7th Pay Commission Award Awaits Cabinet Approval

Indian Military Veterans
New Delhi: The 7th Pay Commission award, which is likey to be finalized by the Empowered Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, awaits the approval of the Union Cabinet.

It may come up in the Cabinet meetings later this month, say sources.

The Cabinet meetings later this month is understood to approve the proposal of Empowered Committee of Secretaries, which has been constituted to look into the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission for cabinet nod.

The Empowered Committee is likely to recommend a substantial pay hike which could be up to 30 per cent or even more, said sources on Thursday.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will soon place 7th Pay Commission award before the Cabinet for approval after receiving the Empowered Committee’s report.

The meeting of the Empowered Committee took place on Tuesday and further meetings are likely to be held soon to give final touch to the matters related to 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is also directing the Empowered Committee of Secretaries to recommend sufficient pay for central government employees to determine if it’s enough for them to survive.

The PMO told the Empowered Committee, “sufficient to provide for the life and health of central government employees,” say sources.

The Empowered Committee is likely to recommend a minimum basic pay at Rs 24,000 and the highest salary at Rs 2,70,000 and they also likely to recommend for doubling of existing rates of allowances and advances.

However, the 7th Pay Commission had recommended a minimum monthly basic salary of Rs. 18,000 and maximum Rs. 2,50,000. A 30 percent increase would translate into minimum basic salary of Rs. 23,400 and maximum at Rs. 3,25,000, respectively.

The sources said it was ‘natural’ for the Empowered Committee to recommend higher basic pay proposed than 7th Pay Commission. “It also happened before.”

The previous Sixth Pay Commission had recommended a 20 per cent hike in basic pay which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008, they added.

“Central government employees could get the revised pay and allowances from their August salaries and arrears are to be paid ahead of festive season of Dussehra in one installment,” sources said.

The sources told The Sen Times that the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will soon place 7th Pay Commission award before the Cabinet for approval after receiving the Empowered Committee’s report.

TST