Surender Gupta Dunar News | 7th Pay Commission: Cabinet meeting to decide on revised

Surender Gupta Dunar News

Among various allowances, the Union cabinet is likely to discuss the House Rent Allowance (HRA) which has been a major concern for government employees. 

The long wait for nearly 50 lakh Central government employees over revised allowances could end today. The Narendra Modi-led Cabinet is expected to meet today to take a final call on allowances under the Seventh Pay Commission.
Some reports had suggested that the Modi government could start rolling out revised allowances from July.
The Union cabinet had okayed the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission in June last year, and since then it has been a long wait for employees to get the full benefits of the report's implementation.
Central government employees, on several occasions, have expressed their disappointment over the long delay in rolling out revised allowances.
Earlier, the Union Cabinet was expected to take up the subject of allowances in its last meeting held on June 7.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to table the proposal for the revised allowance structure at the Cabinet meet today.
Among various allowances, the Cabinet is likely to discuss the House Rent Allowance (HRA), which has been a major concern for government employees.
HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SEVENTH PAY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. The Seventh Pay Commission recommended axing 53 of the 196 allowances that Central government employees get besides merging 36 smaller allowances into bigger ones.
2. The Seventh Pay Commission also suggested bringing down the House Rent Allowance (HRA) rates for Central government employees by varying degrees depending on the type of city. For Metros, the pay panel suggested reducing the HRA from 30 per cent to 24 per cent.
3. As Central government employees protested against the recommendations, the Modi government constituted a committee under Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa in July last year to review the suggestions. The Lavasa panel submitted its report to Arun Jaitley on April 27.
4. Before filing the review report, the Lavasa panel held discussions with all stakeholders, including representatives of Central government employees and various government departments.
5. A Finance Ministry statement on the Lavasa report said that "modifications have been suggested in some allowances which are applicable universally to all Central government employees as well as certain other allowances which apply to specific employee categories".
6. The Ashok Lavasa report was sent to the Department of Expenditure for a first round of review before being placed before the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) for another round of screening.
7. Before the E-CoS submitted its report to the Union cabinet, representatives of Central government employees wrote to Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha and said that they were clueless about the recommendations of the Ashok Lavasa Committee on Allowances. They also expressed anguish over inordinate delay in implementation of the Lavasa panel's report.
8. After screening the Ashok Lavasa report on allowances, the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) forwarded the report along with its suggestions to the government after a June 1 meeting.
9. If reports are to be believed, Central government employees are likely to start getting revised allowances under the Seventh Pay Commission from July.
10. The Central government, however, may not be keen on giving arrears on allowances, one of the key demands by employees. According to some reports, employee unions have planned protests if the demand of arrears on allowances is not met.

Surender Gupta Dunar News Source