The Hindu : Front Page : Pay hike of Rs. 700 to Rs. 4,000 for six lakh government employees

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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Front Page

Pay hike of Rs. 700 to Rs. 4,000 for six lakh government employees

Staff Reporter

Pay panel suggestion to cost Government an additional Rs. 1,350 crore

Recommendations Pay higher starting salary for teachers Set up Vigilance Commission in State Give importance to merit for promotion Bring in legislation on transfer policy

BANGALORE: The nearly six lakh government employees in the State can now look forward to getting a bigger pay packet, with the State's Fifth Pay Commission recommending an increase in salary ranging from Rs. 700 to Rs. 4,000 a month.

The commission, headed by retired official M.B. Prakash, submitted the second volume of its report to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Tuesday.

The pay revision will place an additional burden of Rs. 1,350 crore on the exchequer. The notification revising the pay has already been issued. The benefits will be notionally effective from April 1, 2005 and the monetary benefits applicable from April 1, 2006.

The revised scale will cover all full-time employees in the Government, zilla panchayats, aided educational institutions and universities on a regular timescale of pay.

After submitting the report, Mr. Prakash told presspersons that this time the commission had raised questions regarding administrative reforms, transfer policy and transparency in administration.

"Improving the quality of administration is as essential as revision of pay scales. It is desirable, therefore, that whenever the pay commission is constituted, the administrative system is reviewed," he said.

The commission has recommended passing of legislation to rectify flaws in the transfer policy. This will help prescribe a minimum tenure in a single posting, establish responsibility and rest authority with the appropriate office to effect transfers. The Lokayukta should be given more powers, and a special court was needed to facilitate speedy disposal of corruption cases, it said. A Vigilance Commission should be set up in the State along the lines of the Central Vigilance Commission, Mr. Prakash said.

Another major recommendation is that merit should be given greater importance for promotion. Just as merit played a major role during recruitment, efficient employees who delivered quality service should be given preference, particularly in higher categories of posts, he said.

It has recommended that the entry-level pay scale be increased for schoolteachers, veterinary doctors, AYUSH doctors and assistant public prosecutors, and setting a uniform pay scale for all gazetted officers in `B' category.

The revised City Compensatory Allowance (CCA) effective from April 1, 2006, will be Rs. 150, Rs. 100 and Rs. 80 for A, B1 and B2 cities respectively, for employees earning a basic pay of Rs 4,800 to Rs. 7, 779.

For those with a basic pay of over Rs. 7, 800, it will be Rs. 300, Rs. 200 and Rs 80 for A, B1 and B2 cities.

The arrears payable range from Rs. 8,400 a year to Rs. 48,000 a year.

The new pay scales will also apply to judicial officers on the lines of the First National Judicial Pay Commission's scales.

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