Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 4

Former defence personnel who have joined the Punjab Government after their release from the services are drawing a salary of just Rs 10,000 per month during the three-year probation period.Officers who have left the armed forces at the level of Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent were getting a remuneration of approximately Rs 1.75 lakh per month. While rules ensure protection of last drawn pay, they will have to make do with the paltry amount till the time they are on probation.Those affected include officers who have been appointed to various Class A posts in the Punjab Civil Service as well as other cadres, including the state police and medical services. For personnel below officer ranks (PBOR) who have joined the state government at Class II or Class III level, the basic salary is even lower. Recently, the state had recruited over 900 PBORs in the police.Under the rules notified by the then Badal government in 2015, only basic pay without any statutory or attendant allowances is admissible to new recruits. According to the state government’s Fifth Pay Commission, the minimum basic salary is Rs 10,300 for officers.A senior government officer says a case to rectify the anomaly is under consideration and the matter is pending with the Finance Department. Approval of the Cabinet is required to amend the rules.The aforesaid rules do not affect recruits or former defence officers who were appointed before 2014