Voluntary Retirement Scheme in Railways

Voluntary Retirement Scheme in Railways

Safety Related Retirement Scheme (SRRS) was introduced in January 2004 exclusively for two frontline safety categories i.e.. Drivers and Gangmen.

The ward of the employee seeking retirement under the scheme is considered for appointment in the respective category subject to fulfillment of eligibility / suitability etc. The existing scheme has been renamed as Liberalized Active Retirement Scheme for Guaranteed Employment for Safety Staff (LARSGESS) and will cover all safety categories including Gangman with grade pay of Rs. 1800/-.

The condition of having minimum 33 years qualifying service has been reduced to minimum 20 years and the eligibility age group from 55-57 years to 50-57 years. However, in the case of Drivers, the condition of qualifying service i.e. 33 years and eligibility age group i.e. 55-57 will remain the same.

The scheme will result in younger workforce and boost morale of staff by way of provision of job to their eligible dependent wards.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri E. Ahamed in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 12.11.2010.

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Safety Related Retirement Scheme in Railways - Clarification

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

New Delhi, dated 07.10.2010.

No.E(P&A)I-2010/RT/2

The General Managers,
All Indian Railways,
All Indian Railways.

Sub : Safety Related Retirement Scheme covering safety categories with Grade Pay of Rs.1800/-.

Ref: Board's letter of even number dated 11.09.2010 and 24.09.2010.

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AIRF and NFIR raised a doubt that a large number of staff working in Grade Pay of Rs.1800/- would not be eligible to avail the benefit of the above Scheme after financial upgradation under the MACPS.

2. The matter has been considered and it is clarified that for determining the eligibility for seeking retirement under the Liberalized Active Retirement Scheme for Guaranteed Employment for Safety Staff (LARSGESS), Grade Pay corresponding to the post against which the employee is working on regular basis will be taken into account. In the other words, the staff working on the post with Grade Pay of Rs.1800/- will continue to be eligible for seeking retirement under the Scheme even after getting financial upgradation in Grade Pay higher than Rs.1800/- under MACPS.

3. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

4. Kindly acknowledge receipt.

s/d
(Dharam Pal)
Deputy Director Estt. (P&A) II
Railway Board

Courtesy : www.airfindia.com

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Recovery of excess payment of Gratuity from Railway Pensiners (Voluntary Retired) - Clarification

RBE No. 95/2010
PC-VI No. 212

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No. F(E)III/2008/PN1/13

New Delhi, dated: 06.07.2010.

The GMs/FA&CAOs,
All Indian Railways & Production Units.
(As per Mailing List)

      Subject: Grant of full pension to Government servants who retired on or after 01.01.2006 – recovery of excess payment of Retirement Gratuity from the employees who retired voluntarily after getting the benefit of adding years of service – Clarification reg.

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        The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DOP&PW) vide their O.M. No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 10.12.2009, circulated vide this Ministry’s letter of even number dated 15.12.2009, have dispensed with the provision relating to linkage of full pension with 33 years of qualifying service, with effect from 01.01.2006 instead of 02.09.2008. These instructions, inter-alia, provide that the benefit of adding years of qualifying service for the purpose of computation of pension and gratuity shall stand withdrawn w.e.f. 01.01.2006. Simultaneously, para 4 of the said O.M. also provides that the overall calculation, may take into account revised gratuity and revised pension, including arrears up to the date of revision based on these instructions and that no recoveries would be made in the cases already settled

2.       In this connection, clarification has been sought from this office as to whether in the case of employees who retired voluntarily during the period from 01.01.2006 to 01.09.2008, after getting the benefit of adding years of service, the excess payment of gratuity is to be recovered or adjusted from the arrears of pension and commuted value of additional pension arising out of implementation of the instructions contained in DOP&PW’s O.M. dated 10.12.2009 ibid. The matter has, therefore, been examined by this Ministry in consultation with DOP&PW and it is clarified that the recovery of excess payment of gratuity on the above account, shall be regulated as under:

S.No	Point	Clarification
1	In cases where the employees , retired voluntarily after 1.1.2006 with pro-rata pension calculated for the qualifying service Less than 33 years, pension will under go upward revision and additional amount of pension will also be commutable	Excess payment of gratuity on account of withdrawal of weightage w.e.f. 01.01.2006 will be adjusted against arrears of pension (and not commuted value of pension). However, this adjustment will be restricted to the amount of arrears of pension. If the recovery of gratuity is more than the amount of arrears of pension, no recovery in excess of arrears of pension will be made.
2	In cases where employees retired voluntarily after 1.1.2006 after getting the benefit of adding years of qualifying service and were granted pension @ 50% of emoluments/average emoluments, as the case may be, due to their qualifying service having reached 33 years, there will be no revision in the amount of pension but the amount of retirement gratuity will undergo a change due to exclusion of the benefit of adding years of service, already extended to them.	Where there is no increase of pension, no recovery of gratuity will be made.

3.       All Zonal Railways etc., are, therefore, advised to settle the cases of the employees who retired voluntarily after 01.01.2006 but before 02.09.2008, in accordance with the above clarification.

(Sunil Bhardwaj)
Deputy Director Finance (Estt.)III,
Railway Board.

www.indianrailways.gov.in

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No voluntary retirement can be allowed in absence of VRS: CAT

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has held that a government employee cannot be granted voluntary retirement unless a scheme exists for the purpose.

"In the absence of any VRS, neither any request for voluntary retirement can be made by an employee nor any such request can be given effect to by any employer," the tribunal said.

The CAT, comprising members D P Sharma and N D Dayal, passed the order on the plea of M L Jain, Vice-President of Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) here, challenging the government's order to relieve him from service.

In its ruling, the tribunal ordered reinstatement of the officer and directed the government to give all his benefits, including arrears and salary.

Earlier, the government had transferred Jain to another city but he requested deferment of the order till the time of his daughter's marriage, a request which was pending.

Jain then opted for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) but later withdrew the same after his request for deferment of his transfer was granted.

Later, the government did not consider Jain's withdrawal of the VRS application and relieved him from the service.

The tribunal said the order of the government in 2005 of relieving him from service was "vitiated" as no VRS was in operation at that time.

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