Within months after the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revoked exclusive perks for All India Service (AIS) officers working in the northeast region, three of the six states in the region – Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Assam – have introduced a new “special compensatory allowance” to offset the loss of benefits. This move is likely to be seen as a response to the concerns raised by AIS officers in the wake of the withdrawal of the previous benefits.
The All India Service (AIS) comprises officials serving in various branches such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).
Last September, the Union government rescinded special privileges for AIS officers deployed in the northeast, including supplementary financial benefits and a house retention policy, citing the stable security situation in the region and its successful integration with the rest of India.
Just a month after the benefits were removed, the Assam government declared a “special compensatory allowance” for AIS officers in the state on October 7th, 2022. This new policy entailed a 20 percent rise in the officers’ basic salary. Following in Assam’s footsteps, the Meghalaya government announced a comparable compensation plan on December 23, 2022, which also included a 20 percent increase in basic pay.
On January 17th of this year, the Nagaland government issued a similar directive, with the compensatory allowance taking effect retrospectively from September 23rd, 2022, when the central government had previously revoked the incentives for AIS officers working in the region.
Source: The Print
