TENTH PAY REVISION COMMISSION QUESTIONNAIRE
The State Government have been constituting Pay Revision Commissions regularly to evolve rational pay structure for their employees. The Government recently constituted Tenth Pay Revision Commission. Its terms of reference include evolution of principles which may govern the structure of emoluments and the conditions of service taking into account the total packet of benefits available to the employees of the State Government, Local Bodies, Aided Institutions and Non-teaching staff of Universities.The Pay packets for the Government employees include Basic Pay and compensatory Allowances. The main compensatory allowances are Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance and City Compensatory Allowance. The Dearness Allowance compensates rise in the cost of living index which is being sanctioned based on the increase in the twelve monthly moving average of the All India Consumer Price Index for the Industrial Workers computed by the Labour Bureau, Simla. The House Rent Allowance compensates the expenditure incurred by the Government employees on Housing. The City Compensatory Allowance compensates higher cost of living index in cities. In addition there are special allowances where the employees are supposed to perform special nature of duties including those working in interior places, unhealthy localities, hill areas, tribal areas etc. The Special Pays are sanctioned where the job requires special skills or the job involves arduous nature of duties or for specific addition to work. It is pertinent to note that the quantum of these Special pays and allowances should adequately compensate the extra duties or for the arduous nature of the job, but at the same time they should not disturb the salary structure.
The successive Pay Revision Commissions evolved the pay structure of the employees after thoroughly reviewing the pay scales evolved by earlier Pay Revisions. An Anomalies/Regrouping Committee followed the 1986 Pay Revision and Anomalies Committees followed the 1993, 1999, 2005 and 2010 Pay Revisions.
The concept of Master Scale was first time introduced in the 1993 by the Pay Revision Commissioner. The rate of increment is the same at a given pay point in the Master Scale irrespective of the scale and it also confers relatively higher benefits on the employees with longer service. The Pay Scales are only segments of the Master scale. The Master Scale was devised with a view to providing the seniors with greater benefits.
The successive Pay Revision Commissions also continued the concept of the Master Scale. Among others, the last Pay Revision Commission recommended for :–
- The minimum pay Rs.6700 and the maximum pay as Rs.55660 and thus the ratio between minimum and maximum worked out to 1:8.31
- Continuance of the Master Scale progressively rising incremental increases.
- Continuance of the Automatic Advancement Scheme consisting of 8, 16 and 24 years as it serves the larger interests of the Government employees. However based on the agreement reached between the Government and JAC of Employees, Teachers and Workers, the periodicity of the scheme has been revised to 6, 12, 18 and 24 years.
- Continuance of Special Pays and other allowances keeping the settled and adopted criteria by the earlier Commissions in view.
- Sanction of three stagnation increments.