Port Blair, Aug 31: The Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association, A & N Islands has demanded retention of Special Compensatory Allowance (SCA) for the employees A & N Administration and other central govt. employees posted in these islands. In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Mr T.S.Sreekumar, General Secretary of the Association urged him to immediately take up the issue with the Allowance Review Committee under the chairmanship of Finance Secretary, Govt. of India.
Mr Sreekumar pointed out that as per the proposal of the 7th CPC, all ‘Special Compensatory’ allowances based on geographical location and meant to compensate for hardship faced by employees are subsumed under ‘Tough Location Allowance’. Further under Para 8.10.63 of the 7th CPC report, it has been stated that ‘Tough Location Allowance’, will however, not be admissible alongwith Special Duty Allowance.
It is, therefore, amply clear, that if the recommendations are approved and implemented, the govt. employees of these islands would be losing the Special Compensatory Allowance as they are drawing Island Special Duty Allowance. In his letter, he further stated the long history of Special Compensatory Allowance which started as Andaman Special Pay during the British era in 1945 and valiant struggles of employees for its continuation and enhancement from time to time, he said.
In the letter, General Secretary has requested A & N Administration to take up the matter with Allowance Review Committee constituted by Govt. of India to retain the present Special Compensatory Allowance (now proposed as Tough Location Allowance) along with ISDA for the employees working under A & N Administration and other Central Govt. departments. The Association had also taken up the matter with the Secretary, Staff Side, National Council JCM, Govt. of India and Secretary General, Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers, New Delhi to pursue the issue in the meeting of the Allowance Review Committee.
