The Union Cabinet today gave its approval to the Terms of Reference of 7th Central Pay Commission

7th Central Pay Commission 

The Union Cabinet today gave its approval to the Terms of Reference of 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) as follows:-

a) To examine, review, evolve and recommend changes that are desirable and feasible regarding the principles that should govern the emoluments structure including pay, allowances and other facilities/benefits, in cash or kind, having regard to rationalization and simplification therein as well as the specialized needs of various Departments, agencies and services, in respect of the following categories of employees:-

i. Central Government employees-industrial and non-industrial;
ii. Personnel belonging to the All India Services;
iii. Personnel of the Union Territories;
iv. Officers  and   employees   of  the   Indian  Audit  and   Accounts Department;
v. Members of regulatory bodies (excluding the Reserve Bank of India) set up under Acts of Parliament; andvi. Officers and employees of the Supreme Court.

 b) To examine, review, evolve and recommend changes that are desirable and feasible regarding principles that should govern the emoluments structure, concessions and facilities/benefits, in cash or kind, as well as retirement benefits of personnel belonging to the Defence Forces, having regard to historical and traditional parities, with due emphasis on aspects unique to these personnel.

c) To work out the framework for an emoluments structure linked with the need to attract the most suitable talent to Government service, promote efficiency, accountability and responsibility in the work culture, and foster excellence in the public governance system to respond to complex challenges of modern administration and rapid political, social, economic and technological changes, with due regard to expectations of stakeholders, and to recommend appropriate training and capacity building through a competency based framework.

d) To examine the existing schemes of payment of bonus, keeping in view, among other things, its bearing upon performance and productivity and make recommendations on the general principles, financial parameters and conditions for an appropriate incentive scheme to reward excellence in productivity, performance and integrity.

e) To review the variety of existing allowances presently available to employees in addition to pay and suggest their rationalization and simplification, with a view to ensuring that the pay structure is so designed as to take these into account.

f) To examine the principles which should govern the structure of pension and other retirement benefits, including revision of pension in the case of employees who have retired prior to the date of effect of these recommendations, keeping in view that retirement benefits of all Central Government employees appointed on and after 01.01.2004 are covered by the New Pension Scheme (NPS).

g)  To make recommendations on the above, keeping in view:

i. the economic conditions in the country  and need for fiscal prudence;

ii. the need to ensure that adequate resources are available for developmental expenditures and welfare measures;

iii. the likely impact of the recommendations on the finances of the State Governments, which usually adopt the recommendations with some modifications;

iv. the prevailing emolument structure and retirement benefits available to employees of Central Public Sector Undertakings; and

v. the best global practices and their adaptability and relevance in Indian conditions.

h) To recommend the date of effect of its recommendations on all the above.

The Commission will make its recommendations within 18 months of the date of its constitution.  It may consider, if necessary, sending interim reports on any of the matters as and when the recommendations are finalised.

The decision will result in the benefit of improved pay and allowances as well as rationalization of the pay structure in case of Central Government employees and other employees included in the scope of the 7th Central Pay Commission.

Background

Central Pay Commissions are periodically constituted to go into various issues of emoluments’ structure, retirement benefits and other service conditions of Central Government employees and to make recommendations on the changes required.

Source: PIB 

Dearness Allowance has Reached to 100%, Cabinet Committee Approved 10% Dearness Allowance for Central Government Employees and Pensioners

Release of additional installment of dearness allowance to Central Government employees and dearness relief to Pensioners, due from 1.1.2014 

The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal to release an additional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from 01.01.2014, in cash, but not before the disbursement of the salary for the month of March 2014 at the rate of 10 percent increase over the existing rate of 90 percent. 

Hence, Central Government employees as well as pensioners are entitled for DA/DR at the rate of 100 percent of the basic with effect from 01.01.2014. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission. 

The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both dearness allowance and dearness relief would be Rs. 11074.80 crore per annum and Rs. 12920.60 crore in the financial year 2014-15 ( i.e. for a period of 14 months from January 2014 to February 2015). 

Source: PIB

7th CPC ToR to be taken up by Union Cabinet Tomorrow 28/02/2014

Cabinet Committee recommends Parliament prorogation Unprecedented number of proposals including the possibility of draft ordinances on anti-graft bills expected to be cleared by Cabinet on Friday

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs on Wednesday recommended prorogation of Parliament ahead of Friday’s Cabinet meeting which is scheduled to clear an unprecedented number of proposals including the possibility of draft ordinances on the pet anti-graft bills of the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

“It is a choc-o-bloc agenda. I have never known seen such heavy agenda before the Cabinet. We are working feverishly as if for the last supper,” a senior Finance Ministry official told The Hindu. The UPA government is keen on clearing as many proposals as possible before the expected general election announcement of the Election Commission after which the Code of Conduct comes into vogue. Among the items for clearance include 54 new Kendriya Vidyalayas and GSLV-Mark III.

Marathon Cabinet meeting expected

With the schedule for the Lok Sabha likely to be announced on Saturday, the UPA government is working “feverishly” on a record number of announcements, appointments and initiatives before the model code of conduct kicks in.

The Cabinet meeting on Friday is expected to be a “marathon” one as it will be the last opportunity for the government to take policy decisions as well as ‘populist’ sops, top Finance Ministry sources told The Hindu.

The proposals lined up for Friday’s Cabinet include 54 new Kendriya Vidalayas, space programme GSLV-Mark III, a six-lane bypass for Delhi, terms of reference for the 7 Pay Commission which was set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently.

It is expected to consider Rs. 3,500 crore budget for new broadcasting infrastructure for All India Radio and Doordarshan, 10-per cent Dearness Allowance for government employees and 600 MW hydro-power projects in Bhutan. The dearness allowance hike to 100 per cent from the existing 90 per cent is expected to benefit to benefiting 50 lakh employees and 30 lakh pensioners.

Officials believe some more items could be put on the block-buster agenda. A Cabinet Minister told The Hindu that the government expects the Election Commission to announce the general election schedule on Saturday or latest by Monday.

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cabinet-committee-recommends-parliament-prorogation/article5729869.ece