7th Pay Commission: Good news for 50 lakh govt employees as Centre may hike pay beyond recommendations

Around 50 lakh government employees may get a good news soon, as Centre might consider giving pay hike beyond the recommendations of seventh pay commission. 

If various media reports are to be believed then the Narendra Modi government is considering increasing the salary of low-level officials, from matrix level 1 to 5 and go beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

The central government employees especially the lower-level ones might get an increased pay under seventh pay commission from April. 

According to various reports in media, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mulls increasing the minimum pay and fitment factor for them, which would be effective from April 1, 2018. 

According to The Sen Times, the government employees, who receive salaries from pay matrix level 1 to 5, are expected to receive hike in minimum pay scale to Rs 21,000 from Rs 18,000 from April 1, 2018.  These employees will reportedly see an increase in their fitment factor from 2.57 times to 3.00 times of the basic pay of 6th Pay Commission.  An official told the newspaper that FM Jaitley will prefer to pick and choose lower-level employees and pay hike accordingly rather than salary hike for middle-level employees. 

Currently, the Central government employees are getting basic pay according to the fitment formula of 2.57 of the basic pay and if this big step is taken, it will come as a massive news for the Central government employees. 

Fitment factor is a figure used by 7th CPC with which the basic pay in 6th CPC regime (i.e Pay in Pay band + Grade pay) is multiplied in order to fix basic pay in revised pay structure (i.e 7th CPC). Fitment factor formulated by 7th CPC is 2.57.

It is expected that the proposal would be sent to the Cabinet at the start of next financial year.

The Seventh Pay Commission had earlier recommended Rs 18,000 as the basic salary but the employees are demanding it to raise further to Rs 26,000. 

Arun Jaitley in 2016 in Rajya Sabha promised to hike pay of the central government employees beyond the suggestion of the 7th Pay Commission.