Central pay scales for Punjab new recruits

In a bid to cut its salary bill, the Punjab Government decided to pay salary to new recruits as per the 7th Central Pay Commission.

In a meeting of Council of Ministers, approval was given to recruit 50,000 employees by surrendering or abolishing existing posts in 10 departments.

The move will not affect the existing staff. The new recruits will, however, not get the benefit of the state pay scales, which are on the higher side. The decision will also affect the contractual staff who were earlier given relaxation in the upper age limit for recruitment in regular pay scales.

A 20-member task force set up by the state under former Chief Secretary KR Lakhanpal to devise a lockdown exit strategy had, in its report in April this year, pointed out that “Haryana pays salaries equivalent to the Centre whereas Punjab pays about 25 per cent more without any justification”.

Punjab spends almost 45 per cent of its annual revenue on the payment of salaries and pensions.