Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) - Teachers

Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) - Teachers

Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) governing the career progression of railway school teachers. Under the CAS, Senior Grade can be granted to Primary School Teachers/ TGTs/ PGTs after completion of 12 years of service in Basic Grade and Selection Grade can be granted to them after completion of 12 year of service in the Senior Grade subject to attainment of the prescribed level of qualifications.  After completion of 12 years of service in Senior Grade, Selection Grade may be granted to miscellaneous category of teachers in Railways without insisting on higher qualifications. Teachers: RBE No.110/2022

This is effective from the date of issue of the instructions i.e. 07.09.2022. Teachers: RBE No.36/2023.

Additional Post Allowance, APA

 APA - Additional Post Allowance 

·                     Source: Para 645 to 650 of IREM Volume I, RBA 128 of 2018 & RBE 08 of 2023

·                     APA stands for Additional Post Allowance 

·                     New allowance APA Introduced in place of abolished DCA - Dual Charge Allowance  - Based on recommendation of Committee on Allowances of 7th Pay Commission 

·                     Detailed guidelines for grant of APA in consultation with the Nodal dept of DOP&T - Department Of Personnel & Training. 

With effect from 01.07.2017

·                     APA in Higher Post: Difference of existing Basic Pay and and Basic Pay in Higher Post or 10% of his present Basic pay per month whichever is more.  But subject to the sum total of present Basic Pay  and APA does not exceed the Apex Pay i.e., Rs.2,25,000 /-

Practical Example: 

Example: Basic Pay in Present Post - Rs.1,00,000/-  Basic Pay in Higher Post - Rs.1,20,000/-. 

Calculation of APA is as follows: 

·                     Difference of Present Pay and Higher Pay  - Rs.1,20,000 minus Rs.1,00,000 = Rs.20,000

·                     10% of Present Pay   -   10/100 x Rs.1,00,000 = Rs.10,000 

·                     Hence APA is Rs.20,000 (which is more beneficial to the Officer than Rs.10,000)

·                     However it is to ensure that the Present Basic Pay Rs.1,00,000 plus APA Rs.20,000 = Rs.1,20,000 does not exceed the Apex Pay i.e., Rs.2,25,000.  If it is exceeds, the APA is limited to the total of above calculation i.e., Rs.2,25,000

·                     Similar Post: If the Additional Post is at a similar level as his own post, the APA is 10% of the Present Basic Pay subject to the sum total of Basic Pay plus APA does not exceed the Apex Pay i.e.Rs.2,25,000 Per Month.   

·                     Lower Post:  No APA

·                     APA is admissible:   If the duration of the additional charge exceeds 45 days only 

·                     NO APA: An employee appointed to hold the current charge or the routine duties of an additional post, irrespective of the duration of the current charge.  

·                     Additional Post arrangement:  

·                     Particular vacant post:  Not more than One year 

·                     Particular Employee:  Not more than Six Months 

·                     Gap between two successive appointments of a particular employee: Minimum of One year 

·                     GM powers to grant APA 

·                     Up to JAG      -           Maximum period of 6 months 

·                     SAG                -           Maximum period of 3 months 

·                     For SAG posts - Beyond 3 months, a full justification for the arrangement and the recommendation of PFA should be submitted to the Railway Board for obtaining the sanction.   

·                     If Additional charge of two posts with Hqrs at different stations - The officer may be allowed the TA/DA as may be separately admissible in addition to APA. However, the two posts are mutually independent and are meant for different purposes.  

·                     The APA will count for the purpose of Pension and other Retirement benefits 

 

Key points for MCQ: 

1.         APA stands for Additional Post Allowance 

2.         DCA stands for Dual Charge Allowance 

3.         New allowance APA is introduced in place of the abolished DCA 

4.         Nodal Dept for Establishment matters - DOPT 

5.         DOPT stands for Department Of Personnel & Training 

6.         With effect from 1st July 2017 

7.         APA = Difference between Present Basic Pay and Higher Basic Pay or 10% of Present Basic Pay whichever is more 

8.         APA plus Present Basic Pay - Does not exceed the Apex Pay i.e., Rs.2,25,000 

9.         Additional charge duration - At Least 45 days 

10.      No APA:  Holding an additional post in Lower Grade or holding current charge or the routine duties of an additional post. 

11.      Post - Not more than One year 

12.      Employee - Not more than Six months

13.      Gap between two successive appointments of a particular employee - Minimum One year 

14.      GM Powers - SAG Posts - up to 3 months and JAG posts - up to 6 months. 

Election Duty to Lok Sabha and to State Assembly

Election Duty to Lok Sabha and State Assembly:

 

In order to provide facilities to the Central Govt. employees who reside at a place where the date of polling is different from that at the place where their office is situated and where the day of poll at the place of residence is not a public or closed holiday. They should be given a day's special casual leave to enable them to exercise their franchise.

 

Grant of paid holiday to employees on the day of Poll. -

 

(1) Every person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment and entitled to vote at an election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of a State shall, on the day of poll, be granted a holiday.

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(2) No deduction or abatement of the wages of any such person shall be made on account of a holiday having been granted in accordance with sub-section (1) and if such person is employed on the basis that he would not ordinarily receive wages for such a day, he shall nonetheless be paid for such day the wages he would have drawn had not a holiday been granted to him on that day.

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(3) If an employer contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), then such employer shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.

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(4) This section shall not apply to any elector whose absence may cause danger or substantial loss in respect of the employment in which he is engaged.

 

For closing of central Government offices including industrial establishments in connection with the elections indicated above.

(i) The relevant organizations shall remain closed in the notified areas where general elections to Lok Sabha or State legislative Assembly are scheduled to be conducted.

(ii) In connection with bye-election to Lok Sabha/State Assembly, only such of the employees who are bona-fide voters in the relevant constituency should be granted special casual leave on the day of polling. Special Casual leave may also be granted to an employee who is ordinarily a resident of a constituency and registered as a voter but employed in any Central Government Organization I Industrial Establishment located outside the constituency’s having a general/bye-election.

(iii) In connection with local body elections, viz. Panchayat/ Corporation/Municipality. the Government employees who are bonafide voters and desire to exercise their franchise should be offered reasonable facility, subject to normal exigencies of services, either by coming late to office or being allowed to leave office early or a short absence on that day.

The employees detailed on election duty may also be permitted to remain away from their normal duties on polling day (s) as also on the days required for performing journeys which might be undertaken in order to perform such election duty.

Earnings X Y Z, Coaching Earnings, Goods Earnings, Sundries Earnings

Earnings: 

Indian Railways have the biggest rail network in Asia. The operations of Railways are conducted through the length and breadth of the country. It earns its revenue by transporting people and commodities. On this basis, Railways earnings are categorized into three major heads. 

They are:- 

1. Coaching - denoted by Alphabet ’X’ 

2. Goods - denoted by Alphabet ‘Y’ 

3. Sundries - denoted by Alphabet ‘Z’ 

Coaching earnings includes all revenue received from operation of passenger trains. These are received from Booking offices, Reservation offices and parcel offices. 

The following are the earnings included in the head “Coaching Earnings”: 

1. Ordinary full fares 

2. Ordinary reduced fares 

3. Military Passengers 

4. Reservation charges for sleeping accommodation provided. 

5. Special trains and reserved carriages, other than Military 

6. Special trains and reserved carriages Military other than Military passenger. 

7. Luggage charges collected by station 

8. Luggage charges collected by Ticket checking staff. 

9. Public Parcels 

10. Service Parcels for Non-Budget lines 

11. Rail and Road Motor Vehicles and Carriages 

12. Live stock by Passenger trains 

13. Special Postal trains 

14. Hire and Haulage of Postal Vans and Compartments. 

15. Post Office bags and Parcels by Weight 

16. Penalties levied for irregular traveling. 

17. Demurrage on Luggage and Parcels 

18. Receipts on account of left luggage 

19. Sundry 

20. Refunds 

Earnings received from transportation of goods are categorized as Goods earnings. The following revenue is included:- 

1. Container traffic 

2. Freight Forwarder and other schemes 

3. General Merchandise 

4. Demurrage 

5. Wharfage and Storage 

6. Sundries 

7. Refunds of Earnings collected 

8. Military traffic 

9. Gross earnings from road transport 

10. Live – stock 

11. Railway Material other than coal and coke

Revenue received from sources other than from sale of transport are categorized under the head sundries. The following items are included under the head sundries:- 

1. Rents and Tolls 

• Residential buildings Retiring Rooms, Rest Houses, 
• Rest Homes and convalescent Homes etc. 
• Other Building or Rooms 
• Land  
• Tolls on bridges 

2. Receipts from Catering Department 

3. Overhead charges and profits recovered on work done for outside parties and on sales of stores 

4. Sale proceeds of:- 

Unclaimed and damaged goods 

Gross and trees on the line 

Unserviceable Revenue scrap i.e. not creditable to DRF, DF or OLWR or suspense. 

5. Miscellaneous

• Advertisement fees  
• Interest and maintenance charges on account off siding, saloons, level crossing, etc. from private bodies and other government Departments / Ministries  
• Dividends etc. from investments in road transport service  
• Diet charges recovered from patients in Railway Hospitals  
• Other unclassified receipts.  
• Guarantee fees received from Public Sector Undertakings.  
• Dividends etc. from Public Sector undertakings  
• Leasing of right of way from Optical Fibre Cables

Identity Card cum Railway Pass (ICCRP)

Identity Card cum Railway Pass (ICCRP): 

1. ICCRP is issued to members of Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha. 

2. Plastic laminated cards are issued in lieu of Identity Cards issued earlier to the Members of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and their Spouses. (CC 18 of 2013) 

3. MPs are entitled to travel in I AC / EC with spouse and a companion in 2 AC. 

4. They are permitted to travel anywhere to anywhere by any train including Rajdhani / Shatabdi trains. 

5. A Member having no spouse has been allowed to take one person with him in place of spouse in I AC / Executive Class in rail journey along with the companion already allowed in 2AC. 

6. A Member who is blind or incapacitated physically shall be allowed to take an attendant with him in same class in which he travels in lieu of the companion earlier allowed in 2AC. This will be in addition to the spouse already allowed to accompany the MP in the I AC / Executive Class. 

7. The spouse of MP is entitled to travel by railway in I AC / EC in any train from the usual place of residence of the Member to Delhi and back any number of times. 

 8. Break journey rules are not applicable for ICCRP. 

9. MPs travelling on ICCRP can request for reservation on telephone. However, a written confirmation should be sent within 24 hours. 

10. Journey slip shall be filled in and hand over to traveling ticket examiner or ticket examiner at destination. 

11. Journey slips are supplied in the form of books, in 3 foils and machine numbered. 

 12. A statement of forms received is prepared by the station master and sent to accounts office. 

13. All the charges are debited to parliamentary secretariat.

Break journey rules are not applicable in the following cases: 

Railway passes 

Freedom fighter passes 

ICCRP 

Indrail pass 

Season tickets 

Circular journey tickets 

Tourist coupon tickets 

Break journey is not permitted in the following cases: 

On tickets issued for Rajdhani / Shatabdi trains 

Concession tickets issued for specific purpose 

Tickets reserved up to destination 

On suburban stations 

Tickets issued against police warrants 

Emergency duty passes 

Medical passes 

Categorization of Indian Railway stations by commercial importance Indian Railways classifies its railway stations based on commercial and strategic importance under various categories in order to ascertain, plan and provide minimum essential amenities for passengers using them.  While the primary criteria for determining the importance of a station was purely based on the station revenue and earnings, it was changed in December 2017 to better cover stations with high footfalls and strategic importance as well. History From the 1890s, basic passenger amenities like toilets, gas lamps and electric lighting were introduced in various railway stations of India.  However there was no uniform criteria set for providing passenger amenities or organizing railway stations based on commercial importance. Thus after the independence of India, the 1949 Railway Convention Committee recommended a development fund of ₹3 crore (equivalent to ₹331 crore or US$42 million in 2023) for providing basic amenities to passengers every year.  In 1952, Indian Railways laid the guidelines with regards to passenger amenities like booking arrangement, waiting halls, benches, suitable lighting arrangements, drinking water, latrines, shady trees, rail level platforms of suitable length amongst others.  These guidelines were revised in the year 1995 and a classification system for passenger amenities was set up based on the annual passenger earnings of a railway station.  Stations were initially categorized into five categories namely A, B, C, D & E depending upon the earnings, which was considered to be an indicator of the passenger traffic.  These categories and criterion were planned to be revised every five years from 1995-96. In 1999, a sixth category namely F was introduced to cover all halt stations while the criterions for the other categories were revised. All suburban stations were grouped under C category to accord them higher priority while category A & B were modified to classify stations with higher passenger traffic.  The criterions for these categories were again revised in 2003.  In 2007, a new category A1 was introduced to classify railway stations with annual earnings of more than ₹50 crore to ensure the provision of best amenities at the most important of railway stations.[9] While this classification was useful for categorizing stations with higher earnings, it didn't take into account stations with high number of footfalls like Kalyan, Panvel and Tambaram which led to them being eligible only for lower number of amenities.  In December 2017, the entire categorization system was comprehensively revised taking into account passenger footfall, earnings and strategic importance with a view to plan various passenger services and passenger amenities at stations in a more effective and focused manner in order to help the passenger have a better experience in relation to travel amenities at stations.[2] Stations were categorized into the Non-Suburban Groups - NSG-1 to             NSG-6, Suburban Groups - SG-1 to SG-3, and Halt Groups - HG1 to HG3.  General Managers of the various zones of the Indian railways were also given the power to designate a lower grade station as NSG-4 category if it was a place of tourist importance and/or was an important junction station.[2] Station Categories Current (2017) Category of stations Criteria of Earnings (in Rs.) Criteria of outward Passengers handled Non Suburban NSG-1 More than 500 Crore More than 20 Million NSG-2 100 to 500 Crore 10 to 20 Million NSG-3 20 to 100 Crore 5 to 10 Million NSG-4 10 to 20 Crore 2 to 5 Million NSG-5 1 to 10 Crore 1 to 2 Million NSG-6 Up to 1 Crore Up to 1 Million Suburban SG-1 More than 25 Crore More than 30 Million SG-2 10 to 25 Crore 10 to 30 Million SG-3 Up to 10 Crore Up to 10 Million Halts HG-1 More than 50 Lakh More than 300 thousand HG-2 5 to 50 lakh 100 thousand to 300 thousand HG-3 Up to 5 lakh Up to 100 thousand   Previous (1995-2017) Criteria for categorization of stations based on commercial importance (1995-2017) Category Criteria A1 Non-Suburban stations with an annual passenger earning of more than Rs. 60 crores. A Non-suburban stations with an annual passenger earnings of Rs. 8 crores and up to Rs 60 crores. B I. Non suburban stations with annual passenger earnings between Rs. 4 crores to Rs. 8 crores. II. Stations of tourist importance or an important junction station (to be decided by General Manager). C All suburban stations D Non suburban stations with passenger earnings between Rs. 60 lakhs and Rs. 4 crores. E Non suburban stations with passenger earnings less than Rs. 60 lakhs F Halts