation for officers of NE cadres that was consolidated in 2017 has also been withdrawn.
“Many AIS officers serving in the region will go to Delhi now as salary is same at least for the sake of better career prospects and education of children. This little extra incentive was keeping All India Service officers going in NE as there are many challenges for education and children, amenities etc,” another AIS officer said.
However, the order is not clear if the officers belonging to Arunachal Pradesh Goa Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) or Union Territory cadre who are posted in two North Eastern states – Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh – will be affected by the DOPT order.
