6th Pay Commission: After a long wait, the report of the West Bengal Sixth Pay Commission is finally public. The report was published in response to a Public Interest Litigation (RTI) filed by Shri Debaprasad Haldar of the Unity Forum. Based on the interim judgment of Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court, the state government has been directed to publish this report on its official website. Let’s take a detailed look at the important recommendations of this historic report and its potential impact on state government employees.
Key Recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission
Although this thousands-of-pages-long report covers multiple topics, the main attraction was the recommendations regarding Dearness Allowance (DA) and House Rent Allowance (HRA). The recommendations made in this report, signed by the commission’s chairman, Shri Abhirup Sarkar, are as follows:
- Dearness Allowance (DA):
- According to the commission, the state government will determine the amount of Dearness Allowance for its employees after considering its financial resources. In other words, the decision to grant DA has been left entirely to the discretion of the state government.
- Most importantly, the report clearly states that the state government will not be obliged to follow the All India Consumer Price Index (AICPI) for granting DA. As a result, the demand of state government employees for DA at the central rate has been virtually rejected.
- House Rent Allowance (HRA):
- The commission has recommended reducing the House Rent Allowance (HRA) from 15% to 12%.
- However, in the case of both spouses being employed, it was recommended to increase the maximum limit of House Rent Allowance from ₹6,000 to ₹10,500. The state government later increased this limit to ₹12,000.
Impact on Employees
The publication of this report has generated mixed reactions among state government employees. While the curiosity about the report’s transparency has been satisfied, many are disappointed with the recommendations regarding Dearness Allowance. The recommendation not to follow the AICPI is expected to make the legal battle for employees to get DA at the central rate even more difficult. However, since this report is now a legal document, the future of the Dearness Allowance case for state government employees will be determined based on it.
