The government has enhanced the orderly allowance admissible to serving senior civil servants ( BS 20 to BS 22) from Rs 3000 to Rs 7000 w.e.f. first of July, at par with revised minimum wage of a laborer. The orderly allowance is also paid to retired civil servants as part of the pension package. However, the finance division notification dated 16 June, 2012 does not include the retired category of civil servants as beneficiary.
I don’t know whether it is an oversight or a deliberate decision of the finance division to deny the increase in orderly allowance to pensioners. The number of entitled pensioners is not very large; therefore, the increase would not be a burden on the pension fund. Moreover, it is their constitutional right to be treated at par with serving civil servants in the matter of orderly allowance.
The finance minister is requested to kindly look into this discriminatory decision of the finance division.
ASGHAR MAHMOOD
Islamabad
