Many Central Government employees had expected that the Prime Minister would make some announcement regarding a pay hike, but that was not to be. Modi spoke about a variety of issues regarding farmers, social justice, triple talaq, Kashmir, just to name a few.
However the component regarding the 7th Pay Commission was missing in his speech which he delivered from the Red Fort on account of Independence Day. While there is certainly a lot of disappointment, sources say that all is not lost. Such an announcement could be made anytime and the Red Fort need not necessarily be the platform.
The source said that the latest update regarding the 7th Pay Commission is that the issue is still being studied as the financial implications need to be understood.
The last meeting that was held was in July and it was at the meeting that the government had said that a decision regarding a hike and fitment factor would be taken only after considering the financial implications.
What has made it worse for the CG employees is that the RBI said that the inflation has risen following the pay panel’s recommendations regarding HRA. The 7th Pay Commission had recommended a basic pay hike of up to Rs 18,000. CG employees have been demanding a hike in basic minimum pay of up to Rs 26,000.