Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 3: The Government today nominated Administrative Secretary Home Department as the new chairman of the Pay Committee replacing Administrative Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department.
Setting the ball rolling for the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission in Jammu and Kashmir, the Government had in April this year setup a seven-member panel to examine the revision of pay scales of the State employees and pensioners.
The Administrative Secretary, Planning Development and Monitoring Department shall continue to be a member of the committee. The other members of the panel include Administrative Secretaries of Finance, Law & Justice departments, Public Works Department (PWD) and General Administration Department (GAD).
Director Codes, Finance Department is the Member-Secretary of the Panel.
Pertinently, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, who presented the budget in the Assembly on January 11, 2017, had said that the State Government would implement the 7th Pay Commission recommendations from April 1.
The pay committee shall examine the import of recommendations of 7th CPC vis-a-vis the existing pay bands and desirability of changing them suitably. It shall review the structure of medical allowance, compensatory allowance, house rent allowance, temporary move allowance and other allowances.
The Pay Committee shall suggest an overall package keeping in view any other point which may be having direct bearing on the issue of restructuring of pay bands. It shall also examine the principles which should govern the structure of pension, death-cum-retirement gratuity, family pension and other terminal and recurring benefits having financial implications to the State Government employees falling under old pension scheme appointed before January 1, 2016.
The committee shall examine the desirability and need to sanction an interim relief till the time its recommendations are made, and accepted by the Government. The Pay Commission will benefit over 4.5 lakh employees besides pensioners in the State.