7th Pay Commission Latest News: No ‘Achhe Din’ for govt employees, no hike in basic pay, fatter allowances likely

It simply means, the National Anomaly Committee or Committee on Allowances won't suggest or approve any changes in the basic pay or allowance against the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

New Delhi, Nov 1: The ‘Committee on Allowances’, headed by Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, is yet to submit its report on fatter allowances recommended by the 7th Pay Commission, however the Finance Ministry sources said the government won’t consider any change in 7th Pay Commission recommendations. Sources confirmed that there will be no changes in basic pay and allowances recommended by the 7th Pay Commission. It simply means, the National Anomaly Committee or Committee on Allowances won’t suggest or approve any changes in the basic pay or allowance against the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

Sources in the Finance Ministry have made it clear that the National Anomaly Committee on behalf of the government won’t consider any hike in basic pay and fatter allowances recommended by the 7th Pay Commission. The latest development contradicts with what Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had promised. Those who will hope over these issues will gain nothing but no change on 7th Pay Commission recommendations of pay scales and allowances are very much possible, said sources. (ALSO READ: 7th Pay Commission: Notification of fatter allowance to be issued in November, arrears to be paid from August)

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had promised the government would consider the demand of an increase in basic pay and allowances of the central government employees. The government had said it will form a High Level Committee to review the new pa scales. However no such committee has been formed till date. Instead, the government formed a 22-member National Anomaly Committee headed by Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to look into various pay related anomalies arising out of the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations.

Sources said the government has decided to stick to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission on basic pay and allowances. They also confirmed that the ‘Committee on Allowances’ won’t suggest any hike and is likely to stick with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. The 7th Pay Commission notification confirmed that central government employees will get 14.27 per cent hike in basic pay at junior levels, which is the lowest in 70 years. The Cabinet also approved the increase in minimum pay Rs 18,000 from existing Rs 7,000. The 7th pay commission had recommended abolition of 51 allowances and subsuming 37 others out of 196 allowances.