7th Pay Commission latest update: Minimum wages of Central govt employees to go higher as Modi government may increase fitment factor

New Delhi: 7th Pay Commission latest news: The Narendra Modi government may bring some more good news for the central government employees this New Year. 

According to reports in Zee Business, the Modi government may announce a hike in the fitment factor of central and state employees which will in turn push the minimum wages of central employees higher.

The central government employees unions have long been demanding for hiking  minimum pay of Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 and fitment factor be raised from 2.57 times to 3.68 times. According to Zee Business sources, the fitment factor of central employees can be decided before the presentation of Union Budget likely to be presented on February 1, 2022.

Zee Business said, if sources are to be believed, then the fitment factor of central employees can get approval from the Union Cabinet before the Budget, so that it can be included in the expenditure of the Budget. 

If the government makes announcement regarding the hike in fitment factor of central employees, then their salary will consequently increase. In fact, with the increase in fitment factor, the minimum wage will also increase. Employees are currently getting salary under fitment factor on the basis of 2.57 percent, which if increased to 3.68 percent, there will be an increase of Rs 8,000 in the minimum salary of the employees. This means the minimum pay of the central government employees will be hiked from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000. 

The Union Cabinet had in June 2017 approved recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission with 34 modifications. The new scales of pay provided for entry-level basic pay going up from Rs 7,000 per month to Rs 18,000, while at the highest level i.e. Secretary, went up from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. For Class 1 officers, the starting salary was at Rs 56,100.