House
Rent Allowance to Central Government employees is now calculated on the basis
of the population census of 2001. The
cities and towns are classified as X, Y, and Z, based on their population.
Employees in these towns are eligible for 30%, 20% and 10% House Rent
Allowances respectively.
Population
census is conducted once every ten years. The most recent census was held in
2011. Official information and findings of the Census was sent by the registrar
General & Census Commissioner to the Finance Ministry a long time ago.
It is
well known that the Confederation Secretary General had recently sent a letter to the Finance Ministry reiterating
that the House rent Allowance must be recalculated on the basis of the new
Census-2011 report.
Based on
the 2001 Census, Central Government employees residing in towns with population
of more than 50 lakhs are given a House Rent Allowance of 30% of their basic
pay. Employees living in towns with population of more than 5 lakhs are given
House Rent Allowance of 20%. Those living in all the other towns are given a
HRA of 10%.
Similarly,
Transportation Allowance too is given in two categories A-1, A, and Other
places. 13 towns are currently classified as A-1 and A categories.
The
general feeling is that the demand for the revision of HRA based on the
Population Census 2011 should come from all sides.
Take the
cities of Ahmadabad and Pune, for example. Populations in these towns have
crossed the 50 lakh mark (Ahmadabad’s population is 63,52,254; and Pune’s
population is 50,49,968). Similarly, according to Census 2011, the population
of many smaller towns have crossed the 5 lakh mark. There is no doubt that a
revision of House Rent Allowance based on the 2011 Population Census will
benefit hundreds of thousands of employees.
Click
here for the details of the population and town classifications, based on the
Population Census that is now in force. Urban Agglomerations &
Towns...
Here is
the difference in the Population Census of 2001 and 2011 for some of the major
cities:
CITY
|
POPULATION
2001 CENSUS |
POPULATION
2011 CENSUS |
DELHI (UA)
|
1,28,77,470
|
1,63,14,838
|
GREATER MUMBAI (UA)
|
1,64,34,386
|
1,84,14,288
|
KOLKATA (UA)
|
1,32,05,697
|
1,41,12,536
|
CHENNAI (UA)
|
65,60,242
|
86,96,010
|
BENGALURU (UA)
|
57,01,446
|
84,99,399
|
HYDERABAD (UA)
|
57,42,036
|
68,09,970
|
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