• The issue of grant of Special Pay, two additional increments and Professional Update Allowance (PUA) to Scientists of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been examined in detail by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its 34^th Report (2025-26), tabled in Parliament. The PAC has noted that while the Ministry of Finance had, in January 2001, approved these incentives for CSIR, subject to certain conditions, including that additional financial implications would be met from CSIR’s own resources, CSIR could not maintain a separate identifiable head to monitor such expenditure. However, CSIR has stated before PAC that it has been regularly deploying internal resources to supplement Government grants to meet any shortfalls in salary and establishment expenditure, including incentives.

 

• PAC has observed that CSIR, while implementing the Sixth Central Pay Commission, revised the rates of these incentives on the pattern of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) without obtaining explicit prior approval of the Department of Expenditure (DoE). CSIR has submitted that the revision was adopted with approval of its Governing Body, and that proposals seeking concurrence of the Ministry of Finance/Department of Expenditure for regularisation of these incentives are presently under examination in DoE.

 

• No instance of pilfering of public funds or deliberate fraud has been established. The matter pertains to procedural and approval-related issues in the implementation of incentive schemes, which have been examined by the PAC, and the issue is currently under consideration of the Department of Expenditure for regularization.

 

• In line with the recommendations of the PAC, CSIR has sought the concurrence of the Ministry of Finance/Department of Expenditure for the regularisation of the incentives. The proposals submitted by CSIR are under examination in DoE. Further action, if any, will be taken in accordance with the outcome of this examination and applicable rules.

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NKR/AK

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