Grant of Honorarium to Inquiry Officers (IO)/Presenting Officers (PO) – Consolidated instructions regarding.

No.142/15/2010-AVD-I
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel and Training)

North Block, New Delhi
Dated 31st July, 201

Office Memorandum

Subject :- Grant of Honorarium to Inquiry Officers (IO)/Presenting Officers (PO) – Consolidated instructions regarding.

   The undersigned is directed to say that the Department of Personnel and Training have issued instructions vide NO 1344/99-AVD-I dated 29th June 2001 and 7th April 2003 on the subject of honorarium to the Inquiry Officers and Presenting Officers covering the aspects of rates of honorarium, appointment of retired officers as Inquiry Officer, terms and conditions for payment of honorarium etc from time to time. The rates of honorarium payable to IO/PO were last revised vide this Department’s OM no 142/20/2008-AVD-I dated 27th July 2009. [copy attached].

   2. A Committee of Experts set up to review the procedure of Disciplinary / Vigilance inquiries and to recommend measures for their expeditious disposal under the chairmanship of P.C Hota, former Chairman of UPSC in May 2010 had made a series of recommendations in July 2010 including the rates of honorarium. The detailed recommendation of the expert committee is available on the website of this Department. It can be accessed through the Link. http://persmin.nic.in / DOPT/Publication/CommitteeReport/HotaCommitteeRevort/HotaCommitteeReport.pdf . The Committee had made specific recommendations as regards the rates of honorarium to IO/PO. The Recommendations of the Committee on the proposed increases in Honorarium relating to IO/PO are contained in paras 37, 42-44 of the report of the Committee.

   3. The recommendations of the Expert Committee on the aspect of revision of rates of honorarium along with some other related measures were examined in the Department and was placed before the Group of Ministers on Corruption, set up for examining measures, including legislative and administrative, to tackle corruption and improve transparency. The Group of Ministers while considering the Terms of Reference also considered the recommendations of the HOTA Committee and recommended that the remuneration of the IOs and POs may be fixed, keeping in mind the recommendations of the HOTA Committee. These recommendations of the GOM have been accepted by the Government.

   4. It has therefore been decided to revise the existing rates of honorarium payable to IO/PO in line with the recommendations of the Expert Committee. The revised rates of Honorarium and other allowances payable to IO both serving and retired officers and PO(serving) and the terms and conditions governing the same is indicated in Annexure -1 to this OM. The rates of Honorarium stated therein are ceilings and the concerned ministry/department where the misconduct was committed may decide the exact quantum of honorarium to be paid keeping in mind the volume of work involved in specific cases and the terms and Conditions indicated in the Annexure -I.

   5. The revised structure of rates of honorarium and allowances as indicated in Annexure-I are intended to be made applicable to Departmental Proceedings including inquiry proceedings undertaken by the committee on Sexual Harassment, by Ministries /Department in respect of officials /officers serving under different cadres of services under their administrative control. However, in case a cadre of a service or organisations such as autonomous bodies have a separate set of rules and instructions for regulating honorarium to IO/PO in existence they may choose to continue with their own set of instructions. Fully or partially funded autonomous bodies may retain their own provisions so long as they are not more beneficial than what has been proposed in this OM.

   6. This orders will take effect from the date of issue of this OM and will also apply to all inquiries in progress.

   7. The services of serving officers may be used as IO and PO to the extent possible in the conduct of departmental inquiries. However, Central Vigilance Commission has been requested to create and maintain a panel of retired officers/officials willing to serve as IO for conducting departmental inquiries and for this purpose also design a procedure for inviting applications from the retired Government Servants to be followed by the Ministries and Departments. Till such time such a panel of retired officers become available from CVC, the concerned ministries /departments may, where it is not possible to use the services of a serving officer as Inquiry Officer for conducting departmental inquiries, use the services of officers who have retired from Ministries/Departments, for conducting such departmental inquiries.

   8. This issues with the concurrence of Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure vide their UO no.14(4)/2009-E-II(B) dated 26.3.2012 and 5.6.2012.

   9. Hindi Version will follow.

sd/-
(P.K.Ravi)
Under Secretary to the Government of India

Source:http://circulars.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02ser/142_15_2010-AVD-I-31072012.pdf