7th Pay Commission: Let down in 2003 and 2014, how talks on salary hike broke down

New Delhi, May 16: The Central government while stating that there would be good news relating to the 7th Pay Commission indicated that several lakhs of its employees would get benefits.

OneIndia had reported that the Central Government employees who have been let down by the government are likely to get good news, but it would be in a phased manner.

The government has not made an announcement that the CG employees would have hoped, but owing to several constraints has doled out sops in a phased manner. The 9 lakh personnel of the Central Armed Forces are likely to get a big benefit as their demand to waive off taxes on Ration Money Allowance and Risk Hardship Allowance will be met soon.

All the personnel who do not have food in the mess receive RMA and the current rate for non-gazetted personnel is Rs 95.52 per day. In the case of the gazetted personnel it stands at Rs 79.93 per day.

Officials say that when it comes to CG employees there was a demand that the basic minimum pay be increased from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000. Sources say that there were several rounds of talks, but it broke down. No doubt there were assurances that there were made on several occasions, but nothing was implemented.

This would go on to show that the government was never serious about implementing the demand. However knowing fully well that this would affect the working of the CG employees, there were some sops that were announced. The government also had to keep in mind the anger of the large number of CG employees.

Analysts agree that this has been the worst recommendation made in the last 70 years. The BJP government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee ought to have constituted the pay panel in 2003 itself, but the same was not done. It was however done the following year.

The lapse of one year affected the CG employees a great deal. Had it been implemented in 2003 itself, the employees would have had a better hike. Instead the existing pay panel went on to recommend only a 15 per cent hike as opposed to the 20 per cent hike suggested by the earlier pay panels.

However sources also add that the new incentive offered by the government could come to the rescue of a few employees. Those employees who would acquire a degree or diploma of a three year duration or less or equivalent after getting into service will get a Rs 10,000 incentive.

PhD or equivalent: Rs 30,000, PG degree/diploma of duration of more than a year or equivalent: Rs 25,000, PG degree/diploma of duration of less than one year or equivalent: Rs 20,000, Degree/Diploma of duration of more than 3 years or equivalent: Rs 15,000, Degree/Diploma of duration of less than 3 years or equivalent: Rs 10,000.

While this could be considered to be as good news, the employees would continue waiting for some good news relating to the 7th Pay Commission. For this to happen, one would have to wait for another couple of months before the new dispensation is in place, officials say.