he Rajasthan government on Saturday announced that it will provide benefits under the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations to nearly 12.5 lakh employees and pensioners in the state with effect from January 1, 2017.
The move will put an additional burden of ₹10,400 crore every year on the government and the arrears will be paid in three installments, state Industries Minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat said in a news conference.
The decision was taken on the basis of a report summated by the DC Samant committee that was formed to examine and implement the recommendations of the seventh pay commission in the state.
The arrears will be effective from January 1, 2017 and will be given in three installments – 30% in April 2018, 30% in July 2018 and 40% in October 2018, the minister said.
Shekhawat said under the pay commission, government employees and pensioners will get a minimum increment of 14. 22%.
There will be minimum 32% increase in the basic pay and employees will get over 100% increased house rent allowance, he said, adding that the maximum limit of payable gratuity was increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh.
Earlier, chief minister Vasundhara Raje had announced to implement the recommendations of the pay commission before Diwali and had also released a notification, saying that the arrears will be in effect from October 1, 2017.
But state government employees are unhappy with the announcement.
Reacting to the government’s decision, Akhil Rajasthan Rajya Karamchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti member Tej Singh Rathore said the government has made an incomplete announcement to crush the employee’s agitation and the proposed Aakrosh rally on Sunday.
State government employees’ union were, however, angry over arrears not being given from October, and had threatened to stage a statewide Aakrosh rally from December 3.
