7th Pay Commission: PM Narendra Modi to personally intervene into issue of arrears and allowances

New Delhi: Even as lakhs of central government employees are keenly waiting for the announcement on allowance and arrears as per the recommendation of the 7th Pay Commission, nothing concrete seems to be happening on ground.

The anxious employees however have pinned their hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As per fresh reports in the media, PM Modi might personally intervene into issue of arrears and allowances.

Meanwhile media reports are also pouring that the update on allowances as recommended by the 7th Pay Commission will be out by June 1.

The Cabinet secretary has purportedly assured that the deadline to look into the report on the allowances committee has been set for the month end and by June 1 the update might be announced.

Consequently, the report will be sent to the Cabinet for consideration.

As per news reports, the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) set up to screen the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations on allowances was supposed place the proposal before the Cabinet this week, however nothing of that sort happened.

Media reports also say that PM would wait for the suggestions made by the E-CoS before personally intervening into the matter.

The Lavasa Committee on April 28 suggested modifications in some allowances applicable universally to all employees and also for those in specific categories, including railways and defence, after examining the 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

Last month, the Union Cabinet approved important proposals relating to modifications in the 7th CPC (Central Pay Commission) recommendations on pay and pensionary benefits in the course of their implementation.

The benefit of the proposed modifications will be available with effect from 1st January, 2016, i.e., the date of implementation of 7th CPC recommendations. With the increase approved by the Cabinet, the annual pension bill alone of the Central Government is likely to be Rs 1,76,071 crore.

There are about 47 lakh central government employees.

While recommendations of the CPC on pay and pension were implemented with the approval of the Cabinet, allowances continued to be paid at old rates.

The CPC had recommended that of a total of 196 allowances, 52 be abolished altogether and 36 be abolished as separate identities by subsuming them in another allowance.