Over 14 lakh (1.4 million) Indian Railways employees may proceed on indefinite strike in the last week of February next to press for their 10 demands, including the formation of Sixth Pay Commission.
Overnight, the Wall Street closed on a flatter note.
The Commission will now have time until December 31 to submit its report.
A committee headed by Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi has turned down the request for constituting the Sixth Pay Commission to review the salaries and perks of all central government employees.
Leaders of major central trade unions on Wednesday made a strong demand before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for restoring the interest rate on Employees Provident Fund to 12 per cent
Do you think the new pay panel proposals will cripple India's economy? Are political compulsions overriding economic sense? Or do you think this is a fair move? Tell us.
Setting up of the sixth pay commission and its terms of reference are to be finalised by the Union Cabinet when it meets on Thursday.
The Delhi high court on Friday directed the city government to bring into effect the recommendations of a panel suggesting over 200 private unaided schools to return excess fees to parents with interest.
Analysis of the 7th Pay Commission's recommendations.
After careful consideration, the finance ministry appears to have rejected the proposal of merging 50 per cent of dearness allowance with basic salary of government employees and setting up of the Sixth Pay Commission.
The challenge of cleaning up the taxation system and introducing the goods and services tax (GST) regime cannot be underestimated.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved composition of the 7th Pay Commission, which will revise the salaries of over 50 lakh Central government employees.
The setting up of the Commission, whose recommendations will benefit about 50 lakh (5 million) central government employees, including those in defence and railways, and about 30 lakh (3 million) pensioners, comes ahead of the Assembly elections in 5 states in November and the general elections next year.
Mumbaikars from different parts of the city are providing people with ready-to-grow seed balls to help tackle depleting forest cover, reports Swapnil Joglekar.
The current salary paid by the Delhi government amounts to 17 per cent of the total expenditure.
This is roughly 70% of the national transporter's budgeted wage bill of Rs 40,435 crore for the current financial year.
The idle talk at street corners, cafes and public places since May 23 is that the winds of change are blowing across Bengal.
The law was amended to bring parity between public and private sector employees (including PSUs) after the gratuity limit was raised for central government on similar lines
This time, five states, including Tamil Nadu, have requested the Centre to delay the pay hikes.
The state is now under pressure to revise the salaries of its 800,000 employees, which would add to the strain of an already debt-laden state exchequer.
'The non-implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission, almost a year after it was implemented for civilians, is gradually beginning to hurt morale in the armed forces,' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi backed the long-pending demand of 'One Rank, One Pension' for former servicemen assuring them that he will make all efforts to ensure it is met at the earliest.
Officials cited the example of the Sixth Pay Commission.
Siddaramaiah announces free LGP gas, universal health scheme in budget
'The high court notice could go some way in easing the vitiated civil-military relationship, and the trust deficit between civil servants and the military.'
Modi govt must take measures to prevent widening of fiscal deficit.
Change in performance appraisal system will deter corruption and motivate officers to pass correct orders.
These firms offer job security and lucrative salries.
Govt is likely to find it hard to meet deficit target next year.
The higher salaries and pension outgo will be equivalent to about one per cent of the GDP.
The demand for OROP has been projected as an unambiguous issue but a good policy argument must have a sound economic element.
'On the tax front, most of the Budget proposals are sensible'.
Why does Modi want to speak to the students while his audience should be teachers and parents, not necessarily in that order. And September 5 is not Children's Day but Teachers' Day, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
'We have not seen even during Vajpayee's time what Modi and the BJP has adopted now.'
'The government must understand that the Indian Railways is like a Kamdhenu cow. It can look after your GDP, it can look after the health of the nation. But the Kamdhenu cow also needs nourishment.' 'You have not at all looked after the Indian Railways, you have ill treated the Indian Railways, you have mistreated the Indian Railways and you have given the Indian Railways step motherly treatment.' 'I don't think this government has understood the Indian Railways.'
'Think about this: A widow of a jawan is drawing only Rs 3,500. If OROP is implemented, she will get additional Rs 1,500. These poor girls are young and have no source of income; they are trying their best to just make ends meet. It is the pain of these situations that has driven me to this.' 'We don't want to put pressure on the government -- that's not our intention. We have full faith in our prime minister. We are asking for a meeting with him, and when we get that, we are sure he will not only give us what we are asking for, but 10 per cent extra.' Major General Satbir Singh, who headed the OROP agitation at Jantar Mantar, speaks out.
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