Coal news and updates

Cabinet approval for PRP expected by Jan

November 14: The much-awaited approval by the Union Cabinet for Coal India officers’ demand for performance-linked pay (PRP) may come within the next two months, informed sources told ICMW.

“In the normal course, the Cabinet approval could take four-five months, but the coal ministry (MoC) has sought early approval in view of the long pendency of the demand,” the sources said.

“Recently, two top officials of MoC held talks with the Cabinet Secretary and asked to expedite the matter. We hope the proposal may be cleared in the next one-two months,” the sources said.

The PRP proposal had been cleared by the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) by April and the coal ministry had prepared a Cabinet Note for the purpose. However, the issue was postponed in view of the code of conduct that came into force before the May elections.

“Once the Cabinet approval is obtained,” they said, “there will be no further obstacle and the proposal may be implemented right away.”

Earlier, the officers association had staged a token strike in March to press for their demand.