Government notifies revised pay grades for employees and pensioners

NEW DELHI: The government has notified a 2.57-time hike in basic salary of one crore government employees and pensioners following implementation of the 7th Pay Commission Recommendations.

The recommendations, which will cost the exchequer annually Rs1.02 lakh crore, were notified in a gazette on Monday. The minimum pay in central government with effect from January 1, 2016 will now be Rs18,000 per month, up form Rs7,000 per month. At the highest level of Cabinet Secretary, the salary would go up from Rs90,000 a month to Rs2.5 lakh. “With regard to fixation of pay of the employee in the new Pay Matrix as on 1st day of January, 2016, the existing pay (Pay in Pay Band plus Grade Pay) in the pre-revised structure as on 31st day of December, 2015 shall be multiplied by a factor of 2.57,” the notification said. There shall be two dates for grant of increment - January 1 and July 1 every year - instead of the existing July 1 only.

Employees will be entitled to only one annual increment on either of these two dates depend- ing on the date of appointment, promotion or grant of financial upgradation, it said.

The Union Cabinet had last month accepted the recommendation of Justice A K Mathur headed panel in respect of the hike in basic pay and pension but a decision on its suggestions relating to allowances has been referred to a Committee headed by Finance Secretary. The Pay Commission had recommended abolition of 53 out of 196 allowances that the government employees currently get and moderation in several others. “Till a final decision on allowances is taken based on the recommendations of this Committee, all allowances will continue to be paid at existing rates in existing pay structure, as if the pay had not been revised with effect from January 1, 2016,” it said

The recommendations cover 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners.

This include 14 lakh serving employees and 18 lakh pensioners in defence forces.

The Committee will submit its report within a period of four months.