7th Pay Commission Report: Allowances related to Uniform Chapter 8.16

7th Pay Commission Report: Allowances related to Uniform Chapter 8.16

Allowances Covered

8.16.1 Alphabetical list of Allowances covered here is as under:

Clothing Allowance

1. Initial Equipment Allowance
2. Kit Maintenance Allowance
3. Outfit Allowance
4. Robe Allowance
5. Robe Maintenance Allowance
6. Shoe Allowance
7. Uniform Allowance
8. Washing 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	₹21000
	Renewal grant	₹4500 (payable after every three years)
For DANIPS/ACP of Delhi Police	Initial grant	₹7200
	Renewal grant	₹3000 (payable after every three years)
For officers of Indian Navy, Indian Cost Guard	Initial grant	₹24000
	Renewal grant	₹7500 (payable after every three years)
For MNS Officers	Initial grant	₹10500
	Renewal grant	₹2250 (payable after every three years)
Distinctive Uniform for MNS Officers	Initial grant	₹600
For JCOs granted Honorary Commission (Army and IAF)	Initial grant	₹9600
For JCOs granted Honorary Commission (Navy)	Initial grant	₹12000
For NCOs promoted as JCOs (all three)	Initial grant	₹1500

Mufti Allowance for recruits in three services	Initial grant	₹600
Nursing Staff	₹750 pm
Personnel in Customs and all deputationists in Bureau of Immigration posted at Mumbai/Chennai	Initial Grant	₹1500
	Replacement Grant	₹1000 pa
Personnel in Customs and all deputationists in Bureau of Immigration posted at Delhi/Amritsar/Kolkata	Initial Grant	₹2000
	Replacement Grant	₹1250 pa
SPG personnel	₹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	₹12000
	Renewal Grant	₹2000 pa
1500m>Height>3000m above MSL	Initial Grant	₹8000
	Renewal Grant	₹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	₹6000	₹3750 pa
	Summer areas	₹4500	₹3000 pa
Group C staff	Summer-cum-winter areas	₹2889 pa
	Summer areas	₹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	₹10625 per posting abroad
Officers of Gr.II and III of IFS(B), PS	₹7500 per posting abroad
Other grades of IFS(B)	₹5625 per posting abroad

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 ₹2,500 (payable every 5 years) in ICLS and ₹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 ₹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 ₹100 pm to ₹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	₹20000
MNS Officers, Civilian Nurses, Officers of DANIPS/ ACP of Delhi Police/Other Union Territories	₹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	₹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.	₹5000

• Allowances  related  to  maintenance/washing  of  Uniform  are  subsumed  in  Dress

Allowance and will not be payable separately.

• The amount of Dress Allowance should be credited to the salary of employee directly once a year in July.
• This allowance covers only the basic uniform of the employee. Any special clothing, like that provided at Siachen Glacier, or inside Submarines, or fluorescent clothing provided to trackmen of Indian Railways, or to IB personnel posted at high altitudes, will continue to be provided by the concerned ministry as per existing norms.
• Outfit Allowance, paid to Indian Foreign Service officers and employees will continue to be provided as before, enhanced by 50 percent.
• These rates of Dress Allowance will go up by 25 percent each time Dearness Allowance rises by 50 percent.
• While the  Commission  has  recommended  that  other  categories  of  staff  who  are supplied uniform and are required to wear them regularly should be provided Dress Allowance at the rate of ₹5,000 per year, the ministries/departments may take a decision on whether the rate should be ₹5,000 per year or ₹10,000 per year.