7th Pay Commission: DoPT Behind Delay in Hike in Minimum Pay, Fitment Factor?

7th Pay Commission: DoPT Behind Delay in Hike in Minimum Pay, Fitment Factor?

New Delhi, Jan 20: The junior-level employees of the central government might get to hear some good news regarding a hike in their minimum pay beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission as the finance ministry has been mulling the same. On the other hand, the minimum pay of mid-level and senior level central government employees will not change beyond the 7th Pay Commissionrecommendations. It has been reported that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is against the National Anomaly Committee’s (NAC) proposal to hike the minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

The NAC had recommended a minimum pay of Rs 21,000 from the existing 18,000 with fitment factor of 3.00 instead of the existing 2.57 times, beyond what has been recommended in the 7th Pay Commission. For now, we do know that the NAC has sent the proposal through the DoPT recommending a hike of the minimum salary for the central government employees beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission; the DoPT has, in return, sent it to the finance ministry.)

“The NAC was tasked with recommending new pay structures for central government employees especially lower-level employees up to the pay matrix level 5 after discussions with all stakeholders,” an official was quoted as saying. It is now up to the Ministry of Finance to either agree on the minimum pay and fitment factor hike or not, beyond the 7th Pay Commission.

It has been reported that the Centre has been mulling to increase the minimum pay of central government employees beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission but “now for all”. The minimum pay is likely to be increased, more than the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, only for the central government employees who get salaries from pay matrix level 1 to 5, a source close to the finance ministry was quoted as saying by The Sen Times. Among such developments, it is likely that the salaries of the junior-level employees might get a hike beyond the 7th Pay Commission.

As for the mid-level and senior level central government employees, the source said, “There will be no change in salaries of employees above pay matrix level 5. The ministry is of the view that they have already got a good hike in the 7th Pay Commission recommendations.”

Originally, the 7th Pay Commission had recommended raise of the basic pay from Rs 7,000 to Rs 18,000 a month, maximum basic pay from Rs 80,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh and fitment factor of 2.57. The central government employees, however, have sought a raise in minimum pay from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 and fitment factor 3.68 times from 2.57 times, beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.