JAC Memorandum on stagnation of Inspector recruit community in Central Excise
For clarity, the word document is reproduced below:
JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE
OF INSPECTOR BASED ASSOCIATIONS OF CBEC
[Representing the Associations of Inspectors, Superintendents and Promotee IRS Officers in CBEC]
ON THE EVE OF ROLL OUT OF GST
We represent the Officers in the Central Excise side of the Central Board Excise and Customs, recruited basically as Inspectors and working as Inspectors, Superintendents and Assistant Commissioners.
On the historic occasion of roll out of GST, we would like to make this short memorandum to the Government of India, through our CBEC as well as the Revenue Secretary.
Our base cadre is Inspector of Central Excise. We are the cutting edge level officers of the department and bulk of the responsibilities is shouldered by us. Most of the higher supervisory posts have been ornamental than substantive. More so in GST administration as most of the technical functions end with Joint Commissioner/Additional Commissioner. The entire responsibility and burden of implementation of GST has been placed on the shoulders of Superintendents, Assistant Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Central Tax vide CBEC's Circular No. 1/1/2017 dated 26.06.2017 issued from F.No. 349/75/2017-GST.
However, the actual field level officers inducted as Inspectors have all along got a raw deal in respect of promotions and career prospects in the department, in spite of their contribution for a successful switchover from Tobacco Excise and multiple Excise to consolidated Excise to Physical Control to Self Removal Procedure to Record Based Control to MODVAT to CENVAT to Service Tax to Online verification and now to GST. These officers who started their career as Inspectors could swiftly adapt to the changes in tax administration. Yet they remain unfairly discriminated when compared to other cadres who entered the Department contemporaneously.
The following table would show the discrimination this cadre has suffered in terms of their promotions in comparison with the other cadres in the same department, on Central Excise as well as Customs side:
| Recruited as | Promoted up to | Number of promotions in the career of around 35 years | |
| | | Minimum | Maximum |
| Group-D officers | Superintendent | 5 | 6 |
| DEO | Superintendent/AC | 4 | 5 |
| LDC | Superintendent/CAO | 5 | 6 |
| UDC | Superintendent/AO | 4 | 4 |
| Inspector of CEx | Superintendent/AC | 1 | 2 |
| Examiner | DC/JC/ADC | 3 | 4 |
| Preventive Officer | DC/JC | 3 | 4 |
| DR IRS | Principal CC/Member/Chairman | 7 | 9 |
The above distortion in promotional avenues has caused severe resentment in the cadres recruited as Inspectors of Central Excise, getting only one promotion or at best two, in their entire career. The pay raise also is consequentially insignificant when compared to the pay raise the others enjoy in terms of percentage increase to their pay at the time or recruitment.
In the year 1996, the CBEC undertook an exercise of Upgradation of Inspectors and Preventive Officers who had completed service of 15 years without a single promotion and granted them one promotion to the next grade. 1756 Officers were covered by that scheme from 1996 to 2001. The Board also took a decision vide Brief No. 72/95 on 16.1.96 to merge the Executive Cadres of Examiners of Customs, Preventive Officers of Customs and Inspectors of Central Excise who are all recruited through a common examination conducted by the SSC, but between which cadres a wide disparity was prevalent in respect of promotional avenues. But till date that decision has not been implemented and the disparities between these coevals has only increased multifold and caused wide chasm. Even subsequently in 2014, the DGHRM has reiterated the wide disparity between these cadres, in a note on the subject.
When an officer from the Customs side, who is junior in terms of the date of recruitment through the common exam, is promoted ahead of his senior on the Central Excise side and posted to the Central Excise, a junior becomes a supervisory officer to a senior. This anomaly creates rancor and unpleasantness besides demoralizing the cadres on the Central Excise side.
On the eve of roll out of GST, it is found that promotions have been ordered for several Direct Recruit IRS Officers, to boost their morale. It is felt that the morale of the cutting-edge level officers, appointed as Inspectors and bearing the entire burden of the department on their shoulders, should also get a similar, if not more sympathetic treatment. Needless to say, as an army marches on its stomach, the department’s performance is directly related to the satisfaction of its performing cadres.
Hence, it is requested that as a onetime measure, the following promotions could be ordered in the CBEC for Officers:
| On completion of | To be promoted as |
| 15 years from entry as Inspector | Assistant Commissioner |
| 20 years from entry as Inspector | Deputy Commissioner |
| 25 years from entry as Inspector | Joint Commissioner |
| 30 years from entry as Inspector | Additional Commissioner |
The above promotions would put the Officers recruited as Inspectors of Central Excise on par with those recruited as Examiners in Customs as well as Inspectors of Income Tax, all of who are recruited through the same exam in the upper echelons of departmental hierarchy. It may not be out of place to mention that considering the pay elevation on account of annual increments and MACP the above said officers would have achieved during the above said period of their service and what they ought to have got in comparison to other cadres, the promotion suggested would not create a great burden on the exchequer with incremental expenditure.
It is sincerely felt that the above simple and just demand would get a fair and favourable consideration at the hands of the Government at this momentous hour.
| (Abhishek Kamal) | (R. Manimohan) | (B.A.Chakravarthi) |
| Secretary General | Secretary General | Secretary General |
| AICEIA | AIACEGEO | IRS[IDT]OA |
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