7th Pay Commission: This state gets good news, HRA allowance of employees gets cleared

7th pay commission: Every day there is something or the other taking place when it comes to Seventh Pay Commission. In latest development with news circulated, it has been revealed that Assam state government has agreed to implement the recommendations of the Pay Anomaly Committee. This would mean that Assam government employees will get benefits in regards to their House Rent Allowance (HRA). However, even as the Assam employees get a feel of 'acche din', some 48 lakh central government employees are still waiting for clarification in regarding their pay scale and fitment factor hike. They have been complaining about their dissatisfaction since 7th CPC report recommendations were approved. 

For Assam employees, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Finance minister in a The Telegraph report said, "The state government has agreed to pay the revised rate of HRA as recommended by the Pay Anomaly Committee. With this, the employees who are posted in Guwahati will get HRA at the rate of 10% of their pay. While employees posted in the district and sub-divisional headquarters and others will receive HRA of 8% and 7% of their pay. 

Reportedly, the government has also agreed on other recommendations linked to 7th Pay Commission. They are also considering providing relief in payment of hill area allowance to the employees posted in Assam House in Shillong and special teaching allowance to the teachers of Deaf and Dumb School.

Sharma reportedly said, "Trained graduate teachers of lower primary, junior basic and pre-primary schools will get a grade pay of Rs 7,400 while untrained graduate teachers and trained undergraduate teachers of these schools will get grade pay of Rs 6,800 and untrained undergraduate teachers will get grade pay of Rs 6,200."

Meanwhile, concerns span the wellbeing of as many as 50 lakh central government employees who have been waiting for some good news in their minimum pay scale and fitment factor.

These employees are demanding a fitment factor of 3.68 times with minimum pay scale of Rs 26,000. This is after the Union Cabinet revised their minimum pay to Rs 18,000 from previous Rs 7,000 per month, along with fitment factor of 2.57 in June 2016 leading to a major hike in all central government employees salaries.

It has been revealed that, the government may hike minimum pay to Rs 21,000 and fitment factor to 3.00 times. However, the NDA government at Centre claimed that they are not really looking to hike minimum pay beyond the recommendations provided in the 7th Pay Commission report recommendations.