Leh, February 25: In a significant relief to government employees, Kavinder Gupta has approved the grant of Notional Annual Increments for staff appointed under the Jammu & Kashmir Special Recruitment Rules, 2015 (SRO-202) for the period of their probation.
The move is being seen as a major step towards ensuring service parity and addressing long-pending pay anomalies affecting employees in Ladakh. With this approval, annual increments that were not granted during the probation period will now be added on a notional basis, leading to an upward revision of Basic Pay and correct placement in the pay matrix.
Officials said the revised Basic Pay will have a cascading financial benefit, positively impacting Dearness Allowance (DA) and other allowances linked to pay. It will also ensure more favourable pay fixation at the time of promotion.
Significantly, the decision is expected to enhance retirement benefits, including pension, gratuity and leave encashment, as these are calculated on the basis of last drawn pay.
Sources in the Administration said the step brings Ladakh employees at par with their counterparts in other States and Union Territories, effectively removing long-standing disparities.
Employees have welcomed the decision, terming it a just and morale-boosting measure by the Administration.
