Panel to look into govt staffers' pay revision

BENGALURU: State government employees, including teachers and policemen, have reasons to smile: Their salary cheques are set to get fatter, probably from next year.
The Congress government, which has been facing flak for neglecting its 6.1 lakh employees, may soon set up a panel to recommend hike in payscale, pension and retirement benefits as per the Seventh Pay Commission report. This festival bonanza is being seen as a major political move ahead of the 2018 assembly elections, especially in the backdrop of the BJP-led NDA government extending sops to its employees.

A senior

finance department

official, who attended a recent meeting on the issue, said the government may soon announce the setting up of a panel which will look into the commission's recommendations and submit its report in six months.The cabinet meeting will authorize the chief minister to nominate the panel's chairman.

The official said the panel will keep in mind the state's financial resources, rising debts and the government's commitment to development while making recommendations on the new salary and pension structure.

BP Manje Gowda

, president of Karnataka State Employees' Association, confirmed that chief minister Siddaramaiah had told them a pay panel would soon be set up purportedly to get rid of the government's `anti-employees' image. He said the CM is expected to convene a second and fi nal meeting with them before setting up the committee.

Now the question is whether the cashstrapped state is willing to walk the talk.According to finance experts, there are two options before Siddaramaiah who holds the finance portfolio. One, he can fix certain anomalies in select perks of employees in tune with those of the central government, which would roughly cost the state exchequer Rs 2,500 crore. Second, he can agree for a hike to ensure complete pay parity with central government employees and for that, the government has to shell out about Rs 5,800 crore.