Kolkata, 15 October (H.S.) : The newly constituted Seventh Pay Commission in West Bengal has sought comprehensive data regarding the salaries and allowances of state government employees across various departments. In a formal letter addressed to the State Finance Secretary, the commission requested detailed information concerning employee posts, services, and cadres. Additionally, it has called for the prompt submission of details regarding teachers, educational staff, and employees of panchayats, municipalities, and other institutions whose remuneration is borne by the state exchequer. The designated officers of the respective departments are required to submit this data online through the commission's dedicated portal using a prescribed format.

Reacting to the development on Thursday, Swapan Mandal, General Secretary of the Bangiya Shikshak O Shikshakarmi Samiti, raised concerns over the lack of a specific timeframe for the data submission. He pointed out that while the commission has asked every department for salary details, the absence of a strict deadline might allow departments to deliberately delay the process. He emphasized that establishing a clear deadline was essential to ensure timely compliance.

The state government formed the Seventh Pay Commission in July this year under the chairmanship of former bureaucrat Navin Prakash. According to the 'Terms of Reference' notified by the Finance Department, the calculation of the minimum wage will be determined by considering a five-member family as the baseline. Furthermore, the commission proposes revising the daily nutritional requirement benchmark for minimum wage determination from the previous standard of 2,700 calories to 3,490 calories. The state secretariat, Nabanna, has mandated the commission to focus not merely on salary increments but also on thoroughly restructuring overall service conditions, allowances, promotional avenues, retirement benefits, and the general working environment.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh