Secretaries committee submits report on 7th Pay Commission, govt to soon announce it

Secretaries committee submits report on 7th Pay Commission, govt to soon announce it

New Delhi:The government is likely to soon announce the implementation of 7th Pay Commission that would hike the salaries and allowances for over 1 crore government employees and pensioners by at least 23.5 per cent.

A Secretaries committee headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha has submitted its report on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which may be accepted, a financial ministry official said.

Based on the panel’s report, the Finance Ministry is preparing a Cabinet note and the issue may come up for approval by the Cabinet as early as June 29.

“Committee of Secretaries (CoS) has finalised its report on Pay Commission recommendations… We will soon (file) draft Cabinet note based on the report,” Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa said here today.

The government had in January set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of nearly 50 lakh central government employees and 58 lakh pensioners.

The Pay Commission had recommended 23.55 per cent overall hike in salaries, allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore or nearly 0.7 per cent of the GDP.

The panel recommended a 14.27 per cent increase in basic pay, the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6th Pay Commission had recommended a 20 per cent hike which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008.

The 23.55 per cent increase includes hike in allowances.

The entry level pay has been recommended to be raised to Rs 18,000 per month from current Rs 7,000 while the maximum pay, drawn by the Cabinet Secretary, has been fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh per month from current Rs 90,000.

Sources said the secretaries’ panel may have recommended higher pay increase, with minimum entry level pay at Rs 23,500 a month and maximum salary of Rs 3.25 lakh.

While the Budget for 2016-17 fiscal did not provide an explicit provision for implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, the government had said the once-in-a-decade pay hike for government employees has been built in as interim allocation for different ministries.

Around Rs 70,000 crore has been provisioned for it, officials said.

Lavasa said the 7th Pay Commission report will be effective from January 1.

PTI

Punjab govt to release DA arrears

Punjab govt to release DA arrears

Chandigarh: The SAD-BJP government in poll- bound Punjab today announced its decision to release arrears of Dearness Allowance (DA) to the employees and pensioners in cash. Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said the arrears of DA with effect from July 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015 at the rate of 7 per cent and arrears with effect from January 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014 at the rate of 10 per cent shall be given to employees and pensioners of the state government in cash.

Dhindsa said 50 per cet of the DA arrears from July 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015 at the rate of 7 per cent shall be paid during the second quarter of financial year 2016-17 which is from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2016 and pending 50 per cent of this arrears shall be paid during the third quarter of financial year 2016-17 –from October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.

Likewise, the 50 per cent of the DA arrears from January 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015 at the rate of 10 per cent shall be paid during the fourth quarter of financial year which means from January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017 and the rest of the 50 per cent of this arrears shall be paid during the first quarter of financial year 2017-18 which is from April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017. He said the notification in this regard has been issued today.

PTI

Online system to check delay in pension soon: Govt

Online system to check delay in pension soon: Govt

New Delhi: All Central government ministries will soon be connected to an online system to ensure quick grant of pension and check any delay in its disbursal.

Besides, the Centre has decided that all Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) will be digitised.

Addressing a conference of pensioners association, Union Minister Jitendra Singh suggested an institutionalised mechanism to make good use of the knowledge, experience and efforts of retired employees which can help in the value addition to the current scenario.

“All central ministries and departments will be linked to the online Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System Bhavishya very soon,” he said.

With this step, the pension release will be expedited and it will also help in quick resolution of pending issues, the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said.

Singh said India has a large number of pensioners and to make best use of them is a “challenge”.

“Retired employees are a healthy and productive workforce for India and we need to streamline and channelise their energies in a productive direction. We should learn from the pensioners’ experience,” he said addressing the 28th Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) here.

Singh said that a focused approach and emphatic attitude need to be developed towards the pensioners.

Earlier, C Viswanath, the Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, directed that the Pension Payment Order (PPOs) sbe digitised.

The online Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System Bhavishya’ has introduced transparency and accountability into the pension sanction and payment process, thereby helping eliminate delays and bring satisfaction to the retiring employees and pensioners.

The system keeps retiring employees and administration informed of the progress of pension sanction process through SMS and e-mail.

In the year 2015-16, the scheme was scaled up and will eventually cover all 9,000 Drawing and Disbursal Offices (DDOs) in the country, the Secretary added.

PTI

7th Pay Commission – Cabinet may approve 7th CPC report on 29th June 2016 – Prime Minister directed the Finance Ministry to implement the 7th Pay Commission – Media reports say

With the threat of strike by central government employees looming large, the Cabinet is expected to take a prompt decision

 

7th Pay Commission – Cabinet may approve 7th CPC report on 29th June 2016 – Prime Minister directed the Finance Ministry to implement the 7th Pay Commission – Media reports say

The Cabinet is likely to take up Seventh 7th Pay Commission recommendations for government employees on June 29. Implementation of new pay scales recommended by the 7th Pay Commission is estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on the exchequer annually.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his Budget for 2016-17 provisioned Rs 70,000 crore towards Seventh Pay Commission awards, which is around 60 per cent of the incremental expenditure on salaries.

The Pay Commission’s recommendations are due from January 1, 2016.

The central government constitutes the pay commission every 10 years to revise the pay scales of its employees. The Commission was set up by the UPA government in February 2014 to revise remuneration of about 48 lakh central government employees and 55 lakh pensioners.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday directed the Finance Ministry to implement the 7th Pay Commission recommendations, results of which could be termed as a huge bonanza for lakhs of government employees.

The move will be cleared in the Cabinet meeting which will take place on Wednesday.

A total of 98 lakh employees — 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners — will benefit from the move.

 The employees are likely to get a hike of 15-20 per cent.

 The implementation of the new pay scales is estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on the exchequer in 2016-17. Subject to acceptance by the government, it will take effect from January 1, 2016.

The Budget document has stated that “the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission due from January 1, 2016 is to be implemented during fiscal year 2016-17 as also the revised One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for Defence services”.

The Finance Ministry has provisioned for this in the Demands for Grants for individual departments and ministries. It is built and subsumed into those allocations.

In January, the government had set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha to process the recommendations of The Empowered Committee of Secretaries which will function as a Screening Committee to process the recommendations with regard to all relevant factors of the Commission in an expeditious detailed and holistic fashion. Faced with the burden of Pay Commission recommendations, there were concerns on whether the government would be able to stick to the fiscal deficit target of 3.9 per cent for 2016-17.

Source: News 18

7th Pay Commission: Rs 70,000 cr allocated for its implementation in Budget 2016

7th Pay Commission: Rs 70,000 cr allocated for its implementation in Budget 2016

7th pay Commission: “We have provisioned for around 60-70 per cent of the total burden that was talked about,” a finance ministry official said. Around Rs 70,000 crore has been provisioned in the Union Budget 2016-17 for the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission for government employees, a finance ministry official said.

While there’s no explicit overall provision number, the government had said the Seventh Pay Commission hike has been built in as interim allocation for different ministries.

“We have provisioned for around 60-70 per cent of the total burden that was talked about,” a finance ministry official said.

The Budget document states that “the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission due from January 1, 2016 is to be implemented during 2016-17 fiscal as also the revised One Rank One Pension (OROP)scheme for Defence services.”

The finance ministry has provisioned for this in the Demands for Grants for individual departments and ministries. It is built into and subsumed into those allocations.

In January, the government had set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to process the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, which will have bearing on the remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.

The Empowered Committee of Secretaries will function as a Screening Committee to process the recommendations with regard to all relevant factors of the Commission in an expeditious detailed and holistic fashion.

Faced with the burden of Pay Commission recommendations, there were concerns on whether the government would be able to stick to the fiscal deficit target of 3.9 per cent for 2016-17. However, in Budget Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley removed all doubts and promised to adhere to the fiscal consolidation roadmap and stick to the 3.9 per cent deficit target. (With PTI inputs)

Read at: Indian Express

Exemption of Railways from National Pension System – NFIR

Exemption of Railways from National Pension System – NFIR

Exemption of Railways from National Pension system (NPS) as recommended by the Railway Ministers – kind intervention and approval requested

NFIR
National Federation of Indian Railwaymen

No.IV/NPS/PFRDA BILL/Part I

Dated: 26.6.2016

Shri Narendra Modiji,
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India,
South Block,
Raisina Hills,
New Delhi-110011

Sub: Exemption of Railways from National Pension System (NPS) as recommended by the Railway Ministers – kind intervention and approval requested.

The National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) brings to your kind notice to the standing demand raised by the Federations seeking exemption of National Pension System (NPS) and restoration of Defined Benefit Pension Scheme [Liberalized Pension Scheme i.e. Railway Services (Pension) Rules 1993].

In this connection, the NFIR brings to your kind notice that the nature of duties performed by the Railway employees are akin to those in the armed forces. The NFIR also invites your kind attention that since British Rule, the Railways was conceived and operated as un auxiliary wing of the Army. It is an admitted fact that by virtue of its complex nature, Railways required a high level of discipline and efficiency to be able to perform its role as the prime transport mode. Railways is an operational organization required to run the services round the clock throughout the year. The Railway employees are expected to work in inhospitable conditions, braving extreme weather conditions under open sky, unfriendly law and order scenario and inherent risks associated with the Railways operations itself.

It needs to be appreciated that as in the armed forces, large number of Rail Workforce stays away from their families for long period while performing duties in remote and jungle areas where minimum required facilities are lacking. The nature of duties of Railway employees is critical and complex & hazards involved are also very high. Though efforts are made for enhancing safety measures, a large number of Railway employees lose their lives or meet with serious injuries in the course of performance of their duties each year. This was also admitted by Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, High Level Safety Review Committee in his report presented to the Railway Ministry.

Conceding the plea of NFIR, the former Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and also the present Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu have sent proposal to the Finance Minister in March, 2014 and November 2015 respectively urging upon the Government to exempt Railway employees from the purview of National Pension System OPS). In spite of proposals of the Railway Ministers, the Government has not yet accorded approval for exempting Railways from National Pension System (NPS). There is alround dissatisfaction and resentment among the Railway employees against.New Pension System.

The Railway employees are also a dissatisfied lot as the 7’r’ CPC has not done justice in respect of their pay structure etc. Added to this, non-abolition of National Pension System [NPS) has generated anger among all sections of Railway employees which compelled us to serve Strike Notice on 09’n June 2016.

NFIR, therefore, requests your kind intervention in the matter to see that the proposals of the Railway Minister seeking exemption of Railways from National Pension System (NPS), is approved by the Government without further loss of time.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,
(Dr.Raghavaiah)
General Secretary

Source: NFIR