SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said there is currently no proposal to introduce a separate ‘Rural Allowance’ for employees serving in rural and remote areas of the Union Territory, including teachers and doctors.
The Finance Department conveyed the position in a written reply to an Un-Starred Question by MLA Sajad Shafi (Uri) regarding monetary incentives for employees posted in rural, remote and border areas.
The government said employees posted at specified geographical locations are already provided allowances, including Compensatory Allowance and Boarder Allowance, at rates notified under SRO 207 dated June 20, 2012.
According to the reply, eligibility for these allowances is determined by factors including the remoteness and inaccessibility of the place of posting and its proximity to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The Finance Department said no proposal was presently under consideration for introducing a separate rural allowance for employees serving in rural or remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The proposed allowance had been raised as a measure to incentivise postings in difficult areas and compensate employees for hardships associated with such assignments, particularly in the case of teachers and doctors.
