Employees of the state government, government-aided educational institutions, local bodies and non-teaching staff of colleges and universities of the state in Karnataka will stand to benefit from the recommendations of the sixth Karnataka pay commission.
The commission, headed by retired IAS officer MR Srinivas Murthy, has recommended a 30 per cent hike in the salaries of the employees effective 1 July 2017 and to be paid from 1 April 2018. It has also recommended a hike in pensions.
The revision of pay, allowances and pension is set to cost the state exchequer an estimated Rs 10,508 crore annually.
As per the commission, the minimum pay will be Rs 17,000 and the maximum will be Rs 1,50,600 plus allowances. Similarly, the minimum revised pension will be Rs 8,500 with the maximum pension fixed at Rs 75,300 per month plus dearness allowance.
Other recommendations are:
Minimum qualifying service for voluntary retirement be reduced to 10 years,
Eligibility for receiving full pension reduced to 30 years,
Proposal to double the maximum limit of death-cum-retirement gratuity,
Additional pension to all pensioners aged above 80 years,
Increase in allowances and subsidies in vehicles for the differently-abled employees recommended.
The report has been submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association had requested a 30 per cent hike in October 2016. The main contention was that recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission created a huge gap in salaries of Central and State government employees.
(With inputs from PTI.)