REPLY OF THE ALL INDIA CIVIL ACCOUNTS EMPLYEES ASSOCIATION AGAINST ABOLITION 0F 10% PROMOTIONAL QUOTA FOR SENIOR ACCOUNTANTS

All India Civil Accounts Employees Association

(RECOGNISED BY GOVT. OF INDIA)

CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS

Phone No. 23345070, Mob. No. 9868520926, e-mail:- v.aicaea@gmail.com

Central Office: -                                                                                            Address for Communication:-

16-A, Akbar Road Hutments,                                                                                  17/2 – C, P & T Quarters,

New Delhi: - 110011                                                                                                                 Kali Bari Marg,                                                                                                  New Delhi-110001

No: AICAEA/HQ/A-2/2015/2134                                                                                           Dated:  22.09.2015

To,

            Shri M.J. Joseph,

            Controller General of Accounts,

            Ministry of Finance,

            Department of Expenditure,

            Loknayak Bhawan,

            Khan Market,

            New Delhi – 110003

Subject: - Recruitment Rules of AAOs – Regarding.

Ref: - Your office letter No: - A-12018/1/2010-MF.CGA/RR/406 dated 10.08.2015 and reminder dated 08.09.2015.

Sir,

            In response to the above mentioned letter of your office, we would like to inform you that, opinion was sought from our Branches and Units on the proposal of your office to create the post of Supervisor (Accounts) in place of the 10% promotional quota for promotion of Senior Accountants as AAOs. On the basis of the opinions given by our Branches and Units we would like to submit the following:-

1.                  From the very date of inception of Civil Accounts Organization, the All India Civil Accounts Employees Association had been demanding reservation of 50% posts in the cadre of JAO (at present AAO) for promotion of Senior Accountants on seniority cum fitness basis. But the Civil Accounts authorities were never been considerate enough and agreed to concede this demand. As a result, large numbers of highly skilled Accountants/ Senior Accountants, most of whom were graduates, had been forced to retire from service after working in the same post for their entire service length. Obviously, the basic cadre of Accountant/ Senior Accountant was extremely frustrated and agitated in their minds.  However, due to sustained struggle by the All India Civil Accounts Employees Association up to the extent of Indefinite fast and strike actions etc., the Civil Accounts authorities had finally agreed in the year 2000 to reserve 10% posts in the cadre of JAO for promotion of Senior Accountants. The other important angle of making such a provision was to pave the way for the ACP benefit to Senior Accountants which was implemented by the Government on the basis of the recommendation of 5^th CPC in 1999.The CCAs (JAO and AAO) Recruitment Rules, 2000 stipulates that  90% of the post shall be filled up from the seniority list of persons who have passed the Junior Accounts Officer (Civil) Examination and 10% of the post in the grade of Junior Accounts Officer shall be filled up by promotion from  a common seniority list to be drawn up and maintained by the CGA of Sr. Accountants who have rendered not less than 10 years service in the grade on the basis of selection cum seniority and who have crossed the age of 53 years as on 1^st January of the year.

The 6^th CPC had recommended for delayering of cadres. The Government of India had adopted this recommendation and made applicable in respect of Central Secretariat cadres. The Government had also asked all departments to follow the procedure. In terms of these guidelines, the authorities of CBEC, CBDT have amended the Recruitment Rules to improve the service conditions of their employees. While implementing the 6^th CPC recommendations, Government had merged the posts of Junior Accounts Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer and created single cadre of AAO (Gazetted).  So the post of Junior Accounts Officer ceased to exist in the Central Civil Accounts organization with effect from 01.01.2006 and all JAOs irrespective of their merit or seniority had been elevated to the posts of AAO.

The original demand of the All India Civil Accounts Employees Association being reservation of 50% posts of JAOs for promotion of Senior Accountants, provision of 10% of the posts of JAO available at present is in fact less than 2% of the total number of posts of AAOs. Moreover, the cadre of JAO being non-existent, it can no longer be a determining factor for fixation of promotional quota for the Cadre of Accountant/ Senior Accountant.

Hence, the cadre of Accountant/ Senior Accountants being more than three times bigger than the cadre of AAO, 30% of the total number of the post of the cadre of AAO should be available for promotion of the cadre of Accountants/ Senior Accountants which is most logical and totally justified demand of the Association.

2.                   Though the Civil Accounts organization is being identified as a part of the organized Accounts cadre, but the functioning of Civil Accounts organization and facilities available with the organized Accounts cadres of other Accounts and Audit organizations are not comparable. A few examples are as discussed below-

a)      Civil Accounts organization is spread over more than 40 Ministries/Departments of the Government of India. The Ministries and Departments are functionally different from each other. Naturally, these conditions are reflected on the Accounting and payment functions and the Civil Accounts employees are required to adjust with such conditions for ensuring the smooth payment and Accounting functions. This condition is totally different from other accounting organizations where the accounting setup is required to deal with only one department/Ministry.

b)      The Civil Accounts organization is technically most advanced organization and responsibilities on each and every cadre of Civil Accounts are more in comparison to other organized Accounting cadres. All cadres of Civil Accounts organization have accordingly been trained and equipped by the Civil Accounts authorities. Unlike other Accounts organizations, payment and accounting activities take place through tiny Pay and Accounts/Zonal Accounts Offices in Civil Accounts Organization where Accountants and Senior Accountants require sharing more responsibilities than their counterparts working in other organized Accounts. Moreover, there are several instances where the Accountants and Senior Accountants are independently handling the accounting and payment functions. Those are ;-

i)                    Field pay units of CBDT and

ii)                   Offices under merged DDO scheme.

c)      All cadres of Civil Accounts Organization bear All India transfer liability on them. The AAOs of Civil Accounts organization require to serve anywhere in India. No all India transfer liability is there for the Accountant, Senior Accountant and AAOs working in IA&AD or other Organized Accounts departments.

d)      The Accounts Employees working in Railways are having the privilege of availing Railway pass on par with the Railway employees while such type of a facility is not at all available with the Civil Accounts Employees.  

e)      The Defence Accounts Employees are permitted to avail the Defence Canteen facility where all consumer items are sold with heavy subsidy. Such type of facility is far from the dream of the Civil Accounts Employees.

f)       Departmental pool accommodation facilities are available for all organized Accounts cadres except Civil Accounts Employees.

So, the cadres of  Civil Accounts organization being in  different footings  of higher responsibility with less privilege  and  functional requirements of the organization being different, the Civil Accounts  organization could have its own cadre regulation/promotion policy which need not essentially be exactly same to another department or organization.

3.                  The letter of your office under reference is silent about following pertinent issues which could lead us to the stage for formulating a considered view :-

i)        Pay scale and grade pay of Supervisor (Accounts)?

ii)      Number of posts likely to be earmarked as Supervisor (Accounts)?

iii)    Procedure under which the posts shall be distributed Ministry/Department wise and Station wise?

iv)    Status and responsibilities of Supervisor (Accounts)?

v)      Whether Supervisor (Accounts) shall be given the facilities that are available for AAOs?

vi)    Whether the existing condition of age bar of 53 years shall continue as one of the eligibility conditions for promotion.

vii)  Whether the Sr. Accountants who have already been promoted as AAO against 10% promotion quota shall be re-designated/reverted as Supervisor (Accounts)?

viii)Whether the employees from other departments who have been inducted laterally in the cadre and accommodated as AAOs simply on the ground that they were drawing the Grade Pay Rs. 4800/- in their parent department and who are not AAO(C) passed officials shall be redesignated/reverted as supervisor (Accounts)?

            Therefore, being unable to reach to any conclusion due to the above discussed situations,         I have been directed to request you the following:

1.       kindly to direct your office to provide us

(a)   the proposal(s) of your office on the points discussed in Sl.No.3 and

(b)   the proposal(s) for amendment(s) in the Recruitment rules of different relevant cadres

2.      Convene an exclusive meeting on the subject matter with the representatives of the Association so that a final conclusion could be there at an early date.

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely,

(V.Bhattacharjee)

Secretary General