The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders for granting incentive in the form of one-time lump sum amount ranging between ₹10,000 and ₹25,000 to State Government employees, who have acquired higher qualifications after coming into service on or after March 10, 2020.

According to a G.O. issued by Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, for a Ph.D, the one-time lump sum amount would be ₹25,000. For a postgraduate degree or its equivalent and a diploma or its equivalent, the lump sum would be ₹20,000 and ₹10,000 respectively.

As per the operational guidelines issued in this regard the higher qualifications acquired by the government employee should help him / her in boosting the work efficiency. “The incentive would not be allowed if a government employee had acquired the higher qualification on the direction of the government or had obtained it during the study leave.”

The incentive would be granted on a maximum of two occasions during the service of a government employee and there should be at least two years between the occasions, it said.

‘Not sufficient’

However, a section of the government employees is not happy with the announcement.

“The one-time lump sum would not be sufficient even to cover the expenses incurred for acquiring the higher qualification,” contended P. Frederic Engels, who is a teacher in a State Government school. The old increment system which prevailed prior to March 20, 2020 should be resumed, he said.

Manifesto pledge

The AIADMK government had in March last year discontinued the increment system for higher qualifications obtained by government employees. Though the DMK election manifesto said it would resume the old system, the government has now decided to give a one-time lump sum, he pointed out.

“Going by this G.O., an MBBS graduate, who is a medical officer in a primary health centre in a rural area would get a one-time lump sum of only ₹10,000, if he / she completes MS. This sum would not even compensate the fees he / she would have spent on higher education. This decision would only demotivate government employees from pursuing higher education,” Mr. Engels argued.