Salary hike: Delhi Disaster Management Authority personnel get 100% increase — How much will employees be paid now?

The Delhi government has approved a 100% salary hike for Delhi State Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) personnel, including project officers, district project officers, and project coordinators, according to a PTI report.

This is the first such increase in 16 years, since 2009. According to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, these posts were not subject to government pay structures or pay categories and did not benefit from state government pay revisions and hikes in dearness allowance (DA).

In a statement on Sunday, 2 August, Gupta said that revising the remuneration is aimed at delivering “justice” to DDMA staff.

How much salary will DDMA staff make after hike?

The posts were created in 2009 with support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and have since paid ₹25,000 for project officers and district project officers, and ₹20,000 for project coordinators.

With the 100% hike, salaries for project officers and district project officers are set to increase to ₹50,000, while the pay scale of project coordinators will jump to ₹40,000.

Giving more details, Gupta said the revision is not an ex gratia benefit, but “a step towards establishing a fair and competitive remuneration structure that reflects their responsibilities, experience, technical expertise, and the demands of the present time”.

What role do DDMA employees play?

Employees of DDMA have “critical statutory responsibilities” which they perform under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Their work includes:

• Preparing district-level disaster management plans,
• Carrying out scientific risk assessments,
• Assessing vulnerabilities in Delhi's sensitive areas and among vulnerable populations,
• Formulating risk mitigation strategies,
• Coordinating among various departments,
• Managing Emergency Operation Centres during disasters,

• Ensuring real-time coordination between the NDRF, SDRF, Fire Services, Police, the Health Department, and other agencies,
• Organise training programmes,
• Conduct large-scale mock drills, and
• Play an important role in building the capacity of various stakeholders.

Why is this 100% salary hike significant?

Gupta noted that over the 16 years without a salary hike for DDMA employees, while they have not benefited from DA hikes or pay revisions, challenges of the role and inflation have increased, ANI reported. She added that their responsibilities have also continued to expand, and the scope of their work has grown significantly.

Gupta added that the hiked salaries are now closer to the pay offered for comparable officer roles in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh (between ₹45,000 and ₹50,000 or more), and other similar contractual positions in the Delhi government.

“After taking all these factors into account, the approved remuneration structure provides for an increase of up to 100% for these personnel,” the chief minister said. Gupta further added that the Delhi government will also consider welfare measures in the future to further strengthen and professionalise this cadre, including performance-based annual increments, medical coverage for employees and their families, as well as opportunities for training, workshops, and capacity building.

(With inputs from Agencies)