A long wait for 6th Pay Commission implementation. When will it end?
Baljit Balli
Chandigarh, December 30, 2020: Lakhs of Punjab government employees have long been waiting for the government to implement the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission. They may soon have a reason to cheer as the Commission panel is likely to submit the final report in the first half of January.
Insiders in the Captain Amarinder Singh led state government informed that the government is actively working and pushing the panel to submit the final recommendation as soon as possible.
It has been learned the CM’s Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar recently held a meeting with Pay Commission chairman Jai Singh Gill to discuss the status of the report.
“The Punjab government wants to get the final report of the 6th Pay Commission as early as possible. Though it’s the panel who is working on the report we have asked them to complete the work soon since we have to make a provision in budget on the basis of recommendations of the commission. I think the panel is in the process of giving final touches to the report,” informed state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal to Babushahi Network.
Notably, the term of the Pay Commission is till December 31, 2020. In case, the Panel fails to submit the report within by 31st, the government will have to extend its term.
A senior officer of the state government told Babushahi that Commission is planning to submit the report by the first half of January.
Confirming the development, Jai Singh Gill, Commission chairman, told Babushahi that the panel is intensively working on completing the report and will try to the government as soon as it is completed. He did not mention any specific date or deadline
Pertinently, it will be crucial for the Captain government to get the final recommendation of the 6th Pay Commission in January 2021 itself so that it can make provision of Finances in the budget ahead of the Punjab Budget session expected in February, 2021
Notably, the upcoming budget session will also be the last budget session of Captain Amarinder Singh's government before the 2022 Punjab Assembly Elections.
The state government is now actively pursuing the status of the final report of the commission and ensuring that it comes to the table in January.
Interestingly, the upcoming budget session is also being termed as 'Vote Budget' as the government is expected to announce several reforms for the government employees as well as the general public ahead of the elections.
The Pay Commission was set up by the government in April, 2017 and appointed former CS Punjab Jai Singh Gill as chairman.