Till now, the uniform allowance was paid to Central government employees only once in a year, in the month of July, irrespective of when they joined service. Therefore, those who joined after July had to wait till July of the following year to get their uniform allowance. Now, the latest circular issued by the Finance Ministry says that this allowance will be paid on a pro-rata basis more than once annually.
This revision in policy will ensure that even new employees who have joined after July will be able to enjoy the benefit without having to wait till next July. As per the new rules, the uniform allowance will be calculated as follows: The annual allowance will be divided by 12 to arrive at the rate per month. This rate will be multiplied by the number of months from the date of joining till next June. For instance, if an employee joins in September, the rate will be multiplied by 10 months.
The dress/uniform allowance covers shoes, robes, clothing, initial-equipment, kit maintenance, and so on. As per the 7thPay Commission, officers in the Armed Forces received Rs 20,000 annually. Police officers and executive staff in various departments such as Customs, Excise, Narcotics and officers of ICLS and NIA will receive an annual allowance of Rs 10,000. The same allowance is given to those below officer rank in the armed forces. Some lower-grade staff members are also given a uniform allowance of Rs 5,000 if they are required to wear uniforms regularly, such as staff car drivers, trackmen, and so on.