Discrimination in Payment of Dress Allowance – Clarifications and Uniform Guidelines

📌 Summarized Content

The document addresses discrimination in payment of Dress Allowance to newly joined and retiring Postman/MTS officials in India Post.

Background:

• As per Department of Expenditure O.M. (02.08.2017) and DoPT O.M. (31.08.2017), Dress Allowance of ₹5,000 per year is payable to staff supplied with uniforms (e.g., MTS, Staff Car Drivers).
• Payment is made annually in July, credited directly to salary.
• Allowances related to uniform maintenance (washing, stitching, shoe allowance, etc.) have been subsumed under Dress Allowance.

Clarifications (Directorate Letter 05.03.2020):

Retiring officials:

• Retiring after December → Full allowance (₹5,000).
• Retiring by December → Half allowance (₹2,500).

Newly joined officials:

• Joining July–December → Full allowance in next July.
• Joining after December → Half allowance in next July.
• These rules apply retrospectively from 01.07.2017.
• Illustration: Example of an MTS joining in Feb 2020 and retiring in Nov 2022 shows alternating eligibility of half/full allowance depending on service duration in each allowance year.

Tables I & II:

• Provide detailed year-wise eligibility for officials retiring or joining between July–December and January–June periods.
• Aim to ensure uniformity across divisions and prevent discrimination in payments.
• Key Directive: All divisions/units must implement these rules consistently, and any deviation should seek advice from the Directorate.