RBE No. 165/1999: Appointment on Compassionate Grounds – Staff Dying as Bachelor/ Spinster – Clarification

No.E(NG)-II/99/RC-1/SE-19, dated 05.08.1999
(SC No.34 to MC No.16)

Sub: Appointment on Compassionate Grounds of dependents of Railway employee dying as bachelor/ spinster – Clarification thereof.

1. In terms of Board letter No.E(NG)-II/88/RC-1/1 Policy, dated 04.09.1996 (RBE No. 79/1996), the dependent of a Bachelor/ Spinster Railway employee dying in harness may be considered for compassionate appointment by the railway at its own level, subject to the condition that the candidate proposed for appointment is shown as dependent on the ex-employee as per the pass declaration.

Further, Board, vide letters No.E(NG)-II/88/RC-1/1 Plocy, dated 02.05.1997 (RBE No. 66A/1997) and 02.06.1997 (RBE No. 76/1997), in partial modification to Board’s letter dated 04.09.1996 (RBE No. 79/1996),

have decided that the Railway should verify the genuineness of the claim of the candidate regarding his dependence on the Railway employee dying as Bachelor/ Spinster, on the basis of various documents such as pass declaration, Ration card etc.

In the absence of any such documentary proof, the factual position regarding the extent of the dependency may be got verified by deputing a Welfare Inspector to enquire into the circumstances.

2. One of the Zonal Railways has raised the following points:-

(i) As per Railway servants Pass Rules, every employee has to submit a family declaration for the purpose of Pass/ PTO, showing the composition of his family. In case of employees whose father is not alive, such declaration may also inter-alia contain names of dependents in the declaration.

The names of the dependents may not be reflected in such declarations where father is alive or where the dependent brother has crossed 21 years of age by the time the declaration is submitted. Cases are not uncommon that even though the father is alive, the entire family constituting consisting of father, mother, brothers are solely dependent on the earnings of the Bachelor son/ daughter, due to the fact that the father is either invalid or non-pensioner. Hence, it would be justified to link the pass declaration for considering the dependency before extending the employment assistance on the death of the bachelor employee. Dependency should be verified by deputing a Welfare Inspector to enquire into the circumstances of the case.

(ii) The waiting period of 5 years in case of minor dependent of Bachelor/ Spinster Railway employees may be allowed to be considered for relaxation, as in the case of minor children of the Railway employee who dies in harness.

3. The above points have been considered by the Board and the clarifications thereon are as under:-

(i) It has already been provided for in Board’s letter dated 04.09.1996 (RBE No. 79/1996) read with its letter dated 02.05.1997 (RBE No. 66A/1997) and 02.06.1997 (RBE No. 76/1997) that dependency may be established through documentary proof such as Pass Declaration, Ration Card, etc.

or otherwise by deputing a Welfare Inspector to enquire into the circumstances. The condition of inclusion in the pass declaration is only a facilitating factor and not intended to be a respective one, i.e. in case the dependency of the candidate is not covered by the pass declaration, the dependency may be established through Ration Card or through Welfare Inspector’s investigations.

(ii) As regards relaxation of the waiting period up to 5 years in case of minor dependent of bachelor/ spinster employee, attention is invited to the last para of Board’s letter dated 04.09.1996 (RBE No. 79/1996) wherein it has been is stipulated that all appointments will be subject to fulfillment of the condition contained in the extant instructions governing appointment on compassionate grounds. In other words, the relaxation of time limit permissible in the case of minor children of those employees who die in harness would also apply in the case of dependents of those who die as bachelor/ spinsters.

[This also disposes of South Eastern Railway’s letter No.P/Comp./Poly/Pt.V/loose/1612, dated 08/09.09.1998]