New Delhi, Aug 30 : Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K Saxena on Wednesday ruled that the benefits of Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) Scheme must be given to retired principals, EOs, DEOs, DDEs of the Education Department. The L-G office said that they would be entitled to draw salary in the higher grade pay from the date of implementation of the scheme i.e. September 1, 2008 or their respective entitlement, whichever is later. The L-G has also directed the Education Department to release the financial benefits to these retired officers, along with admissible arrears, immediately. "This decision of L-G will pave way for grant of financial benefits to similarly placed employees of other departments also," the L-G office said. It said that despite these retired officers being eligible for financial upgradation from year 2008 and their eligibility upheld by various courts and even by Supreme Court, these officers had to go through trauma and harassment all these years for no fault of theirs due to indifferent and inhuman attitude of the Education Department. They would now be getting their due benefits pending for 15 years. 'L-G overruling a file in this regard submitted for his approval to move the Supreme Court against the petitioner government servants, observed that once it is settled and agreed to grant benefits of financial upgradation under MACP Scheme w.e.f. a certain date, it is against the principle of natural justice and the MACP Scheme guidelines that actual benefits are denied by refusing arrears admissible in law.' The L-G office said that in order to provide relief to government employees due to stagnation in their post, government of India had brought MACP Scheme effective from 2008 under which financial upgradations are granted to government employees after completion of ten, twenty and thirty years of their service. 'The benefits under the scheme are granted from the date an employee becomes eligible and he is also eligible for arrears on the benefits in case of delays.' It is also noted that financial upgradation under MACP Scheme cannot be equated with prospective benefits of regular promotion as the benefits under MACP Scheme are incentives in nature where employees are entitled to the benefits from the date they become eligible or the date notified by the government for the implementation of the scheme, whichever is later. The L-G officer directed that the administrative department may accordingly modify its SLP filed in the Supreme Court by limiting the same to the extent of admissibility of interest on arrears only and not the arrears. /IANS