Jammu & Kashmir on 25 April approved implementation of the 7th Pay Commission recommendation for state government employees and pensioners with effect from January 2016. It has become the first state across the country to implement the same.
The decision was announced during the meeting of the state cabinet chaired by J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti which was attended by both PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) and BJP ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh.
The employees will be able to draw revised salaries from the current month. “As already announced by Govt, the employees to draw revised scales of pay from current month,” the state information department tweeted.
The employees will get more than 20 per cent hike in the salary for the month of April, state Finance Minister Syed Altaf Ahmed Bukhari told reporters.
The state government in 2017 had announced that it will implement 7th pay commission recommendations from April 2018, giving a massive 23.5 per cent hike to lakhs of government employees and pensioners in the state.
Bukhari said that state government has committed its implementation in budget. It has been the first time in state’s history that pay commission’s recommendations have been implemented without any agitation from employees and despite lack of resources, he added.
From April 2018 onwards, employees of J&K government will start getting the revised salary as per the recommendations of the 7th pay panel.
The cabinet decision is going to benefit around five lakh employees and pensioners in the state. The financial implications will be Rs 4,201 crore per year while one-time arrears would cost the government Rs 7,477 crore.
