It has come to light that some postal circles have misinterpreted the Office Memorandum (OM) dated 05.03.2020, particularly regarding the dress allowance for fresh recruits and those retiring with less than one year of service in the middle of the year. This misapplication has led to delayed or non-payment of the dues. In this blog post, we clarify the correct provisions to ensure transparency and proper understanding of the rules.
Eligibility for Dress Allowance for Fresh Recruits:
- Recruits joining between July and December:
- Fresh recruits joining during this period are entitled to full dress allowance.
- These officials will receive the dress allowance for both the previous year and the current year at full rates in their pay & allowances for the month of July.
- As a result, they will be paid two dress allowances in their first year (covering the previous and current years).
- From the next year onwards, they will receive the dress allowance regularly every July.
- Recruits joining between January and June:
- Those joining in this period are entitled to half of the dress allowance in July of the same year.
- In the following year, they will receive 1.5 times the dress allowance to account for the shortfall.
These provisions are in accordance with OM No. DG(P) NO.F.41/2/2017-PAP dated 02.08.2024.
No Recovery for Unauthorized Absence:
A common query that has arisen is whether dress allowance can be recovered in case of unauthorized absence from duty. To clarify, there is no provision for the recovery of dress allowance due to unauthorized absence. This was confirmed by DG(P) vide his No. 41-2/2017-PAP dated 27.07.2021 in a letter addressed to the Chief Postmaster General, Tamil Nadu Circle that newly recruited postmen and MTS should receive their entitled dress allowance without delay or deductions, ensuring they are properly compensated in line with existing rules. For any further queries or clarifications, officials are encouraged to refer to the original OMs or contact their respective postal circles.