Delhi doubles pay for disaster management staff

Recognising frontline public service often begins with fair compensation.

The Delhi Government has approved a significant salary hike for employees working under the Delhi State Disaster Management Authority (DSDMA).

The decision, announced by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, raises remuneration by up to 100 per cent for eligible personnel. As a result, hundreds of disaster management workers will receive long-awaited financial relief.

The revised pay structure covers DSDMA staff, Project Officers (POs), District Project Officers (DPOs), and Project Coordinators (PCs).

However, the increase will vary according to the employee’s role and category. Some personnel are expected to see their salaries nearly double under the new revision.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the move as a long-overdue correction. According to her, these employees have supported Delhi’s disaster management system since 2009 without receiving any revision in remuneration.

Therefore, the government decided to address the issue after 16 years of unchanged pay.

The Chief Minister explained that these posts were created in 2009 with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Since then, Project Officers and District Project Officers have continued receiving ₹25,000 per month.

Meanwhile, Project Coordinators have remained on a monthly remuneration of ₹20,000. Despite rising inflation, their salaries stayed unchanged throughout this period.

Moreover, disaster management responsibilities have expanded considerably over the years. Emergency response, disaster preparedness, and coordination duties have become increasingly demanding.

Nevertheless, the remuneration structure failed to reflect these additional responsibilities or changing economic conditions.

Rekha Gupta also pointed out that these positions were never linked to the regular government pay structure or any equivalent pay scale.

Consequently, employees missed the benefits of periodic revisions available to many other government staff.

The latest decision aims to correct that imbalance and recognise the contribution of disaster management personnel.

Furthermore, the salary revision is expected to improve employee morale and strengthen the state’s emergency response system.

By enhancing financial security, the government hopes to acknowledge the commitment of workers who have played a vital role in protecting the capital during emergencies for more than a decade.

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