Sixth Pay Commission recommendations: Some feel the price pinch, others rejoice this festive season

Parag Biswas

SILIGURI, Aug. 21: It is the irony of times that would allow some to be extravagant this Pujas and force others to practice austerity.

While the Central government employees can and are looking forward to celebrating a grand festival this year following New Delhi's decision to implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, for the State Government employees and teachers, who apprehend a steep rise in prices and services before the Pujas due to an average increase of 21 per cent in the salaries of the Central government employees, it is austerity time.

“We are likely to get the benefits of the increase in our pay after Durga Puja, but we are planning to celebrate the Puja in a grand style this year as the hike in our salaries will increase our purchasing power during the festive season,” grinned Mr Parimal Roy, a senior employee at the Sashastra Seema Bal office in Ranidanga. Most of the West Bengal government employees, on the other hand, are upset this Puja as they feel their pockets would not permit them to indulge in extravagance.
While many of them are busy chalking out strategies to cope up with the imminent price rise due to the increase in Central government salaries, some are hurriedly applying for loans in different banks in anticipation of a hike in the interest rates soon.

Even the State government's recent decision to set up the Fifth Pay Commission for salary revision next month has failed to mitigate their anxiety.
“The fourth pay panel took a year to submit its report and it was implemented two years after it was released. The fifth pay panel should release its report quickly and the state should pay interim allowance to employees, so that the burden of inflation on government employees can be somewhat less,” a senior teacher at a higher secondary school in Ghoshpatti, Mr Hari Kamal Barman said.


Source: http://www.thestatesman.net