Light House Attendants, Navigational Assistant Gr.III, II and Head Light Keeper to get higher Grade Pay

7th CPC recommends higher grade pay for Light House Attendants, Navigational Assistant Gr.III, II and Head Light Keeper

7th Pay Commission has recommended higher grade pay for Light House Attendants, Navigational Assistant Gr.III, II and Head Light Keeper

Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships

The Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships is a subordinate office under Ministry of Shipping. It provides visual and radio aid to Marine navigation along the Indian coast. The visual aids are lighthouses, light vessel, buoys and beacons. The radio aids are DGPS (Differential Global positioning System), RACONS (Radar Beacon Transponder) etc.

The staff of the Directorate represented to the Commission with demands for better pay scales. Their pay structure at present is as under:

Designation

Grade Pay

Head Light Keeper

4200

Navigational Assistant Gr.II

2800

Navigational Assistant Gr.III

2400

Light House Attendant

1800

Direct recruitment is at the levels of Light House Attendant (GP 1800), with educational qualification required of Class X+ITI, and at the level of Navigational Assistant Gr.III (GP 2400) with educational qualification of Diploma in Electronics and Communication.

Posts of Head Light Keeper and Navigational Assistant Gr.II are fully promotional from the immediate lower grade.

Besides requesting for better pay scales, grant of Night Duty Allowance and Uniform Allowance has also been sought.

Analysis and Recommendations

While educational qualification is not the sole criterion for determination of pay, it is, nevertheless, one of the important criterion for doing so. Consequently, considering the educational qualification required and the job content of these posts, it is recommended that Light House Attendants should be upgraded to GP 1900, Navigational Assistant Gr.III to GP 2800, Navigational Assistant Gr.II to GP 4200 and Head Light Keeper to GP 4600. These posts, should, then be placed at proper levels in the pay matrix.