Secy panel on 7th CPC to have key meeting on June 11; salary hikes unlikely to come in July

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Empowered Committee of Secretaries (CoS) headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha processing the report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission is expected to meet on June 11 to finally wrap up its report on the remuneration of government employees.

It is reported that the secretaries panel will finally hear out all the stakeholders, including the Central ministries and Departments, and finalise its report, which will be handed over to the government on June 30.

Sources added that even the Prime Minister's Office is keen on a favourable pay hike for the central government employees, so the panel is likely to recommend a minimum salary at Rs 24,000 and the highest salary at Rs 2,70,000.

The 7th pay panel headed by AK Mathur had recommended the minimum salary at Rs 18,000 and maximum salary at Rs 2,50,000.

Sources added that the government is exploring options for meeting the additional payout over and above what was recommended by the 7th pay panel. The payout could be substantial with salary hike and arrears adding up to a Rs 1.02 lakh crore burden on government finances.

However, it seems that the government employees will have to wait more for the salary hike. Once the report moves from the table of the empowered group of committee to the cabinet, it is likely to take another month before the notification on pay hike will eventually come.

Even the Finance Ministry is keen that higher salaries reach government employees just before the festive season starting mid-August, as spurt in consumption during the festive period will have a domino effect on the economy.