SCHEME FOR COMPASSIONATE APPOINTMENT
OBJECT
The object of the Scheme is to grant appointment on compassionate grounds to a dependent family member of a Government servant dying in harness or who is retired on medical grounds, thereby leaving his family in penury and without any means of livelihood, to relieve the family of the Government servant concerned from financial destitution and to help it get over the emergency.
TO WHOM APPLICABLE
To a dependent family member –-
(A) of a Government servant who –-
(a) dies while in service (including death by suicide); or
(b) is retired on medical grounds under Rule 2 of the CCS (Medical Examination) Rules 1957 or the corresponding provision in the Central Civil Service Regulations before attaining the age of 55 years (57 years for Group ‘D’ Government servants); or
(c) is retired on medical grounds under Rule 38 of the CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972 or the corresponding provision in the Central Civil Service Regulations before attaining the age of 55 years (57 years for Group ‘D’ Government servants); or
(B) of a member of the Armed Forces who –
(a) dies during service; or
(b) is killed in action; or
(c) is medically boarded out and is unfit for civil employment.
Note I "Dependent Family Member" means:
(a) spouse; or
(b) son (including adopted son); or
(c) daughter (including adopted daughter); or
(d) brother or sister in the case of unmarried Government servant or
(e) member of the Armed Forces referred to in (A) or (B) of this para,
-- who was wholly dependent on the Government servant/ member of the Armed Forces at the time of his death in harness or retirement on medical grounds, as the case may be.
Note II "Government servant" for the purpose of these instructions means a Government servant appointed on regular basis and not one working on daily wage or casual or apprentice or ad-hoc or contract or re-employment basis.
Note III "Confirmed work-charged staff" will also be covered by the term ‘Government servant’ mentioned in Note III above.
Note IV "Service" includes extension in service (but not re-employment) after attaining the normal age of retirement in a civil post.
Note V "Re-employment" does not include employment of ex-serviceman before the normal age of retirement in a civil post.
AUTHORITY COMPETENT TO MAKE COMPASSIONATE APPOINTMENT
(a) Joint Secretary incharge of administration in the Ministry/Department concerned.
(b) Head of the Department under the Supplementary Rule 2(10) in the case of attached and subordinate offices.
(c) Secretary in the Ministry/Department concerned in special types of cases.
POSTS TO WHICH SUCH APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE
Group ‘C’ or Group ‘D’ posts against the direct recruitment quota.
ELIGIBILITY
(a) The family is indigent and deserves immediate assistance for relief from financial destitution; and
(b) Applicant for compassionate appointment should be eligible and suitable for the post in all respects
under the provisions of the relevant Recruitment Rules.
A. EXEMPTIONS
Compassionate appointments are exempted from observance of the following requirements:-
(a) Recruitment procedure i.e. without the agency of the Staff Selection Commission or the Employment Exchange.
(b) Clearance from the Surplus Cell of the Department of Personnel and Training/Directorate General of Employment and Training.
(c) The ban orders on filling up of posts issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure).
RELAXATIONS
(a) Upper age limit could be relaxed wherever found to be necessary. The lower age limit should, however, in no case be relaxed below 18 years of age.
Note I Age eligibility shall be determined with reference to the date of application and not the date of appointment;
Note II Authority competent to take a final decision for making compassionate appointment in a case shall be competent to grant relaxation of upper age limit also for making such appointment.
(b) Secretary in the Ministry/Department concerned is competent to relax temporarily educational qualifications as prescribed in the relevant recruitment rules in the case of appointment at the lowest level e.g. Group ‘D’ or Lower Division Clerk post, in exceptional circumstances where the condition of the family is very hard provided there is no vacancy meant for compassionate appointment in a post for which the dependent family member in question is educationally qualified. Such relaxation will be permitted upto a period of two years beyond which no relaxation of educational qualifications will be admissible and the services of the person concerned, if still unqualified, are liable to be terminated.
Note In the case of an attached/subordinate office, the Secretary in the concerned administrative Ministry/Department shall be the competent authority for this purpose.
(c) In the matter of exemption from the requirement of passing the typing test those appointed on compassionate grounds to the post of Lower Division Clerk will be governed by the general orders issued in this regard:-
(i) by the CS Division of the Department of Personnel and Training if the post is included in the Central Secretariat Clerical Service; or
(ii) by the Establishment Division of the Department of Personnel and Training if the post is not included in the Central Secretariat Clerical Service.
(d) Where a widow is appointed on compassionate ground to a Group ‘D’ post, she will be exempted from the requirement of possessing the educational qualifications prescribed in the relevant rules provided the duties of the post can be satisfactorily performed by her without possessing such educational qualifications.
DETERMINATION/AVAILABILITY OF VACANCIES
(a) Appointment on compassionate grounds should be made only on regular basis and that too only if regular vacancies meant for that purpose are available.
(b) Compassionate appointments can be made upto a maximum of 5% of vacancies falling under direct recruitment quota in any Group ‘C’ or ‘D’ post. The appointing authority may hold back upto 5% of vacancies in the aforesaid categories to be filled by direct recruitment through Staff Selection Commission or otherwise so as to fill such vacancies by appointment on compassionate grounds. A person selected for appointment on compassionate grounds should be adjusted in the recruitment roster against the appropriate category viz SC/ST/ OBC/General depending upon the category to which he belongs. For example, if he belongs to SC category he will be adjusted against the SC reservation point, if he is ST/OBC he will be adjusted against ST/OBC point and if he belongs to General category he will be adjusted against the vacancy point meant for General category.
(c) While the ceiling of 5% for making compassionate appointment against regular vacancies should not be circumvented by making appointment of dependent family member of Government servant on casual/daily wage/ad-hoc/contract basis against regular vacancies, there is no bar to considering him for such appointment if he is eligible as per the normal rules/orders governing such appointments
(d) The ceiling of 5% of direct recruitment vacancies for making compassionate appointment should not be exceeded by utilising any other vacancy e.g. sports quota vacancy.
(e) Employment under the scheme is not confined to the Ministry/ Department/Office in which deceased/medically retired Government servant had been working. Such an appointment can be given anywhere under the Government of India depending upon availability of a suitable vacancy meant for the purpose of compassionate appointment.
(f) If sufficient vacancies are not available in any particular office to accommodate the persons in the waiting list for compassionate appointment, it is open to the administrative Ministry/Department/ Office to take up the matter with other Ministries/Departments/Offices of the Government of India to provide at an early date appointment on compassionate grounds to those in the waiting list.
WIDOW APPOINTED ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS GETTING REMARRIED
A widow appointed on compassionate grounds will be allowed to continue in service even after re-marriage.
REQUEST FOR CHANGE IN POST/PERSON
When a person has been appointed on compassionate grounds to a particular post, the set of circumstances, which led to such appointment, should be deemed to have ceased to exist. Therefore, --
(a) he/she should strive in his/her career like his/her colleagues for future advancement and any request for appointment to any higher post on considerations of compassion should invariably be rejected.
(b) an appointment made on compassionate grounds cannot be transferred to any other person and any request for the same on considerations of compassion should invariably be rejected.
SENIORITY
(a) The inter-se seniority of persons appointed on compassionate grounds may be fixed with reference to their date of appointment. Their interpolation with the direct recruits/promotees may also be made with reference to their dates of appointment without disturbing the inter-se seniority of direct recruits/promotees.
(b) Date of joining by a person appointed on compassionate grounds shall be treated as the date of his/her regular appointment.
