General Administration Department (GAD) has clarified through an order that appointments made under SRO-202 are not entitled to annual increments and other allowances during two-year probation period.
“It has come to the notice of the government that there is a lack of clarity with regard to the fixation of pay and grant of annual increments in respect of such employees who have been appointed to the service in terms of the provisions contained in the Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment Rules, 2015 notified vide SRO 202 of 2015 dated June 30, 2015,” reads the office memorandum issued in this regard.
“Any person appointed under these rules before July 1, 2020 shall be governed by provisions of rule 8, 9 and 10, as amended by the Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment (Amendment) Rules, 2020 with certain conditions, it says.
“Such persons, who have completed probation prior to July 1, 2020 as per the amendments made by the Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment (Amendment) Rules, 2020, shall be entitled to notional benefit only up to June 30, 2020 and monetary benefit with effect from July 1, 2020.
“A conjoint and combined reading of the SRO-202 dated June 30, 2015 and amendments made vide S.O. 194 dated June 17, 2020, indicate that the period of probation which was earlier five years has been reduced to two years and these amendments have not diluted the provisions of Rule-10 in any manner. The Rule-10 has not been omitted, amended or superseded as a result of these amendments. In respect of Rule-10, only words of ‘completion of five years service’ have been substituted with those of two years’ service.
“While reading Rule-10 in combination to newly added Rule-13, it becomes clear that the persons appointed under Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment Rules, 2015 shall be entitled to Annual Increments, Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance and City Compensatory Allowance after successful completion of their two years service on consolidated salary.
“Therefore, such of the employees whose appointment is governed by the terms and conditions of SRO-202 of 2015 dated June 30, 2015 are not entitled to any increments during the period of probation, which is now two years as a consequence of the amendments carried out in the said rules vide S.O. 194 of 2020 dated June 17, 2020,” it said.
Accordingly, all the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) have been asked to take note of the clarification and fix the salary of SRO-202 appointees on the completion of their period of probation.