Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) (Para 8.17.79) Committee Report in 7th CPC

Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) (Para 8.17.79) Committee Report in 7th CPC

Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) (Para 8.17.79)

Existing Provisions: NPA is granted @25 percent of Basic Pay to Doctors occupying posts for which minimum qualification of a medical degree is prescribed. It counts for HRA, DA and calculation of pension.

Recommendations of 7th CPC: NPA should be paid at the rate of 20 percent of Basic Pay, subject to the condition that Basic Pay + NPA should not exceed the average of Apex Level the level of Cabinet Secretary. It should not be counted for other purposes like HRA etc.

Demand:

M/o Health & FW: This allowance may be granted @25% to Doctors and also be granted to those Nurses who have completed courses approved by Indian Nursing Council.

Analysis and Recommendations of the Committee:
As regards the demand relating to Nurses, it may be mentioned that Nurses are also granted Nursing Allowance. The Committee is already recommending an increase in the rates of Nursing Allowance. Moreover, addition of new beneficiary categories is not within the purview of this Committee.

The 7th CPC has rationalized all the percentage based allowance by a factor of 0.8. Accordingly, NPA has been proposed at the rate of 20 percent. At the time of revision of pay scales in the 7th CPC regime, the Government had decided that Doctors should not be adversely impacted on account of loss in DA on NPA. Accordingly, the Revised Pay Rules, 2016 already provide that Doctors will be ensured a minimum increase of 14.29% on pay revision.

Change in the rates of any allowance will lead to demands for change in all other percentagebased allowances. The Committee, therefore, is of the view that recommendations of the 7th CPC on NPA may be accepted without any change.