SCREENING COMMITTEE - Granting the benefits under the ACP Scheme

SCREENING COMMITTEE



A departmental Screening Committee shall be constituted for the purpose of processing the cases for grant of benefits under the ACP Scheme.



The composition of the Screening Committee shall be the same as that of the DPC prescribed under the relevant Recruitment/Service Rules for regular promotion to the higher grade to which financial upgradation is to be granted.



However, in cases where DPC as per the prescribed rules is headed by the Chairman/Member of the UPSC, the Screening Committee under the ACP Scheme shall, instead, be headed by the Secretary or an officer of equivalent rank of the concerned Ministry/Department.



In respect of isolated posts, the composition of the Screening Committee (with modification as noted above, if required) shall be the same as that of the DPC for promotion to analogous grade in that Ministry/Department.



In order to prevent operation of the ACP Scheme from resulting into undue strain on the administrative machinery, the Screening Committee shall follow a time-schedule and meet twice in a financial year – preferably in the first week of January and July for advance processing of the cases.



Accordingly, cases maturing during the first-half (April-September) of a particular financial year for grant of benefits under the ACP Scheme shall be taken up for consideration by the Screening Committee meeting in the first week of January of the previous financial year.



Similarly, the Screening Committee meeting in the first week of July of any financial year shall process the cases that would be maturing during the second-half (October-March) of the same financial year.



For example, the Screening Committee meeting in the first week of January, 1999 would process the cases that would attain maturity during the period April 1, 1999 to September 30, 1999 and the Screening Committee meeting in the first week of July, 1999 would process the cases that would mature during the period October 1, 1999 to March 31, 2000.



To make the Scheme operational, the Cadre Controlling Authorities shall constitute the first Screening Committee of the current financial year within a month from the date of issue of these instructions to consider the cases that have already matured or would be maturing upto March 31, 2000 for grant of benefits under the ACP Scheme. The next Screening Committee shall be constituted as per the time-schedule suggested above.


Ministries/Departments are advised to explore the possibility of effecting savings so as to minimise the additional financial commitment that introduction of the ACP Scheme may entail.



The ACP Scheme shall become operational from the date of issue of this Office Memorandum. In so far as persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Departments are concerned, these orders issue after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.



The Fifth Central Pay Commission in paragraph 52.15 of its Report has also separately recommended a "Dynamic Assured Career Progression Mechanism" for different streams of doctors. It has been decided that the said recommendation may be considered separately by the administrative Ministry concerned in consultation with the Department of Personnel and Training and the Department of Expenditure.
Any interpretation/clarification of doubt as to the scope and meaning of the provisions of the ACP Scheme shall be given by the Department of Personnel and Training (Establishment-D). All Ministries/Departments may give wide circulation to these instructions for guidance of all concerned and also take immediate steps to implement the Scheme keeping in view the ground situation obtaining in services/cadres/ posts within their administrative jurisdiction.