Central service rules for Chandigarh administration employees notified

Two days after Union home minister Amit Shah announced that central service rules will be implemented for Union Territory (UT) employees, the Chandigarh Employees (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2022, was notified, replacing Punjab service rules from April 1.

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According to the notification issued late on Tuesday, “The service conditions of persons appointed to posts in Groups A, B and C under the administrative control of the UT administrator shall, subject to any other provision made by the President in this behalf, be the same as the conditions of service of the persons appointed to corresponding services and posts in central civil services of the Government of India and shall be governed by the same rules and orders as are applicable to the latter category of persons.

“In Group D, under the administrative control of the administrator, the conditions of the service will be the same as of the persons appointed to the corresponding Group C posts in central civil services of the Government of India and shall be governed by the same rules and orders as are applicable to the latter category of persons.”

The notification stated: “Employees, who were earlier drawing scales of pay at the rates admissible to the corresponding categories of employees of the Government of Punjab, it shall be competent for the administrator to revise their scales of pay from time to time so as to bring them on a par with the scales of pay sanctioned by the Government of India from time to time to the corresponding categories of its employees.

Shah had on his visit to Chandigarh on March 27 announced that central services rules will be implemented in Chandigarh. While most of the unions of UT employees, particularly teachers and nurses, welcomed the move, some unions argued that it would lower the pay scales.

The announcement elicited strong criticism from political parties in Punjab.

A major impact of the shift from Punjab to central services rules is an increase in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years. The child care leave for women will increase from one year to two years. For professors in colleges under the administration, the retirement age may increase to 65 years. Similarly, other allowances are likely to increase.

Universities, higher educational institutions

The notification states that the conditions of service, including pay scales in respect of teaching faculty of a technical university or institution, which is governed by the All India Council for Technical Education or Council of Architecture; and a higher educational university or institutions, which is governed by the University Grants Commission, vide regulation as made by such councils or commission, as the case may be, under any law for the time being in force as applicable, shall be such as specified in the regulation.

Inter-departmental transfers

The notification stipulates a person appointed to the services and posts under the administrative control of the UT administrator shall be subject to transfer from one department to another so long as such transfer does not adversely affect the pay and allowances, seniority or promotion and all other financial benefits as applicable to such persons.