7th Pay Commission will remove anomalies in JK: FM

Srinagar: Minister for Finance and Labour and Employment, Dr Haseeb Drabu on Monday said 7th Pay Commission will remove anomalies in Jammu and Kashmir.

“We will use the opportunity of 7th Pay Commission to do a major clean-up of the pay anomaly in the cadres of the state administration. Initially, the cadres will be rationalized followed by equalization and then equation through fixation of grades,” Dr Drabu said while speaking during a meeting of the Pay Anomaly Committee which was also attended by Chief Secretary B B Vyas, Principal Secretary, Finance, Navin Choudhary and Principal Secretary, Home, R K Goyal among other officers.

During the meeting, Dr Drabu was told that there are 108 grades in pay scale of employees of Jammu and Kashmir government as against 18 cadres in central government, which poses a significant challenge to the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission.

“Certain pay scales have emerged over the years which have no correspondence at central level. They will require a substantial application of mind during the process of rationalization and equalization,” Dr Drabu said.

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister also approved the long-pending demand of young doctors who are hired on temporary basis as junior residents and registrars at Government Medical Colleges and Government Dental Colleges at Jammu and Srinagar.

Dr Drabu said the anomaly in stipend given to the doctors at Government Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges, and their counterparts who work at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science and affiliated hospitals will be removed.

“Our government is sensitive to the plight of professionals working in the medical profession and keeping in view the guidelines of Medical Council of India, their stipend will be brought at par with their counterparts in SKIMS,” the Finance Minister said.

The meeting was also attended by Pawan Kotwal, Commissioner Secretary Health, Principal JVMC, Dr Riyaz Unto, Joint Director Codes, R S Bali and other officers of the Finance and Health and Medical Education.