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KARACHI, Feb 11: Salaries of an advisor and a special assistant to the chief minister of Sindh would rise up to Rs51,000 and 40,000 per month respectively in addition to other fringe benefits, including medical facilities, official car, and travelling allowance.
The bills — Bill-3 and Bill-4 of 2003 — were forwarded to the provincial assembly in its last sitting on Feb 3 and tabled, through a motion, by the Law Minister, Iftikhar Chaudhry, accordingly. The House constituted one special committee each for the two bills for a review. Each of the committees comprises three members from the treasury side and two from opposition benches.
The preambles to the bills say that the documents pertained to the appointment, powers, functions, salaries, allowances and privileges of advisors and special assistants to the chief minister.
Without mentioning the number of the appointees, the bills specifically mention that “they shall hold their offices during the pleasure of the chief minister”, would exercise such powers as may be delegated and perform such functions as may be assigned to them.
The bill pertaining to advisor says that they would be entitled to receive total expenditure of Rs51,000 per month in the form of salary, sumptuary allowance, house rent, additional travelling allowance, water, power, gas and phone bills, facility of an official car, medical expenses under Special Medical Attendance Rules-1950 and three months paid-earned leaves during their tenure.
The bill also provides for all prevalent allowance and facilities equivalent to those of a grade-I officer and a daily allowance of Rs 400.
The monthly emoluments of special assistant are proposed to be a salary of Rs40,000 in addition to all the facilities to be provided to an advisor. However, the daily allowance has been stipulated at Rs300. The travelling allowances would be equivalent to those permissible to a grade-I officer.
As for the compensation in case of injury or death, the bills say: “...if and advisor or special assistant to the chief minister, while travelling by air, on official duty, by any flight, scheduled or unscheduled (including flight in a government-owned aircraft of any type) dies or receives an injury as a result of an accident, government shall pay to the person referred to in sub-section (2), a sum of Rs300,000 (three hundred thousand rupees) in case of death, and an amount to be determined by government having regard to scales of compensation applied by insurance companies in like cases, in case of injury.”
The Bill-3 proposes that the salary of an advisor shall be Rs17,000 per month and sumptuary allowance of Rs4,000 per month.
“The advisor shall be entitled to the use of one official car throughout his term of office and for a period of 15 days immediately thereafter.
It further proposes: “An advisor shall be entitled, without payment of rent, to the use of an official residence, including accommodation on tour, throughout his term of office, and for a period of 15 days immediately thereafter, and their charges for its maintenance, including the electricity and gas charges, shall be borne by government. The residence shall be furnished by government at a cost not exceeding Rs100,000 (one hundred thousand rupees) only once during the term of his office.
“If at the time of entering office, an official residence is not available, an advisor shall, until such residence is provided by government, be paid the actual expenditure incurred by him on furnished accommodation for himself and for his family subject to a maximum of Rs60,000 (sixty thousand rupees) only once during the term of his office.
“Where an advisor chooses to reside in his own house, or in a rented house occupied by him before his appointment as an advisor, he may be paid a monthly sum of Rs20,000 in lieu of the official furnished accommodation and to cover all expenses on its maintenance. The charges for consumption of electricity and gas in respect of the said house shall be borne by government.
“An advisor may, if the public interest so demands, travel by air in which case he shall be entitled to business class airfare paid for himself; cost of transporting personal luggage up to 45 kgs, inclusive of the free allowance given by the air company; take with himself the spouse when travelling by a commercial aeroplane, and claim the actual premium paid for ensuring himself for the air journey of an amount not exceeding Rs100,000 (one hundred thousand rupees).
“When an Advisor travels on duty, in the public interest, by road between places connected by Railway and chooses to forego the privileges granted under sub section (4), he may, where the journey is performed in a vehicle not owned or maintained by government, draw travelling allowance at the rate of Rs3 per kilometre for his own journey by road, and actual expenses of transport of two private servants; and all his personal luggage including stores carried for consumption on tour.
“TRAVELLING ALLOWANCES: Notwithstanding any thing contained in section 9, an advisor shall also be entitled to a sum of Rs40,000 (forty thousand rupees) per annum for travel by him or his family within Pakistan at any time.
“Provided that, where a person becomes an advisor during the course of the year, the value of cash with which he is provided during that year shall not exceed the value which bears the same proportion to Rs40,000 (forty thousand rupees) as the un-expired portion of the year bears to a year.
“An advisor shall, while on tour be entitled to receive a daily allowance at the rate of Rs400 per day. However, if travelling on official business outside Pakistan, he shall be entitled to business class airfare and such allowances as may be specified by government.
“He shall be entitled to medical facilities in terms of Special Medical Attendance Rules-1950.
“The chief minister may grant to an advisor, during his term of office at any one-time or from time to time, leave of absence, for urgent reasons of health or private affairs, for a period not exceeding three months in the aggregate.
“An advisor, except while on leave, shall be entitled to have such personal staff as may be sanctioned from time to time by government. However, he shall be entitled to one official telephone at office and one official telephone at the residence, both for official and private purposes. Provided that the liability of government in respect of the telephone installed at the residence shall not exceed an amount equal to 2,000 (two thousand) local calls.”
The Bill-4, which pertains to an special assistant of the chief minister, notifies that the salary of a Special Assistant shall be Rs15,000 per month and sumptuary allowance Rs3,000 per month. He shall be entitled to the use of one official car through out his term of office and for a period of 15 days immediately thereafter; provided that the chief minister may withhold this facility from a special assistant who is removed from his office on the grounds of misconduct.
It further proposes: “Likewise, a special assistant shall be entitled, without payment of rent, to the use of an official residence including accommodation on tour through out his term of office, and for a period of 15 days immediately thereafter, and the charges for its maintenance, including the electricity and gas charges, shall be borne by government. The residence shall be furnished by government at a cost not exceeding Rs100,000 (one hundred thousand) only once during the term of his office. If he prefers to live in his own house, or in a rented house occupied by him before his appointment as special assistant, he may be paid a monthly sum of Rs15,000 (fifteen thousand rupees) in lieu of the official furnished accommodation and to cover all expenses on its maintenance.
“The charges for consumption of electricity and gas in respect of the said house shall be borne by government and while travelling on official duty, he shall be treated as a first grade officer. Notwithstanding anything contained in section 9, a special assistant shall also be entitled to a sum of Rs40,000 (forty thousand rupees) per annum for travel by him or his family within Pakistan at any time.
“Provided that, where a person becomes a special assistant during the course of the year, the value of cash with which he is provided during that year, shall not exceed the value which bears the same proportion to Rs40,000 (forty thousand rupees) as the un-expired portion of the year bears to a year.
“A special assistant, while on tour, shall be entitled to receive a daily allowance at the rate of Rs300 per day. He shall be entitled for one telephone at his office and one at his residence provided that the liability of government in respect of the telephone installed at the residence shall not exceed an amount equal to 1,000 (one thousand) local calls.”
