BHUBANESWAR: As yet another sop in the runup to polls, the State Government Sunday accepted the report of the fitment committee on the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations with some changes for across-the-board hike in salary of employees with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006.
The increase will be from 30 to 60 per cent depending on the seniority and grade and will benefit around five lakh employees, including grant-in-aid employees, and 2.5 lakh pensioners. The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting here presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and will be placed in the Assembly Monday. The cut-off date was fixed on November 30, 2008 before which the pay will be treated as arrear.
Forty per cent of the arrear will be paid along with the enhanced salary in December. Rest will be paid in 2009. Sources said that 40 per cent arrear and enhanced salary of December, January and February along with increased pension will cost the exchequer a whopping Rs 2,255.36 cr. Provision for this has been made in the first supplementary budget which was passed on November 26.
The number of payscales has been brought down from 28 to 5 band of scales. The payscales of administrative officials have been brought down to three bands from seven scales. Sources maintained that the posts special secretary, additional secretary senior grade and additional secretary will be in the highest grade with starting scale of Rs 37,400 while their grade pay will differ. The highest grade pay in this band will be Rs 9,000.
The highest gross pay will be around Rs 53,000 per month while the lowest will be around Rs 15,000. The lowest pay band is reported to have been fixed at Rs 4,700. The Dearness Allowance (DA) has been made zero in January, 2006. After that, there has been revision of DA five times, the latest in July, 2008. The DA, after the implementation of the fitment committee recommendations, will be 16 per cent.
The House Rent Allowance for employees posted in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack has been revised to 20 per cent while for rest of the State, it will be 10 per cent. Block grant for 1,694 high schools, 100 girls high schools and 860 upper primary schools have been increased from 40 to 60 per cent. This will cost the exchequer Rs 68.68 cr per year. The proposal for third peon post in block grant high schools was accepted.
Other decisions included appointment of village level workers (VLWs) as panchayat executive officers for which the Orissa Gram Panchayat Act will be amended. Cadre rules of data entry operators was approved.
Source: expressbuzz.com
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