Thaindian News

Guwahati, June 1 (IANS) The Assam Government has set up a new pay commission to recommend revision of salaries for its employees, a move bound to make an estimated 500,000 staff happy ahead of the national elections scheduled for early next year, authorities said Sunday. The Sixth Pay Commission, set up Saturday with a former secretary in the Union government Bhaskar Baruah as chairman, is to submit its report within an year, an official statement said. The Commission has four other members, including state Chief Secretary P.C. Sharma.

“We are keen on achieving parity in salaries of our state government employees with that of their counterparts working for the central government. If possible, we want to ensure that our employees get at least a rupee more than the salary of the central government staff in similar positions,” said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

The state government has also announced its decision to release 10 percent interim relief with retrospective effect from April 1, 2008 for its employees. This will provide state government employees a minimum relief of Rs.250 and a maximum of Rs.1,000 per month.

A directive has also been issued for release of six percent dearness allowance for the employees with retrospective effect from January 1, 2008.

The state government’s move has been hailed by the Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad (SAKP), Assam’s apex state government employees’ union. “We express our gratitude to the timely announcement by the chief minister,” an SAKP statement said.

As per the recent recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, the increase in salaries of about 4 million central government employees would cost the exchequer an additional Rs.120 billion annually, while the payment of arrears with effect from January 1, 2006, would impose a one-time burden of Rs.180.60 billion.