20% salary hike on cards for Punjab govt staffers

CHANDIGARH: The 6th Punjab Pay Commission has recommended a two-fold increase in salaries of all employees over the previous pay panel, with increase in minimum pay from Rs 6,950 to Rs 18,000 per month, with retrospective effect from January 1, 2016.

The pay panel headed by retired chief secretary Jai Singh Gill, which submitted its report to chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday, has suggested substantial hikes in salary and other major benefits, and also substantial increase in allowances for government employees. The average increment in salaries and pensions of employees is expected to be in the range of 20%, with salaries in for a 2.59 times increase after merger of dearness allowance (DA) over the 5th pay commission recommendations, according to a spokesperson of the chief minister’s office (CMO).

The commission has also recommended abolition of all types of special pay and any add-ons in the basic pay by any nomenclature, besides rationalisation of the cabinet sub-committee in 2011 when pay scales were revised upwards following protests against the recommendations of the 5th pay panel.

Finance dept to study report within two weeks

The report, which was submitted to Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday, has been sent to the finance department for detailed study and directions for placing it before the cabinet this month for further action. A senior official said the commission has tried to align basic pay struc