ISLAMABAD: The government has approved amendments to rules of the Federal Employees Benevolent and Group Insurance Fund Rules, 1972 meant to encourage outstanding children of federal employees.
The Federal Employees Benevolent and Group Insurance Funds (FEB & GIF) is a self-contributory fund recouped by nominal subscription of Federal Government employees. It disburses eleven benefits under its welfare schemes to the employees of the Federal Government, the Parliament, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Election Commission of Pakistan and the employees of specified autonomous bodies.
The affairs of the FEB & GIF are administered through a Board of Trustees (BOT), headed by the Establishment Secretary.
Under the benevolent schemes of FEB & GIF educational stipend and reimburse semester/annual fee are regulated under Rules 25 and 25-A of FEB & GIF, Rules, 1972, respectively. Re-imbursement of semester/annual fee up to a maximum of Rs. 100,000 per annum is made to every employee for professional education (degree programme) of his or her two children in a year who get admission on merit in Medical Engineering, Architecture, IT, D Pharmacy and Business Studies except PhD in the public sector universities, colleges and institutes, recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
Under the benevolent schemes of FEB&GIF after receiving several cases where the employees submit claims for reimbursement on another degree of the same level despite earlier educational stipend and reimbursement of semester/annual fee are regulated under Rules 25 and 25-A in the same category; and the following proposal in 106th meeting of BOT, held on June 13, 2017, was moved for consideration and approval.
“Rule 25 and Rule 25-A of FEB & GIF Rules, 1972 may be amended in such a way that payment of educational stipend and reimbursement of fee may be restricted to only one degree at each level i.e. for graduation and Masters/MS/MPhil equivalent.
A recent meeting of Cabinet Committee on Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) was briefed that the BOT was apprised in the same meeting that FEB & GIF reimburses the fee under Business Studies/Medical field for degree programmes of Business Administration and BS/MS (Accounting and Finance), MBBS and BDS. Cases of MS (Project Management) were also being received for reimbursement of fee with the request to consider MS (Project Management) as a business degree.
The matter was taken up with the HEC whether MS (Project Management) was a business degree or otherwise HEC informed that MS Project Management along with 22 other disciplines fell under Business Education. Reckoning of all the 22 programmes under Business Studies would put additional burden on the limited resources of FEB & GIF. It was, therefore, proposed to the BOT that degree programmes of Medical, Engineering, IT and Business Studies may be clearly defined and necessary amendments in Rule 25-A may be made accordingly. The proposed draft notification for proposed rules has been approved by BOT which has also been vetted by the Law & Justice Division.
During discussion, the members of the CCLC observed that in the proposed amendment of rule 25, the expression ‘outstanding children’, without indicating complete context, was misleading in nature. It was proposed that prior to the expression “outstanding children”, the word ‘academically’ be inserted. The members also observed that it has not been mentioned in rule 25-A that payment on account of the reimbursement/annual fees will also be made. It was proposed that the payment may be made once a student is promoted to next semester.
The Chairman, while referring to various judgments /orders of the superior courts, apprised that the notification, attached with the summary, cannot take a retrospective effect; it was advised that the notification be amended to take effect from the date of issuance. The members of CCLC endorsed the proposal of Chairman.
After detailed discussion the CCLC approved the proposed amendments in rule 25 and 25A of the FEB & GIF Rules 1972 with the stipulation that rule 25 the word “academically” be inserted before the word ‘outstanding’.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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