28 August, 2008

Govt. to issue Sixth Pay Commission notification tomorrow (www.khabrein.info)

By Khabrein.Info Correspondent
New Delhi, Aug 28: The Union government is set to issue the notification of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation tomorrow. This would be the final stamp on sixth pay commission recommendations and it would come into effect.

Around 5.5 million central government employees have been anxiously waiting for the day to come. It has been a long and eventful journey for the sixth pay commission and besides hope gave several anxious moments to a number of people.
But finally it is all set to be implemented, thankfully it will be done tomorrow.
Sixth pay commission has been waited like no other pay commission. At the time of increasing inflation and unprecedented price rise, the recommendations give hope to hundreds of thousands of government employees. It increases the pay package of government employees by approximately 25 percent.
The notification will not only clear the air but the central government employees will also be in a better position to figure out the details and will know precisely what they are going to get as their final payments.
Besides they would be able to know clearly the allowances and other benefits that sixth pay commission awards them.
The final draft that the union cabinet approved on 14th August had been improved upon by the government. Several grouses of different sections of the employees were taken into account, particularly the grouses of army officials were considered and anomalies removed.
The reports point out that the first installment of arrears will be paid to central government employees in September itself giving a much needed relief to hundreds of thousands of central government employees.
The wage hike would increasee the financial implication for the Centre by Rs 17,798 crore annually and the arrears with effect from January 2006 would cost Rs 29,373 crore, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. The financial implication of Pay Commission on the General Budget would be Rs 15,717 crore and Rs 6414 crore on Railway Budget in 2008-09. The government’s present salary bill is over Rs 70,000 crore and the pension bill is over Rs 30,000 crore.
6th Pay Commission Highlights
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. The revised pay scales will come into effect from 1/1/2006 and revised rates of allowances from 1/9/2008. The Cabinet has also decided that arrears will be paid in cash in two instalments – first instalment of 40% during the current year (2008-09) and the remaining 60% in the next financial year (2009-10).
6th Pay Commission: govt. employees in Chattisgarh to go on strike
Salient features of 6th Pay Commission
2. The Cabinet has broadly accepted the recommendations of Sixth CPC with some modifications in the wake of representations received from various sections/Associations of Central Government employees. The new system of four Pay Bands with 20 Grade Pays recommended by the Commission has been accepted with some minor modifications.
3. The minimum Basic Pay for a Government servant has been increased to Rs.7000 from Rs.6660 recommended by the Sixth CPC. Consequently, the total emoluments of an employee at the lowest level will exceed Rs.10,000 p.m., including allowances.
4. The other highlights of the Cabinet decision covering all Government employees including the Defence Forces are:-
(i) Enhancement in the fitment in revised pay bands, which was recommended by the Sixth CPC to be based on multiplication factor of 1.74 to 1.86. This would result in increased emoluments for Government employees.
(ii) Increase in the rate of annual increment from 2.5% to 3%.
(iii) Removal of Campus restriction for grant of Transport Allowance.
(iv) Increase in Transport Allowance at the lowest level to Rs.600 (from Rs.400 in A-1/A class cities recommended by the Sixth CPC) and Rs.400 (from Rs.300 in other cities recommended by the Sixth CPC).
(v) At least three promotions have been assured for all Defence Forces’ personnel and civilian employees under the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme. While the civilians would get it after 10, 20 and 30 years of service, the Defence Forces Jawans would get ACP in 8, 16 and 24 years.
5. For the Armed Forces personnel, the Commission, for the first time recommended a Military Service Pay (MSP). The Cabinet has increased the rate of MSP for PBORs to Rs.2000 from Rs.1000 recommended by the Commission. The Officers of the Defence Forces would get an MSP of Rs.6000 over and above their Pay.
6. The middle level officers of the Defence Forces namely Colonels and Brigadiers have been placed in the highest Pay Band of PB-4.
7. Senior Lt. Generals overlooked for promotion as Army Commanders due to lack of residual service would now get the grade of Army Commander (Secretary’s grade). In the case of existing Major Generals/Lt. Generals, MSP will be taken into account notionally for fixation of pay on 1/1/2006.
8. As replacement of the pay scale of Rs.24050-26000, a separate pay scale has been carved for DGPs, PCCFs, GM (Railways), members of the Boards of Income Tax, Customs & Central Excise, Postal and Ordnance Factories, among others, who were in this pre-revised scale. This would take them to the level of Rs.80000 in two years as against three years in the pre-revised scale.
9. Further, the IPS Pay Rules and the Indian Forest Service Pay Rules will be appropriately modified to provide in each State cadre one post of DGP and one post of PCCF at the apex level of Rs.80000 for heading their respective Forces.
10. Middle level Police and Civilian officers i.e. DIGs, Conservator of Forests, Scientists E & F, Superintending Engineers, Directors, Additional Commissioners of Income Tax and Central Excise and posts in equivalent grades have also been placed in PB-4.
11. Other salient decisions taken by the Cabinet are:-
(i) The lower limits of Disability Pension for Defence personnel to be doubled from Rs.1550 to Rs.3100. War Disability Pension to be granted at 60%;
(ii) The rates of Special Forces Allowance for Army and Air Force to be equated with navy’s Marine Commando Allowance;
(iii) For the officers of Central Para Military Forces, all the posts of Additional DIG upgraded to DIG level by the Pay Commission to continue to be manned by the cadre officers of CPMFs;
(iv) For the Railway employees who are in receipt of Running Allowance, this allowance will be taken into account while fixing their pay in revised pay bands;
(v) Government has continued the present position of granting Group A scale to Group B officers after 4 years of service and these officers would be placed in PB-3 instead of PB-2 recommended by the Sixth CPC. This would benefit Group B officers of the Railways, Accounts Services, CSS, CSSS and DANICS & DANIPS.
(vi) For Doctors, the Cabinet has approved promotions under the Dynamic ACP Scheme upto Senior Administrative Grade (Joint Secretary level) for Doctors with 20 years of service. Counting of Dearness Allowance (DA) on Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) as on 01.01.2006 for fixing their pay in revised pay bands has also been approved;
(vii) For the scientists, continuation of the existing system of grant of Special Pay of Rs.2000 p.m. to Scientists G on promotion and doubling of the amount to Rs.4000 p.m. in Departments of Space and Atomic Energy and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has been recommended.
12. The financial implications in 2008-09 on account of the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission as modified by the Cabinet will be around Rs.15700 crore on the Central Budget and Rs.6400 crore on the Railway Budget.
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