MUZAFFARABAD, April 24: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has approved a “uniform pay package policy” for the contractual employees working in the development projects in the state.

A detailed notification issued by the finance department claimed that the policy had been framed and notified in the light of a decision of the AJK cabinet taken on March 2 and recommendations of the ‘contract pay package committee’ constituted on January 28.

The policy, which comes into force at once, shall apply where a post was to be filled up in all donor-funded projects including the State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (Serra), and will also be applicable to all development projects, irrespective of nomenclature and source of funding, costing over Rs500 million, the notification said.

The notification also laid down a general policy for appointment of contractual employees in development projects which was earlier part of the ‘contract appointment policy’ issued on July 29, 2006, by the Services and General Administration Department.

According to fresh policy, all contract appointments in the projects shall normally be made after duly advertising the positions and on recommendations of the appropriate selection authority. However, if eligible/suitable candidates were not available on open competition, the post may be filled up by transfer of a suitable civil servant provided such transfer was made on the recommendations of the relevant development selection forum from a panel of three officers.

All the existing project staff appointed by transfer shall be deemed to have been selected through relevant development selection forum, it added.

The notification declared that the provision for pay and allowances and educational qualifications and experience for each position will specifically be made in the PC-1 of a project and shall not exceed seven per cent of the total cost of the project.

It said the performance of contract employees shall be reviewed and evaluated by a ‘performance evaluation committee’ comprising additional chief secretary development as chairman and secretary finance, secretary of the respective department, project director/coordinator (except for his own evaluation) as members, after each completed year of contract service.

The notification declared that the contract appointees from open market shall not be detailed as drawing and disbursing officers (DDO), and added that each contract appointment shall be on probation period of six months.

According to an annexure of the notification, the AJK civil servants if appointed in development projects on contract basis shall be entitled to a (monthly) project allowance, varying according to their pay scales, in addition to their normal salary/allowances.

Rs50,000 will be admissible as monthly project allowance to BPS-20/21, Rs40,000 to BPS-19, Rs30,000 to BPS-17/18, and Rs15,000 only to engineering and other specialised staff in BPS- 11/16.

These officials shall be considered for promotion if it became due in their own cadre and service, it added.

Another annexure about the persons employed from the open market stated that three groups comprising project/programme directors; consultants (individuals); and senior most technical and administrative staff in the project (to be specified in relevant PC-1), respectively, were allowed exorbitant “management pay (MP) scales” I, II and III.

Those in MP-I will get Rs270,000 as minimum basic pay/house rent with Rs15,000 yearly increment and Rs345,000 as maximum basic pay/house rent, those in MP-II will get Rs130,400 as minimum basic pay/house rent with an yearly increment of Rs12,225 and Rs211,900 as maximum basic pay/house rent whereas those in MP-III will get Rs81,500 as minimum basic pay/house rent with yearly increment of Rs8,150 and Rs114,100 as maximum basic pay/house rent.

“For administrative purposes and for calculation of fringe benefits” the MP scales had been equated with BPS-22 (MP-I), BPS 20/21 (MP-II) and BPS 19 (MP-III), the annexure said.

Salary for the management positions, it said, would be determined by the project steering committee according to their qualifications and experience. All other staff (presumably from BPS 18 to 16) from the open market was to be given same pay and allowances as admissible to government servants under the fresh contract policy, whereas the non-gazetted and non-technical staff had to live with salary and allowances, admissible to their counterparts in government service, it added.

According to the annexure, TA/DA and leave will be admissible to the persons hired from open market as per government rules for the equivalent pay scales.

Medical facilities to them, except for the persons appointed on MP positions, shall be provided in government hospitals in AJK and Pakistan and they would also be allowed 30 per cent of minimum of pay scale as social security in lieu of pension.

A third annexure contained the terms of reference of the performance evaluation committee.