CBIC introduces weightage system for appointments under compassionate scheme

The CBIC has introduced a weightage points system for appointing persons on compassionate ground, based on criteria such as family income, dependents and remaining service period of the deceased.

The weightage points system, based on nine criteria, aims at ensuring objectivity, transparency and uniformity in the selection process for appointments on the compassionate ground.

Under the compassionate appointment scheme, the government appoints dependent family member of a government servant dying in harness or those who have retired on medical grounds, thereby leaving his or her family without any means of livelihood.

The instructions for such appointments are issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the CBIC has come out with the 'weightage points system' for its cadre under the broad guidelines of the personnel department.

Under the weightage system, points would be given for family pension, terminal benefits received by the family of the deceased government servant towards gratuity, General Provident Fund, National Pension System.

Weightage points will also be given for annual income of earning members, income from property, value of movable and immovable assets, remaining service tenure of the deceased, dependents (mother, father, spouse), unmarried daughters, minor children and dependent handicapped children.

In addition to the weightage points, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said preference will be given to the widow of a deceased official.

Giving reasons for formulating 'weightage points systems' for such appointment, the CBIC said that to achieve the objective of the scheme of appointment on compassionate grounds and to ensure complete transparency, merits of the case can be conveniently decided by allocating points to the applicants based on various attributes indicated in the reference of DoPT from time to time.

"Accordingly, the board has worked out a system for allocation of points for various attributes based on a hundred point scale," the CBIC said in a letter to its cadre controlling authorities.