ISLAMABAD: Civil servants at the President House and the Prime Minister House seem to be overjoyed nowadays because Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has granted them one-month salary, dubbed “discretionary wellbeing allowance”, in addition to their routine pay.

This is the fourth additional allowance equivalent to their monthly salary given to them over the last six months.

According to officials, the prime minister had given the staff of his secretariat a one-month salary, termed “happiness allowance”, on the occasion of his son’s wedding about two months ago. In addition, a special monthly allowance given to the staff of the President House — equivalent to their basic salary and called the President House Allowance — was enhanced and extended to the staff of the Prime Minister House.

“In pursuance of approval of the prime minister, it has been decided to uncap the president’s allowance for the employees of President and Prime Minister secretariats equal to one-month basic pay, with immediate effect which was frozen at the level of its admissibility as on June 30, 2011 vide finance division official memorandum 419 of 4th July 2011,” said a notification issued by the finance division’s regulation wing on March 8.

Originally given to the staff of the President House, this allowance was also made permissible for those of the Prime Minister House by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. In the case of officers of grade 19 and above, all this was in addition to free housing and reimbursements for actual expenses made under the head of utility bills.

The prime minister approved a 20 per cent special allowance for the employees of ministries and divisions early this month when they took to the street and locked down offices of the federal secretariat.

The employees were protesting that staff of the President House and the Prime Minister House were frequently given special allowances from the premier’s discretionary fund even though it was primarily meant for assistance of the destitute and needy workers.

During meetings of the National Pay Commission held between July and December of 2012, the employees of the ministries had objected to frequent payment of allowances to 14 departments, including the Prime Minister House and the President House. The office of the Auditor-General had also objected to the practice, said an official.

However, an official at the Prime Minister House said the matter had been resolved as the government believed that the prime minister had complete discretion over the fund.