Assam PRANAM Act: State govt employees face pay cut for neglecting parents

GUWAHATI, July 28, 2018: State government has made it mandatory for the Assam govt employees, under the act of PRANAM (Parent Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring) to look after their aged and dependent parents and divyang siblings which will come into force from October 2.

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Deduction of 10-15 per cent of the gross salary of government employees who do not take care of their parents and disabled siblings has been mandated by the act. The deducted amount will be passed on to the parents and the siblings who have been neglected.

On Friday, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state Cabinet has approved the rules framed under the Act on July 23 and it will come into effect from October 2.

Sarma had said that a PRANAM Commission would be constituted, headed by a chief commissioner, a retired officer of the rank of additional chief secretary or above.

"If a retired officer of the rank of additional chief secretary or above is unavailable, then a serving officer of that rank would be appointed," he said.

The commission will also have two additional commissioners, who would be social workers or retired commissioners or secretaries.

Sarma said the drawing and disbursal officers (DDOs) would be declared the designated authority to which neglected parents can make an application.

"After hearing both the sides, the DDOs will pass an appropriate order on the applications for deduction of salaries. The DDOs will have to dispose of the matter within two months," the minister said.

Any party not satisfied with the order can move the appellate authority – the director of the department.

"If still not satisfied, the parties will be at liberty to move the PRANAM Commission. The appellate authority will have to dispose the matter within two months and the commission will have to do it within three months," he said.

Sarma said if two sons of a couple are government employees then the amount to be deducted will be equally divided between them.

"The money will be deposited every month in the bank account of the neglected parents," he said.

This is a first-of-its-kind legislation in the country and ts implementation will be a learning experience for the state government, said the minister.

The Act was passed in the month of September last year by the Assembly.

Source: The Telegraph

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