Re-Constitution of Departmental Peer Review Committee for considering the cases for extension of service of Scientists beyond the age of superannuation

No.26012/7/2013-Estt.(A.IV)

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

(Department of Personnel & Training)

New Delhi dated the 26th June, 2013.

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject : Re-Constitution of Departmental Peer Review Committee for considering the cases for extension of service of Scientists beyond the age of superannuation.

The Prime Minister has approved the composition of the Standing Peer Review Committee in respect of Defence Research and Development Organisation with the following compositions for considering the cases for extension of service of Scientists beyond the age of superannuation under FR 56(d).

i. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D - Chairman

ii. Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences - Member

iii. Prof. P.B.Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, DTU - Member

iv. Chairman, Recruitment and Assessment Centre (DRDO) - Member

v. Secretary, DOPT or representative of Secretary not below the

rank of Additional Secretary - Member

2. The tenure of the Committee will be two years.

3. The Committee will hold biennial meetings, three to four months in advance to consider the proposals for extension of service coming up in the six months block i.e. April-September and October-March so that the ACC gets sufficient time to consider the proposals. The recommendation  of the Peer Committee for extension of service beyond 60 years and upto 62 years may be submitted to the EO Division of DOP&T for obtaining approval of the ACC.

4. The Committee will also consider the cases of extension of service beyond 62 years and upto 64 years and the recommendation of the Committee may be submitted to the Establishment Division for placing the same for consideration by the Screening Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary before obtaining the approval of the ACC.

sd/-

(J.A.Vaidyanathan)

Director (E)

Source: www.persmin.gov.in

[http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/DRDO-26062013.pdf]

Read More

Jammu and Kashmir Govt Employees held a protest demonstration to increase Retirement Age

 Government employees of Jammu and Kashmir today held a protest demonstration at the Raj Bhavan here demanding an increase in retirement age and regularisation of daily wagers.

The demonstration was led by Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of Jammu and Kashmir Government employees and attended by over 300 government employees associated with several employees’ organisations, federations and committees.

The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of J-K Government employees has announced a three-day strike from May 24 to press for their demands.

Employees are demanding enhancement in retirement age from 58 to 60 years, payment of pending 6th pay commission arrears, removal of pay anomalies, regularisation of daily wagers and contractual employees, JCC member Subhash Verma told reporters.

Over 4.5 lakh Government employees will go on a strike and make it successful so that the government fulfils our long-pending demands which they had agreed earlier but not implemented, he said.

There will be a total pen down strike for three days and on May 25, employees will ghearao the civil secretariat and march to Raj Bhavan in Srinagar on May 26 to hold protest demonstration in support of the demands

Read More

College teachers on UGC pay scale to retire at 65 years

College teachers on UGC pay scale to retire at 65 years

College teachers on UGC pay scale to retire at 65 years : Karnataka High Court

The college teachers on the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scale had reasons to be delighted with the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday. The court held that their age of retirement will have to be enhanced to 65 as per the UGC Regulations, 2010.

While quashing the State government's orders, which had fixed retirement age between 60 and 62, the High Court said that “the denial of the enhancement of the age of superannuation to teachers, working in the government and aided, affiliated colleges, drawing UGC scale of pay, are repugnant to the UGC Act and the Regulations and hence is void.”

SEEKING ENHANCEMENT

Justice Ananda Byrareddy delivered the verdict on a batch of petitions filed by H. Halesh, Associate Professor, SJR College of Science, Bangalore, M. Albina, Principal, Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, and several others seeking extension of terms of the UGC (minimum qualification of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges, and other measures for maintenance of standard of higher education) Regulations 2010.

This regulation had enhanced the age of superannuation to 65 but the State government had extended the age of superannuation only up to 62 though it revised the pay scale as per UGC Regulations.

“The scheme framed by the Government of India, vide letter dated December 31, 2008, provides for a common revision of pay scale of teachers of universities and colleges (affiliated or constituent) established under the Central, State or Provincial Acts with enhancement of age of superannuation to 65.

UNDER THE ACT

The said scheme has been incorporated as part and parcel of UGC Regulations 2010.

The said regulation is framed in exercise of power under the UGC Act and would hence override any executive Government Orders issued contrary to it,” the court held.

TO CONTINUE IN SERVICE

The court said that the petitioner-teachers shall continue in service in the posts held by them as on the date of petitions or immediately prior thereto, till they attain the age of superannuation of 65, in accordance with UGC Regulations with all consequential benefits.

Source : The Hindu

Read More

Increase the retirement age of college teachers from 60 to 65 year

Young Bangalore teachers angry as old hands get 3 years extra

The high court’s directive to increase the retirement age of college teachers from 60 to 65 years in the state has resulted in a war cry from the young lecturers as they now have to wait for five years to get into higher salary slots.

Teachers airing their resentment felt that the UGC regulations were violated as 80% of the teachers who have been brought under the UGC scales in 1992 and 1998 have no qualification except a Master’s degree, while the UGC stipulations demand that they should have passed the National Eligibility Test (NET), State-Level Eligibility Test (SLET) or should possess a PhD. But only 20% of the 436 teachers have passed the SLET or NET and only a few are PhDs. The high court directive raising the superannuation of teachers from 60-65 will deprive the young teachers who have passed the UGC’s stipulation examinations of their legitimate lateral ascension.

Sources in the Federation of University College Teachers’ Associations Karnataka (FUCTAK) said, “The UGC-stipulated standards of teaching profession can be assured only through the NET. It is tough to pass the qualifying exams and only those teachers who have passed the exams are fit to teach degree students. But the older teachers clinging on to the profession with a knowledge base of 30 years have become a stumbling block in the way of the new generation of teachers.”

A teacher who has passed the NET said, “I am drawing a salary at least 50% lesser than a teacher who is not qualified. There are hundreds like me who are feeling frustrated despite being qualified as per the UGC guidelines.”

Usha Ravi of Mysore University who cleared the NET in 2010 and is working on her PhD said, “Our students in the higher education have been deprived of the benefits of new knowledge and new skills of knowledge delivery. At this point, the government should go in for an appeal against the directive,” she said.

If an old-time lecturer wants to prefix a ‘professor’ tag before his name, he should have guided at least one PhD scholar and should be a PhD himself and should have worked for more than 10 years.The universities and government colleges were scrupulously following this norm but, in aided colleges, old teachers are prefixing ‘professor’ to their names freely. “There is a stipulated ratio of assistant professors andassociate professors working under a person who could be designated as professor in each set up, including university colleges, government colleges and aided colleges,” clarified officials at Mangalore University.

“Under the present condition, the ideal age for superannuation is 62 in universities and 60 in government and aided colleges. But the state government has made it 62 in some colleges and 65 in some others. The government cannot implement the UGC regulations on a piece-meal basis,” said general secretary TM Manjunath of Karnataka State Government College Teachers’ Association (KSGCTA).

An endorsement by the state government on June 14, 1998 available exclusively to DNA clearly stipulates that college lecturers should have a minimum of 55% in their chosen post-graduate course and passed NET and SLET. If they do not possess these qualifications, they should try and complete the NET and SLET within a period of three years. But the proceedings issued by the state government on May 22, 2009 have cleverly masked the endorsement issued on giving rise to suspicion of foul play, said RTI activists.

Source: DNA India

Read More

Grant of Extension of service of Scientists beyond the age of superannuation - Issue of instructions regarding.

No.26012/8/2011-Estt. (A)

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

(Department of Personnel and Training)

North Block, New Delhi,

Dated the 16th May, 2011

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject:  Grant of Extension of service of Scientists beyond the age of superannuation - Issue of instructions regarding.

The undersigned is directed to refer to Department of Personnel & Taining O.M. No.26012/6/2002-Estt.(A) dated 9.12.2002 (copy enclosed) on the subject mentioned above laying down the criteria for considering cases of extension of service of Scientists in terms of proviso to FR 56(d) and to state that the guidelines for extension of service of eminent scientists of international stature beyond 62 years have been further reviewed as a need has been felt for a rigorous Peer gruop screening by an inter disciplinary Committee of experts.

2. Departmental Peer Review Committee (DPRCs) headed by the Secretary of the Scientific Departments are constituted by the DOP&T with the approval of Prime Minister for a term of 2 years to consider the cases of extenstion of service of scientists beyond 60 years and upto 62 years.

3. It has now been decided with the approval of Prime Minister that the existing/reconstituted Departmental Peer Review Committee shall also do the first stage secreening of Scientists for their entension beyond 62 years of age and thereafter the DPRCs' recommendations will be placed before the Committee under the Cabinet Secretary provided that the DPRCs' have atleast two outside experts aprt from Secretary(Personnel & Training). The DPRCs must give detailed justification for such extension based on merits of the case, the international stature of the person recommended and also indicate whether this will block promotion opportunities of others in the Department. Such recommendations of the DPRCs for extension of service of Scientists beyond 62 years will be sent ot the Establishment Division of the Department of Personnel & Training for placing the cases before the Committee under Cabinet Secretary. Only such cases recommended by the Committee under Cabinet Secretary will be processed further for approval of ACC through the office of the Establishment Officer. Cases of extension of service of Scientists beyond 60 years and up to 62 years recommended by DPRC will continue to be sent directly to the office of Establishment Officer in DOP&T as at present.

4. All proposals for extension of service of Scientists beyond 62 years in terms of the 3rd proviso to FR 56(d) may, therefore, be processed keeping in view the above guidelines in addition to the cretieria stipulated in the OM dated 9.12.1220.

(P.Prabhakaran)

Director (E)

Source  : www.persmin.gov.in

Read More

Central govt employees’ retirement age to be extended from 60 to 62 years

The government is planning to extend the retirement age of all central government employees by two years — from the current 60 to 62 years. Sources said that an in-principle decision has been taken in this regard and the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has begun the work to implement the same. A formal announcement to this effect is expected this year itself.

The last time the government extended the retirement age of central government employees was in 1998. It was also a two-year extension from 58. This was preceded by the implementation of the 5th Pay Commission, which had put severe strain on government’s finances. Subsequently, all state governments followed the Centre’s policy by extending the retirement age by two years. Public sector undertakings followed suit too.

The decision to extend the retirement age is well-timed both politically and economically.

The UPA government reckons the move would be a masterstroke. At a time when it is buffeted by several corruption cases, it is felt that the extension of the retirement age will go down well with the middle classes. Economically also, the move makes sense because by deferring payment of lump sum retirement benefits for a large number of employees by two years, the government would be able to manage its finances better.

“An in-principle decision has been taken to increase the retirement age by two years within this year itself. This would reduce the burden on the fisc from one-time payment of retirement benefits for employees including defence and railways personnel,” an official involved in the discussion said. With the fiscal consolidation high on the government's agenda, this deferment would come handy.

There’s some flip side too if the retirement age is extended by two years. Those officials empanelled as secretaries and joint secretaries would have to wait.longer to actually get the posts. And of course, there is the issue of average age profile of the civil servants being turning north.

It is also felt that any extension is not being fair with a bulk of people who still look for jobs in the government.

However, officials point out that at least it prevents an influential section of the bureaucracy to hanker for post-retirement jobs with the government like chairmanship of regulatory bodies or tribunals.

“As it is, a sizeable section of senior civil servants work for three to five years after the retirement in some capacity or the other in the government,” said a senior government official. The retirement age of college teachers and judges are also beyond 60.

As per a study, the future pension outgo for the existing Central and State government employees is estimated at a staggering R1,735,527 crore or 55.88% of GDP at market..

source:The Financial Express

Read More

Will the Retirement age of central government employees go up from 60 to 62?

As we heard every time before the budget session of parliament, this time also a rumor about raising the retirement age of central government employees from 60 to 62  spreading here and there among the central government employees. May be the officers at the verge of retirement be happy about this rumor. Otherwise there is no reason to be happy about this rumor.. As India is having 51% of people below the age of 25 years , it is not a good news to millions of jobless people. Sources close to the trade union movements and Federations told that there is no such proposal with the government since none of the workers federations have demanded it.

In 2009, The Manmohan Singh government was serious in weighing the pros and cons of increasing the retirement age for government employees from 60 to 62 years.That time it was believed that the finance ministry had prepared a detailed note on the issue and sent it to the prime minister's office (PMO)  But the government shelved the idea, largely because of fears that a higher retirement age would adversely impact employment generation and create resentment in the bureaucracy because of blocked promotional avenues. At that time, it was the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that was asked by the PMO to study the issue and prepare a report.

The BJP led National Democratic Alliance government had raised the retirement age from 58 to 60, in 1998, a move that benefitted 90,000 government servants and 50,000 defence personnel. At the time, the logic was: the retirement of 140,000 employees would have cost Rs 5,200 crore whereas paying salaries cost only Rs 1,493 crore.

Incase if the decision is finally taken, it will only be the third time the government will have raised the retirement age. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister to have increased the age of superannuation from 55 to 58 following the 1962 war with China. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government did it a second time in 1998.

 source:vinmoney

Read More

PIL on retirement age of civil servants

               A PIL was filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court today, seeking direction to extend the retirement age of officers of India Civil Services from 60 years to at least 65 years.

         Neelendra Pandey, a local social worker, stated in his PIL that he is aggrieved with discrepancies in the retirement policy of different government services.

         He said IAS, IPS and IFS officers retire at 60 years, while people of about 80 years and sometime even more continue as President, Prime Minister, Governor and Chief Minister, Minister and MLAs.

       Professors and doctors of Central universities and institutions like AIIMS retire at 65 and primary school teachers retire at 62, Pandey said while terming the retirement policies as defective and challenging the same.

       He requested the court to direct Central government to consider making a universal retirement policy for all public servants.

-pti-

Read More