No.142/15/2010-AVD-I
Government of
India
Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of
Personnel and Training)
North Block, New
Delhi
Dated 31° July,
2012
OFFICE
MEMORANDUM
Subject: Grant of
Honorarium to Inquiry Officers (I0)/Presenting Officers (PO)
-
Consolidated instructions
regarding
The undersigned is
directed to say that the Department of Personnel and Training
have
issued instructions
vide NO 1344/99-AVD-I dated 29th June 2001 and 7th April 2003 on the subject of
honorarium to the Inqui0 Officers and Presenting Officers covering the aspects
of rates of honorarium, appointment of retired officers as Inquiry Officer,
terms and conditions for payment of honorarium etc from time to time. The rates
of honorarium payable to IO/P0 were last revised vide this Department's OM no
142/20/2008-AVD-I dated 27th July 2009. [Copy
attached].
2. A Committee of
Experts set up to review the procedure of
Disciplinary/vigilance
inquiries and to
recommend measures for their expeditious disposal under the chairmanship of P.0
Hota, former Chainman of UPSC in May 2010 had made a series of recommendations
in July 2010 including the rates of honorarium The detailed recommendation of
the expert committee is available on the website of this Department. It can be
accessed through the Link. http://persmin.nic.in/DOPT/Publication/CommitteeReport/HotaCommitteeRevort/HotaComm itteeReport.pdf . The
Committee had made specific recommendations as regards the rates of honorarium
to IO/PO. The Recommendations of the Committee on the proposed increases in
Honorarium relating to IO/P0 are contained in paras 37, 42-44 of the report of
the Committee.
3. The recommendations
of the Expert Committee on the aspect of revision of rates
of
honorarium along with
some other related measures were examined in the Department and was placed
before the Group of Ministries on Corruption, set up for examining measures,1
including legislative and administrative, to tackle corruption and improve
transparency. The / Group of Ministers while considering the Terms of Reference
also considered the recommendations of the HOTA Committee and recommended that
the remuneration of the IOs and POs may be fixed, keeping in mind the
recommendations of the HOTA Committee. These recommendations of the GOM have
been accepted by the Government.
4. It has therefore
been decided to revise the existing rates of honorarium payable
to
10/P0 in line with the
recommendations of the Expert Committee. The revised rates
of
Honorarium and other
allowances payable to IO both serving and retired officers
and
PO(serving) and the
terms and conditions governing the same is indicated in Annexure -1 to this OM.
The rates of Honorarium stated therein are ceilings and the
concerned
ministry/department
where the misconduct was committed may decide the exact quantum of honorarium to
be paid keeping in mind the volume of work involved in specific cases and the
terms and Conditions indicated in the Annexure -1.
5. The revised
structure of rates of honorarium and allowances as indicated in Annexure- I are
intended to be made applicable to Departmental Proceedings including inquiry
proceedings undertaken by the committee on Sexual Harassment, by Ministries
/Department in respect of officials /officers serving under different cadres of
services under their administrative control. However, in case a cadre of a
service or organizations such as autonomous bodies have a separate set of rules
and instructions for regulating honorarium to IO/P0 in existence they may choose
to continue with their own set of instructions. Fully or partially funded
autonomous bodies may retain their own provisions so long as they are not more
beneficial than what has been proposed in this OM.
6. This orders will
take effect from the date of issue of this OM and will also apply to all
inquiries in progress.
7. The services of
serving officers may be used as IO and PO to the extent possible
in
the conduct of
departmental inquiries. However, Central Vigilance Commission has been requested
to create and maintain a panel of retired officers/officials willing to serve as
JO for conducting departmental inquiries and for this purpose also design a
procedure for inviting applications from the retired Government Servants to be
followed by the Ministries and Departments. Till such time such a panel of
retired officers become available from CVC, the concerned ministries
/departments may, where it is not possible to use the services of a serving
officer as Inquiry Officer for conducting departmental inquiries, use the
services of officers who have retired from Ministries/Departments, for
conducting such departmental inquiries.
8. This issues with
the concurrence of Ministry of Finance, Department of
Expenditure
vide their UO
no.14(4)/2009-E-II(B) dated 26.3.2012 and 5.6.2012.
9. Hindi Version will
follow.
(P.K.
Ravi)
Under Secretary to the
Government of India
