Cabinet approves 7th pay scale for employees

PANJIM: Over 55,447 government employees will benefit from the 7th Pay Commission from January 1, 2017 as the State Cabinet on Friday gave its approval to the commission recommendation for increase of 16 percent in pay scales. Another 45,002 pensioners and family pensioners will avail of benefit of rise in pay scale from December this year.

The implementation of the 7th Pay Commission to nearly 1,05,433 employees and pensioners, including work-charged employees, will burden the state exchequer by Rs 47 crore monthly, and this will further increase to Rs 70 crore with the inclusion of other allowances like 

transport, house rent, etc. 

The arrears from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016, which work out to around Rs 381.60 crore will be deposited in the employee’s provident fund. 

The revised pay scale will not be applicable to the employees of panchayat raj, municipalities, corporations, autonomous bodies, PSU. The government intends to issue separate instructions on these later.

Addressing media persons, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said, “The revised pay matrix as per the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission will be implemented in respect of all the government employees and employees of aided educational institutions with effect from January 1, this year. The revised pay structure will include the dearness allowance (DA) of 125 percent.”

He added, “In case of family pension and pensioners whose age is 75 years and above, 100 percent of the arrears in one installment will be released on or before February 28, 2017. In case of pensioners below 75 years, arrears shall be paid in three installments in February-March, April-May and June-July, next year.”

He said that at present the monthly pension bill is approximately Rs 48 crore, which over a period of the next six months from the date of implementation, will increase to Rs 60 crore, the government incurring an additional liability of Rs 12 crore monthly. 

The Chief Minister said there are 4,984 work-charged employees functioning in PWD and WRD, for whom monthly payment is approximately Rs 16.50 crore per month and will get enhanced to Rs 19.14 crore.

“Overall, the additional liability on account of the implementation of the 7th Pay Commissions would be Rs 47 crore per month on pay and pension,” Parsekar said adding that the liability on arrears would be Rs 762.68 crore, of which approximately Rs 400 crore, will be paid out in cash in the next six months, rest being in provident fund and special NPS account, locked in for three years. 

The Chief Minister said that there is every possibility that during the execution of the pay scale, there may be anomalies due to the promotions or employees with same designation having different pay scales. “In order to overcome such situations and to provide for a clear distinction in promotion, remove anomalous situations and restructure the hierarchy, it is required that a thorough work study be done,” he said. 

The government has constituted a two-member Work Study cum Anamoly Committee consisting of Ombudsman Shaymsundar Korgaonkar and retired director of  Accounts Norbert Moraes. 

Meanwhile, Goa Government Employees Association (GGEA) has welcomed the State government decision to implement the 7th Pay Commission from January 1, 2017. However, it has not withdrawn the strike call given for December 7. 

“GGEA has conveyed an emergency meeting of its Central committee on Saturday to discuss the issue and adopt appropriate stand for the future,” GGEA president John Nazareth said.