Benefit of MACP

Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS)

In the Sixth Central Pay Commission it has been recommended for Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS). As per the recommendations, financial upgradation will be available in the next higher Grade Pay whenever an employee has completed 12 years continuous service in the same grade. However, not more than two financial upgradations shall be given in the entire career, as was provided in the previous Scheme. The Scheme will also be available to all posts belonging to Group ‘A’ whether isolated or not. However, organised Group "A" services will not be covered under the Scheme.

The Government has considered the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission for introduction of a MACPS and has accepted the same with further modification to grant three financial upgradations under the MACPS at intervals of 10, 20 and 30 years of continuous regular service.

Rules and Benefits of MACPS:-

• MACPS is applicable to all regularly appointed Group ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ Railway Employees .
• The financial upgradations under the MACPS would be admissible upto the highest Grade Pay of Rs.12000/- in the PB-4.
• Casual employees, including those granted ‘temporary status’ and employees appointed in the Railways only on ad-hoc or contract basis shall not qualify for benefits under the aforesaid Scheme.
• Three financial upgradations shall be given under the MACPS, counted from the direct entry grade on completion of 10, 20 and 30 years of service respectively. Financial upgradation under the Scheme will be admissible whenever a person has spent 10 years continuously in the same Grade Pay.
• The MACPS envisages merely placement in the immediate next higher Grade Pay in the hierarchy of the recommended revised Pay Bands and Grade Pay as given in Section 1 , Part-A of the first schedule of the Railway Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008. Thus, the Grade Pay at the time of financial upgradation under the MACPS can, in certain cases where regular promotion is not between two successive grades, be different than what is available at the time of regular promotion. In such cases, the higher Grade Pay attached to the next promotion post in the hierarchy of the concerned cadre/organization will be given only at the time of regular promotion.
• Benefit of pay fixation available at the time of regular promotion shall also be allowed at the time of financial upgradation under the Scheme. Therefore, the pay shall be raised by 3% of the total pay in the Pay Band and the Grade Pay drawn before such upgradation. There shall, however, be no further fixation of pay at the time of regular promotion if it is in the same Grade Pay as granted under MACPS. However, at the time of actual promotion if it happens to be in a post carrying higher Grade Pay than what is available under MACPS, no pay fixation would be available and only difference of Grade Pay would be made available.
• Promotions earned/upgradations granted under the ACP Scheme in the past to those grades which now carry the same Grade Pay due to merger of pay scales/upgradations of posts recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission shall be ignored for the purpose of granting upgradations under Modified ACPS.
• No stepping up of pay in Pay Band or Grade Pay would be admissible with respect to junior getting more pay than senior on account of pay fixation under this scheme.
• In the case of all the employees granted financial upgradations under ACPS till 01.01.2006, their revised pay will be fixed with reference to the pay scale granted to them under the ACPS.
• In the case of ACP, upgradations granted between 01.01.2006 and 31.08.2008, the Railway employee has the option under the RS(RP) Rules, 2008 to have his pay fixed in the revised pay structure either (a) w.e.f. 01.01.2006 with reference to his pre-revised scale as on 01.01.2006; or (b) w.e.f. the date of his financial upgradation under ACP with reference to the pre-revised scale granted under ACP. In case of option (b), he shall be entitled to draw his arrears of pay only from the date of his option, i.e. the date of financial upgradation under ACP.
• In cases where financial upgradation had been granted to Railway employees in the next higher scale in the hierarchy of their cadre as per the provisions of the ACP Scheme of October, 1999, but whereas as a result of the implementation of Sixth CPC's recommendations, the next higher post in the hierarchy of the cadre has been upgraded by granting a higher Grade Pay, the pay of such employees in the revised pay structure will be fixed with reference to the higher Grade Pay granted to the post.
• With regard to fixation of his pay on grant of promotion/financial upgradation under MACP Scheme, a Railway employee has an option under Rule 1313(1)(a)(i) of the Indian Railway Establishment Code-Volume II, (Sixth Edition 1987 – 2
• Promotions earned in the post carrying same Grade Pay in the promotional hierarchy as per Recruitment Rules shall be counted for the purpose of MACPS.
• Consequent upon the implementation of Sixth CPC's recommendations, Grade Pay of Rs.5400 is now in two Pay Bands viz., PB-2 and PB-3. The Grade Pay of Rs.5400 in PB-2 and Rs.5400 in PB-3 shall be treated as separate Grade Pays for the purpose of grant of upgradations under MACPS.
• 'Regular service' for the purpose of the MACPS shall commence from the date of joining of a post in direct entry grade on a regular basis either on direct recruitment basis or on absorption/re-employment basis. Service rendered on adhoc/contract basis before regular appointment on pre-appointment training shall not be taken into reckoning. However, past continuous regular service in another Government/Department in a post carrying same Grade Pay prior to regular appointment in a new Department, without a break, shall also be counted towards qualifying regular service for the purpose of MACPS only (and not for the regular promotions). However, benefits under the MACPS in such cases shall not be considered till the satisfactory completion of the probation period in the new post. 10. Past service rendered by a Railway employee in a State Government/statutory body/Autonomous body/Public Sector organisation, before appointment in the Railways shall not be counted towards Regular Service.
• 'Regular service' shall include all periods spent on deputation/foreign service, study leave and all other kind of leave, duly sanctioned by the competent authority.
• The MACPS shall also be applicable to work charged employees, if their service conditions are comparable with the staff of regular establishment.
• Existing time-bound promotion scheme, including in-situ promotion scheme, Staff Car Driver Scheme or any other kind of promotion scheme existing for a particular category of employees in the Railways, may continue to be operational for the concerned category of employees if it is decided by the concerned administrative authorities to retain such Schemes, after necessary consultations or they may switch-over to the MACPS. However, these Schemes shall not run concurrently with the MACPS.
• If a financial upgradation under the MACPS is deferred and not allowed after 10 years in a Grade Pay, due to the reason of the employees being unfit or due to departmental proceedings, etc., this would have consequential effect on the subsequent financial upgradation which would also get deferred to the extent of delay in grant of first financial upgradation.
• On grant of financial upgradation under the Scheme, there shall be no change in the designation, classification or higher status. However, financial and certain other benefits which are linked to the pay drawn by an employee such as HBA, allotment of Government accommodation shall be permitted.
• The financial upgradation would be on non-functional basis subject to fitness, in the hierarchy of Grade Pay within the PB-1.Thereafter for upgradation under the MACPS the benchmark of 'good' would be applicable till the Grade Pay of Rs. 6600/- in PB-3. The benchmark will be 'Very Good' for financial upgradation to the Grade Pay of Rs.7600 and above.
• In the matter of disciplinary/penalty proceedings, grant of benefit under the MACPS shall be subject to rules governing normal promotion. Such cases shall, therefore, be regulated under the provisions of the Railway employees (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1968 and instructions issued there under.
• The MACPS contemplates merely placement on personal basis in the immediate higher Grade Pay/grant of financial benefits only and shall not amount to actual/functional promotion of the employees concerned. Therefore, no reservation orders/roster shall apply to the MACPS, which shall extend its benefits uniformly to all eligible SC/ST employees also. However, the rules of reservation in promotion shall be ensured at the time of regular promotion. For this reason, it shall not be mandatory to associate members of SC/ST in the Screening Committee meant to consider cases for grant of financial upgradation under the Scheme.
• Financial upgradation under the MACPS shall be purely personal to the employee and shall have no relevance to his seniority position. As such, there shall be no additional financial upgradation for the senior employees on the ground that the junior employee in the grade has got higher pay/Grade Pay under the MACPS.
• Pay drawn in the Pay Band and the Grade Pay allowed under the MACPS shall be taken as the basis for determining the terminal benefits in respect of the retiring employee.
• If a Group ‘A’ Railway employee, who was not covered under the ACP Scheme has now become entitled to say, third financial upgradation directly, having completed 30 years’ regular service, his pay shall be fixed successively in next three immediate higher Grade Pays in the hierarchy of revised Pay Bands and Grade Pays allowing the benefit of 3% pay fixation at every stage. Pay of persons becoming eligible for second financial upgradation may also be fixed accordingly.his pay fixed in the higher post/Grade Pay either from the date of his promotion/upgradation or from the date of his next increment viz. 1st July of the year.
• 'Regular service' for the purpose of the MACPS shall commence from the date of joining of a post in direct entry grade on a regular basis either on direct recruitment basis or on absorption/re-employment basis. Service rendered on adhoc/contract basis before regular appointment on pre-appointment training shall not be taken into reckoning. However, past continuous regular service in another Government/Department in a post carrying same Grade Pay prior to regular appointment in a new Department, without a break, shall also be counted towards qualifying regular service for the purpose of MACPS only (and not for the regular promotions). However, benefits under the MACPS in such cases shall not be considered till the satisfactory completion of the probation period in the new post.MACPS, prior concurrence of Ministry of Finance shall be obtained.
• In case an employee is declared surplus in his/her organization and appointed in the same pay scale or lower scale of pay in the new organization, the regular service rendered by him/her in the previous organization shall be counted towards the regular service in his/her new organization for the purpose of giving financial upgradation under the MACPS.
• In case, an employee after getting promotion/ACP seeks unilateral transfer on a lower post or lower scale, he will be entitled only for second and third financial upgradations on completion of 20/30 years of regular service under the MACPS, as the case may be, from the date of his initial appointment to the post in the new organization.
• If a regular promotion has been offered but was refused by the employee before becoming entitled to a financial upgradation, no financial upgradation shall be allowed as such an employee has not been stagnated due to lack of opportunities. If, however, financial upgradation has been allowed due to stagnation and the employee subsequently refuses the promotion, it shall not be a ground to withdraw the financial upgradation. He shall, however, not be eligible to be considered for further financial upgradation till he agrees to be considered for promotion again and the second or the next financial upgradation shall also be deferred to the extent of period of debarment due to the refusal.
• Cases of persons holding higher posts purely on adhoc basis shall also be considered by the Screening Committee along with others. They may be allowed the benefit of financial upgradation on reversion to the lower post or if it is beneficial vis-à-vis the pay drawn on adhoc basis.
• ·Employees on deputation need not revert to the parent Department for availing the benefit of financial upgradation under the MACPS. They may exercise a fresh option to draw the pay in the Pay Band and the Grade Pay of the post held by them or the Pay plus Grade Pay admissible to them under the MACPS, whichever is beneficial.