RBE No. 278/1998: Assistant Accounts Officers – Group ‘B’
No.E(GP)98/2/82, Dated 09.12.1998
Sub: Up-gradation of 80% of posts of Assistant Accounts Officers – Group ‘B’ – Procedure for allotment of the higher scale.
1. Revised pay scale of Rs.8000-13500 has been allotted to 80% of the Group ‘B’ posts of Assistant Accounts Officers vide Notifications No.PC-V/97/I/EC/1 (Pt-1), dated 05.02.1998 (RBE No. 27/1998) and 09.02.1998 (RBE No. 33/1998) (issued under RBE No. 41/1998, dated 19.02.1998). The Board have now decided that the following procedure should be adopted for placement of the officers in the higher scale.
2. Procedure for the placement in higher scale:-
2.1 AAOs with minimum of three years regular service in scale Rs.7500-12000, including that in the corresponding pre-revised scales, will be eligible for consideration for placement in the higher scale of Rs.8000-13500.
2.2 The Group ‘B’ Officers who are officiating in Senior Scale, after having been found suitable by the Committee of HODs as per extant procedure, will be straightaway placed in the higher Group ‘B’ scale of Rs.8000-13500.
2.3 Placement in the remaining posts, if any, which have been allotted the higher scale of Rs.8000-13500 will be made by adopting the principle of seniority-cum-fitness in the following manner:-
2.3.1 All the Group ‘B’ Officers who fulfill the minimum eligibility condition of 3 years regular service, excluding the officers who are straightaway placed in the higher scale as per para 2.2 above, will be considered for placement in the higher scale by a Committee of HODs.
2.3.2 The General Manager will constitute the Committee for the purpose which will consist of FA&CAO, CPO and one other HOD. If none of the members of the Committee belong to SC/ST, an officer belonging to SC/ST, not below JAG, may be co-opted as member of the Committee.
2.3.3 The same procedure for assessment of suitability, as has been prescribed for ad-hoc promotion of Group ‘B’ officers to Senior Scale, will be adopted by the Committee for placement in the higher Group ‘B’ scale of Rs.8000-13500, i.e. the Committee may assess the fitness of the officer based on his performance as reflected in his Confidential Reports for the preceding 5 years period. The Committee should categorize the officers as ‘Fit’ or ‘Not yet Fit’ on the basis of overall assessment from the Reports and not merely on the basis of grading/ fitness assigned in the Reports. Those categorized as ‘Fit’ should be placed in the higher scale of pay in the order of their seniority, upto the number of posts in the higher scale which are required to be filled.
2.3.4 The recommendations of the Committee will be submitted to the General Manager for approval and placement in the higher scale will be ordered accordingly.
2.4 The placement in scale Rs.8000-13500, as per paras 2.2 and 2.3 above, will be effective from 01.01.1996 as specified in the amendment to the RS(RP) Rules, 1997, vide Notification dated 05.02.1998 mentioned above.
2.5 The designation of Group ‘B’ Officers placed in Scale Rs.7500-12000 will be Assistant Accounts Officers and of those in scale Rs.8000-13500 will be Accounts Officers.
3. Fixation of pay in the higher scale:-
3.1 The pay of the Accounts Officers placed in Scale Rs.8000-13500 may be fixed in the higher scale w.e.f. 01.01.1996 applying principles of FR22(C) (Rule 1316 of R-II).
3.2 For those who are officiating in Senior Scale with Grade pay, the pay may be re-fixed in scale Rs.3000-4500/ Rs.10000-15200, after first fixing the pay in Scale Rs.8000-13500.
3.3 Once the Accounts Officers who are placed in the higher scale are absorbed in the Group A/ Junior Scale of IRAS (the scale of pay of which is also Rs.8000-13500), re-fixation of pay in Senior Scale, if already officiating therein, may not be done.
4. Seniority for purposes of absorption in Group A/ Junior Scale and ad-hoc promotion to Senior Scale:-
4.1 The Accounts Officers even after their placement in Scale Rs.8000-13500 will be classified as Group B only.
4.2 For the purpose of promotion to Group A/ Junior Scale of IRAS, the placement of officers in the higher scale of Rs.8000-13500 may not be given any weightage, as is in the case of Group ‘B’ officers who are placed in the Senior Scale of Rs.10000-15200 on ad-hoc basis. All the Group ‘B’ Officers whether in Scale Rs.7500-12000 or in scale Rs.8000-13500 may be arranged in the order of their original seniority in Group ‘B’ for the purpose of consideration for promotion to Group A/ Junior Scale of IRAS or for promotion on ad-hoc basis to Senior Scale. Similarly, the eligibility condition should remain as minimum 3 years non-fortuitous service in Group ‘B’ irrespective of whether the officer is in scale Rs.7500-12000 or in scale Rs.8000-13500. This will be in tune with the declaration in the Explanatory Memorandum to the RS(RP) Amendment Rules, 1997 which states that the retrospective effect (from 01.01.1996) being given to these rules will not affect adversely any employee to whom these rules apply. In case seniority is to be re-drawn on the basis of placement in the higher scale of pay w.e.f. 01.01.1996 it may adversely affect the officers who are already promoted to Group A/ Junior scale of IRAS or who are already officiating in Senior Scale on ad-hoc basis.
5. Necessary action may accordingly be taken urgently.
Download Railway Board Circular RBE No. 278/1998
Forward reference ⇒ RBE No. 39/2008