The union finance ministry is working on norms to regulate salary paid to retired central government employees re-appointed on contract. It has proposed keeping nomination-based appointments at ‘bare minimum’.

In an office memorandum dated August 13, the Department of Expenditure said that ministries/departments appoint retired central government employees on a contract basis but there are no uniform guidelines for regulating the salary payment in such cases.

The expenditure department has framed draft regulations for salary payments in case of appointment of retired central government employees and has invited comments of ministries/departments within 10 days.

The draft guidelines state that appointment of retired employees on a contract basis, including as consultants, by way of nomination based on the credentials of past service and not through open market advertisement, should not be made as a “matter of practice and must be kept at a bare minimum”.

“Such appointments may be made only in the justified exigencies of the official work where the public interest is served by the appointment of the retired employee,” the draft guidelines said.

With regard to salary payment, the draft guidelines said a fixed monthly amount shall be admissible, arrived at by deducting the basic pension from the salary drawn at the time of retirement. It shall be termed as “salary”.