Senior govt bureaucrats get relief on PC use fees
1 min read 08 Nov 2021, 12:35 AM ISTThe government reconsidered its January 2012 order and decided to do away with the practice of deducting ₹300 per month from the salaries of officials in the joint secretary rank and above
PremiumNEW DELHI : The government has withdrawn a decade-old rule that required senior bureaucrats to pay ₹300 a month to use official desktops/laptops at home, two officials said, requesting anonymity.
During the prolonged covid-19-led lockdown in 2020, many realized the importance of work from home, and the government received several representations to discontinue this archaic practice.
The government reconsidered its January 2012 order and decided to do away with the practice of deducting ₹300 per month from the salaries of officials in the joint secretary rank and above, they added.
“The new order is effective from November," said one of the officials cited above.
The January 2012 circular, issued by the department of expenditure, Union finance ministry, had put a cap of ₹1 lakh to install a personal computer, including software, at the home of bureaucrats.
According to the existing rule, an official is entitled to avail the facility at home by paying ₹300 per month from the date the computer is installed at his or her residence. Payments for broadband connections were, however, on the basis of his or her entitlement for telephone bill reimbursement, the officials said.
