December 11, 2006	Monday	Ziqa'ad 19, 1427

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LAHORE, Dec 10: The Punjab government has announced a fresh formula of allowances for its officials working in foreign-aided projects in the province, making it easier to oblige its `blue-eyed’ civil bureaucrats.

The policy will apply to officers and officials posted in foreign-funded projects through transfer or restrictive-open competition as wall as professionals hired from private sector, Dawn learnt here on Sunday.

A number of government officers, already working in foreign-funded projects at much higher allowances will continue to get their present emoluments as the new policy says their terms and conditions will remain unchanged till the completion of initial period of contract appointment.

“Though funded by foreign agencies, all projects are for the province and running them is an official duty. But, of late, some chosen officers and officials have been appointed to run the projects as against hefty special allowances. This is a clear cut favour which is causing jealousy among the neglected ones making them feel that they are living on peanuts (salaries),” officials said.

They said the policy did contain extra money, though less than the amounts already being given to the selected officials and private sector people. But, they argued, it should have applied to those already running projects so as to match their earnings with the new “blue-eyed” persons.

According to the new policy, all projects have been divided into three grades - A, B and C, and the monthly allowances for the project directors in the three categories will be Rs50,000, Rs35,000 and Rs25,000, respectively.

The core staff of projects falling in various categories will be allowed project allowance in accordance with the following parameter: BS-19 and 20 (60 per cent of the project director’s allowance), BS-18 (50 per cent) and BS-17 (40 per cent).

The market-based salaries to civil servants and professionals from the private sector will be allowed only if the project director and core staff are selected through open competition.

The salary of a civil servant will be fixed after assessment of the benefits that he or she is getting from the mainstream position. The salary package of the project director, selected from the private sector, will be determined within the scope of the government’s higher pay system (MP-II and MP-III) for the three project categories.

For a new project, the proposal for payment of project allowance will be incorporated in PC-I (the basic plan), and a decision about the category will be made by the competent authority at the time of approval of the project.

For on-going projects, the administrative departments concerned may submit a proposal to the PDWP (provincial development working party of the P&D) for determining the project category and a position designated as core staff for the payment of the project allowance.

The department’s development sub-committees will have no power to consider or recommend any project allowance or special pay package while approving schemes within their competence. The approval of the PDWP will be recommendatory in nature and subject to final green signal by the finance department.

The project allowance or special pay package will be considered only for the posts for which provision of funds has been included in the project’s PC-I. The packages will be admissible only to officers having substantive postings against the project positions. However, officers holding additional charge of project director posts will be allowed a project allowance at the rate of 40 per cent of their basic pay scale without any limit.

The planning and development, and services and general administration departments will prepare performance criteria for positions included in the projects in categories A and B. The performance yardstick will be used for evaluating working of officers and private sector professionals. Any other performance appraisal mechanism to which the officers are subjected to, will not be affected by this provision.

The terms and conditions of appointment of the employees in BS-I to BS-16 will be governed by the provisions of the contract appointment policy already notified by the S&GAD.

Officers and officials recruited against project posts who are not included in the core team will be allowed the following pay package as per the contract appointment policy: package of pay and allowances as per the pay scale of the post, 30 per cent of the minimum pay scale as special security benefit in lieu of pension, any ad hoc special relief allowed to government servants shall be extended to such contract employees, and annual increment as per pay scale of the post.