Special Duty Allowance (SDA) is an
allowance paid to officers of
All India Services
The All India Services (AIS) comprises the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service. A unique feature of the All India Services is that the members of these services are recruited by the centre (Union gover ...
(AIS), including police officers, when posted in any of the seven states in
Northeast India
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, and
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
, including in state capitals , and cities and towns like
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
,
Aizawl
Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...
,
Shillong
Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in ...
,
Kohima
Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...
, and
Leh
Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...
.
The SDA rate is 37.5 percent of basic pay for AIS officers and 12.5 percent of basic pay for other employees. The SDA is one of the highest allowances paid to a government servant, and is higher than the Siachen allowance, a fixed amount paid to armed forces personnel posted in
Siachen
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier
A glac ...
.
6 CPC
Following the recommendations of the
Sixth Central Pay Commission
The Sixth Central Pay Commission was convened by the Union Cabinet of India on 5 October 2006. The Pay Commission was headed by B. N. Srikrishna. The other members of the Commission were Ravindra Dholakia, J. S. Mathur, and Member-Secretary Su ...
(6CPC) the
Congress (I)
Indian National Congress (Requisitionists) was created in 1969; it was created and led by Indira Gandhi. Initially this party was known as Congress (R), but it soon came to be generally known as the New Congress or Syndicate.
The letter 'R' st ...
Government led by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
granted SDA to all "AIS officers and Central Government employees having all India transfer liability on their posting to any station in the North Eastern Region from outside the region". It was meant to "offset the security environment and the difficult working and living conditions prevailing in North Eastern Region".
The 6CPC reiterated that SDA would continue at the existing rates ( 12.5 percent).
In its 'analysis' it noted that it "should be paid to all Central Government employees on their posting on transfer to any North East Region irrespective of whether the transfer is from outside the North East Region or from another area of that region. The condition that the employees have all India transfer liability should also be dispensed with".
The Government linked the SDA to inflation, mandating that it " shall automatically increase by 25% whenever the Dearness Allowance payable on the revised pay bands goes up by 50percent."
The Government on the recommendations of the 6CPC also granted Special (Duty) Allowance to Government employees posted in Ladakh, as they "face similar difficulties" as in the North East India.
The 6CPC did not recommend SDA for Group C and D employees on the grounds that they did not have "all India transfer liability", a criteriona for being eligible for SDA.
The 6CPC in its analysis of the issue noted that "The situation has become even more complex due to a large number of court cases due to which Group C & D employees of certain Departments are in receipt of this allowance on account of orders of the Courts/Tribunals. Some modifications in the scheme of this allowance are, therefore, necessary."
7CPC
7CPC found that existing rate of Special Duty Allowance (SDA) was 37.5 percent of Basic Pay for AIS officers, in comparison with 12.5 recommended by 6CPC, and 12.5 percent of Basic Pay for other employees.
The
7CPC, which submitted its report in November 2015, recommended that "SDA for AIS officers should be paid at the rate of 30 percent of Basic Pay and for other civilian employees at the rate of 10 percent of Basic Pay"
It reiterated the justification given by the 6CPC noting that it "is of the view that AIS officers are allotted cadres, irrespective of their choice, and they are required to work in these cadres for considerable periods of time. As such, a higher rate of SDA for them is justified".
The Special Duty Allowance (SDA) at 30 percent of the pay, for an Indian Police Service Officer with 13 years service works out Rs 35,550 , 14 years of service to Rs 39,330, for 17 years service to Rs 43260, and for 22 years service to Rs 54,660.
Armed Forces are not eligible for SDA.
The Saichen allowance recommended by 7CPC, for officers and soldiers serving in
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Kar ...
, in comparison, is Rs 42500 for officers, and 30,000 for JCO/NCO respectively. The Armed Forces headquarters dissatisfied with the 7CPC recommendations have said that "Siachen cannot be equal or lower to Guwahati when deciding on the “hardship” factor".
They have recommended a new "hardship matrix" to decide allowances for the armed forces. They have recommended 65 percent of salary as Saichen allowance.
The Government in the face of criticism decided to hold in abeyance the implementation of the recommendation on all allowances by the 7CPC. On 29 August 2016, it constituted a separate allowances committee to review recommendations on all allowances, including SDA, made by the 7CPC.
See also
*
Pay Commission
Pay Commission is set up by Government of India, and gives its recommendations regarding changes in salary structure of its employees set up in 1947, Since India's Independence, seven pay commissions have been set up on a regular basis to review ...
*
7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) and Defence Forces
The 7th Central Pay Commission (7CPC), constituted in February 2014 the principles and structure of emoluments of all central government civilian employees including defence forces in India, submitted its report on 19 November 2015. 7CPC's recommen ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Report of the Sixth Central Pay CommissionMinistry of Finance
Report of Seventh Central Pay CommissionDepartment of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance
Government finances in India
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
Ministry of Finance (India)
The Ministry of Finance (IAST: ''Vitta Maṃtrālaya'') is a ministry within the Government of India concerned with the economy of India, serving as the Treasury of India. In particular, it concerns itself with taxation, financial legislation, ...
Civil–military relations