New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) The proposal to grant ‘Risk and Hardship Allowance’ to Signal and Telecom staff in the Indian Railways is still under consideration with the Ministry of Finance, a response from the Prime Minister’s Office to the S&T workers union said.
The Indian Railway S&T Maintainers’ Union (IRSTMU) had written to the PMO on September 12, requesting it to ask the Ministry of Finance to approve a long-pending proposal for ‘risk and hardship allowance’ for workers in the S&T department.
“It may be appreciated that the proposal regarding the grant of Risk and Hardship Allowance to fresh categories is still under consideration of the Ministry of Finance,” the PMO said on Tuesday.
It added, “The matter is being pursued at the highest level in the Ministry of Finance through meetings between higher-level officers. Earnest efforts are being taken by this Ministry (Railway Ministry) to solicit an early approval from the Ministry of Finance.” Dissatisfied with the PMO’s response, the office bearers of IRSTMU have demanded a definite time frame to approve and implement the ‘Risk and Hardship Allowance’ to S&T workers as early as possible as, according to them, the matter has been under consideration first with the Railway Ministry and now with the Finance Ministry since February 2019.
“It has become an unending wait for S&T workers for a valid demand. Our workers sacrifice their lives to ensure safe train operations as every year many S&T maintainers are run over by speeding trains. But the government is moving at a snail’s pace to approve a very legitimate and valid demand,” Alok Chandra Prakash, general secretary, of the Indian Railway S&T Maintainers’ Union (IRSTMU), said.
According to Prakash, the Union for the first time raised the demand for ‘Risk and Hardship Allowance’ in 2016 when one of its workers was murdered at Kota in Rajasthan when he, to maintain safe train operation, refused to open the level crossing gate for the traffic.
Then, on February 9, 2019, the Union observed a ‘Black Day’ in support of ‘Risk and Hardship Allowance’ when one of its workers was run over by a train and the railway administration, even after being informed by the loco pilot about the incident, allegedly left the dead body on the track to be hit and mutilated by other passing trains for several hours at night.
The Union said that the Railway Ministry was forced to constitute a six-member committee on February 11, 2019 “to holistically examine the inclusion of fresh categories within the ambit of Risk and Hardship Allowance introduced by 7th CPC (Central Pay Commission).
“Initially the Committee was supposed to give its report within six months but the deadline was extended twice, each time for another 6 months. In the mid-2020s due to Covid and countrywide lockdown, its working remained suspended,” Naveen Kumar, National President, IRSTMU said, adding that the officer bearers of the union had met the Chairman Railway Board in February 2020 to press for its demand.
Kumar said that around 2023 when they enquired, they came to know that the committee had made a report and sent it to the Finance Ministry but they never got any official confirmation from the Railway Ministry.
“It was only when we wrote to the PMO in February 2024 and got a response in May 2024 through which we came to know that the committee has sent its report to the Finance Ministry,” Prakash said.
According to the Union, the PMO had further said, “The Committee has submitted its report and a suitable proposal has been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance. Report from the Ministry of Finance is awaited.” “The Railway Ministry never shared with us the report of the six-member committee that was sent to the Finance Ministry, ” Prakash said, demanding a quick and positive decision of the government in favour of Risk and Hardship Allowance. PTI JP HIG HIG
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