8.10.1 Alphabetical list of Allowances covered here is as under:

1. Antarctica Allowance

2. Assisting Cashier Allowance
3. ASV Allowance

4. Bad Climate Allowance

5. Boiler Watch Keeping Allowance
6. Breakdown Allowance

7. Cash Handling Allowance
8. CI Ops Allowance

9. Coal Pilot Allowance
10. COBRA Allowance
11. Commando Allowance

12. Compensatory (Construction or Survey) Allowance
13. Cooking Allowance

14. Diving Allowance, Dip Money and Attendant Allowance
15. Field Area Allowance

16. Flying Allowance

17. Flying Squad Allowance

18. Free Fall Jump Instructor Allowance
19. Handicapped Allowance

20. Hardlying Money

21. Headquarters Allowance

22. Health and Malaria Allowance
23. High Altitude Allowance

24. Hospital Patient Care Allowance/Patient Care Allowance
25. Hydrographic Survey Allowance

26. MARCOS and Chariot Allowance
27. Metropolitan Allowance

28. Night Patrolling Allowance
29. Operation Theatre Allowance
30. Organization Special Pay

31. Out-turn Allowance
32. Para Allowances

33. Para Jump Instructor Allowance
34. Project Allowance

35. Rajdhani Allowance

36. Risk Allowance

37. Savings Bank Allowance
38. Sea Going Allowance
39. Secret Allowance

40. Siachen Allowance

41. Special Compensatory (Hill Area) Allowance

42. Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance
43. Special Forces Allowance

44. Special LC Gate Allowance
45. Submarine Allowance

46. Submarine Duty Allowance

47. Submarine Technical Allowance
48. Sunderban Allowance

49. Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineer Allowance
50. Treasury Allowance

51. Tribal Area Allowance

8.10.2 This section covers the allowances payable to Central Government employees to compensate for the risk and/or hardship they face on account of their
working conditions. For our discussion, the allowances appearing in this section come under the category of Risk and Hardship Allowances (RHAs).

Present
Position

The existing structure of the allowances covered is detailed below:

Antarctica
Allowance

8.10.3 The Indian Antarctic Program is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program under the control of Ministry of Earth Sciences, wherein studies
are conducted in atmospheric, biological, earth, chemical, medical and other sciences by sending teams to the Antarctica. To compensate for the hardship
that those undertaking this expedition face during their sojourn in Antarctica, this special allowance is granted. The present rates are:

Team Leader	Winters	Rs.1856.80 per day
Team Leader	Summers	Rs.1237.50 per day
Other Members	Winters	Rs.1688.00 per day
Other Members	Summers	Rs.1125.00 per day

Assisting
Cashier
Allowance

8.10.4 This allowance is granted only in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, to MTS staff for assisting cashier in bringing
cash from banks. The current rate is Rs.90 pm.

ASV
Allowance

8.10.5 This allowance is granted to Accounts Stock Verifiers of Indian Railways on account of hardship involved in their job. The present rate is Rs.1,000
pm.

Bad
Climate
Allowance

8.10.6 It is paid to the Central Government employees serving in areas designated as Bad Climate Area/Unhealthy Locality by the government from time to
time. The present rates are:

Grade Pay > Rs.5400	Others
Rs.600 pm	Rs.360 pm

Boiler
Watch
Keeping
Allowance

8.10.7 Started post the acceptance of the VI CPC recommendations, this allowance is granted to Boiler Watch Keepers on Naval Ships and corresponding
personnel on board Coast Guard and survey ships. The aim of this allowance is to compensate such personnel for the hardship they face through constant
exposure to high temperature. The current rate is Rs.3,000 pm.

Breakdown
Allowance

8.10.8 This allowance is granted to non-gazetted Railway servants who are earmarked for attending to breakdown duties. The present rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Grade Pay	Rate
Up to Rs.1800	120
Rs.1900	180
Rs.2400-Rs.2800	240
Rs.4200 and above (limited to non-gazetted staff)	300

Cash
Handling
Allowance

8.10.9 It is paid to cashiers working in Central Government departments, for handling of cash. The current rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Amount of Average Monthly Cash Disbursed	Rate
< Rs.50,000	230
Over Rs.50,000 and up to Rs.2,00,000	450
Over Rs.2,00,000 and up to Rs.5,00,000	600
Over Rs.5,00,000 and up to Rs.10,00,000	750
> Rs.10,00,000	900

CI
Ops
Allowance

8.10.10 This allowance is granted to Defence and CAPF personnel while they are deployed in counter-insurgency areas. The present rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

P osts	CI Operations in Field Areas	CI Operations in Modified Field Areas	CI Operations in Peace Areas
Lt. Col and Above/equ.	11700	9000	7800
Major/equ.	10800	8310	7200
Captain/equ.	9900	7620	6600
Lt./equ.	9450	7260	6300
JCO’s/equ.	8100	6240	5400
Hav/equ.	5400	4140	3600
Sep/Nk/equ.	4500	3450	3000

8.10.11 The rate of CI Ops Allowance in Peace Areas has an established equation with Field Area Allowance in Field Areas.

Coal
Pilot
Allowance

8.10.12 It is paid to Shuntmen and other Group D staff of transportation Department of Indian Railways who accompany pilots in the collieries for shunting
and similar other duties. The present rates are:

For First Trip	Rs.45 per trip
For every subsequent Trip	Rs.15 per trip

COBRA
Allowance

8.10.13 It is granted to CRPF personnel posted in Command Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a special force deployed in Naxal-hit areas, to compensate
them for their risk and hardship. The present rate is 80 percent of Marcos and Chariot Allowance.

Commando
Allowance

8.10.14 This allowance is granted to personnel of Delhi Police who act as Commandos. The existing rates are:

SI	Rs.100 pm
Head Constable	Rs.75 pm
Constable	Rs.50 pm

Compensatory
(Construction
or
Survey
Allowance)

8.10.15 It is granted to Railway servants employed on construction or survey projects. It is ordinarily granted for ‘new lines’ or ‘restorations’ or
‘surveys’ or ‘doubling’ (with Railway Board’s approval). The present rates are:

Grade Pay > Rs.5400	Others
Rs.1500 pm	Rs.1000 pm

Cooking
Allowance

8.10.16 It is granted to Cook/Cook Mate employed in canteens and pantries in various ministries. The current rates is Rs.120 pm.

Diving
Allowance,
Dip
Money
and
Attendant
Allowance

8.10.17 All naval personnel on the authorized diving cadre are entitled to Diving Allowance. In addition to Diving Allowance, Dip Money is also admissible
depending on depth and time spent under water. An Attendant Allowance is also paid at the rate of one- fifth of Dip Money to Divers’ Attendants. These
allowances are also applicable to IAF and Army personnel on pro-rata basis as and when they are involved in such duties. The current rates are:

Diving A l l o w ance	Deep Diving Officers	Rs.1200 pm
	Clearance Diver – CI	Rs.900 pm
	Clearance Diver – CII	Rs.780 pm
	Clearance Diver – CIII	Rs.660 pm
	Ships Diving Officer	Rs.600 pm
Dip Money	Depth-fathoms	Rs. per minute
	<20	1.80
	20-30	2.70
	30-40	3.60
	40-50	5.40
	50-60	7.20
	60-75	10.20
	75-100	11.40
Attendant Allowance	1/5th of Dip Money

Field
Area
Allowance

8.10.18 It is a generic term for allowance granted to Defence, CAPF and personnel of Indian Coast Guard while they are deployed in “Field Areas,” which are
further classified as Highly Active Field Areas, Field Areas and Modified Field Areas.

Highly
Active
Field
Area:
Where grave danger exists to troops, airmen, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters due to deployment in close proximity of enemy.
Field
Area:
Where troops are deployed near the borders for operational considerations, and where hostilities and risk to life are imminent.
Modified
Field
Areas:
Where defence personnel/isolated detachments are deployed/ stationed/mobilized in support of military duties and where imminence of hostilities/violence and risk exist. Such areas may have severe infrastructural deficiencies causing deprivation and/or mental strain.

8.10.19 The present rates are as follows:

(
Rs.
pm
)

P ost	Highly Active Field Areas	Field Areas	Modified Field Areas
Lt.Col.& above & Equ.		7800	3000
	12600
Maj.& Equ.		7200	2790
	11640
Capt & Equ.		6600	2580
	10650
Lt. & Equ.		6300	2400
	10170
JCOs & Equ.		5400	1800
	8730
Hav & Equ.		3600	1380
	5820
Sep/Nk & Equ.	4860	3000	1200

Flying
Allowance

8.10.20 Flying allowance is admissible to officers of the flying branch and Technical Officers and Airmen performing air crew duties in the Indian Air
Force and to corresponding aviation personnel of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy. The present rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

P ost	Rate
Air Commodore & Eq. & above (Capt IN with> 3yrs seniority)	15750
Squadron Leader to Group Captain & Eq. (Capt IN with< 3 yrs seniority)	21000
Flight Lt. and Eq.	16500
Flying Officer and Eq.	13500
Warrant Ranks	12600
Senior NCO	10500

Flying
Squad
Allowance

8.10.21 It is paid to Chief Ticket Inspectors (CTIs) and Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) of Indian Railways who are part of the Flying Squads
constituted for surprise ticket checking in trains. The current rate is Rs.300 pm.

Free
Fall
Jump
Instructor
Allowance

8.10.22It is granted ascompensation, fortherisk involved, to the FreeFallJumpingInstructors of the Indian Air Force. The present rate is Rs.3,000 pm for
officers and Rs.1,800 pm for PBORs.

Handicapped
Allowance

8.10.23 It is a conveyance allowance granted to differently abled employees in Indian Railways. This allowance is granted to employees who are visually
challenged, orthopedically challenged and staff suffering from spinal deformity. The present rate is 5 percent of Basic Pay, subject to a maximum of Rs.100
pm.

Hardlying
Money

8.10.24 It is paid to Naval personnel as compensation for extra discomforts on board the smaller ships and submarines. In the smaller ships like
minesweepers, ocean going tugs and submarines, it is paid at full rates and in relatively more comfortable vessels at half rates. The current rates are as
under:

Category	Existing Rates
Category	F u ll	H alf
Officers including Mid shipment & Cadets	Rs.600 pm	Rs.300 pm
Sailors	Rs.420 pm	Rs.210 pm

Headquarters
Allowance

8.10.25 It is granted to officers of Organised Group `A’ Service in DOT and certain other ministries upon posting at headquarters. The existing rate is
Rs.225 pm.

Health
and
Malaria
Allowance

8.10.26 This allowance is granted to Health and Malaria Inspectors in Indian Railways due to risky and hazardous nature of their duties. The present rate
is Rs.600 pm.

High
Altitude
Allowance

8.10.27 It is granted to Defence and CAPF personnel deployed in high altitude areas. The existing rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

P ost	Cat-I Areas	Cat-II Areas	Cat-III Areas
Lt.Col. & above & Equ.	3180	4800	16800
Maj. & Equ.	2790	4200	16800
Capt & Equ.	1980	3000	16800
Lt. & Equ.	1590	2400	16800
JCOs & Equ.	1440	2160	11200
Hav & Equ.	1110	1680	11200
Sep/Nk & Equ	810	1200	11200

8.10.28 Cat-I Areas comprise areas between heights of 9000 ft. to 15000 ft. and “uncongenial” areas below 9000 ft. Cat-II Areas are those areas that are
above 15000 ft. in height. Cat-III Areas comprise certain specified areas that have especially uncongenial climate. The rate in Cat-III Areas is 80 percent
of Siachen Allowance.

Hospital
Patient
Care
Allowance
(HPCA)/Patient
Care
Allowance
(PCA)

8.10.29 Patient Care Allowance (PCA) is admissible to Group `C’ and ‘D’ (non-Ministerial) employees excluding nursing personnel working in the health care
delivery institutions/establishments (other than hospitals) with less than 30 beds, subject to the condition that no Night Weightage Allowance and Risk
Allowance, if sanctioned by the Central Government, will be admissible to these employees. Similarly placed employees working in hospitals are eligible for
Hospital Patient Care Allowance (HPCA). This allowance is not admissible to Group `C’ and D (Non-Ministerial) employees working in the headquarters. The
rules provide that only Group `C’ and `D’, non- Ministerial employees whose regular duties involve continuous and routine contact with patients infected
with communicable diseases or those who have to routinely handle infected materials, instruments and equipment, which can spread infection, as their
primary duty can be considered for grant of Hospital Patient Care Allowance. It is further provided that HPCA shall not be allowed to any of those
categories of employees whose contact with patients or exposure to infected materials is of an occasional nature. The present rates of these allowances
are: Hospital Patient Care Allowance@ Rs.2,100 pm for Group `C’ staff and Rs.2,085 pm for Group `D’ Staff. Patient Care Allowance @ Rs.2,070 pm for both
Group `C’ and ‘D’ staff.

Hydrographic
Survey
Allowance

8.10.30 It is paid to Naval Officers as compensation for the tougher working conditions on hydrographic survey ships. The current rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Surveyors Class-IV	1200
Surveyors Class-III	1500
Surveyors Class-II	1800
Surveyors Class-I	2100
Non-Surveyor Officers on ships	600
Surveyor Recorder-III	300
Surveyor Recorder- II	450
Surveyor Recorder–I (PO and Below)	600
Surveyor Recorder–I (CPO and above)	750
Non-Surveyor Sailors serving on ships	150

MARCOS
and
Chariot
Allowance

8.10.31 This allowance is granted to marine commandos of Indian Navy. The current rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Capt (with >3yrs service in the rank) and above	15750
Lt Cdr/Cdr/Capt (with < 3 years’ service in the rank)	21000
Lt.	16500
Sub Lt.	13500
MCPO II/I	12600
CPO and Below	10500

8.10.32 The allowance has an established parity with Flying Allowance.

Metropolitan
Allowance

8.10.33 This allowance is granted to personnel of Delhi Police on account of hardship faced in a Metropolitan area. The present rates are:

Sub-Inspector (SI)	Rs.180 pm
Constable, Head Constable, ASI	Rs.120 pm

Night
Patrolling
Allowance

8.10.34 It is granted to Trackmen of Indian Railways to compensate forhardship faced in Night Patrolling. The present rate is Rs.10 per night of
patrolling.

Operation
Theatre
Allowance

8.10.35 This allowance is granted to 35 percent of the Staff Nurses in Central Government Hospitals, who work in ICU/Operation Theatres. The current rate
is Rs.240 pm.

Organization
Special
Pay

8.10.36 It is granted to certain categories of personnel in ITBP in view of the arduous nature of job. The extant rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Subedar (Senior)	100
SM/Inspector	100
Sub-Inspector	60
Head Constable	40
Lance Naik/Naik	40
Constable	30

Out-turn
Allowance

8.10.37 This allowance is granted to Telegraph Signaller/Teleprinter Operator/Wireless Operators in Indian Railways as a remuneration for per message
worked in excess of the specified number of messages during the normal duty hours on a nominated circuit. The current rates are:

Rs.0.10 for each message in excess of 250 messages handled over the minimum number of messages sent or received in eight or six hour shift.	P ost	No. of Minimum Messages
	Telegraph Signaller	100
	Teleprinter Operator	250
	Wireless Operator Link (Two Stations)	80
	Wireless Operator Net (> Two Stations)	60

Para
Allowances

8.10.38 These allowances are granted to officers and PBORs of Indian Army holding appointments of operational parachutists authorized in the war/peace
establishments. The reserves are those who have shifted out but must again do the refresher course to qualify for the grant of these allowances. The
allowances are granted after doing a parachute refresher course and a minimum of two jumps. The extant rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

P ara Allowance	For Officers	1800
P ara Allowance	For JCO/OR (Army)	1200
P ara Reserve Allowance	For Officers	450
P ara Reserve Allowance	For JCO/OR (Army)	300

Para
Jump
Instructor
Allowance

8.10.39 It is granted as compensation, for risk involved, to the Parachute Jumping Instructors of the Indian Air Force. The current rate of the allowance
is Rs.3,600 pm for officers and Rs.2,700 pm the PBORs.

Project
Allowance

8.10.40 This allowance is granted to Central Government employees to compensate for lack of amenities like Schools, Markets, proper housing and medical
facilities at the places of construction of major projects. This is mainly paid to Railway employees whose offices are in project area and who have to
reside within a nearby locality. The current rates are:

GP > Rs.5400	Ot hers
Rs.2250 pm	Rs.1500 pm

Rajdhani
Allowance

8.10.41 It is granted to Train Superintendent (TS) and Deputy Train Superintendent (Dy.TS) of Rajdhani Express Trains in Indian Railways, due to harder
nature of their jobs. The current rate is Rs.900 pm for TS and Rs.360 pm for Dy.TS.

Risk
Allowance

8.10.42 Risk Allowance is presently given to employees engaged in hazardous duties or whose work will have deleterious effect on health over a period of
time. Risk Allowance is also paid to Sweepers and Safaiwalas engaged in cleaning of underground drains, sewer lines as well as to the employees working in
trenching grounds and infectious diseases hospitals. The extant rate is Rs.60 pm.

Savings
Bank
Allowance

8.10.43 In Department of Posts, granted to Postal Assistants working in Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) for shouldering strenuous and complicated nature of
Savings Bank work. Postal Assistants need to qualify an Aptitude Test to get this allowance. The current rates are Rs.300 pm for fully engaged staff and
Rs.150 pm for partially engaged staff.

Sea
Going
Allowance

8.10.44 This allowance is granted to officers and PBORs of the Indian Navy to compensate them for the hardships of sea travel. This allowance is granted on
pro rata basis, with the condition that the sea vessels should be deployed for a minimum of 12 hours a day. The extant rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Cdr & above	7800
Lt. Cdr	7200
Lt.	6600
Sub-Lt.	6300
CPO & abv. PBORS	5400
PO	3600
Ldg Seaman & below	3000

8.10.45 This allowance has an established parity with Field Area Allowance in Field Areas.

Secret
Allowance

8.10.46 This allowance is granted in Cabinet Secretariat, for dealing with Top Secret papers and performing sensitive and arduous nature of duty. It is
paid as a flat sum per month based on the post held by the concerned official.

Siachen
Allowance

8.10.47 Siachen Allowance is admissible to troops serving in the Siachen region keeping in view the extremely difficult conditions in the area. The extant
rate is Rs.21,000 pm for officers and Rs.14,000 pm for PBORs.

Special
Compensatory
(Hill
Area)
Allowance

8.10.48 It is granted to Central Government employees posted at Hill stations 1000 metres or more above sea level. The present rates are:

Grade Pay > Rs.5400	Ot hers
Rs.900 pm	Rs.720 pm

Special
Compensatory
(Remote
Locality)
Allowance

8.10.49 It is payable to Central Government employees serving in specified remote localities. The extant rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Class o f Remote Locality	GP > Rs.5400	Ot hers
Part A	3900	3000
Part B	3150	2400
Part C	2250	1800
Part D	600	480

Special
Forces
Allowance

8.10.50 This allowance is granted to Special Forces of Indian Army and Indian Air Force, at par with Indian Navy’s marine commandos. The present rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Brigadier and above and equivalent	15750
Major to Colonel and equivalent	21000
Captain and equivalent	16500
Lieutenant and equivalent	13500
JCOs and equivalent	12600
Havaldars and below and equivalent	10500

Special
LC
Gate
Allowance

8.10.51 It is granted to trackmen of Indian Railways who are posted as Gatekeeper to man those gates which are classified as ‘difficult gates.’ The present
rate is Rs.450 pm.

Submarine
Allowance

8.10.52 Submarine Allowance is granted to Naval Officers and Sailors appointed as crew for service on submarines, keeping in view the additional risks and
arduous conditions of service on-board submarines. The current rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

Capt (with >3 years’ service in the rank) and above	15750
Lt Cdr/Cdr/Capt (with < 3 years’ service in the rank)	21000
Lt.	16500
Sub Lt.	13500
MCPO II/I	12600
CPO and Below	10500

Submarine
Duty
Allowance

8.10.53 This allowance is admissible to Defence personnel who are not qualified Submariners but embark on a submarine for training, passage etc. The
present rate is Rs.135 per day for officers and Rs.45 per day for PBORs.

Submarine
Technical
Allowance

8.10.54 It is granted to Naval Artificers and Mechanicians for the period they are deployed for submarine maintenance duties. The present rate is Rs.300
pm.

Sunderban
Allowance

8.10.55 This allowance is paid to Central Government employees posted in Sunderban areas of West Bengal. The extant rates are:

(
Rs.
per
month)

P ay i n the P ay Band	Rate
<5600	90
5600-8400	180
8401-11200	270
11201-16800	360

Test
Pilot
and
Flight
Test
Engineer
Allowance

8.10.56 This allowance is granted to Test Pilots and Flight Test Engineers in Defence Forces while they are on the posted strength or on detachment to any
units for Test Pilot duties. The current rate is Rs.3,000 pm for Test Pilots and Rs.1,500 pm for Flight Test Engineers.

Treasury
Allowance

8.10.57 This allowance is granted in Department of Posts to Treasurers and Assistant Treasurers working in Head Post Offices and large sub offices
for handling of cash. The present rate is Rs.360 pm for handling cash up to Rs.2 lakh and Rs.480 pm for handling cash more than Rs.2 lakh.

Tribal
Area
Allowance

8.10.58 It is paid to Central Government employees posted in notified Tribal Talukas and pockets in certain States. The extant rates are:

GP > Rs.5400	Others
Rs.600 pm	Rs.360 pm

Observations

8.10.59 The Commission notes that a large number of allowances, especially those granted to Defence personnel, fall under this category and many of them
have established relativities. Overall, however, the entire system is quite haphazard and quite a few of the allowances have rates that seem to vary at
random. There are some allowances that have lost their significance in the present era and some for whom adequate justification has not been provided by
the ministry concerned.

Demands
Received

8.10.60 The Defence forces have, in general, asked for a four-fold increase from the base rate of 2008. There is a strong demand, especially from the PBORs
of Defence forces, for parity in the payment of these allowances on the contention that higher ranked officials get higher pay, but the risk/hardship faced
is largely comparable. Hence, they claim that there is no justification for slab-wise variation in the quantum of these allowances (there are as many as
seven slabs in some cases).

Analysis
and
Recommendations

8.10.61 The Commission finds merit in the argument that a large number of slabs is not required in administering risk and hardship allowances. Hence, we
have recommended just two slabs for each allowance–with one rate for officers and a lower rate for PBORs. Most of the existing relativities have been
maintained.

8.10.62 There are some “Special Compensatory” allowances that are based on geographical location and are meant to compensate for hardship faced by
employees posted at such places. It is proposed to subsumetheseallowances under theumbrellaof “Tough Location Allowance” as follows:

i. Places presently covered under Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance (SCRLA)–Parts A and B will be covered by Tough Location Allowance-I.

ii. Places presently covered under SCRLA–Part C will be covered by Tough Location Allowance–II.

iii. Places presently covered under Bad Climate Allowance, Tribal Area Allowance, Sunderban Allowance and SCRLA–Part D will be covered by Tough Location
Allowance–III.

8.10.63 In the unlikely event of a place falling in more than one category, the higher rate of Tough Location Allowance will be applicable. Tough Location
Allowance will, however, not be admissible along with Special Duty Allowance.

8.10.64 The entire structure has been fitted into a table called Risk and Hardship Matrix.

Risk
and
Hardship
Matrix

Risk
and
Hardship
Matrix

RH-Max Level >=9: Rs.31500 pm Level <=8: Rs.21000 pm		HARDSHIP
RH-Max Level >=9: Rs.31500 pm Level <=8: Rs.21000 pm		High	Medium	Low
R I S K	High	R1H1 Level >=9: Rs.25000 pm Level <=8: Rs.17300 pm	R1H2 Level >=9: Rs.16900 pm Level <=8: Rs.9700 pm	R1H3 Level >=9: Rs.5300 pm Level <=8: Rs.4100 pm
	Med ium	R2H1 Level >=9: Rs.16900 pm Level <=8: Rs.9700 pm	R2H2 Level >=9: Rs.10500 pm Level <=8: Rs.6000 pm	R2H3 Level >=9: Rs.3400 pm Level <=8: Rs.2700 pm
	Low	R3H1 Level >=9: Rs.5300 pm Level <=8: Rs.4100 pm	R3H2 Level >=9: Rs.3400 pm Level <=8: Rs.2700 pm	R3H3 Level >=9: Rs.1200 pm Level <=8: Rs.1000 pm

8.10.65 The construct of the Risk and Hardship Matrix, proposed above, is a new paradigm intended to rationalize the myriad allowances, their categories
and sub-categories that exist today. It would make the administration of these allowances simple and provide a framework for the government for future
inclusion of any new allowance, which can be placed in the appropriate cell depending upon the severity of the risk and hardship involved.

Salient
Features
of
Risk
and
Hardship
Matrix

8.10.66 The salient features of the matrix are given below:

· The matrix is divided into 9 cells, based on Low, Medium and High risk juxtaposed with Low, Medium and High hardship. One extra cell has been added to
the top: RH-Max to include Siachen Allowance. The Commission is of the view that the combination of risk/hardship in Siachen area is the maximum that any
government employee faces. Hence, this cell is meant to serve as the ceiling for risk/hardship allowances and the amount of no individual RHA should be more than this
allowance.
· The rates in each cell are in the nature of Rupees per month (Rs.pm). The rates will increase further by 25 percent each time DA rises by 50 percent.
· Equal weightage has been given to Risk and Hardship. Hence, rates in cell R1H2 are similar to those in cell R2H1. Similarly, rates in cell R1H3 are
identical to cell R3H1 and rates of cell R2H3 are at par with cell R3H2. The matrix is, therefore, symmetrical.
· Since the severity of Risk/Hardship decreases as we move from left to right or top to bottom, the rates of allowance follow the same path.
· Various allowances, currently payable, have been subsumed in different cells of the matrix. While the allowances shall maintain their names and
conditions attached with their admissibility (unless otherwise stated), they will be paid as per the rate of the cell under which they have been placed.
· It should be clearly understood that this matrix only aims to compensate for risk and hardship involved in jobs/work environments. It does not determine the status in any way.
· The grouping of allowances in different cells is based on (a) present rates, (b) representations received, and (c) firsthand experience of the Commission
during visits to various places.

The detailed cell-wise discussion of the matrix follows:

8.10.67 Cell Name: RH-Max

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.31,500 pm o Level <=8: Rs.21,000 pm

· As mentioned earlier, thisis taken as the ceilingforRHA, i.e.,no government employee faces more Risk/Hardship in his work than our Defence officers and
jawans posted in Siachen Glacier. Hence, no RHA can have a value higher than this allowance.

· The cell subsumes two allowances: Siachen Allowance and Antarctica Allowance.

· Therate in this cell hasbeen worked out bymultiplyingthe existingSiachen Allowance by a factor of 1.5.

8.10.68 Cell Name: R1H1

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.25,000 pm o Level <=8: Rs.17,300 pm

· Thecellsubsumes thefollowingallowances: FlyingAllowance,MARCOS and Chariot Allowance, Special Forces Allowance, Submarine Allowance, COBRA Allowance,
High Altitude Allowance-CAT III.

· The rates have been arrived at by averaging the existing rates of Flying Allowance above and below GP 5400 (PB-3) and then applying a factor of 1.5. For
e.g. for GP>=5400, the average of Rs.15,750, Rs.21,000, Rs.16,500 and Rs.13,500 comes to Rs.16,688.

With a factor of 1.5, the rate becomes Rs.25032 pm (which has been rounded off). Similarly exercise has been done for GP<5400 also. The methodology
adopted will have the intended consequence of benefitting the junior officers and ranks more compared to higher officers and ranks. For e.g. the allowance
for a Sepoy will go up from Rs.10,500 to Rs.17,300 pm, while it would have been only Rs.15,750 if a simple factor of 1.5 was applied to his rate of
allowance.

· There is an existing parity between Flying Allowance, MARCOS and Chariot Allowance, Special Forces Allowance and Submarine Allowance. This parity has
been kept intact.

· COBRA allowance, which is currently80 percent of MARCOS and Chariot Allowance has been brought at par with MARCOS and Chariot Allowance. This is a
conscious decision in view of the threat of Left Wing Extremism and a strong demand for parity in this regard.

· Flying Allowance, covered in this cell, should be extended mutatis mutandis to personnel of BSF Air Wing also and their present system of paying flying
allowance on an hourly basis should be done away with.

8.10.69 Cell Name: R1H2

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.16,900 pm o Level <=8: Rs.9,700 pm

· The cell subsumes the following allowances: Highly Active Field Area Allowance, CI Ops Allowance in Field Areas

· As was done in the case of Cell R1H1, the rates have been arrived at by averaging the existing rates of Highly Active Field Area Allowance above and
below GP 5400 and then applying a factor of 1.5.

· Presently CI Ops Allowance in Field Areas is 93 percent of Highly Active Field Area Allowance. This percentage has now been raised to 100 percent. This
is again done having regard to the importance of Counter Insurgency Operations in view of the threat of Left Wing Extremism.

· CI Ops Allowance in Modified Field Areas is presently 77 percent of CI Ops Allowance in Field Areas. It is recommended that this percentage be retained.

8.10.70 Cell Name: R1H3

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.5,300 pm o Level <=8: Rs.4,100 pm

· This rate is equal to the rate of Cell R3H1 since equal weightage has been assigned to risk and hardship.

· The cell subsumes the following allowances: Hospital Patient Care Allowance (HPCA), Patient Care Allowance (PCA), Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineer
Allowance.

· The Commission notes that HPCA and PCA are admissible to ministerial staff as well on the premise that the entire hospital area carries the risk of
communicable diseases. This practice should be stopped and HPCA/PCA should be admissible to only those employees who come in continuous and routine contact
with the patients.

8.10.71 Cell Name: R2H1

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.16,900 pm o Level <=8: Rs.9,700 pm

· The rate is the same as in Cell R1H2.

· This cell that does not subsume any existing allowance.

8.10.72 Cell Name: R2H2

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.10,500 pm o Level <=8: Rs.6,000 pm

· The cell subsumes the following allowances: Field Area Allowance, CIOps Allowance in PeaceAreas, SeaGoingAllowance, ParaJump Instructor Allowance,
FreeFall Jump Instructor Allowance, Para Allowance.

· The rates have been arrived at by averaging the existing rates of Field Area Allowance above and below GP 5400 and then applying a factor of 1.5.

· Modified Field Area Allowance, which is currently at the level of 40 percent of Field Area Allowance, will now be paid at 60 percent of Field Area
Allowance, or 60 percent of the rate of this cell. There is a strong demand from CAPFs that the classification of Field Areas into Highly Active, Field or
Modified, which is presently done by Ministry of Defence, should be done jointly by Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs for places where CAPFs
are deployed. The Commission finds the demand reasonableafter takinginto account the first-hand experience duringits visits at various places. Hence, it is
recommended that a joint committee of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence should revisit the present classification of places, and future
categorizations should also be done as a joint exercise for places where CAPFs are posted.

· Border Out Posts (BOPs) should be treated as Field Area for the purposes of Risk and Hardship Allowance. Moreover, allowance at air-maintained BOPs that
require a foot march of five days or more should be enhanced by further 25 percent.

· The existing parity between the rates of Field Area Allowance, CI Ops Allowance in Peace Areas and Sea Going Allowance has been maintained.

· Prior to VI CPC recommendations, Para Jump Instructor Allowance, Free Fall Jump Instructor Allowance and Para Allowance used to be 30-40 percent of
Special Forces Allowance. Post VI CPC recommendations; the government increased Special Forces Allowance but left the other allowances untouched. Due to
this the percentage was reduced from 30-40 percent to about 8-10 percent, which has caused resentment especially because the personnel drawing these
allowances are drawn from the same regiment, viz., the Para regiment. The traditional relationship has been restored now. Para Reserve allowance will
continue to be one-fourth of the rate of Para Allowance.

· The personnel of National Disaster Response Force should be paid a Risk and Hardship Allowance as per the rates of this cell for the period for which
they are deployed in disaster or disaster like situations.

· Taking into account the fact that there is a length of time taken in preparation of a sea-vessel sailing out, the 12- hour conditionality should be
reduced to 4 hours for Sea Going Allowance.

· Regarding Highly Active Field Area Allowance, Field Area Allowance and Modified Field Area Allowance, there is currently a conditionality that if an
employee posted in such areas proceeds on leave for more than fifteen days, the payment of these allowances is stopped. This ceiling should be raised from
fifteen days to thirty days.

8.10.73 Cell Name: R2H3

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.3,400 pm o Level <=8: Rs.2,700 pm

· The cell does not subsume any of the allowances currently paid. · The rate is the same as for Cell R3H2.

· An RHA based on the rates of this allowance should be granted to the firefighting staff in the Central Government.

8.10.74 Cell Name: R3H1

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.5,300 pm o Level <=8: Rs.4,100 pm

· Rate is derived by taking the average of SCRLA-Part A and Part B and then applying the factor of 1.5.

· The cell subsumes the following allowances: High Altitude Allowance-CAT II, Tough Location Allowance-I, Boiler Watch Keeping Allowance, Submarine
DutyAllowance.

· Submarine Duty Allowance shall be payable on pro-rata basis

8.10.75 Cell Name: R3H2

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.3,400 pm o Level <=8: Rs.2,700 pm

· The cell subsumes the following allowances: High Altitude Allowance-CAT I, Tough Location Allowance–II, Project Allowance, Compensatory (Construction or
Survey) Allowance, and Hydrographic Survey Allowance (except non-surveyors).

· The rate has been arrived at by applying the factor of 1.5 to the rates of Special Compensatory (Remote Locality) Allowance–Part C.

· Track Maintainers–I, II, III and IV of Indian Railways should be granted a RHA based on the rates of this cell, in view of the hardship faced by these
categories of employees.

8.10.76 Cell Name: R3H3

Rate recommended:

o Level >=9: Rs.1,200 pm o Level <=8: Rs.1,000 pm

· The cell subsumes the following allowances: Tough Location Allowance–III, Cooking Allowance, Hardlying Money (Full Rate), Health and Malaria Allowance,
Special LC Gate Allowance, Submarine Technical Allowance, Hydrographic Survey Allowance (for non-surveyors)

· The rate is calculated by applying the factor of 1.5 to the existing rate of Special Compensatory(Remote Locality) Allowance–Part D followed byslight
increase on the consideration that the minimum rate of RHA should be Rs.1,000 pm.

· Hardlying Money Allowance (Half Rate) will be half the rate in this Cell.

· Submarine Technical Allowance should be extended to Master Chief Artificier/Mechanicians.

Linked
Allowances

8.10.77 Allowances not covered by the Risk and Hardship Matrix above, but having a linkage with it:

a. Diving Allowance, Dip Money and Attendant Allowance will continued to be paid as hitherto. The rates of these allowances should be increased by 50
percent. The rate will further rise by 25 percent each time DA crosses 50 percent.

b. Detachment Allowance and Ration Money Allowance, both not in the nature of RHA, are mentioned here because there is a “linkage” between these allowances
and risk/hardship allowances like CI Ops Allowance, etc. as far as CAPFs are concerned. The government has also referred this linkage to the Commission for
consideration. The views of the Commission on this issue have been brought out under the discussion of Detachment Allowance, under Allowances Related to
Travel.

c. LWE Risk Allowance is not a separate allowance, but paid as CI Ops Allowance in Field, Modified or Peace Areas. Hence, a separate nomenclature for LWE
Risk Allowance is not required.

General
Recommendations

8.10.78 Concurrent admissibilityof allowances, applicable to Defence personnel, shall remain unaltered and its applicabilityshould be extended mutatis
mutandis to CAPF personnel posted in field areas.

8.10.79 V CPC had recommended for development of a “composite index of difficulty/hardship.” However no such index has been developed. While this
Commission has attempted to study all such existing allowances, grade them in order of severity, and have a structured approach for compensation on this
count, it feels that there is scope for a more scientific approach. Accordingly, this Commission endorses the suggestion made by the V

CPC that government should set up an expert committee to identify the various factors comprising difficulty/hardship (like altitude, temperature,
remoteness, etc.) and map out the entirecountryaccordingly.TheRemoteness Indexof Australiamaybestudied forthis purpose. The risk involved in jobs should
also be assessed scientifically. The risk/hardship allowances can then be rationalized further.

Allowances
Recommended
to
be
Abolished

8.10.80 The following 19 allowances should be abolished:

Assisting Cashier Allowance, Cash Handling Allowance, and Treasury Allowance– With the technological advances and growing emphasis on banking, these
allowances have lost their relevance. Here it is recommended that not only all salary be paid through banks, but ministries/departments should work out
plans to first minimize and then eliminate all sorts of cash transactions.
Commando Allowance, Handicapped Allowance, Night Patrolling Allowance, Operation Theatre Allowance, Organization Special Pay, Risk Allowance–These
allowances have meagre rates. With the rise in pay proposed by the Commission, these allowances are no longer required.
Coal Pilot Allowance, Out-turn Allowance–These allowances have become outdated. ·
ASV Allowance, Flying Squad Allowance, Headquarters Allowance,
Metropolitan Allowance, Rajdhani Allowance, Savings Bank Allowance, Secret Allowance–The justification provided by the concerned ministry for the grant of these
allowances is not sufficient for their continuance.
Breakdown Allowance–Ministry of Railways has referred this allowance to the Commission for consideration. In the Commission’s view, responding to
emergencies is part of the duties of any government servant. Hence, granting a separate allowance for this purpose does not appear justified.
Special Compensatory (Hill Area) Allowance–There is hardly any hardship involved at altitudes of 1000 metres above sea level. Hence, it is recommended
that this allowance should be abolished. Instead, High Altitude Allowance should be extended to Civilian employees in case Tough Location Allowance or any
other RHA is not admissible at the location covered by High Altitude Allowance.

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Seventh Pay Commission Report: Allowances related to Risk and Hardship

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