Amid reports of a hike in salaries of Central government employees beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission (CPC), the Narendra Modi government on March 6 said that no such proposal was under consideration. 


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In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan said that the Modi government was not considering a hike in minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.


“The minimum pay of Rs 18,000/- per month and fitment factor of 2.57 are based on the specific recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission in the light of the relevant factors taken into account by it. Therefore, no change therein is at present under consideration,” said MoS for Finance P Radhakrishnan in his reply to the Upper House of Parliament.


The MoS for Finance was replying to a question by Samajwadi Party lawmaker Neeraj Shekhar in which he asked, “whether Government is actively contemplating to increase minimum pay from Rs 18,000/- to Rs 21,000/- and fitment factor from 2.57 to 3, in view of resentment among Central Government employees over historically lowest increase in pay by 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC).”


The 7th Pay Commission had recommended a hike of 14.27 percent in basic pay of Central government employees, raising minimum pay from Rs 7,000 to Rs 18,000. 


However, the Central government employees demanded a raise in minimum pay from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 and fitment factor 3.68 times from 2.57 times. There had been reports that the government was mulling to raise minimum pay to Rs 21,000 and fitment factor 3.00.