Byline: Yudhvir Rana

AMRITSAR: They may be at the top of Indian bureaucratic ladder, but what civil servants earn is not even the tip of the corporate iceberg. After nearly 12 years in service, a deputy commissioner-level officer reportedly takes home Rs 20,000 per month - an amount that

The wise may point towards 'perks' that the IAS gentry enjoy. But the fat salary packages that the men and women in the boardroom take home is enough to cause a sense of despondency among the babus, and seemingly even affect their performance.

And there is no better example to illustrate this than the recent case where Ropar DC AK Sinha submitted his resignation. Though he stated 'personal' reasons behind the move, Sinha is said to have been offered a handsome package in his home state by a private firm.

With the report of the Sixth Pay Commission for Central government employees and Armed forces likely to be submitted in April, the IAS lobby in Punjab is hopeful of an increase in salary.

"There are rumours that the pay package may be doubled. Otherwise, there is no dearth of offers from the private sector," shared an IAS officer, who spoke to TOI on the condition of anonymity. He added that the perks that they receive are merely tools to perform the duties assigned to them.

The officiating president of Punjab IAS Officers' Association, JR Kundal, is more realistic. "The pay packages of 140 IAS officers in Punjab cannot be at par with those of the private sector."

However, he too, hopes for an improvement in this direction. "We are not into the business of production where company bosses just want to see the profit graph rise.

The focus in on taking measures for people's welfare and delivering justice," he said, adding that there could be no comparison between the bureaucracy and the corporate world. Kundal also disregarded any exodus of IAS officers into the boardroom and said,

"There is a sense of satisfaction after delivering services to the people - working for their welfare." For him, there is only one glitch - the youth joining the services expect heavy pay packages.

Take the case of another IAS official who has dedicated 17 years of his life to the civil services. He gets Rs 24,000 per month whereas his nephew, who recently joined a private firm, pockets Rs 50,000 per month.

Preferring to maintain anonymity, he said, "We are hopeful of an increase in salaries in the pay commission report. This will also encourage the youth to join civil services. Otherwise, the government will find it difficult to find efficient bureaucrats."

"Persons of our calibre draw anything between Rs 2-4 lakh per month in the corporate sector and we are just living hand-to-mouth," he told TOI. Meanwhile, Amritsar DC Kahan Singh Pannu said the IAS officers were hopeful of an increase in their pay package, especially keeping in view the same drawn by those in private sector.