ISLAMABAD: The federal government employees of grade 17 and above will be enjoying facility of postpaid cellular connections from taxpayers pocket, it is learnt.

The federal government has allowed mobile telephone facility to thousands of employees of all federal ministries/divisions, attached departments and autonomous bodies working in grade 17 and above on regular basis, it is learnt.

Now the officers will be authorized to use postpaid mobile telephone facility with Rs500, Rs800 and Rs1,000 per month ceiling.

The government has revised the policy on use of mobile facility for grade 17 to 20 officers, which will be applicable from May 11, 2009. But the officers have been directed to arrange mobile phone set on their own expense.

The ceiling of landline office phone for BS-17 to BS-19 has been partially diverted to mobile phone ceiling.

The Office Memorandum regarding revised policy on mobile facility issued by the Cabinet Division to all ministries/divisions, a copy of which is available with The News, states that office telephone ceiling issued vide Cabinet Division’s O.M No. 3/10/2006/STC-RA-III dated Jan 5, 2007 has been partially revised.

The revised mobile phone policy and revised office ceiling on landline shall be applicable from May 11, 2009.

The revised policy states that for Joint Secretaries (BS-20) or equivalent in the Ministries/Divisions and Director General in the M/O Foreign Affairs, there will be no limit on office phone ceiling on landline number on monthly basis while mobile phone ceiling per month will be at Rs1,000. According to the revised policy, there will be no limit on office landline phone numbers for officers in grade 20.

For Deputy Secretaries (BS-19) or equivalent in the Ministries/Divisions and Director in the M/O Foreign Affairs, the office landline limit was Rs8,221 plus line rent which was now revised downward to Rs7,421 plus line rent on monthly basis. The mobile ceiling has been allowed in the range of Rs800 per month.

For Section Officers (BS-17 and BS-18) or equivalent in the Ministries/Divisions and Assistant Director/Deputy Directors in the M/O Foreign Affairs, the office landline ceiling was revised downward from Rs6,711 per month to Rs6,211 per month. The mobile phone ceiling has been allowed to the tune of Rs500 per month.

All entitled officers of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Ministries posted in Pakistan Missions abroad are authorized 25 per cent of combined ceiling (office and residential telephone) for use of mobile phone.

Facility of roaming mobile phone has been extended to Secretaries, Additional Secretaries, heads of attached departments and autonomous organization who are in or equivalent to BS-21 and BS-22.

Excess expenditures beyond ceiling on roaming mobile phone up to 25 per cent will be condoned by the concerned Principle Accounting Officers (PAO), the OM of Cabinet Division states. The Cabinet Secretary on the recommendations of the concerned PAO will condone the excess expenditures up to 50 per cent. Cases for condonation excess expenditures beyond 50 per cent will be submitted to the Prime Minister with full justifications.

Only postpaid billing would be admissible for use of mobile phone. The facility allowed to officers in BS-20 and below will also be subject to the condition that the officers will arrange the equipments (mobile phone set) at their own. The officers will be allowed to have connection of any mobile company.

When Secretary Establishment Division, Ismail Qureshi was contacted for seeking his comments on Friday night, he said that he did not know about the rationale behind this decision as Cabinet Division high-ups could explain it. To another query about the numbers of officers in the federal government in grade 17 and above, he said that there are thousands of officers who fall in this category.