By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 29, 2017: Ending all speculations and apprehensions among government employees, the Odisha government on Tuesday announced its decision to implement the much-awaited 7th Pay Commission recommendations from September 1.

This has come as a Durga puja gift for the employees and pensioners.

“My government has decided to implement the recommendations of the committee constituted for examination of 7th Central Pay Commission report and its adoption for the state government employees,” chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced here.

The decision will benefit around 4.5 lakh state government employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners. However, the state exchequer will have an extra burden of Rs 4500 crore per annum.

The enhanced emoluments and higher pension would put a burden of Rs 4500 crore on the state exchequer per annum.

As per the decision, the revised pay will be effective from September month’s salary which will be disbursed the following month onwards. The arrear payments are being worked out, he added.

“Fitment Committee was constituted to examine the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. The recommendations have been implemented to minimise the pay anomaly. On an average, the employees will likely to get a hike of 14.5 per cent on their salary,” state finance minister Sashi Bhusan Behera said.

The state government had constituted a Fitment Committee to look into the recommendations so as to arrive at a solution to implement the same.

The Union Cabinet had approved the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission a year ago. The Centre is yet to implement the recommendations.