West Bengal govt constitutes 7th Pay Commission for revision of wages

The West Bengal government on Wednesday constituted the Seventh Pay Commission. The Commission will recommend revisions relating to the salaries, allowances, promotions and pensions of employees and pensioners of the state government and government-aided organisations. The Commission will submit its report to the State Government within the next six months. Former Union Finance Secretary and retired IAS officer Atanu Chakraborty has been appointed chairman of the commission. Its members include Dr. Partha Mukhopadhyay, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, and Dr. Partha Pratim Pal, Professor of Economics at IIM Calcutta. Debi Prasad Karnam, Finance Secretary, will serve as the Member-Secretary.
According to the notification, the Commission will examine the existing pay structure, dearness allowance and other allowances, promotion policies, pension and retirement benefits of government employees, and recommend necessary changes. It will also place emphasis on improving employee productivity and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. While preparing its recommendations, the Commission will take into account the pay structures of the Central Government and other states, the State’s financial position, and the recommendations of the Eighth Central Pay Commission.
Chakraborty is a retired 1985-batch IAS officer who served as secretary in the Ministry of Finance from 2019 to 2020 and subsequently officiated as the part-time chairman of a private bank until his resignation in March this year. The panel will review the Dearness Allowance and recommend an appropriate formulation for the proposed pay structure. It will also review existing special allowances and other allowances, concessions including Travelling Allowance, of state employees in addition to their pay and recommend their rationalisation keeping in view the multiplicity of allowances, the order said.“The decision of the Government of India on the recommendations of the 8th Central Pay Commission may also be taken into consideration,” the order said in the context of the state panel’s recommendation purview.
Acting on its pre-poll promise, the BJP Cabinet had approved the constitution of the pay commission in May, soon after the party assumed power in the state.