Seventh Pay Commission Report – Allowances related to Uniform (KMA, Clothing, Outfit, Washing, Robe, Shoe Allowance)

Allowances Covered

8.16.1 Alphabetical list of Allowances covered here is as under:

1. Clothing Allowance

2. Initial Equipment Allowance 

3. Kit Maintenance Allowance 

4. Outfit Allowance

5. Robe Allowance

6. Robe Maintenance Allowance 

7. Shoe Allowance

Present Position

8.16.2 Officers of uniformed forces are in receipt of a Uniform Allowance that is in the nature of an initial grant followed by a renewal grant every three years. Personnel of the Customs Department and deputationists in the Bureau of Immigration get an initial grant and a renewal grant every year. SPG personnel are granted an identical sum of money every year. The existing structure is as under:

For officers of Indian Army/IAF, CAPFs/RPF/IPS	Initial grant	Rs.21000
	Renewal grant	Rs.4500 (payable after every three years)
For DANIPS/ACP of Delhi Police	Initial grant	Rs.7200
	Renewal grant	Rs.3000 (payable after every three years)
For officers of Indian Navy, Indian Cost Guard	Initial grant	Rs.24000
	Renewal grant	Rs.7500 (payable after every three years)
For MNS Officers	Initial grant	Rs.10500
	Renewal grant	Rs.2250 (payable after every three years)
Distinctive Uniform for MNS Officers	Initial grant	Rs.600
For JCOs granted Honorary Commission (Army and IAF)	Initial grant	Rs.9600
For JCOs granted Honorary Commission (Navy)	Initial grant	Rs.12000
For NCOs promoted as JCOs (all three)	Initial grant	Rs.1500
Mufti Allowance for recruits in three services	Initial grant	Rs.600
Nursing Staff	Rs.750 pm
Personnel in Customs and all deputationists in Bureau of Immigration posted at Mumbai/Chennai	Initial Grant	Rs.1500
	Replacement Grant	Rs.1000 pa
Personnel in Customs and all deputationists in Bureau of Immigration posted at Delhi/Amritsar/Kolkata	Initial Grant	Rs.2000
	Replacement Grant	Rs.1250 pa
SPG personnel	Rs.9000 per year

8.16.3 IB personnel posted at high altitudes are granted a Clothing Allowance at the following rates:

Height>3000m above MSL	Initial Grant	Rs.12000
	Renewal Grant	Rs.2000 pa
1500m>Height>3000m above MSL	Initial Grant	Rs.8000
	Renewal Grant	Rs.1200 pa

8.16.3 An Initial Equipment Allowance is granted to the personnel of Central Excise and Narcotics Department – CBEC, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance at the following rates:

		Initial Allowance	Replacement Allowance
Gazetted and Non-gazetted Executive Staff	Summer-cum-winter areas	Rs.6000	Rs.3750 pa
	Summer areas	Rs.4500	Rs.3000 pa
Group C staff	Summer-cum-winter areas	Rs.2889 pa
	Summer areas	Rs.1533 pa

8.16.4 Officers of Indian Foreign Service and certain employees in Ministry of External Affairs are granted an Outfit Allowance to meet the expenditure involved in clothing required for living abroad. The allowance is granted every time the officer is posted abroad plus once in HQ, but not more than 8 times in the whole career. The existing rates are as under:

IFS Officers, Gr.I of IFS(B), PPS and GoI officers of equivalent rank	Rs.10625 per posting abroad
Officers of Gr.II and III of IFS(B), PS	Rs.7500 per posting abroad
Other grades of IFS(B)	Rs.5625 per posting abroad

Other Chapter on Allowances

Allowances payable for Additional/Extra Duty

Allowances related to Knowledge Updates

Allowances related to Deputation

Allowances related to Working on Holidays

Allowances related to Housing

Allowances related to Good Service

Qualification Allowances

Allowances related to Risk and Hardship

Allowances for Running Staff of Indian Railways

Allowances related to Sports

Sumptuary Allowances

Allowances related to Training

Allowances related to Travel

Allowances related to Uniform

Other Allowances

8.16.5 A Robe Allowance is granted to meet the uniform related requirements of ICLS officers and legal officers in NIA who are required to appear before courts. The existing rate is Rs.2,500 (payable every 5 years) in ICLS and Rs.5,000 pa in NIA.

8.16.6 Track Maintainers of Indian Railways who are required to walk the entire section everyday on foot, are granted a Shoe Allowance at the rate of Rs.900 pa.

8.16.7 For the upkeep of the uniform, separate allowances called Kit Maintenance Allowance,Washing Allowance or Robe Maintenance Allowance are granted, at rates varying from Rs.100 pm to Rs.600 pm.

8.16.8 PBORs of uniformed forces are supplied with uniforms. Hence, they are not granted any allowance for this purpose. However, for maintenance of the uniform, they are paid a Washing Allowance monthly, which is a part of their Composite Personal Maintenance Allowance.

Demands Received

8.16.9 Besides the general demand for increase in rates, there are requests for reducing the period of renewal grant from the current gap of three years because the uniforms do not last that long. It has been stressed that Uniform Allowance should be added to the salary as and when it becomes due, instead of having to claim it as required at present.

8.16.10 PBORs have strongly sought for grant of an allowance in lieu of uniforms (as is given to their officers) on the grounds that uniforms are not supplied in time, sizes are based on averages and are therefore not usually a good fit, quality is sub-optimal, and they often end up spending from their pockets to make the necessary adjustments. Strong grievance has been made by jawans during field meetings with the Commission including poor quality of shoes which sometimes don’t fit and do not last for more than three months, thereby causing serious hindrance in their performance of duties.

Analysis and Recommendations

8.16.11 Uniforms are an essential functional requirement. Hence the need for provision of the same, either in kind or cash, is well recognized. However, the mode of provisioning should be simple and easily implementable in the field.

8.16.12 The Commission finds merit in most of the demands raised. The renewal period of three years is, indeed, on the higher side. The reimbursement procedure does need to be simplified.

8.16.13 Grant of Uniform Allowance to PBORs will free them from having to deal with ill-fitting uniforms and enable them to acquire suitable ones, thereby eliminating needless dissatisfaction.

8.16.14 It is thus recommended that uniform related allowances be subsumed in a single Dress Allowance (including shoes) which will be payable at the following rates:

Dress Allowance

Category of Employee	Amount per year
Officers of Army/IAF/Navy/CAPFs/CPOs RPF/ RPSF/IPS and Coast Guard	Rs.20000
MNS Officers, Civilian Nurses, Officers of DANIPS/ ACP of Delhi Police/Other Union Territories	Rs.15000
Executive Staff of Customs, Central Excise and Narcotics Department (both in summer and summer-cum-winter areas), ICLS Officers, Legal Officers in NIA, Bureau of Immigration Personnel (in Mumbai/Chennai/ Delhi/Amritsar/Kolkata), PBORs of Defence services, CAPFs, RPF, Police forces of Union Territories and Indian Coast Guard, Station Masters of Indian Railways, SPG personnel	Rs.10000
Other Categories of Staff who are supplied uniform and are required to wear them regularly, like Trackmen, Running Staff of Indian Railways, Staff Car Drivers, etc.	Rs.5000