Senior Technical Assistants to get higher grade pay – 7th CPC Recommendations

7th CPC recommends higher grade pay for Senior Technical Assistants (Chemistry, Ore Dressing, Mining, Survey, Publishing and Drawing) in Ministry of Mines from GP 4600 to GP 4800.

7th Pay Commission has recommended higher grade pay for Senior Technical Assistants who are presently in GP-4600 which is to be upgraded to GP-4800.
Cadre Related Issues

Senior Technical Assistants (STAs)

The posts of Senior Technical Assistants (STAs) exist in the following streams in IBM:

i.      STA (Geology)
ii.      STA (Chemistry)
iii.     STA (Ore Dressing)
iv.      STA (Mining)
v.      STA (Survey)
vi.      STA (Publication)
vii.     STA (Drawing)

Presently, the post of STA (Geology), in both IBM and GSI, lies in GP 4600, while the other STAs are in GP 4200. The educational qualification required for all these posts is Post-Graduation in the respective fields, except STA (Geology) in GSI, for which the qualification has recently been relaxed to Graduation.

There is a demand for parity among all STAs on the grounds of identical educational qualification required and similar nature of duties.

Analysis and Recommendations

Prior to the implementation of the V CPC recommendations, all the aforesaid posts of STAs were in the same pay scale. Subsequent to the implementation of the V CPC recommendations, the post of STA (Geology) was upgraded to 6500-10500, whereas other STAs were provided normal replacement scale of 5500-9000.

The demand of other STAs to restore parity was considered by the VI CPC, vide Para 7.26.4: “Demands have been raised for upgrading the pay scale of the post of Senior Technical Assistant (STA) in various streams in IBM. The present position is that the Senior Technical Assistants (Geology) in IBM are in the pay scale of ₹6500-10500, but the STAs in all other streams are in the pay scale of ₹5500-9000. The Fifth Central Pay Commission had recommended the higher pay scale of ₹6500-10500 for Senior Technical Assistants in Geological Survey of India. A similar dispensation has now been sought for the post of STAs in various streams in IBM as well. The Commission would have made appropriate recommendations on this issue; however, the same are not necessary because the pay scales of₹5000-8000, ₹5500-9000 and ₹6500-10500 are proposed to be merged. All the posts of STAs in various streams in IBM and GSI will, therefore, automatically be placed in the pay scale of ₹6500-10500 corresponding to the revised pay band PB-2 of ₹8700-34800 along with GP4200. This, however, will place the promotion and feeder post in an identical pay scale. The administrative ministry should consider merging the two grades and in case the merger is not functionally feasible, a proposal may be moved for placing the posts of STAs in GSI as well as IBM in the next higher scale in the revised pay band PB-2 of ₹8700-34800 along with GP 4600 corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale of ₹7450-11500. No other recommendation is, therefore, necessary.”

Accordingly, all the STAs were granted GP 4200. Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance granted GP 4600 for pre-revised pay scale of ₹6500-10500. Hence, STA (Geology) were upgraded to GP 4600 while others continued with GP 4200.

The Commission also noted the fact that the entry level qualification for the post of STA (Geology) in GSI has been revised downwards from Post-Graduation to Graduation in the year 2013. However, the GP has been kept the same, i.e., 4600.

Therefore, considering the relevant factors, it is recommended that the posts of STA (Chemistry), STA (Ore Dressing), STA (Mining), STA (Survey), STA (Publication) and STA (Drawing) should be first upgraded to GP 4600 and then placed at the appropriate level in the pay matrix.

Also checkout following for more topic wise details on 7th Pay Commission Report

[catlist tags=”7th-pay-commission-report” numberposts=25]

Download 7th CPC Report