PM gives nod to Seventh Pay Commission, panel to be announced soon

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pm-gives-nod-to-seventh-pay-commission-panel-to-be-announced-soon/1174044/

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given his assent for the commission, whose recommendations will affect about 80 lakh citizens of India. (Reuters)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given his assent for the setting up of the seventh Central Pay Commission. According to reports, Finance Minister P Chidambaram confirmed this on Wednesday.

The announcement came ahead of elections, which will go into the salaries, allowances and pensions of about 80 lakh of its employees and pensioners.

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The names of the members of the commission have not yet been revealed. It is expected that the chairperson and members, along with points of reference of the commission's undertakings, will be announced shortly.

The setting up of the Commission, whose recommendations will benefit about 50 lakh central government employees, including those in defence and railways, and about 30 lakh pensioners, comes ahead of the Assembly elections in 5 states in November and the general elections next year.

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The government constitutes Pay Commission almost every ten years to revise the pay scales of its employees and often these are adopted by states after some modification.

The report could take about two years to be written, making January 1, 2016 the likeliest date for the recommendations of the commission to take effect from.

The sixth Central Pay Commission recommendations were implemented from January 1, 2006.

(With PTI inputs)