New Delhi, Apr 14: While the delay in Committee on Allowances’ report on higher allowances under the 7th Pay Commission has left central government employees in distress, another bad news may him them soon. The Committee on Allowances, formed to look into the provision of higher allowances other than dearness allowance for central government employees under the 7th Pay Commission, may not hike the housing rent allowance (HRA) as demanded by the employees’ unions. The reduction in HRA under the 7th Pay Commission was the major point of grievance among central government employees.

The 7th Pay Commission, headed by AK Mathur, had recommended that HRA should be paid at the rate of 24 per cent, 16 per cent and 8 per cent of the new Basic Pay, depending on the type of cities. But the central government employees want government to keep it at 10 per cent, 20 per cent and 30 per cen as per the 6th Pay Commission. There had been report that the Committee on Allowances may accept this demand of central government employees, but the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) convenor Shiv Gopal Mishra said they are not hopeful that their demand about HRA will be fulfilled.
While speaking to India.com, NJCA convenor Shiv Gopal Mishra said that the central government employees were unsure about hike in housing rent allowance (HRA). “We are not sure whether HRA would be raised to 10, 20 and 30 per cent. We are ready for negotiation, but a reasonable amount should be fixed,” Mishra said. The union leader also said the delay in release of higher allowances has only increased the woes of central government employees.
“Pessimism has gripped central government employees and all sections of workforce are disappointed. Some may express the disappointment, some may not. Be it defence personnel, engineers, technicians, all are disappointed,” Mishra had said. About 47 lakh Central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners have been waiting for higher allowances under the 7th Pay Commission since last nine months. The government only hiked basic pay of the central government employees as per the 7th Pay Commission recommendations.
The 7th Pay Commission had recommended abolition of 51 allowances and subsuming 37 others out of 196 allowances, which triggered resentment among central government employees. The hike in basic pay and pension for central government employees and pensioners has been made effective from January 1, 2016 but the they are still awaiting for the higher allowances.