7th Pay Commission: Even as there is much talk going on in official circles that the Modi government has started planning to enhance salary benefits to the central government employees, who are demanding to hike their pay, the former staff belonging to state-run firms are gearing themselves up to put a pressure on the Centre over their own demands for a hike in their salaries. These are the retired employees who do not want to lag behind in putting forth their demands as they understand that ahead of general elections, the government could shower some generosity on them over a hike in their income.  
 
The number of retired employees in central government departments as well as in the state run is sizeable, therefore, they see it as the right time to seek revision of their pension and fitment factor, as per the 7th Pay Commission. These are the the retired employees of state-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL who staged a day-long hunger strike on Thursday, to protest against non-revision of their pension as per the Seventh Pay Commission report, the organisers said.
 
Convener, Joint Forum of Retirees, S S Nanda said, "BSNL and MTNL pensioners who were absorbed from Department of Telecom under the banner of Committee of BSNL and MTNL Pensioners' Associations observed fast today throughout the country demanding pension revision from January 1, 2017 with 32 percent fitment factor."
 
He claimed that the same was given to central government pensioners who number in excess of 60 lakh and this was effective from January, 2016." 
 
Claiming that these employees too fall under a similar categorisation under recommendation of the 7th pay commission, he added that "BSNL/MTNL retirees are also covered under the same rules of central government pensioners but not getting similar benefits."  

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Notably, the number of central government employees and pensioners is 11 million strong.